Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shot of a lifetime - 7mm Magnum Bullet

I can not be killed with conventional weapons!!!

Or your heart might decide to throw an irregular at you at just the wrong moment and blow it all up!

Thanks for all the comments. What do folks think of Sierra GKs in the 140gr Braket?

Or a foot more, depending on how hard the wind is blowing Most guys shouldn't be shooting if the wind is blowing that hard, but let's think of it this way- if 450-500 yards is the max distance, and we assume that our wind call could be less than perfect so we limit the acceptable wind drift to let's say 6", a slippery bullet will give us a margin of error that allows us to make the shot with zero compensation in a 7-8 mph or less full-value wind, where a less aerodynamic bullet may exceed 6" of drift with anything over 3-4 mph of wind. So a slippery bullet may allow us to shoot in stronger winds than a bullet shaped like a brick, without exceeding our allowable wind drift. Just something to consider in this whole discussion of bullet selection

As far as construction is concerned, it doesn't take much bullet to kill a sheep. After sending a few bullets through a couple of different BH sheep, I've never seen one keep a bullet inside, and we're talking bullets ranging from Sierra MK's to Barnes X bullets, and shot angles from broadside to hard quartering.

Wind-drift at 500 yards with the ballistic program on Berger's website, 10 mph full-value wind, 35 degres at 8000 feet elevation:

160-grain Nosler Partition @ 3077 fps--13.38"
180-grain Berger VLD @2821 fps--10.43"

The velocities are the maximum listed from the Nosler and Berger manuals, though that gives the 180 an edge since Berger's barrel is 26" and Nosler's 24".

This discussion of what to use on a �shot of a lifetime� inspired me to make a list of my open-country game of 400 pounds or less that night be considered shots of a lifetime, since they all required years (and often multiple hunts) to acquire. I came up with 10 animals:

Mule deer, Montana, .280 Remington, 160-grain Nosler Partition.
Mule deer, Sonora, .300 Winchester Magnum, 168 Barnes TSX
Caribou, Nunavut Territory, .30-06 w/180-grain Federal Deep-Shok
Caribou, Northwest Territory, .280 Remington,160-grain Nosler Partition
Coues deer, Sonora, 7x57, 139-grain Hornady BTSP Interlock
Pronghorn buck, Wyoming, .257 Weatherby Magnum,100-grain Barnes TSX
Pronghorn buck, Montana, .257 Roberts, 100-grain Nosler Partition
Red stag, New Zealand, .30-06, 185-grain Berger Hunting VLD
Cape kudu, South Africa, .30-06, 180-grain Nosler Partition

The last is my single wild sheep. I�ve never had much desire to take any wild sheep except a Montana bighorn, and in 35+ years of applying have never drawn a ram tag. At this point it looks like it might never happen, but did draw a ewe tag a few years ago, and used a 7x57 with a 160-grain Sierra GameKing.

Half these animals were taken between 360 and 450 yards, and while three received a second shot, all except one were killed with the first shot. Only two involved much of a �wind call,� the Wyoming pronghorn and Nunavut caribou. The pronghorn was hit correctly, but I missed the caribou on the first shot, because the stalk required a long belly-crawl to within 450 yards, and lying down on the tundra didn�t provide sufficient clues about the considerable wind speed. (They don�t call northern Canada the �barren grounds� for nothing.) The first bullet landed just in front of the bull�s chest, by an inch or two, but the second took out the top of the heart.

The only animals where bullet penetration might have been an issue were the Cape kudu and Sonora mule deer. The kudu was taken with a shot of almost 400 yards at an extreme uphill angle, the bullet hitting the shoulder about halfway up, then breaking the bottom of the spine, due to the angle, ending up under the hide on top of the far shoulder. The Sonora mule deer was running almost directly away at about 200 yards, and the bullet struck just in front of the left hip, ending up under the hide in front of the right shoulder.

Obviously I don�t use deep-penetrating bullets for all my hunting, but do tend to err more that way than high-BC when trophy hunting, having found extra penetration to make a difference more often than a little higher BC. But that�s just me.

Dunno what I�ll use if a Montana bighorn tag ever shows up in the mail.

Mule Deer, you have inspired many followers to become better hunters and "rifle loonies". Fifteen years ago I started really experimenting with various hand loads in all my rifles. I'm still yet to find the "perfect combination" but have killed most of my game with 117gr Hornady SPBT and 117gr sierras out of various .25 caliber rifles. The 7mm is one caliber I don't have much experience with, however I own several .280s, 7mm-08, 7x57. In the past I've owned a .284 and 7mm mag, but have never taken a head of game with a .7mm bullet..just lots of punching paper targets.

My friend has asked me to provide him with my top 5 bullets of choice, so far On the list:
139gr Hornady BTSP
180gr VLD Hybrid
160gr Partition

What are your top five? Also my friend has quite a selection of guns to choose from...would you steer towards another caliber like the .300WSM or 6.5-06, 25-06. Everybody please chime in!

When I draw a Breaks bull tag next year thinking 180 Partition/300 WSM.

I'd run the rifle I was most confident in and had practiced with the most, not a brand new one, and I'd use the load I had the most time and experience with in that rifle.

Thanks for the kind words!

Dunno if I can come up with a list of five bullets, but do have some comments on the ones you list, and an additional bullet to suggest.

I dunno where your friend is hunting, but bighorns can be bigger-bodied than any other North American sheep (unless, of course, they're desert bighorns). The heaviest on record here in Montana went 302, and I am sure there have been quite a few others at least that big. This doesn't require vast penetration, but the size is similar to a big mule deer, and with an angling shot a possibility I'd prefer a little stouter bullet than the Hornady 139 BTSP. I've used that bullet a lot and while it normally works great, I've also seen an occasional Hornady BTSP come apart, especially when pushed fast.

One consideration you listed is cape damage, one area where the Berger VLD might not be the best choice. They can exit on game that size, and when they do the hole is typically pretty large.

In my experience Partitions typically leave fairly small exit holes, because the front core blows off and essentially leaves a wadcutter with a little fringe of peeled-back jacket. I just ran the numbers for a 150 Partition at 3200 fps (easily possible in the 7mm RM) and wind drift at 500 is even a little less than with the 160.

In addition, in my experience the 150 Partition is often easier to get to shoot really accurately than either the 140 or 160 Partitions. The late Chub Eastman suggested that to me years ago, when I was having difficulty getting 140's or 160's to shoot in a very accurate custom .280, and it sure worked in my rifle. Have seen the same thing several times since in cartridges from the 7mm-08 and 7x57 to various 7 mags.

I'd say that 3077fps for a 160 PT is approaching the upper pressure limit, as where 2821fps with the 180 VLD, especially considering the minimal bearing surface of the VLD, is further from the red line. We need to compare the bullets loaded to like pressures. I'm thinking 160 PT versus 168 JLK would be a good illustration.

Addenum- there's not a mountain of difference between the 2 bullets, but small advantages are still advantages, whether in penetration or wind drift.

I think I just heard the angels singing........

How about the 162 AMax for all the inherent advantages? It seems like it would be about perfect for sheeps.

Quite surprised: the 280 got that much use on "important" hunts, and the 270 got kicked to the curb???

Unless it blows up on a shoulder and the sheep runs off into a hellhole to die.

162 Amaxs are too darned unpredictable. Why use them when there are so many better bullets out there?

In case anyone asks, I saw the results of a 162 Amax which came apart on a mule deer shoulder (fired from a 280). Some goodies made it into the nearside lung, and killed the deer eventually. It's still what I call a bullet failure.

Hi Jordan,

I'm curious as to what ranges and what cartridge/bullets you've used on game past 400 yds and what you observed. Thanks.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that'll spend 50K on a 4x4 truck, tens of thousands on hunts, clothing, boots, guns, scopes, etc. to support their hunting hobby then use a cheap ass bullet to save 50 cents when that bullet's the one thing determines whether that hunt is a success or failure.

path,

You'll have to be more specific. Ranges, animals, and cartridges/bullets vary. It doesn't make much sense for me to type and post a big list. What observations are you getting at here?

I'd say the bullet is about the least important "thing" that determines success.

Me, I'd go with a 160 Partition, 160 Accubond, 160 Speer Hot Core, 150 Ballistic Tip, 160 Sierra Game King, 154 Hdy, in that order.

I'd pick the one that shot best and rock on.

Though a sheep nut friend of mine uses a 139 Hdy from his 280 on Dall's year in and year out with boringly predictable results.