When looking up load data for the 7mm08, the manuals usually list preferred powders and speeds for 24-26 inch barrels. Is there any data listed that shows preferred powder and speed for a 20 inch barrel? If you have any experience with a 7mm08 and 20 inch barrel, how has your preference gone?

The 20" barrel makes no significant difference as to which powders do well.

Big Game

Varget or Big Game

My most accurate loads in the 7-08 were with W760 powder.

H4350, IMR3031 and H4895 have been great in my two.

I use IMR 4350, probably not the fastest, but very accurate in a model 7 for me

RL-15 does very well, BG or Varget.
I use a lot of RL15 from 120gr- 140gr.

I have used Varget, CFE223 and Big Game with 120 to 140 gr BT's and TTSX.

I currently have a Remington 700 20" barrel in 7mm08. I use imr 4895 & hornady 139 gr. sp .

I get very good results with Varget and 140 gr Sierra Gameking bullets. I also get good results with IMR4895 and Big Game. My rifle is not real picky. 22 inch barrel

Varget pushing 139 Interlocks and CFE 223 pushing 120 TTSXs out of my Montana and Classic Select. My Featherweight likes em, too.

I just bought my 7-08 and I have not loaded any ammo yet. I plan on using AA2700. I use it for my .243 as well. It's in the burn rage of Hodgdon H-414 and IMR 4350.

kwg

Take your pick. I have used IMR-4350, Big Game, RL-15 and Varget. I'm sure others will work but I know for sure any of those 4 work well.

I found good accuracy with Staball match and 120 ballistic tips in my 18” barrel Nula.

What kind of speeds are you seeing with a 20 inch barrel?

One of the beautiful things about the 7-08 is that a variety of powders work great. Along with those you've listed, I've also made very accurate hunting loads with RL16, H414, and H4350. Any powder that accurately delivers a 140gr Accubond/partition at 2800fps, or 120 ballistic tip at 3000fps will kickasss in the field. Anymore for me, I've whittled mine down to Varget and Big Game
in that order.

What about BLC-2?

YUP

I used to use H4350 with 140 grain bullets but am now using Big Game as it gives a bit more velocity and perhaps slightly better accuracy.

H414, Big Game, and even Hunter work very well in mine. When running 150gr Nosler partitions, Hunter works exceedingly well. I've also used IMR4350, but was not as happy with it. it's nice to hear other powders work well. Seems like the 7mm-08 is pretty easy to please. I may have to experiment with CFE223, since it's still fairly reasonably priced here, and easy to find.

120 TTSX and CFE-223 work well for me, like the 308, many powders work well.

Noone has mentioned my favorite IMR4064. Shoots very well in several of my 7-08's but particularly well in my Nelson Berger heavy rifle.
Good luck all!
Rick

I've been liking IMR4166 with 162s.

RL15 and 140’s in my sons 20”
Used 4350, Varget and 4064 but 15 is accurate and I have 10 lbs of it so….

Do you have any data that shows at what barrel length vs burn rate that is does matter?

I really don't recall ever seeing any real test data but there has to be a point at which it does matter but it may be too small to even show significance a a reliable correlation.

MM

I don't have a reference for when it does get short enough to matter.

The 2 most accurate powders I've found in my 7mm-08 so far is IMR4064 and big game. I would like to try some CFE223 some day to see how it does but for now I'm happy with the Big Game/120 TTSX load I'm shooting.

In general, I get the most velocity from StaBALL6.5, best accuracy from Varget, and find Big Game to be the sweet spot.

The 162's would be nice to run, if you can get the velocity out of them. I'm assuming you are probably exceeding 2,600 fps? Hopefully somewhere around 2,700. That would be a hammer, even at that velocity.

I’m at 2700 give or take a few fps with Hunter and 162’s.

That's really not bad. I may have to revisit that bullet, and maybe try Hunter then... Thanks buddy..

You're up early, dude, or did you not go to bead?

MM

Was a busy day yesterday. Did not go to bed until 5 am!!!! Getting ready to go and test new rifle at the range here in a bit...

What do you think of these guys running the 162 at 2,700? Sounds pretty good to me. The last time I tried them, my poor rifle was getting 2,500, but that was with IMR4350. Kind of gave up on the idea, and figured I'd stick with 140 TTSX and 150gr partitions.

I don't worry about what happens past around 500 yards, so the super long for caliber, ultra high BC game doesn't hold too much attention for me with hunting rifles.

Maybe if I was a pure target shooter & actually had a good place to shoot a 1,000 yards with easy access I'd get more excited..............drop compensation is a given today but wind drift is still voodoo, so anything to simplify that is good.

A real 2700 fps in a 22" barrel is nice if you can get it in a 7-08, but is an easy given in a 280.

I keep my 7-08 loads to 150's or less, usually 140's or 120's for my purposes.

MM

Good post MM. I have almost settled on the 150gr Nosler partition in mine. It's great out to 500 yards. Tested with a simple ballistic plex reticle, 13 oz scope. I like to keep my big game hunting rifles very simple. Lighter in weight, and well balanced. The last time I used my 7mm-08 on a hunt was on a bull 2 years ago. It worked great.

Before that elk hunt, this is what I came up with:


Testing different seating depths:


Even testing different primers. Magnum vs. standard. The magnum primers did shoot a little better, but not by enough to matter, for a hunting rifle.

I found the 150gr Nosler partitions to shoot better than the 140 TTSX in my rifle, by a little bit:



That's with a powder no one has suggested, except for me. I believe. The nice thing about Hunter powder, is it's still fairly reasonably priced around here. Easy to find too. A local shop has been sitting on a keg of it for about a year now though. Maybe because it's not as popular at BG? I know it works great in my 30-06 rifles as well.

I was buying that stuff for $30/pound a couple years ago, when powder was scarce too.

You've obviously done more testing and would have more data than I have, but I will concur that Varget with 139/140 class bullets works very well in the accuracy department. As verified with 3 different 7-08's now, and hopefully soon to be a 4'th.

The plenty of dead deer now for a couple guys I load for that shoot deer out to around the 350 yd mark tells me also that any velocity left on the table is a non- issue. At least when using 139 Hornady's for deer.

120 B Ts, CFE 223

Partitions just seem to never don't work..................

Those are nice results, BSA & you have some excellent rifles.

I've gone away from heavy rifles & have gone more lightweight too with my primary rifle now being a 700 Ti, in 7-04 that weighs 6.25 lb with scope & mounts & it shoots very well is is not finicky. I'm usually using 120 NBT's or 140 AB's or NPT's with either RL-15 or H4350, soon to be moved to RL-16 for both bullet weights.

If not the 7-08, then it's a light 6lb, 10 oz 700 MR in 280 which is also a good shooter. It's not finicky either, shooting well with different powders & bullets, see below.

Here are some loads that I shot during load development.

At one time, I had 4 338's, a 300 win, & 2 7 Mags...............those have gone down the road in favor of the lighter rifles.

MM

7-08 Ti


A target for the 7-08 with 3 different powders, same bullet............8 shots in the ragged hole, then I got nervous & dropped one low, LOL


280 Rem 700 MR





Note the different powders & bullet for the 280

Nice rifles buddy. They shoot great. Keep us posted on that RL16 powder in your 7-08's. Your rifles are dang light and handy, and good looking too. The Tikka's I've been using are around 7 pounds scoped. The model 70's, as you know, are 8 pounds scoped. I still have my magnums, so them being 8 pounds scoped works fine for me.

Take a look at pressure/velocity data for handguns chambered in rifle cartridges....

Right around 2650, which works pretty well.

I have a BLR 7mm08 that likes 140 sierra game kings over IMR 4895.

As alot of others said my rifle likes varget maybe not the fastest but shoots good.

yes

I get 2740 fps out of a 24” barrel Rem Varmint Special, with a 150 Scenar over 42 grs of Varget COAL loaded to 2.80 mag constraints.

I just loaded some today about 25 thou off the lands to see if I can shrink the .5 to .75” groups that I have been getting. The rifle is in my range toy rotation so I don’t mind using it as a single shot if need be.

This rifle is the one with the heavy barrel and was a safe queen when I bought it. Lots of fun to shoot and a very classy retro look.

I may pillar bed it and free float the barrel one day but it shoots plenty good out to 550 yards. Have not tried it to 1000.

Not bad. Probably similar to a 147gr 6.5 at that speed.. I may have to revisit that bullet in the 7mm-08.

In my Tikka RL17 gave the highest velocity with 140gr bullets, followed closely by W760, PP2000mr, Big Game, RL16 gives about 50 Fps less but is very accurate and very temperature stable. If you are going to load 160 grain bullets RL26 is the way to go, with Nosler Partitions I get 2770 FPS using Winchester cases and 215 primers.

Would not take my eyes off Rl23

I am not aware of any 20" data. Hodgon has data on their website for a 7mm08 15" barrel in the pistol section. Sierra also has data for a 15" in their single shot pistol section.


I think you will find a 20" barrel will perform well with powders that also perform well in 22-26" as well.

Many powders work well in a 7mm08, such as: IMR-4895, IMR-4064, Varget, BigGame, IMR-4350, H4350, RL16, RL17

IMR-4064 or Varget is not a bad place to start with 100-150 pills. Don't over think this one, 7mm08 is not overly picky.

Hodgdon Varget and Winchester StaBALL 6.5 are my favorites. The velocity with StaBALL is impressive.

My other 3 7-08,s I had and loaded for RS BG with 140 gr my Remaining Forbes 7-08 with 140 gr H 4350

"Back in the day", we didn't have either CFE 223 or Big Game, but I found IMR4064 as best in both accuracy and MV in my M70 Featherweight. Today, I carry both CFE 223 and Big Game, but not for a 7-08 but .35 Whelen and .375 H&H. I no longer have a 7-08, but IMR4064 was very useful for both the .35 Whelen and .375 H&H. Yet those two newer powders have improved the performance in both .35 Whelen and .375 H&H, so why not also in the excellent 7-08?

Bob
www.bigbores.ca

R17 in my M7. Mid to low 2700's with 154 gr sp. That bullet goes under moa with several different powders. Hunter and H4895 do very well with it also but not as fast.

About 25 years ago I bought some of the Hornandy I think it was called light magnum 139 gr ammo for my wife's Rem 700 7mm-08 24" barrel because they claimed 3000fps . I shot it over my chrono and sure enough it was 2999, so I pulled a round apart because I couldn't get enough in the case to get even close to that FPS. Horny used a ball powder so I bought some Win 760 and I got 2970 with a 140NP and shot .5 m.o.a.