I just got a 7mm-08 this week and want to know some of the finer points of this round. I want to know what grain bullets have worked well for those of you who have used it. As well as some of your handload recipes.

This is actually my "baby's" gun only thing is the baby isn't due till April.

120NBT's or 120 TSX's over 45.5 gr RL15....

My lil 788/7-08 is rocking big time with 139 Horns, 120 NBT's, 150 NBT's and 168 Burgers along with R17.

Accurate, inexpensive (cost me a whopping 250 bones) and shoots in the .3's consistently....grin

Dober

140s are about the magic weight, and lots of powders will work.

700 ti loves factory Federal Fusion, 140 gr.

geo

My wife has done in a few deer with the 139 gr Hornady with 49 gr R19 IIRC. This in a A Bolt Micro Hunter with 20" barrel. Sweet little rifle. Biggest she has shot, the bare carcass with no skin, forelegs or head a day after the deed still weighed just over 100 lbs. At 50 yds there was lung chunks sprayed 10ft behind impact. FWIW

My 7-08 likes 140 Sierra Game Kings with 42 Grains of Varget and it is my favorite rifle.

It's a 308 necked down to 7mm (grin)...

I always liked H4350 and 140's in mine.

A 139gr Hornady SP and max load IMR4895 sparked by a CCI LR primer. Good speed and very accurate in several 7mm08s.

RH

Darn. I thought it was the .260 necked up.

Couldn't be... 308 pre-dates the 7-08 and the 7-08 predates the 260.

Logic is grand, no?

308 is king (grin)...

Yeah 308 is king but it wasn't on sale for $180.

The best whitetail cartridge IMHO.

It's almost as good as the 270 WCF.

I load 140gr BT's and NP's for my friends daughter.
No complaints yet out of her Weatherby youth rifle.

120 BT's and H414 work very well in my son's Savage.

+1

RL15 and Varget are tops. H4350 is about 5th or 6th on the list IME.

MtnHtr

All I can tell you is I shot 160g Grand Slams at about 2850fps in my 7mm RM for a lot of years (thought they were faster until I got a chrono) and they tipped elk over just fine. At 2700fps with a 160g, give or take, a 7mm-08 isn't far behind.

Mule deer is the only type of deer I've hunted but I've always figured the 7mm-08 was one of the best cartridges for deer-sized game � it is easy on the shoulder and hard on the deer, and can reach out to 500 yards with manageable drop and plenty of energy.

I'd probably go with 140g AccuBond or 139g InterBond. You can launch the 120�s faster but the difference in trajectory isn�t very much. Assuming a 140g AB @ 2900fps vs a 120g Balllistic Tip @ 3200fps, both with MPBR zeros for a 6� diameter circle, the 120g BT is down 28� at 500 while the 140g AB is down 36�. Energy for both is about the same at 500 yards as well, 1243fpe for the 120g BT and 1267fpe for the 140g AB. At 300 yards the difference in trajectory is less than 2� and again the energy is about the same, with only a 12fpe separating them. The important difference for me is I wouldn�t be nearly as concerned about bullet blow up or excessive meat loss at close range with the AB.

I just finished stuffing 40 rounds with Varg and 120's for a friends son (11 now) who I'm mentoring into the hunt world this year. Lucky bugger drew a mtn goat tag on his first try.

We were at the range Tues night for a couple hours, he pounded heck out of steel and paper with my 223 Ack and my 7/08. That night he burned through about 40 139 Horns back with R17.

I'm having trouble sleepin at night cause I'm twitterpated over doing a 7/08AI. I told him about it and he said kool do it, then I'll have another 7 to shoot...grin

Dober

Yep, funny how some folks think its only good for woods hunting. I've owned both the std and AI versions, with my 7-08AI I smoked a muley buck clean out to a lasered 480 yrds with no problems (139gr Hornady at 2950fps)

And it indeed makes a great woods rifle as well.

MtnHtr

Thinking I'll use mine all winter for yotes and some long range bunnies as well...

Dober

The 7-08 will put some nice holes in the yotes and take a bunnies head clean off! lols!

MtnHtr

U ever use the 130 Speer or the 145?

Dober

Dober,
Nope. Going off memory I've used mostly Hornadies, Barnes, Noslers and Sierras. They all worked well so never tried the Speers. Thats one thing I like about the 7-08 or any of the 7mms, there is a great selection of bullets in the 139/140 class. Put 'em inthe right place and things start dropping real quick. The 7-08 is easy on bullets and the shoulder just like the 7x57.

MtnHtr

139 Horn has always been a fav of mine in bigger 7's can't imagine it being anything but a rock star in the lil 7

Thx
Dober

It was my favorite too but my current 7-08 no likey, it luvs Noslers. I'm hoping the new '06 tube will like the 150 hornady!

MtnHtr

my brother-in-law loves the 7-08, and has it on three different platforms (...one is a Thompson Contender!) he has dropped dozens of whitetails with 140g Nosler BT's. Vargetrdone and RL-15 are his primary powder choices.
Lotsa off-the-shelf ammo works great too.
...but as for your schoolin', it's just not as good as my .284 win for doing a lot with a small 7mm package.

I used Speer's 130gr BTSP on 2 or 3 white tails. Using a max load of H4350, I got around 2800 fps. Switched to H4895 and picked up another 50 or so fps with similar accuracy. These results from the 20" barrel of my model 7.

The 130 killed everything I hit with it, but on the biggest deer I shot with it, a good sized doe that field dressed at a weighed 140lbs., it failed to exit on a high shoulder shot at about 40 yds, broadside. The remains of the jacket were found just under the hide on the offside.

I've also used the Sierra 120gr Prohunter bullet on one buck. Shot while angling fairly sharply away. Bullet hit near the rear of the rib cage and exited, in 2-3 pieces from the rear edge of the offside shoulder. Muzzle velocity on this bullet, pushed by H4895, was near 3,000 fps.

I'm now using H4895 for bullets 140grs and lighter. Accuracy has been as good as any other powder I've tried and in my particular barrel, the only thing that comes close in velocity is H414.

Contender or Encore? I'm note too sure the Contender can handle those pressures on a standard sized cartridge face.

Thanks for the info guys. I am really excited about the new gun I will get some factory to try first, probably see if I can find some of the new Fusion 120's, 140 Cor-lokts and Hornady 139's.

I will start handloading for it in the spring and am looking at the Speer Hotcore 130's over Varget.

Thx bruinruin-my 7/08 perks very well with R17, if you're bored sometime you may wanna give it a go.

Dober

...yeh, it's a two-hand scoped pistola,with a harness to help control it. I don't think it's custom shop set-up, but I don't know for sure.

I was sorely tempted to try R17 when it first hit the shelves, but I've got so many partial cans of powder on my shelf that I figured that I didn't need to add to the pile of unused powders and just wasn't up to the gamble. Now, with all the info out there on it, I just might give it a whirl.

Thanks Dober.

Loads that shoot are:
140 gn Partitions and H-414 powder
100 gn Sierra HPBT's and Varget

3 shots with each load deliver 1/2" groups at 100 yards

I think 140 gn bullets are about as heavy as I want to shoot in both the 7-08, and the 7x57. They offer a good balance between trajectory and terminal performance, with Partitions.
Intersestingly, Partitions shoot accurately in every rifle I shot them in.
I'm normally a one rifle-one load guy. But, I decided to load up a varmint load for the 7-08 with the 100 gn Sierra. That same bullet shoots exceptionally well in my Beanfield 284 rifle.

I hear you on that one, this economy has sure schooled me on what I need vs what I want.

Funny thing, when I got the 7/08 this spring I had 3 cans of R17 on the bench so that's how I got to using it...grin

Dober

The 7-08 is to deer rifles what the. 45 acp is to pistols. So badass all you have to do is point it at the animal and it will fall over dead.
LOL.
Seriously though its a great medium game caliber. I love mine.

140 Ballistic Tips over Varget is the ticket in mine.

I love the 7mm-08.

If I were back in the 7/08 game, I'd run 140 ABs w/IMR4064 or Varget. The IMR showed a tad better consistency in my experience, both produced very good speed and accuracy. RL17 may be the upcoming powder but not sure what bullet wts. respond best. Also, would use WW brass partial sized in my chamber via Redding dies. RCBS or Forester would be fine also.

Lastly, the 120 BT is raved alot, but I'd opt for a 120 TTSX or maybe even the 110. Recoil with these lighter bullets makes it feel more like a 260.

I lost my handloads in a box somewhere right after moving, and had to buy factory ammo for a mule deer hunt a few years ago.

Went with the Fusion 140 grain. Excellent loading there! I've since used it on that mule deer and a couple whitetails. Shoots wonderfully, and the bullet offers complete penetration.

If I didn't handload, I'd use them exclusively.

From what I have read, the FUSION may be THE factory ammo of choice for many rounds when it comes to all around value, accuracy, performance. Not hearing anything bad.

140 AB's and I'm also fond of 154gr Hornady round nose....they flat out work like magic in the timber I hunt.

Have a 700 sps. Shoots the 139 Hornaday well, have only killed 5 deer with this load but performed good with none going over 20-40 yards after shot. Shoots the 120 BT's good with Varget. Just bought some 140 AB's to try later.

I've killed a pile of critters, mostly caribou with bullets ranging from the 100 XFB to the 170 Pro-Hunter. Mostly the bullets I've used have been around 140 grains with the Hornady SP and Barnes XFB doing much of the killing. Moose die readily by the capability of the little 308 cased 7mm.

100 grain Hornady HP (grounhogs) and 140 gr Ballistic Tips (deer) over IMR4320 has been working well for me.

Dale

46gr of H4350 and 140gr Corelokts for my 7600 pump. Not a fast load but the deer don't seem to know. I wonder if Remington uses the same 140gr Core-lokt in the .280 and &mm Rem mag? It seems on the tough side in my limited experience.

I traded for my first 7mm-08 last X-MAS IN Birmingham Alabama
Mine is a stainless Ruger 77 RSI fullstock with open sights ,
18 1/2 in. barrel.So far it shoots Factory Remington 140 CL`s
pretty good so far.My local Gun Dealer said tha around here in N.E. Alabama that most 7mm-08 shooters buy the Factory Remington
140 gr. CL the most.
Hope this Helps
AMRA

120 NBT over 45gr Varget with a 210M.

My pet Deer load is the Speer 145 Gr. Spitzer flatbase Hot-Core over 47Gr. of W-760 . Do not fire this load in your rifle without reducing 10% and working up . It is hot and kills Deer like lightening .

Ruger,

My brother ha been using a 7mm-08 mountain rifle for about 8 year now. He has taken close to 90 deer with it. He will only use 140 grain Core-lokts and swears by them. I used his rifle last year on two deer and it was just sweet. Dropped both pretty much on the spot but the nice thing was I could watch the impact through the scope. Try those Remington Core-lokts you will not be disappointed. He's never had one break up and he's killed bunches of them up close and personal. They normally pass through but every once in a while he finds one in an animal - in a perfect mushroom every time. Good luck.

Thanks for the help guy. The twist onthis thing is 1 in 11 1/2" but it should still turnt he 140 fine. I will give 120 and 140 a try and just see what the barrel likes best.

Why go that slow with the twist?

I don't know that is the way Savage makes um.

IMO a dumb move on their part.

FWIW, the original RP ammo was actually the 139 Hornady bullet, even though RP called it a 140 CL. Not sure how the newest ammo fares in accuracy, no doubt any 140 load will kill deer fine.

So Ruger, I'm guessing you bought the new Savage edge ?

Let me know how she performs, as I've been thinking about it too.

My big ?? & stumbling block is will it shoot the 140's, as I don't handload.

Paul.

I'd bet it will for CONVENTIONAL bullets, TSX and similar, perhaps not. JB posted twist rate info per bullets.

If not mistaken, the FIRST round offered was the 139 Rem '140 CL' load, and the 120 HP perhaps at the same time, or later.

If Savage/Stevens will NOT handle a std. 140, then they TRULY goofed, as MOST hunters shoot factory and will grab 140 ammo. Those picking Barnes bullets in that wt. MIGHT be disappointed.

I'd like to hear back from owners experience. JB's post below.

Actually, the standard twist rate in most 7mm rifles is 1-9" to 1-9.5".

I had a 7x57 with a 11.5" twist once upon a time. It was a custom rifle and the maker asked me what bullet I was going to use most of the time. I thought he was asking to figure out the throat length, but then he put the 11.5" twist barrel and didn't tell me. I found out it wouldn't shoot any bullet much longer than a lead-cored 140.

That's probably the reason for the twist in the Stevens. Most people never shoot bullets longer than a lead-cored 140 in the 7mm-08--but it probably won't work with anything much longer.

I ran some numbers through the twist calculator on Sierra's ballistic program, using 7mm bullets of various weights and lengths. The twist number is the slowest twist calculated to stabilize the bullet:

120 TTSX (length 1.222) at 3000 fps--11.0
140 TSX (1.265) at 2800--10.6
140 TTSX (1.363) at 2800--9.0
140 Partition (1.143) at 2800--13.3
139 Hornady BTSP (1.145) at 2800--13.2
140 Sierra ProHunter (1.10) at 2800--14.5

This pretty well agrees with my experience with that 7x57.
The program also indicates that the longest 140-grain bullet that will stabilize in a 11.5" twist is about 1.22 inches long.

Of course altitude and actual muzzle velocity will also affect twist rate.
_________________________
JB

No got a savage/stevens 200.

tag for good info. Just got my first 7-08 rem seven.

Cheers Ruger,

let me know how it goes at the range anyway.

Just checked Savages site & low & behold, their more expensive 7mm-08's are all 1:9 twist.

Go figure.

Paul.

I have three 7x08's, Sierra 120's and 140's is my choice. Several powders will make the 7x08 go. Varget, IMR 4064, W 760 and IMR/H 4350. I always use benchrest primers. Great round. Currently developing loads for the improved version.

At 168 grains, those burgers must be white castle.

45.5 gr of RL-15 under a 120gr NBT for 3000FPS
I took a short bike ride today, looking for bears.
Around 11:30 it was getting pretty warm and I decided to take a break and do some shooting.
I set a 6" rock at the base of a stump. 550 yards.
The wind was blowing strait from behind me about 10 mph so I didn't need a wind dope.
No problem hitting the rock every time, the only problem I had was I only brought 8 rounds with me so when they were gone it was time to ride back out.

Heres a pic of the set up.


The cut I was shooting across.

I bought this rifle as a lightweight for pack-in deer hunts but its so nice to carry and fun to shoot, it sees a lot of use.

Nice pics Jamie, if you don't mind how do you sight your rig @ 100 and then how many clicks do you have to run to get it on @ 550 yds?

Thx
Dober

Oh man, don't even get me started! A couple of years ago I got back into rifles in a big way and at that time was looking for the perfect all around cartridge/rifle not knowing if I would be able to buy other rifles down the road. I remember when the 7-08 came out (factory) in 1980 (or close to that), I was a kid in WI and my dream rifle was the Rem 7 in 7mm-08. Well, now years later I returned to that sweet little thing.
Being the anal-retentive freak that I am, I compared many, many cartridges on efficiency, energy, trajectory, etc. The 7-08 came out on top every time (screw the boring .30 cals!). The bullet selection is unending, accuracy is tops and the mags can't do anything any better at the ranges 90% of people should shoot. I finally settled on the Kimber 84M and haven't regretted it one bit.

I, too, started out with the light, fast theory with Barnes 120 TTSX and tried many different 140's. My Kimber shoots the Nosler's quite well. The only bullet I've never been able to group under 2" was the Hornady 154 Interbonds.

I see most of the responses here favor the 140gr bullets. For deer, that is the usual, and plenty potent, medicine in the 7-08. However, I have gone to just shooting the 'big boys' in mine.
Hornady 162 A-Max at 2750-2780 fps (the ballistics on this bullet are insane), Nosler 160 Accubonds at 2700-2750 (.750" avg groups all day), and now I've even been loading up the 175 Hornady and Sierra bullets--yippee! (The Hornady's show promise but the Sierras not so much).

I live in Idaho so much of our hunting deer is open concurrently with elk necessitating a 'dual-purpose' load. I don't hesitate one second to take the mighty 7-08 on those hunts--and the Kimber is like carrying nothing at all.

Long post, I know, but the awesome 7-08 deserves every bit of praise.




The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a discussion -- G.K. Chesterton

Dead on at 100 yards, 11 1/4 MOA for 550.

Mojo, what powder w/160-162? Thanks.

Thx Jamie appreciate it, what's the rifle by the way? I'm really jonsing to get another 7/08. I've got a Ti take off and am thinking seriously about a 700 Youth to go in it.

Dober

Rem 700 Cabelas mountain guide rifle.
Its a mountain rifle stuffed in a TI stock for Cabelas with a 22" barrel. I topped it with a VX-II 3X9X40 with M-1's in Talley LW's. Theres enough elevation adjustment to get out to 950 yards but the wind has to be perfect for me to hit anything at that range with it.

Dober,
Heres a better picture of that rifle.

While Varget indeed works stellar, I'm surprised at the lack o' love for H4350 in 7-08. It has been a consistantly excellent performer in my two 7-08's.

140 AB is my "new" favorite load, though I killed all my 7-08 deer with 150-gn NPT's and a 150 NBT. I tried to try a 120-NBT last year, and had a deer less than 10 feet away as a test subject, but the be-atch didn't lift her head up so I could see she was a shooter until I didn't have a shot anymore. Pity. That would have been an interesting test of that little bullet. It's reputed to work GREAT. It sure shoots well and does surprisingly well out at extended ranges too.

Great cartridge IMHO.

I've been running R17 in my carbine 788 (7/08), it shoots very well with several different bullets. Three 168 Burgers went into basically one hole with it this morn.

Dober

Did you get a speed on those Mark?

Ihave A Tikka t3 in 708 I just bought some of the new hornady super performance SST have not been out yet but look forward to it DWG

Shot that same combo Tuesday and put three 139 grain SST rounds into 13/16ths at 100 yards. FYI, Federal Premium w/ 140 Nosler Ballistic Tips did 9/16ths. Federal Fusion 140's did 1". I had been thinking of trading it off but I guess I'll hang onto it a bit longer and go whack some hogs with it. If you run that ammo over a chrony, please let me know how it did. BTW the Superformance powder is supposed to be released in 2011.

Jeff, re: H4350, when I was running 7/08s, I had some IMR4350 from using in 270s, etc. but it never metered worth a flip and I hated trickling, that said, I did try it briefly but never had the accuracy. I do think compressed loads was an issue, but it seems when Hodgdon came out with the SHORT CUT 4350, that SC seemed to find a home for many 7/08s. Users report good speed and accuracy, and it's a natural, top two for the 260 - the comp shooters use the H4350 SC and the H4831 SC as well.

My experience showed wonderful results with 4064, a tad faster on the burn chart, as 4320. The latter was my fav in 338/06, and LOOKS to be a great powder to try for 120-150 grain, likely 130-140 wt. 7mm-08 loads would do very well with 4320. I know 120s do well atop 4064, as Varget.

Never needed or got around to using, but RL15 and 120s are said to do very well, as RL19 with heavier bullets. Newer powders like RL17 warrant a hard look.

Hmmm, SuperPerformance Powder.....that's a catchy name, may have to look into that as well down the road.

I load the 130g Speer BTSP for my brother's and nephew's Rem 7/08's, hot load of IMR 4895 with a Rem 9 1/2(very important on this load in these two 700's) shoots clover leaf groups.

The internals on the deer that I have skinned with the 130g Speer BTSP are just mush. My nephew that is 12 shot a doe at 300, chambered another round, then killed a second at 325 both laying in their tracks. Everyone here that tries this bullet and load in their 700's has loved the accuracy and the way it kills especially.

Fewer people use the 130 in a 7/08, but its a good high BC bullet, and flies flat at good speeds in the 7-08 and yes has a reputation as a killer. Dropped a doe running across a field about 200 yds with that bullet from a 7mm BR rifle, and I do believe those loads had IMR4895. It's a good one, often overlooked or unknown. Sierra made a Single Shot pistol bullet in 130, dropped a doe with it from a 7/08 700V in the late 90s in Tx, used IMR4895 also. That load also shot VERY well in a Micro-Medallion Abolt, RIVALED the accuracy I got in the 700 Varmint!

How about Varget? I haven't had a chance myself to use it, but I've read it has potential for accuracy.

WARNING.......7-08's are great, but every time I shoot mine my feet break out.