Anybody shoot a Contender in 7-30 Waters? I was loading the Speer single shot pistol bullet over H322, but need a new bullet. Anybody tried the 120 gr. Nosler BT? It would be for whitetail deer.
Paul

I shoot the Hornady 120gr SP. Very accurate and did good on moderate pigs.

They love the 120 gr. Nosler BT over @ http://www.handgunhunt.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/cfrm

120 grain Nosler BT with 748.I killed 3 pronghorn with my 14" Contender out to 200 yards.

I use the nbt 120 on whitetail. 2 shots 2 deer

I'd rate the 120 BT as THE deer bullet for a 7-30 Contender.

Paul-

Speer never offered a pistol bullet, so I am guessing you meant the 130 grain Sierra SSPB. Anyway, the 120 grain BT works wonderfully in this cartridge, no matter if you are using a 10 or 14" pistol barrel or a rifle-length as I do. . I use it in the 7mm Bullberry and 7-30 Waters (both around 2650 fps) with results that have to be seen to be appreciated. Here are just a few of the results.

BTW, I've had best luck with Re-15, LVR and W748, but the Waters capacity/bore size works well with a number of propellants in the medium burn range.





[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BobbyTomek/media/bobcat-11-30-16-7mmBB120BT-lowrez_zpszscsiwgt.jpg.html]

Pardon the graphic photo of the boar, but I wanted to show the exit. The 120 grain BT penetrates exceptionally well at these speeds. MV was 2651 fps, and the range of the moonlight shot was 190 yards)

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Griffon,

Shoot Bobby Tomek, here on the 'fire, a PM. I can't imagine that anyone has more practical knowledge of what 7mm bullet to use in a Contender than Bobby.

Ummm, never mind"...........

Bobby,
You're right. It was the Sierra 130 grain bullet. I'm going to try the 120 grain BT.
Thanks to all for the info.
Paul

I load two bullets for my 14" 7-30 Waters; 120gr Nosler BT and 139gr Hornady SST. Both are super accurate.

Why do the bullets shown have blue tips. I thought the 7's were red tipped. powdr

Nosler uses a different color for each caliber. Hornady uses red for all trips in the SSTs.

powder=

You are right: Nosler 7mm BTs normally are red, but this was a special production for an ammo maker and sold as 2nds even though they simply were over-runs. I got them through the Shooter's Pro Shop. After using Noslers for so many years in my 7mms, it's taking a while to get used to seeing the blue tips, but the deal was too good to pass up!

Johnny Dollar-Thank you for the kind words.

Griffon-Let us know how the load work goes for you. The 7mm 120 grain BT is a rather robust bullet and -- thanks in part to the solid base and the fact it basically utilizes a shortened 140 grain BT's jacket -- generally outpenetrates conventional cup-and-core projectiles. And yet its design still allows it to open quickly and do substantial tissue damage along the way.

At the moderate velocities of the Waters, it is a stellar performer.

Don't overlook the Speer 130 gr. spitzer in the Waters.

I'm tagging this thread for further review, and because I'm working on a Savage 99 in 7-30 waters. I'm a Nosler fan, so the 120g BT will be my bullet of choice. My barrel will be 20" x 1:10 twist.

I was thinking medium fast rifle powders like Re-15 and W748. I was surprised to read Ken Waters final review went all the way to H322 and Re-7