What is the preferred bullet in 7-08 for deer hunting? I am thinking of Model 7 with 20 inch barrel for light weight walking deer hunting rifle.

I am considering 120g NBT, 140g Berger VLDs, 156g Norma Oryx, 139/154g Hornady, etc.

Your opinions are appreciated.

For me,it'd be the 120 BT.

It'd be a 120gr TSX for me. That bullet is wicked out of the 7mm-08...it penetrates like there's no tomorrow and gives great velocity and accuracy in most rifles.

A buddy of mine uses it on a ton of hogs and deer every year, and his results are extremely impressive.

I hunt and live in the Adirondacks. I have a Tikka T3 in 7-08 and a Ruger Compact in 7-08. I used the 140BT for 3 yrs then last summer (2010) I started loading IMR 4895 with 140 Rem CL. I like the Core-Lokts the best. I had the Tikka cut to 18" and I use the same load for the Tikka and Ruger.
The BT's are great but lots of damage, but less with the Remmys.
Just by .02 worth.

140-grain Accubonds have worked extremely well out of my Kimber for whitetails and aoudad.

In fact, results have been so good with this bullet I use nothing else in this caliber.

I'm running them about 2,750 and cannot remember having to use a follow-up shot.

I will cast another vote for the 140 grain accubond. I've killed several dozen deer with it out of my 7-08 and have had nothing but good experiences. I killed an oryx on white sands with it as well. I did shoot the oryx twice, but the first shot was operator error. Both bullets passed through the oryx.

120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip is the kiss of death!

I've killed deer with the 7mm-08 and the following bullets:

120 Nosler BT
140 Nosler Partition
140 Nosler Accubond
139 Hornady SST
139 Hornady GMX
140 Sierra PH SP
140 Sierra Gameking BTSP
150 Sierra Gameking BTSP
160 Sierra Gameking BTHP
150 Swift Sc II
120 Barnes TTSX
140 Barnes TTSX

All but the 139 SST gave excellent results. Currently, I plan on using the 139 GMX for the 2011 hunting season.

For deer and pronghorns, the 120 BT is all we use in four different 7mm-08s.

In the 7mm-08 i have always used the Nosler 140 gr BT. Works everytime

I don't shoot the 7mm-08, but my wife does and I do all the handloading. For her I chose the Hornady 140 grain spire point. Not a premium bullet, but not one deer has walked away from it. Her longest shot to date is a measured 265 yards. She has killed them at 30 yards as well. To my way of thinking, there's no REAL need to spend a ton of money on a premium bullet, 'cept for REAL distance shooting.

Use 140 Partitions with excellent results (Hogs & Deer)

My son killed an Elk with 140 grn TSX using his 7mm-08. Was a complete pass through @ about 120 yards striking one shoulder and exiting behind the other shoulder leaving a hole about the size of a golf ball. The elk fell in place. I stopped using Corelokts after a disintegration on the shoulder of a deer @ 20 yards from my 300 savage. Now I use Accubonds and TTSXs in all my rifles. If they shoot accurate in your rifle there's no need to keep shopping.

140grn hornady spire point is great for deer and bear.

Moi aussi.........

The last I knew, Hornady doesn't make a 140gr bullet, it's a 139gr.

In my short barreled 284 winchester, I use the 154 Hornady RN. Longest kill so far with that load was pushing 250yds. I have no doubt the 139 Hornady SP or the 154 Hornady in either the SP or RN would serve you well.

What kind of ranges are you talking about?

Thx
Dober

I ran 140 grn Sierra GK for almost 10 years but last year switched to 140 grn Accubonds. With less off shoulder meat damage I like them better.

i've used 120NBT's/TSX's on game out of two 7-08's. They kill stuff just fine. Ended up scoring 500 120X's that i'm going to run for a while....

I really like the 120gr TTSX, but the 140gr Sierra GK's and ProHunters have never failed me. All shoot great in my 7-08.

I need to get a 7-08 one day. It's an intriguing round.

Woods yardage mostly, but could stretch to 250-300 yards. Best answer would be less than 300 yards.

Thanks.

120NBT

140 NPT.

140 nbt over a stout charge of re-15.

Ron

140 BTs!
I've put over 100 of those in deer before I started handloading. Never recovered one out to 300 or so. Mostly does, but it will drill the shoulders of big bucks and hogs too.
Great performance at 7-08 speeds.
With all that being said since I handload now I'd have to try the lighter TSX's too.

Mine likes 120gr. TSX and H414.Wrecks HAVOC on everything I've shot so far.

I've been using the Nosler 140 grain Partions in my nephew's Model 7..

120 TTSX

Gunner

I have tried just about every factory round available in the 7mm-08. They have all worked but my favorite two have been the 139 grain SST and the 140 grain Corelokt. But no matter what bullet you pick, you will find the 7mm-08 is just about the perfect round for deer. I've killed over 30 deer with mine.

Several bullets work REALLY well in the .08. I have killed about 30 deer and about the same amount of hogs out to over 500 yards. The bullet that has worked well with 95% exit holes is the 120 grain Hornady hollow point at 3,000 fps. Bang flops. I do like the 140 ballistic tip and accubonds too. Heck, the 139 grain Hornady is another winner. There are so many great choices. Flinch

I've been thinking the same thing...

I shot a 140 grain partition over a drop-tubed and still compressed heap of RL19.

Tom

same here. it's what me, wife and daughter all use with great success.
my son, the oddball, uses a BAR 270.

My brother has been using a 7-08 for about ten years now. He dropped down from a 30-06 and has never looked back. He's taken at least 75 deer with the little mountain rifle, and in all honesty, probably more like 90 or 100. He's tried several bullets and swears by the 140 grain core-lokt. I shot two deer with his rifle using the core-lokts with one at about 175 yards and the other at around 50 and both dropped on the spot with nice exit wounds. It's a sweet little caliber that kills far better than you would expect. The nice thing is the recoil is so mild that you can watch the bullet impact.

The one bullet he would never use again is the Hornady 139 SST.

Spot on....'cept it is officially called a 139 grainer. I have used this bullet in the 7mmX08 and the 7X57 for over 20 years with no problems whatsoever. For deer, there is no need for anything but a cup and core standard bullet. The equivalent weight R-P coreloct, Federal, or Winchester bullets will likely perform the same.

I shoot a 7x57 and a 280. The 150BT is the bullet you want. It's a little tougher than the 140s and is an excellent one. capt david

My son's killed lots of mule deer and whiteys with 140gr green box corelokts with no issues. It's deer we're talking about....they're not difficult to bring down, even the biggest ones.

I have studied ballistic charts for hours and hours, and I can't find a place where the .308 Winchester beats the 7mm-08. Better ballistic coefficient, better sectional density, less recoil, all for the 7mm-08. You have to get up to the 180 grain bullet in the 308 where you beat the 7mm-08 in a 175 grain bullet, and that's only in velocity. The 7mm-08 in the 175 whips the 308 Winchester in the 180 grain bullet in sectional density, and ballistic coefficient.

Sorry for getting off subject, but back to the question, 139 or 140 grain bullets are about ideal for deer. The ballistic advantages of the 7mm bullets, out perform the .30 caliber bullets all the time. You have to drive the 30 caliber bullets at substantial higher velocities to beat the 7mm. This is from a guy who owns 4 308 Winchester chambered rifles. In my Winchester model 70 in the 300WSM, the lightest bullet I use is the 180 Nosler Partition or the Hornady 190 grain interlock btsp. I also own a Browning X-bolt in the .338 win mag. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't own 30 caliber rifles, just the 7mm's. Now for the people who don't reload, they probably are better served by the 308 Winchester, over the 7mm-08. I still wouldn't get rid of my .338 or my 35 Whelen, for elk or big bears.

The 154 Horn RN is a beast in thickets. I've downed a couple deer with this bullet now and I really like it. I Also like the 140 NPT for 7-08 as well.

You're learning . I've had several .30's of all flavors. Now everything gets done with a pair of 7mm-08's and a 7mm Remington Magnum. The ballistics, quality bullets and flat shooting characteristics of the 7's trump similar case capacity .30's I shot the .300 WM for a while. It kicked a LOT more than the 7mm mag and the 7mm mag still shot flatter.

The 7mm-08's are great, just in a smaller, funner, package. Anyone can shoot the 7mm-08 and have all they need.
Nothing in North America would scare me one bit when armed with a 7mm of some flavor with the right bullet for the task. Flinch

The Hornady 139 gr SST:

Only one person mentioned liking it and two posters said they definately did not like it. It is one of the most accurate bullets in my rifle, but I haven't shot anything with it.

What were the bad experiences with this bullet? Lack of penetration? If so I might use it for a varmint round, due to the fine accuracy.

Thanks for your input.

Core-Lokt will do just fine.

Sure thing. A burlap bag will do just fine for wiping your ass too.

You'd enjoy that.......

You don't wipe? Not surprising.

130g Speer BT with close to a max load of IMR 4895 and a 9 1/2 just flattens whitetails, speed is fantastic on this bullet and bc not bad either. We have had good luck to 325, which is as far as we have attempted a shot.

Try this site for some good loads reported by fellow hunters, as always, refer to a reloading manual to check for typo's etc.

My 7-08's like 150 NBT's and 150 Core-Lokts. Deer are impressed with 'um too.

Was running the Federal Fusion 140 grainers out of my Tikka 7-08. Switched to the Fusion 120 grain and killed 2 deer last fall with that bullet. They performed great and shoot well out of my rifle.

140 gr Partitions

Thank you for the correction. My son shoots a .260 and I think HIS is the 140, and the 139 for my wife. I keep getting them mixed up all the time!!!!

139gr Hornady SP

120 and 140 tsx/ttsx in mine

In my hunting group, 2 of the lady hunter use 7-08s and have killed a bunch of deer the last few years starting with the Remington 120 HP factory load and then moving to 120 Btip handloads. They flatten deer like any .270, 06, or 300 Mag load for that matter with less recoil. What a great cartridge.

Lou

I load 140gr Corelokts with 46gr H4350.

I shot 140 gr. Partitions for years, with good results. I switched to 140 gr. Accubonds about 3 years ago, nothing has walked off from them yet.

140 SGKs over Varget suit my purposes....

140 NBT

120 and 140 B-tips

Reach in the bowl and pick one out.

140gr NBTs have yet to let me down. 140gr accubonds went thru a Mt.Goat so I'm guessing they would do the same on Deer.

Can't imagine a ttsx not working, although a small Doe at close range-130gr .308W- did manage to hold one inside.

The rest mentioned have obviously worked and the partition is a good all-rounder.

Many say premiums are not needed. I disagree, if you are not adverse to working from back to front. Either deliberate or out of necessity.

As stated, there are many good choices. If short range work is more than likely the 154 Hornady RN works great and very accurate in my 7mm-08, for longer range work take your pick. 140 Nos AB, BT or Part, 120 Barnes TTSX or TSX, etc, etc.

120 nbt

So far it's the 120 TTSX. But I'm going to play with the 110 TTSX a lot this year.

I don't think any deer will notice the difference. But I wanted the lightest TTSX in 7mm for reduced loads for my three young girls.

What they said. My Browning in 7mm-08 loves plain old Cor-Lokts and I have yet to have a deer survive one yet. You really don't need the expensive premium bullets out of a 7mm-08.

As long as youre talking a Model 7, I have 2 guys I reload for with that rifle, I use 139 Hornady SP & SST with 40.5-41grs Varget, I hear nothing but praise from them.

Never had the displeasure of shooting a Core Lokt in my Rem. 708, but did try some 150CLs in a Savage 708 I used to have, they didnt do too bad as far as accuracy, but when you can use the Hornady fodder why bother with a CL?

Out of the bullets you mentioned I think that I would go with the 139gr Hornady Interbond in a 7mm-08 for deer.

140 grain Fusion in mine.

My rifle likes the plain 140 grain Core-Lokt's too. Last buck I shot with one was at 13 yards quartering toward me. Unfortunately I rushed a bit and hit the near shoulder. The bullet traveled through the bone and lodged against the bucks opposite hip bone (pelvis). The bullet was really flattened out-I haven't weighed it, but the results speak for themselves. So far I like the price and the performance.

145gr Speer

WN

I have used the 145 gr. Speer SP, the 140 gr. Nosler Solid Base (used to be in a Federal factory load), 154 gr. Hornady all with good results in the 7mm-08. Most of my handloads are in the 2750 fps range, so at those speeds a super premium is not needed. I would imagine that you can push the 120 gr. TSX a bit faster.

I HATE this thread!!!! Money is tight, and it's got me wanting a 7mm-08 bad!!!!

I have a rem sps ss with a 24" tube that likes lighter bullets. I started shooting deer with the 120 gr BT loaded to about 2600 fps. Worked very well on lung shots under 100 yards. Moved up to 2800 fps and shot one quartering away at 35 yards. Still performed well and did not recover the bullet. I have now moved up to just over 3000 fps and am looking foreword to testing this fall. I really like the way this bullet has performed so far, and would not hesitate to use it at 2800 fps if that is where it works best at the ranges we shoot. Even at 2600 fps it makes a very pleasant and accurate load to shoot. So far all of the loads have shot MOA or better out of a stock sps.

I am going to TX this fall and the outfitter says no BT's. I don't agree, but I will be shooting TTSXs on that trip. The do well at 2800 fps in my rifle. We shall see what they do on deer for me.

My 7mm-08's favorite was the 140 grain partition pushed by a compressed load of RL19. I killed 4 deer with it in 3 years. Then I messed the gun up, shot the throat out of it plinking off-season.

Tom

My fiance currently runs a 7-08 Remmy 700 youth model bdl, 20 inch barrel and 12.5 LOP. She loves the rig and has taken 11 deer, a coyote and a couple of hogs with "HER" rig. I love it as well but its now off limits to me LOL. With some mods it consistently holds MOA, its light weight and short,has low recoil and it didn't break the bank. Quite simply its a great truck and climbing stand rig.

Concerning factory ammo, I find it hard to beat the 140 Corelokt concerning bang for the buck and killing inside of 250 yds.

We did start with the 140 BT but after two very hard to track deer I switched her to the Corelokts and haven't looked back. We hunt from climbers and tend to perch around 20-30 feet along thick swamp edges and thickets. Both kills mentioned were 50 ish yards with steep downward angles and resulted in a full transfer of bullet energy from the BT(Good), however no lower exit wound nor blood trail resulted (Bad).

In our area where swamps and thickets are the norm I would much rather have an exit wound to uncork the bottom of the vital cavity providing an easy to track blood trail than a complete energy transfer with no blood trail.

Upon recovery both animals took slightly quartering shots which entered about 3 inches below the spine and slightly back from the shoulder. What was left of the bullets rested against the offside hide. Both vital cavities were completely obliterated and full of blood that had no place to exit. It always amazes me how far a well shot deer can make it before taking the crash. You can be that tracking in a deep swamp without a blood trail makes for quite the night. The Corelokt on the other hand holds together very well is about 15 bucks per 20 cheaper and punches through beautifully.

Sat night she took a 110lb doe in the same steep angled fashion completely breaking down both shoulders and exiting with a resulting bang flop dead.

If our country were more open and longer shots were the norm I believe the BT would prove itself a little more suitable. In short its all up to your average shot length and thus impact velocity.

I always brain tinker with trying the new Etips, Barnes TSXs etc but the price always puts that to rest.

That's what you get for reading a thread about a caliber that you don't own!!!

(I don't have one yet, either.)

140 Grain Hornady GMX

Didn't know Hornady made a 140gr.

Got some Barnes VOR-TX 120gr TTSX I am looking forward to trying.

Correction, Hornady GMX in as close to 140 grain as you can get for a 7mm. I shoot a 130 Hornady GMX in 270. Did I make a faulty assumption that Hornady must produce a 140 7mm bullet in GMX as others produce 140's in 7mm? Shame on me!!! I am not worthy.

Agreed. Get your schit straight. 139 grainers are good marmot bullets, but 140's are adequate deer bullets.

T