Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7-08 and extended ranges

Looking for some info on some long range loads for a 7-08! Ranges to 500yds common.

What would your load be for this application? Thanks CD

7mm-08 Caliber is pretty marginal at 500 yards.........too much drop, too low on velocity and too low on energy.

Obviously, the drop affects ability to hit and low velocity and energy translate into marginal bullet performance.

Good 300 yd. caliber but a man has to know his gun's limitations,

Consider something with more case capacity.

I didn't get what the original poster wanted to hit at 500 yards. If there's deer killing to be done, a 7mm-08 can have more steam at 500 than a 30-30 does at 100. A laser rangefinder, an elevation turret, and practice can take care of the hitting part.

The 120TSX will make 1000ft lbs,beyond 500yds.

From a 22" tube,45grs of powder,dick for recoil and amazing precision.

Hard to not like that.......................

The 162A-Max at only 2600fps,will reap same to 750yds...................

Deer are the intended target. 500 yds is a last resort type deal with perfect conditions. Thanks for your help. CD

MM, just watched a very big bodied buck pile up at 257 yds this weekend with a 7-08. Last year I piled up a buck at 317 yds with the same gun. It's capiable... Thanks CD

The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge, and will shoot right with the .270 Win, but the problem for both is how fast the bullets drop after 300 yards. You can find some great target loads like the ones used in 300 meter running boar out of rifles like the Tikka M-595 Sporter, but that is at known range.

Bullets like the Ballistic Tip in 120 or 140, or the heavier Sierra and Hornady target bullets will all kill deer and antelope at 500 yards.

In hunting, you also have to KNOW the range beyond 300 yards, within 25 yards ( +/- 12 yards ) in order to make an ethicial shot, and be able to hold 1/2 MOA yourself in order to deliver it.

CD,

You must be mistaken! Please send that POS Mnt rifle to me. I will shoot, I mean, dispose of properly! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

More than capable at 500yds and further with the correct bullet. Silly guys who think speed and flat trajectory are the only factors that kill. Drop has nothing to do with it as long as you know what to dial in. I'll take accuracy over trajectory and speed any day!

What says you can't have all three?

Uh...Pretty sure I didn't say you couldn't. Figured I would state my choices if I had to pick. The thread was about the 7-08, correct?

A 145 Grn Speer HotCor on top of 48.0 grns of IMR 4350 leaves my 22" barreled Rem 700 Mtn LSS 7mm-08 at a muzzle velocity of 2,800 FPS.

Stick a bullet drop compensating scope on it like my Burris 3-9X40 with Ballistic Plex reticle and you get the following using the appropriate reticle aim points .

Distance......Velocity........Ft Lbs.........Bullet Drop.......BPlex Impact
Muzzel.........2,800..........2,523.................0............ -1.75"
100 Yds.......2,601..........2,177.......... -2.3"............. 0.00"
200 Yds.......2,410..........1,869.......... -5.4"............. -0.23"
300 Yds.......2,228..........1,598.......... -23.3"...........+0.71"
400 Yds.......2,053..........1,356.......... -43.9"...........+0.80"
500 Yds.......1,886..........1,145.......... -72.5 ............+1.54"

I've tested my gun out to 300 Yds and like the above chart shows, it's prety much dead on at 100, 200, & 300 using the appropriate reticle aim points. Can't see myself taking a 400 or 500 Yd shot so I have not tried it at those ranges.

With a properly tuned load, a bullet drop compensating reticle such as the Burris Ballistic Plex or the Leupold Boone & Crocket takes the guess work out of hold over and prety much makes trajectory a moot point (as long as you know the exact yardage) and even at 500 Yds the 7mm-08 has plenty of velocity and energy to do in a whitetail...............

HOWEVER!........wind drift is a whole nother matter. At 500 Yards with a 10 MPH cross wind the above load would have 20.6" of drift. Even so....the Leupold Boone & Crocket reticle has windage aim point indicators for 10 MPH wind at 300 & 400 Yds and their Varmint reticle has 10 & 20 MPH aim points for 200, 300, 400, and 500 Yds.

400 Yds and more is a loooooooong way to be shooting at at deer though. I passed on a shot last year that was later measured as a 390 Yd. I didn't have a range finder and was not comfortable with my "open ground" guesstimate. Even though I had a rock solid rest and would have been shooting with the wind, it turned out that it was good that I passed on the shot as I was guessing it to be 300 Yds. Even using the 300 Yd BPlex aim point, the shot would have been 16" lower than where I was aiming.

I think I'll just stick with trying to get closer!

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

A 140gr Partition sighted in at 3 inches high 100yds with a muzzle velocity of 2800 fps

200yds +2.5 (energy)
300 -4.1
350 -9.9
400 -17.5
450 -27.2
500 -39.1 (1132)

120's will retain 2000 fps impact velocity,to the 500yd line and drops 8" less when zeroed likewise.

I love them bastards...........................

Stick-you may well love those bastids...but I know of 3 lopes from a couple days back that didn't love them....grins

On opening day of lopes I beat up on 3 with the 120 TSX out of my Mashburn.

At least I had fun.....grins

They are loaded ahead of some 22 for this weekends elk forray.

Mark D

Shot 'em(120XBT) approaching 3800fps via 27" #4 Schneider 7STW.

They didn't bounce off much................

Dude...I think you meant a man should know his own limitations.

Neither the gun nor the caliber is limited in it's ability at the distance mentioned....provided a guy isn't swinging a Tikka.....grin.

Have to wonder where some of this stuff comes from. Lee, pull over and wait for the 'ludes to wear off.....

Dave and Stick, why the 120's over the 140's? I'd imagine at some point the 140's would overtake the 120's no?

Recoil is dick,they strike like lightning and gobble up Real Estate with enthusiasm.

Have killed Deer,Bear,Elk and Moose with a 7-08 and 120's,have yet to shoot something twice.

Couple that in a short/handy rifle and there isn't anything left to yearn for,except more tags...................