Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles >>>>>>>BEST .... 7 Mag bullet choice for DRT? <<<<<<

My Buddy and I are shooting our BeLoved Tikkas in 7mm Mag this year for deer and hogs under 300 yds. We are wanting to shoot the bullet that makes them DRT... NOT wanting to tracking them in thick brush. These are the bullets that I have on hand, but he is thinking about the Barnes Triple Shocks... which I don't have at this moment. I want to know what you Guys think about the bullet choices that I have now, or what would be the BEST bullet to go buy. Thanks so much Guys. Dan

PS....We are not looking for a bullet that grantees DRT.... but there are bullets that have better results more often than others.... HOPEFULLY...LOL.

PS again.... and we are NOT worried about the meat damage because we can shoot a dozen deer per year.

If you want them DRT, shoot them in the CNS.

SST

Before I reloaded it was Hornady 139SST Heavy magnum factory load. DRT every time. Very violent. I use 120 tsx and NBT now. Sometimes it’s DRT but is easier on the meat.

IMO DRT depends more on bullet placement than bullet brand.

The best bullet for DRT is a bullet that hits 'em in the spine or the ear hole......after that, a lot of things can happen.

5-6 years ago a youngster shot a cow elk with a 270 cal, 150 NPt standing broadside at about 100 yds. She instantly collapsed. I figured the boy had spined her, but he hit perfectly in the armpit and the bullet went through both lungs and exited.

A day later with another 270 and 150 NPt I shot a trotting cow at about 50 yds. The bullet went through both lungs and landed against the hide on the off side. She traveled 100 yds before piling up.

A day after that my son with a 243 and 100 NPt shot a broadside cow at around 300 yds in the armpit. Bullet went through both lungs and exited. The cow immediately peeled out and disappeared into the timber, traveled about 30 yds before she went down for good.

Critters react differently. If you want DRT shoot them in the head..........

Shot placement is the key. Other than that I would recommend using a bullet of at least 150 grains in a 7 mag. Hasbeen

Berger VLD's, impacts under 2900, front shoulder. I suspect most will bounce on the ground...

You could shoot a varmint hollowpoint for deer and have a grapefruit sized entrance and no exit. But not sure I'd trust it on hogs

I've had good luck with 160 accubonds out of my 7 STW, and ELD-X out of a 7 rem mag

SST of those shown, but I'd suspect they all will work with proper placement. I have seen literally many hundreds of deer killed with a 7mmRM using 154 sst and I'm sure the 162 is similar. Break 1 or 2 shoulders if possible and they wont go far.

Heart

150 Barnes TTSX in the shoulders. Dead. Dead. Dead

This year I've had the best luck with the .223 Rem version of hte 7em em mag.

Those 162 SST are my favorite 7mm bullet. Not sure about hogs, but they work well out of mags for elk.

I like the 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

At one time we shot Sierra 100 gr. hp out of a couple 7mm Wea.'s.. It was deadly on whitetails.. My pal shot over 100 on permits with that bullet..

My uncle used to shoot 139 grain btsp Hornady heavy magnum at over 3400 fps. He killed many with it and they never took a step.

I've shot 6 whitetails here in SC this year with the 162 sst, and they were all in the dirt.. except for one 8 pt buck that ran 15 yds. But I also have to say that I've yet to shoot one the the text book broadside lung area... so I'm not sure if it will make them DRT with that shot or not. I guess my whole PERFECT bullet thread was wanting a bullet that is better than most at making them DRT with lung shots. I know there is no guaranteed bullet.... just one that might be better than others. Head, neck, CNS shots don't count in my book... only super shocker bullets that bounce the ground with dead critters. The next time I get a shot at a deer... i'll try for the text book broadside shot for the test.

Thanks Guys for all your helpful info.... I knew I could depend on the Campfire Boys....LOL.

*

The 140 ballistic tip is the bullet that has given me the most DRT on whitetails with a 7mm rem mag. They do a lot of meat damage but like you we can shoot a lot of deer so I never worried much about that.

The barnes TSX is about the worst for DRT. They're great killers but they usually run a bit when shot with that bullet.

I shoot barnes TTSX's now and don't worry so much about the DRT thing, I'm OK with following a blood trail a bit nowadays.

140 nbt, top 1/3 of front shoulder.

IF you were only taking lung shots I'd bet on the 120 Sierras being pretty effective if shoulders are involved I'd go with the 162 SST's. The longest string of bang flops I've ever had on deer was using 120 grain HP's out of a 25-06 the bullets absolutely turned the lungs into mush deer went straight down. I was using factory Winchester 120 PEP loads.

I think I'll load up some 120's today... good tip.... were those bang flops with the 120's shot in the lung area?

Since you said Tikka...












P

I saw my bil shoot a white tail buck a few years back, through the lungs with a 120 ballistic tip from a 7 mag. The deer still ran 50 yards. The whole front end was a mess. There is no guarantee for a DRT, except with cns shots. I would just pick a good bullet and shoot for the shoulder, or neck, which is the most decisive. I have shot deer with a number of different bullets over the years and as far as drt lung shots, the best is frangible bullets like SST etc. I prefer a bullet that will hold together and deal with it, if they run a bit. I don't worry about meat loss on the front end of a deer, either, as there is very little meat on the shoulders, anyway. Even a shoulder shot usually leaves me some meat there.

I have always been a fan of standard 139 Interlocks at about 3100 from my 7 mags for hunting deer. I get plenty of drt, but even the runners, do not go far. In my 6.5s, I have become a real fan of the ELDM bullets also, but have not tried them in the 7.