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

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...












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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.