Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 708 and 7x57 bullet?

I use the same bullets in both cartridges. The 140gr. Partition and the 150 gr. Ballistic Tips. For years I hunted a lease crawling with over 200 pound feral hogs, some way over and wanted bullets that worked well on both, tough enough to slam through big pig bones and soft enough to open on a meat doe. So far 100% satisfaction. I feel the 150 gr. Ballistic Tip is a very under rated bullet. Both my rifles are short barreled mainly for ease of handling in box blinds and pickup trucks so my velocities are probably around 2600 fps, maybe a bit more in the 7-08 as I never loaded the 7x57 to the max so as to preserve my brass. Early on I liked the 160 gr, Speer Hotcor and the 160 gr. Sierra Gameking, The Hotcor providing better penetration as I never recovered one but the Gameking did stay in several deer and many hogs. It was a quick killer though.

I've been hunting with 140 Ballistic Tips in my 7-08 for well over a decade, and I've had more DRT's with this bullet than all other cartridge/bullets combined. I recently built a 7x57, and Im starting with the 140 NBT just because I've already had such good luck with it.

Either cartridge use 139 gr FB Hornady SP or 140 gr NPT, end of story.

The one that shoots best in your rifle. (Someone had to say it.)

My 7mm-08 shoots 120 NBT's very well, haven't killed anything with that rifle yet. Used that bullet in my prior 7x57 for a few deer & antelope, used 154 RN Hornadys and several different 160's for a lot more, all with the same result. Pick one that shoots and go kill stuff, there's lots of good bullets.

I also use 120 NBT drops whitetail in their tracks (high shoulder). May run a short way if shot in the vitals. I've only shot one pig with the 120 NBT. Put it in the ear fell over.

Im using factory 140 grain E-Tips outof my 7mm08. When those are all shot up, I’ll reload the Nosler brass with 140 grain E-Tip blems and seconds from SPS, using Big Game, angling for around 2,850 fps.

I've killed wolf, caribou, moose with my 7-08 using stuff from 100, 120 XFB and TSX on the low end, through 130 139, 140, 150 Speer, Hornady, Barnes, Nosler variations in the middle and 160, 170 Failsafe and Sierra on the upper end. But the 139 SP Interlock is probably one of the easiest to shoot with many recipes while being very effective for deer-sized animals.

Yep. It depends on the rifle. I have two that seem to thrive on 175-grain bullets: 175-grain Speer Deep Curl and 175-grain Hornady RN. If I ever run out of the Deep Curls I'll stick with the RNs since they actually shoot a little better in both rifles. Another rifle likes 160-grain Partitions best, but I'm having a devil of a time trying to find the bullet/powder combination one of my Featherweights likes but eventually I'll land on it.

RM

I no longer own any 7MM rifles, but I have in the past. The best of the whole lot was a "Standard modell" in 7X57 that I had for several years and I killed a number of animals with it. In addition to 2 7X57s I have owned a 280, a few 7MM Rem mags and one 7MM STW.

Bullets that I used that I remember being good in the 7X57 were as follows:

Hornady 154 grain bullets in both Round Nose and Spire Point.
Nosler Partition in 150 160 and 175 grain.
Hornady 175 grain.
Speer Grand Slam in 160 grain.

I have used lighter bullets a few times down to the 139 grain Hornady, but nothing lighter then 150 grains ever impressed me as much as those bullets I listed above.

Did you try Seafire's load of 40 grains IMR 3031?

I have not but that’s a good idea. I bought some 4064 to try with 130s but if that doesn’t work I’ll give Seafire’s load a try with 154s. I have a boat-load of them.

Thanks for the reminder.

Yeah, they don't go in real smooth......

140 ballistic tips. The 120s are supposedly a little tougher and seem to get allot of love. I've just never had a reason to switch.

A little work with a Dremel tool and they will chamber just fine.

My 7x57 carbine is currently sighted in for the 120 grain Nosler BT. The most accurate load which has taken two doe.

I used to shoot the old Sierra 170 grain RN. Very accurate and killed well.

All around, I like the Hornady 154 grain Interlock spire point. I've killed the most deer with that bullet both near and far and believe it is the best weight for me. Accurate and very reliable.

Dan

My 7x57 shoots the barnes 140 TTSX very well, so I've looked no further.

My 7-08 shoots the 140 gr Sierra GK, 140 and 150 gr Nosler BT and Partition as well as the 154 SST sub MOA. It's hard to pick a "which shoot's the best"..I'm not sure it matters one iota between .560 and .650 to the intended victim.. LOL Therefore. I lean to what I can find "on sale" and go with that..Recently it's been the 150 gr BT's...

I have the same problem with my featherweight. Or I should say, a combo it likes better than the Federal Blue Box. lol. It shoots those suckers just fine.

Maybe I should dig some up.

I don't recall any 7mm bullet not suitable for deer.
Always have a dozen or more bullet types and weights on the shelves for my 7mm rifles but it never occured to me that I needed to consider deer as point of qualification.
Accuracy and velocity has only ever been my criteria.
John