Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7-08 and the 130 gr. Speer Hotcor

It doesn't have a boat tail, has a measly BC of .368 and is about as plain looking as a bullet can get. But it is a tough little bullet that I can get to 2800 fps out of an 181/2 inch barrel. I bought a bunch of them from a member here and tested them today. I decided to start with IMR 4350 because that was in the coffee cup I load out of and it seemed I would have plenty of room in the little case. Started at 46.0 grains and went to 48.0 grains in half grain increments getting 3 shot 1 inch groups with all loads and zero pressure signs. The base of the bullet is even with the shoulder neck junction and the powder is mildly compressed. POI is exactly 2.2 inches high at 100 yards. Probably would have shot tighter groups but I was shooting off a gun case laid across a lawn tractor tire on my bench. Dug 2 of them out of my hard damp clay backstop and the core/jacket were together but separated when I dug them up after 8 inches of penetration into the clay. Will use the 48.0 grain loading, primer is a CCI 250. I guess I will shoot some milk jugs full of water to have some data to compare other bullets with. So I looked at the Speer online data and their data says I could go to 50 gr, of IMR 4350. I loaded 3 up with 49.0 and found the powder took up just past half the neck and figured this was enough. These shot just as well as the 48.0 gr. load. I found that my water jug collection was big enough so that I could spare 4 to run a bullet through. Set up at 100 yards the bullet flattened the first jug, almost flattened the second blew a big hole in the third and the bullet made a 1/2 inch hole in and out of the fourth making a 1/2 inch dent in the pine backboard bouncing off into the abyss not to be found. the second and third jug had a good collection of lead fragments in them and there were some fragments laying on the ground near the first and second jugs. No fragments in the fourth and no jacket material was found at all leaving me to believe the expanded jacket with some lead in it hit the backstop. However it has been my experience that a bullet that penetrates four jugs gives plenty of penetration and that bullets fragmenting cause more radial damage. So my take is this will work just fine for deer and pretty good on hogs. About the rifle, a Model 7 Remington restocked with a Predator camou pattern factory stock, this rifle is very consistent, seems to shoot everything well and puts different loads close enough to use hunting with no sighting in for a particular load needed. I wish my 257 Roberts was this well behaved.

I have good luck with Big Game using 48.0 for 3038fps, with Starline cases, 130gr SPBT No 1624 and CCI 250 primers 2.750 OAL. RL16 using 49.5gr gave 3007FPS CCI250 and Win cases. RL17 gave 3100 FPS but load was to hot.

Have to shoot my way through the I4350 I have before I change powders. 2800 fps gives a flat enough trajectory for no hold over 300 yard shooting which is probably 125 yards farther than I will shoot at my new lease. That said are you getting those speeds from an 18 1/2 inch barrel?

Big Game woke my Remington Model Seven 7-08 up. I'm getting 2860fps with 140 grain Partitions out of my 20" barrel.

GT: any experience with the 130Sperr BT on deer or other game?

Too Zookie for me.

Hint................

Alright Stick is looking up "Zookie"!

zookie
verb:
1. to pass out or sleep on a mattress that is not the one you normally sleep in;
2. often involves sleeping on a mattress placed in a bathroom or shower room;
3. often involves the process of puking, peeing, or crapping yourself, or a combination of the three--also known as the trifecta.

Few things fhuqking funnier,than a Texan doing her BEST. Congratulations?!?

The only thing you are going to "shoot",is your mouth and Imagination.

Hint...............

Well I have enough fun. Funny that you would use the word Zookie.

A fhuqking Texan had to edit that!?! Congratulations?!?

Hint.

LAUGHING!................

Big hands, hear yours aren't so big.

Oh my...what were the "odds" of a Texan firing up her Imagination and Pretend,so she could "hear" "things"? Congratulations?!?

You single digit IQ brokedick fence hoppers are a fhuqking RIOT!

Bless your heart for trying to "talk" rifles.

Hint................

Flipping salmon eggs and snaggin sticks!

I enjoy the high pitched throes of a Texas Hissy Fit,as a Fence Hopper sets upon her do Nothing kchunt and waxes eloquent upon her very WELL founded Insecurities. Congratulations?!?

How come all of my pictures are fhuqking magnificent?



Bless your heart for crying.

Hint..................

I have to say Stick you can take a picture. However in the interlude I went out to my range and did the final sight in with the 130 gr. Hotcor's, two clicks left and put eight into just under and inch. Warmed up the Harley and am headed for the Hog Wild watering hole to aggravate some friends there. Good fishing to you Stick.

Oh my...a Pavement Pounding Texan,what were the fhuqking "odds"? Congratulations?!?

Pardon the splendor.

Hint...............

Well there is 400 yards of a gravel driveway to the road!

Have to use all copper bullets this year. Thats why I have been working on the Barnes for 2 years. Looks like they
will work. Going to use the 120gr this year. May try the 140gr Barnes later. Only had the rifle about 6 months so have not hunted
at all with it. The 130gr Speer would be my first choice. Probably never get to hunt with them. You-Tube has a very good penetration
test on them.

st, years ago probably 20, we shot a bunch of whitetails with the 130 gr. Speer.. Both fb, and bt... Never had one get away.. Ranges were not long maybe 225 at most.. I used them out of my old 7mm RM. I loaded a few in my 7mm-08, shot them away at varmints mostly.. I would have no problem using them in the 7mm-08 .. But I have bought other bullets and never resupplyed the Speers.. In my area, they are not common.. Unless required by law, they would kill as many deer as Barnes, and maybe do a better job..

I am going back to regular cup and core bullets for deer, I started using Ballistic Tips in place of them years ago and got great performance out of them. I used the 150 gr. BT and the 140 gr. Partition extensively in my 7x57. In my 7-08 the 150 BT is a bit long and I wanted less powder compression so why not use shorter bullets in it and take advantage of a bit more powder capacity. In this rifle the 145 gr. and 130 gr. Speers along with the 140 gr. Partition hit very close to the same POA and I can use all of them at my whim without having to sight in again. Great for on game testing purposes.