Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 7mm-08 on Whitetail

Tagged out on mule deer this weekend, all four with the 7mm-08 using 150 eldx. Long was 430 yards, closest was 325.




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How does that bullet do under 75 yds?

My stainless Tikka shoots both 120 Nosler BT's loaded with Varget and 140 Nosler Partitions loaded with H4895 into 1/2" or less 3 shot groups

Here's a bull I shot with the 7-08 and a Ballistic Tip... not sure how anything won't work on a whitetail.

Nice bull!

Distance?

My now 16 year old son has used the 7mm-08 and the 120 BT to its fullest. It has worked well.

My experience with the 143 ELD-X in the 6.5 Creedmoor (which results in the about the same muzzle velocity) is that it would work just fine.

Killed a big-bodied mule deer buck in New Mexico two years ago at 101 yards (yes, I lasered it--afterwards). The buck was standing in a patch of Gambel's oak that blocked everything except the shoulder area. I aimed for the high shoulder/spine shot, and that's where it landed--breaking both shoulders and the spine, ending up under the hide on the far side. The buck dropped right there, of course, and yielded 100 pounds of boned meat.

This^^^

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find any 120 BT's recently and will be going back to another 120 gr. option in the 120 gr. Serra SP. Killed a few with it when pushed by H4895. I'll likely be using Big Game behind them in a few weeks.

Thank you MD, appreciate the info. pathfinder.....that kid is deadly! Great animals and great pics.

I have found the Speer 145 grain flat base to be very accurate in my Tikka T3. Never shot anything with it though. Maybe this season.

This.

I've used a bunch of cartridges through the years for deer, mainly because I like to churn rifles, but I keep coming back to the 7mm-08 (or 7X57) with just about any 140'ish bullet as perfect. I tend to lean toward bullets a little tougher than average because my hunting is generally in thick stuff with ranges closer to archery distances. YMMV

My 7-08 is the only rifle I don't load for. I bought a box of cheap Hornady American Whitetail with 139 interlocks (i believe that's the 139 they use) to break in the barrel and they shot so well I never bothered buying dies. Ive shot deer at all the usual angles and have never had a problem with performance. Maybe a little boring but traditional mid weight bullets are perfect for the 7-08 and whitetail.

I kilt a 4x4 a couple of years ago, not much over 75 yards.

He died right quick, normal blood shot.

That seems like all the instructions needed!

I have shot a lot of bullets in my 08AI but finally have settled on the 120BT's for my wife as I wanted to find a decent recoiling load that performed well. I've taken moose, elk, sheep, Alberta mulies and WT's, pronghorn, etc with the 7-08AI and its always performed great!

Update:

USPS tried to deliver the rifle yesterday, but LGS had already closed. It'll be out for delivery again today. I'll have it in my hands today or tomorrow

Dies, bullets etc. arrived from Midway and Amazon. I got a better-than-free hat out of the deal.



Before I left for work, I lubed 50 rounds of Federal 308 brass, ready to be resized when I get home this afternoon. I used a light coat of sizing lube on the inside of the neck.

Brad - that's a fine bull, I never tire of seeing that photo..
Good luck this season..!

CD

Pathfinder76 - That young man is off to a great start, that's the way to raise them, congrats to you both !

CD

No issues at all firing necked down .308 cases.

Cool. That's good to hear.

I've pretty much switched to the 708 from a 270 I shot for 20 years. I just love the round. I am currently loading 44gr of varget with a 120 nbt. I've never been a big exit guy on whitetail, I want that deer to absorb everything that bullet has to offer, not the ground absorbing it. I shoot for shoulder, most times I find the nbt just under the hide on the other side and can cut it easily out with a knife. My experience with lung shots that have happened with the nbt has been very small exit and little blood trail if any....but these have been on shots under 100 yards. Oh they die just as well, but it helps to watch them fall before they get out of site.