Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Which 7mm-08 bullet for shoulder shot on deer.

Ive had good results with the 140 gr partitions

Still my favorite bullet when deer are big and ranges short to moderate which is 90% of the area I hunt

never plan on just shooting a deer in the shoulder,we all know it doesn't work like that every time. hornady interlock in 139g would be my choice. same with my 270win .

I haven't used all of them on your list but several, and of those I've used I would say the 120 NBT and the 140 TTSX were the best for me. Accurate and no doubt's on terminal performance.

140 tsx and doubt you’ll ever recover one.

In my 7-08, I pretty much run 139gr and 154gr Interlocks full time and I sprinkle in some 140 grain Partitions. Deer bones are not hard to break. I'm not a fan of Sierra's on game, but that's me.

I’ve used the 139 Hornady and 140 Pro Hunter on deer and the 140 AB on hogs with perfect satisfaction. But I wouldn’t hesitate to use any bullet on the list.

120 BTs are all that we have shot out of our 7mm-08s for over 20 years. They have killed everything from small pronghorns and Coues whitetails up to and including a large cow elk. The rifles and loads that we use are accurate and recoil is not severe. Even first time deer and antelope hunters have been able to place their shots accurately and make one-shot kills.

If you are hunting a swamp (close shots) why shoulder shoot one. Some shoulder shots don't down the deer in its tracks and especially if you decide on a ballistic tip. When using my 7-08, I use ballistic tip 140s. I have killed many deer and no tracking involved. I have also lost deer due to the ballistic tip hitting a branch before impact.

Then you can take the other side, I use my 300 WM 180 core lock when shooting longer distances and the last buck I just killed, I put one in behind the shoulder and blew out a hole the size of a softball out it's guts, then put one in it's neck to finish it off at about 150-170 yards and it didn't have a pass through.

I LOVE NECK SHOTS THE BEST!

My deer hunting experience has been primarily bow hunting. All shots are put in the boiler room with the lungs being taken out as first priority. I've only killed 11 deer with a gun, mostly with a 20 gauge and barnes or remington accutip bullets or my muzzleloader. My only experience to date killing deer with a rifle is two does with a 270 shooting barnes 130s. I have always punched the shoulder and had them drop instantly. Yes, some required a finisher usually delivered with a pistol at close range, but they didn't run. That's why I ask the question. Most of you have killed many more deer than I have, and I appreciate all of you offering your experience and opinions. It is really helpful. I am a rifle shooter and have been for years. I've loved figuring out loads for rifles and my friends rifles, but really haven't spent a lot of time hunting with them. Other than shooting prairie dogs by the hundreds in South Dakota. I just like the process of testing and re-testing and seeing what I can accomplish.

JasonR... I've never taken a neck shot. Is there a preferred spot on the neck you go for, or do you just shoot anywhere the spinal column runs? Sorry to sound ignorant, but I am.

I still need to test the rifle more to see what it likes, but it has proven itself with 140 TTSX and Hornady 139 flat base interlocks. I plan to test my second round with Varget to see if any more gems reveal themselves. The first round of testing was done using all Ramshot Big Game.

What he said - 7mm 120 gr bullets and the 7-08 are hammers on deer. If I was going to be shooting specifically at shoulders, I might go 120 gr TTSX only because I've seen personally how well they perform on a nice 9 pointer at 40 yds hitting the big knuckle of the off side shoulder. Buck went about 40 yds, bullet wasn't recovered and remarkably little blood shot meat.

I am not discounting others experience with the 120 gr NBT - loaded for the wife to use this last past season in her 7-08, and I've used it in both 7-08 and 284 win with no issues.

Tagged for later viewing.

Not much to say that wasn’t said 2 years ago.

Update on my earlier post. I have killed deer with the 120 NBT, very effective, good exit and internal damage.

Since then I’ve loaded some 140 SGK HPBT’s over BG. They’re even more accurate, slightly more expansive than the 120 NBT, good exit, impressive internal damage and quick kills. I’ve shot several sub half inch groups with my 700 Shilen barreled rifle. 120 NBT consistently sub MOA.

DF

I noticed that!!

I never shot a whitetail with a 7-08 but I have killed an impala in RSA, 120 grain Barnes TTSX out of a Kimber Montana. 136 yards broadside, double shoulder shot, bullet did not exit, found under skin and lost a petal, DRT!

130g Speer Hot Core will penetrate both shoulders, this is not the boat tail bullet

42g of IMR 4895
Rem 9 1/2
REm brass
Bullet just off the lands
3000 fps in a 24" barrel
Small groups abound

I shoot nbt or Annabelle almost exclusively.
I have never had any trouble shooting through both shoulders with either bullet. I have one load that is loaded down to 2500ish with 140 nbt and it works fine. Have run the same up to 3300ish with the same result. Drt most of the time.

I only use barns in a 257 weatherby at 3700. Super fast for caliber is the only way I like barns.

Sadly, mngunhead was so overwhelmed by the choices, that he sold his guns and quit hunting.....

mngunhead Offline
Joined 11/14/17
Last Seen 05/13/18

Agree, I always go for vitals,no wasted meat.