Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Picky 7mm08?

Just curious the specifics on your new rifle. Also who built it. Should be easy to make shoot well. Wondering if you don’t have more gremlins than just loading for a picky rifle.

This is going to seem simplistic, but at this point I'd probably pick up some Federal blue box 7mm-08 and see how well they shoot.

If you get 2" with those, I'd suspect the problem was something other than the load.

Great suggestion. That would give a guy a good baseline. Id try a couple different types of factory loads. If they all shot great, id be rethinking my loading process. If not, id be talking to the gunsmith.

Cant find 7mm08 but had some good load development yeaterday, switching to H414 and H4350. I also changed Coal. So i will re verify the loads.

I led you to the water.

Any good 7-08 bolt gun with a custom barrel should be printing under an inch with 139s - 140s.

I always start with Nosler BTs, then Sierras or Hornadys. Never monos at first. RL15, Varget, or RS BG. Should be grouping well, the 7-08 is not a fussy cartridge. If it won't group with NBTs then you have other issues.

1) Switch primers. Fed 210Ms. Sometimes the CCIs shoot ok, but not always.

2) Switch powders. I'd go with H4350 if you've got it. Consider H414 or Win 760 (might go with a Fed 215 primer for those).

3) Change bullets. I have essentially NEVER gotten what I consider acceptable accuracy out of a Barnes bullet. And accubonds are funny. I've had several rifles that shot well with ballistic tips but won't shoot well with accubonds of the same weight. Not supposed to work that way but it did. I'd go with a conventional cup and core bullet to begin with. Maybe flat base.

The idea is to change to components that are more likely to shoot well even if they aren't what you want to use in the end. Get something going, build your confidence in the gun, then start swapping pieces of the puzzle one at a time.

The best 7mm-08 load I ever came up with was a 140 partition over more RL-19 than really wanted to stay in the case. Out of a Remington Seven, stainless, 20" barrel, with a Leupold 1.5-5x, it'd shoot 1.5 inch groups at 200 yards. That will kill blacktails in the timber and brush. I really wanted to use 150s but my gun said "nope". I'll finish by saying that my last 7mm-08, a 700 CDL-SF, failed. After almost 1000 rounds, I still didn't have a reliable sub 2 moa load, so I sold it. Some guns just don't work. Some customs don't work, either.

Once I can find some. I'll purchase some 140 partitions. Plan on shooting elk with it.

Yes you did. Unfortunately components are a tough find at moment. So im stuck with what I have and can scrounge.

Quick question my Hornady manual is saying 49.9 grains of H414 for max load with 139 BTSP. This seems high? I check the 140 grain loads for Hodgon which lists 46.0 as max. Anyone try this load or similar?

Try Barnes 120 TTSX, CFE-223 47gr, COL 2.780 with a crimp.

Post a wtb or a wtt.

Since ~2006, H414 and W760 are the same powder. When load data for these two powders do not match, it is either pre-2006 data or lot variation.

Hornady manual lists 48.9 max of W760 with a 139.

49.9 could be a little hot with your current lot of H414. I don’t think it’s blow your gun up hot, but it could be over the SAAMI limit of 60k psi.

When I tested 140 Sierras and W760, I shot up to 49.5 grains, which averaged 2,880 FPS in my 22” @ 55F.

Thanks, I won't risk it. I will load to 46.0 as max. Guess i have some bullets to pull.

If you have a chronograph, I would watch speed and stop when I got close to 2,900. The Hornady manual rounds both H414 and W760 max charges to 2900fps, which also means it’s above 2850 (or they would have rounded down to 2800).

W760 is a solid B player; pretty much every charge weight was 1-1/4” or less at the same point of impact. Most consistent velocity and 3/4” groups was 48 grains, just over 2800fps.

Also, Speer load data for 145s lists 47.0 as max with H414. Available on their website. W760 max is 49.0.

Hodgon’s max of 46 seems really low.

I did load some with 50 gr. 414 and got 2900 fps but accuracy was not very good. It was no doubt max.

Ok thanks guys for the help.

My Tikka 7mm-08 liked 130gr Speer the best. But did well with most bullets, like 140gr Accubonds, 120gr Barnes TTSX, 120gr Ballistic Tips, and most other 140gr bullets. Best powder

Was RL17, Big Game, and W760 all got 3100 FPS with 120gr Bullets. PP2000Mr was good also.

Esox, is there a reason you aren't saying what kind of rifle it is and if it is properly glass bedded. Generally I like to start at the start and not at the load. All you say is it is a "custom", and the kind of barrel it has. What is it and is it properly glass bedded? You can monkey fu ck around and goat rope all day long with a rifle that is not properly glass bedded and not get good accuracy, yet I see this all the time. Guys want to blame it on something like the load or cartridge or shooter, when it is a dog of a rifle...