Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 7-08 Bullet for antelope

Which bullet do you all recommend? I've shot 120 and 140 grain TSX, 120 grain Ballistic Tips, 139 Hornady soft points, and 140 grain Accubonds, all with acceptable accuracy out of my 700 Mountain Rifle.

I know about any bullet you put in the vitals will take an antelope down, but which one would you all recommend?

If they all are accurate I'd shoot the 120 Ballistic Tips. They'll probably shoot the flattest and you just don't need a premium bullet for speed goats. Brett

Yep...whatever shoots best will kill them goats.

By loading up the TSX's though you won't have to worry about a new load for bigger stuff.

J

I'd shoot the 120 NBT's.

Cheesy, do you have a Mule Deer tag also, if so then TSX. It will get you both.

6.5 SWEDE.

You've got a very good group of bullets there, you really couldn't go wrong with any of them for deer and or lopes.

Dober

Dober you are a big 7-08 fan! I just about owned one today went to buy a cleaning rod and there was a Kimber select grade 7-08 sitting there, I picked it up and almost did not put it back down again. I have about 1000 308 cases so sanity made me put it back down...what a nice gun....

My family and I have taken a number of pronghorns with 7mm-08s and 120 grain ballistic tips, but as several have noted, any of those bullets would work just fine.

I was leaning towards the ballistic tip, depending on the powder, all the bullets are going into under an inch group (heat that thin barrel up though and things start opening up), but the ballistic tips have brought in the tightest groups, didn't know but what it might be a little on the too explosive side though.

Ballistic tip for Wyoming antelope, now to decide what to use on Kansas deer, probably just the cheap Hornady soft point, or maybe go with an Accubond, but then again, those TSX's are sitting on the shelf as well.....decisions.

While I've never used it on antelope, I shoot 140 gr Ballistic Tips in mine. Fantastic accuracy, and fine performance on deer.

120 bt at 3100 fps. Hammers them!

Not too tough to neck those 308's down though....

Dober

That 120 NBT is a tough little bullet. It's made with the same jacket they use to make the 140 so it's pretty thick down toward the base. I've never seen one recovered from a game animal... not even out of a Blacktail buck that was shot at 40 yards with a 120 NBT out of a 7Mag in the 3600fps neighborhood. That bullet is still going as far as I know. If I owned a 7-08 the only bullet I'd shoot out of it at deer/pronghorn/coyotes/osama would be the 120 NBT. Go forth with the 120 and pummel a speed goat. ~JT

I've been shooting antelope with various 7mm-08's for awhile now and had great results with several bullets.
I especially like the 139g Hornady and the 140g corelok. These days I use the 140g TSX as it is also used for elk. It's worked very well on antelope though dropping several right in their tracks.

Pick either the 120 Nosler BT, or, the 120 TSX and kill anything you might have a tag for!

I love the Nosler 120 BT out of the 7mm-08, but antelope are found in some pretty windy shooting conditions. If possible, try to do some practice in the area where you'll be hunting, and try some good 140-grainers, 154-gr SST, and the 160-gr Sierra Gameking in the same wind. You might decide to go with something heavier. That 160 is a proven target bullet at 600 yards.

My experience has shown me that target bullets @ 600 and real world antelope hunting is two different things.

Any and all of the bullets the gent mentioned will do him just fine.

For me if there is too much wind to take a shot with say a 120 then there is also too much wind to take a shot with the 160's.

Thats just me way however.

Dober

If you know there's too much wind, then you're right, you should be waiting, not shooting. The problem is when there is no wind near you, and lots of wind in that canyon you're shooting across.

All those 120-gr bullets out of .25-06s can't be wrong!

Shoot them out to 300 yds or so and see how the groups hold up. Might give you a little insight if you plan to shoot that far.

Once again Lee... you've proven you have no idea what in the hell you're talking about.

At 400 yards the difference between the 120 BT @3100 and the 160 SGK @2700 is... wait for it... less than 1.5".
And the 120 is 3.5" flatter over that same 400 yard span... enough to matter? Not really... but it's an extra 25-30 yards in PBR.

Keep trying Lee... one of these days your blind ass will find an acorn. ~JT