Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Why no love for 150gr. In 7 Mag?

Lads,

I see a lot of guys touting the 160gr. bullet weight in 7Mag and I get that weight is very useful. I have a Savage in 7Mag that loves either the TTSX or Partition in 150gr. Seems like most guys either shoot 140gr. bullets or they skip the 150gr. and go to 160 grainers. My 150gr. TTSX or Partition loads at 3150fps seem to be more than capable of anything from mice to moose!

Just wondering how many shoot and love the 150gr. bullets as much as I do?

Elk Country

You are correct, 150 grain seems to be neglected unless it's Hornady 154 gr. I use 160 gr Partition for elk out of my 7mm RM even though it will shoot Barnes 150 TSX under 1/2 inch. I personally use 160 Partition because I trust it more and experienced Barnes failed to expand on mule deer, it simply passed through it 3 shots in a row, the buck just stood there until I put in him a soft point bullet.

150 grain partitions are great in the 7mm-08, 7x57, 280, 280AI, and 7mm RM.

It’s the most accurate bullet in three of the above rifles. Regarding the 7x57 and 7mm-08 I mostly use Hornady bullets, but partitions would be great too.

The 150 Swift Scirocco is poison on elk from 7mm's in my opinion. If I can make it shoot, it's an amazing bullet.

Dober put alot of stuff to sleep with the 150 Ballistic Tip.

Started with the 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Shot a lot of deer and hogs with them. Wouldn’t hesitate to shoot most anything with it.

GreggH

I’ve always used 140’s. They have done great, never felt the need to change.

I load the 150 Ballistic Tip for a good buddy. As a rancher he uses his rifle allot for many different types of animals. His 7 Mag lives in his truck. He has killed literal truckloads of stuff with it.

I've had enough faith in the partition that is if a certain weight bullet was called for or recommended, I could drop one weight & use a partition.

The same with a caliber recommendation. Certain caliber recommended for a critter, drop one & use a partition.

Elmer Keith recommending .333 & .338's to kill Elk was not so much his bullheadedness & thinking of the .40+ bores of the old days, but the poor bullet performance in the smaller bores at the time.

EK thought a 338 was needed due to the bullets of the time. Not the chambering.

The only reason I dislike quoting Schicks that his head swells that much MORE.

But: "bullets, not headstamps, matter"

Long story short, a 150 partition in a 7 mag. is a wonderful combo IMO. So, I have the love.

Partitions are never a bad choice IMO. I've had very good luck with a 150 BT running 3100' from my Tikka 695 7mag too. A few years ago now.......

150s are all we ever used.
I've killed deer and elk with BTs or Partitions.
Only used it for a few years and moved on.

Dad can add moose and Caribou to the list, and he has been killing
stuff with the same bullets since the mid 80s.


PS. He used Core-Lokts for awhile. Good clean kills, mixed with either
pencil holes or terrible damage. Switched to Noslers (solid bases first)
And the drama ended.

The 150gr Swift is the only bullet I've used on game with the 7mm Mag, it's a wonderful bullet.

I have a lifetime supply of 150gr Sciroccos, and have no desire to use anything else.

I use the 145 lrx

This bullet has been intriguing to me also. Just can’t find any around here!

Thanks for all the replies guys. I knew I couldn’t be the only one who appreciates the 150gr bullet weight!

Keep the replies and dead animal by 150gr bullets pictures coming!

Elk Country

I used 140 partitions for 30 years, couldn’t get them during the first big shortage, so I tried ballistic tips. They kill deer and pigs just as well. If I was Mule deer hunting, maybe the 150’s would be a better choice.

When the 7 RM first came out the 150-grain bullet was the most popular. If my memory is correct Remington only offered at first a 150 grain CL and a round-nose 175 grain CL

Everyone I've known who used a 7 Rem Mag used 150's. I've always considered it the standard load

I started out with a 7mm Rem mag when I got out of the Army, 1973. I killed the small SE Texas first with the 175 Clkt, just to keep from tearing them up. Years later, when I started handloading, I went with the Nosler 150 Partition. It was perfect. I tried some 140 NBT, but the rifle loved the 150. I "did" make up some Nosler 160 PT loads for "elk". I never got to use it, but I loaned the rifle/ammo to a friend (who didn't want to use his familiar 243) for an elk hunt. he and another guy double teamed a raghorn with it in Colorado.

I gathered a supply of the 150 NPT and some older Speer 160 Mag Tips for my new to me Mod 70 fwt in 7x57. I'm a nostalgic/Traditionalist by heart. I used the Hornady 139 SP exclusively in my first 280 Remington with perfect satisfaction too.

In the mid 90's, Remington came out with the 165 "Extended Range" ammo for the 7mm RM. I never tried it, but my PH friend in South Africa hated, really hated the 7mm RM guys brought over. when I dug in, I found out they all used this very thin jacketed ammo. Its the bullet....:)

You mean they actually make a .284” bullet other than 140 grains??? LOL. Guilty as charged. Started out with 140’s and have never tried anything else! 7x57, .280 Rem, 7Mag, 7 STW…all 140 Barnes X bullets. I guess if they ever stop making the 140’s…. Nope let’s not even entertain such nonsense.

I like the 150gr Ballistic Tips out of my 7mag.I get really quick kills with that bullet and everyone has exited.I'm getting just a tad larger wound channel with the 150gr Ballistic Tip than I do with a 160gr Accubond because it sheds about 10% more weight according to Nosler.Nosler came out with a 160gr Ballistic Tip that is probably a great bullet too,but 7mm bullets have been kinda short supply lately.This is from Nosler website under frequently asked questions.
What is the difference between the Ballistic Tip® and the AccuBond®?

Externally, they look the same except for the tip colors, Ballistic Tip® bullets are color-coded by caliber while all AccuBond® bullets have white tips. Internally the Ballistic Tip® is not bonded and is designed for controlled expansion on medium game with approximately 50-60% weight retention. Conversely, the lead alloy core of the AccuBond® is bonded to the jacket. This bonding increases weight retention (65-70%) and slows expansion resulting in deeper penetration and enhanced bone-breaking potential in larger animals.