Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 7mm-08 question

Do any of you using 7-08 load with 175 gr bullets? If so, what is the primary target and any insight on loads is appreciated

I loaded a few 7-08 rounds with the 175 grain Hornady spire points. A lot of bullet down in the case and accuracy was mediocre as was velocity. However the speed was about like the early 7x57 factory loads. I did use that bullet on a few deer pushed hard out of a 7x57, killed them dead but oddly I recovered 2 of them from the same deer.

If you're considering trying some, what is the twist of your barrel? Also, how deep would you have to seat them to fit your mag?

The twist rate is 1:9.5. And as yet I dont know how deep it will have to go, but for this discussion will assume factory lengths

You dont commonly find 175 gr weight in factory ammo......

Insight on loads: I'd trade them to a guy with a 7mm Mag (for which they are far better suited) and hope he's willing to exchange for 140-150gr Nosler BTs, ABs and/or Partitions (just my favorites - there are plenty of other good bullets for the 7mm-08 in the 120-150gr range).

What kind of 175's? I'd do like someone else suggested and use them for trading stock. I'd rather run 140's and 150's in my 7mm08, personally..

Maybe 7mm rem mag, but definitely not 7mm08..

agree. if they are ABLR's, I could make a trade offer.

FWIW, my Savage loves 150gr BT's or ELDX's.

Heaviest I ever ran out of a 7-08 was 160. I don’t think there is anything to gain going heavier than that.

I tried various 150’s in mine, and settled on the 140 AB for all-around use. If I needed more than that, I’d use one of my bigger rifles.

Agreed, in fact, I don't think there's much to be gained over the 140 AB as mentioned above. Bigger bullets than that find their way into my 7mag.

Ok thanks all. I have a supply of 175 hornadys so I was curious. I sold them off today. I want to use my 7-08 with 140's for antelope, so just have to find some.

Get 120 BTs.

Kent

I'll second the 120 BT suggestion. Lots of deer and antelope taken with that bullet from my 7-08. Never recovered a bullet and never had a wreck

I was thinking hard about which bullet I wanted to shoot in a 7-08 I'm putting together. I have several hundred 175 eldx's and considered them. Rifle will have a 3" mag box so I could probably work around length. Twist would need to be 8.5 at the slowest for the eldx. A lot of other 175's will work fine in a 1/9.

.....in the end I decided the 162 would be the heaviest I'd go with in the 7-08. The 175 eldx's will be a better fit for the 280AI all the way around for me.

Sounds like a great option. I'll definitely look into those. I'm not the OP, but appreciate the thread and the mighty 7mm08.. Last year before I took my bull, I had 100% confidence it was going to work well. After it hit the dirt after 1 shot, It just confirmed what I had already known. I guess the OP's 175's would have worked well in that situation as well. They would be damn slow movers though.. Probably a good thing he sold them. Someone with a 7mm rem mag is probably thankful to get them. If the OP decides to get some 120 Nosler ballistic tips, I'd like to hear how they work for him on his hunt.. I've always found the ballistic tips to shoot very accurately/precisely. Haven't tried any in my 7mm08 yet though.

A lot of stuff dies quickly each year to relatively blunt 150-165gr cup/cores launched at 2500-2600 fps from 16” AR10 rifles. Seems like a longer and sleeker 7mm offering would be at least a better version of the same. Something like a 160 Gameking or 162 SST should be deadly, even when launched at those same speeds.

Recent axis doe meat hunt. 7mm08, 120 BT, 3050 muzzle velocity, through vertebrae with this exit hole at 100 yds. Perfecto.

I load 120 TTSXs in my 7-08s and would hunt anything on the continent, except the big bears. My personal feeling is that 120-140 is the wheelhouse for the 7-08.