Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Looking for 7mm-08 Pet Loads

I am looking for the magic powder for the 7mm-08. Something that gives me the most FPS with sub MOA accuracy out of a 21 in. pipe.
This is going to be my Blacktail killer, so it has to shoot from 50 ft, to 350 yards. Plan on using 140 gr. Partitions simply due to the fact that it would also make a good short range back up gun for elk and I may use it for black bear as well.

Thanks in advance.

For the 7-08 with 140s, and not in any particular order:

Hodgdon Varget
Hodgdon H4350SC
Alliant RL15
Alliant RL17
Ramshot Big Game

No temp sensitive ball powders for me. RL17 might be the velocity king, I'll let you know soon.

MtnHtr

I look forward to seeing your results on those. Are you using a LR primer or a Magnum primer with the RL 17? Seems like an awful slow powder for the 7mm-08.

44.5/414 w/Speer 160 # 1635
Fed 210 w/Win 7/08 case
2.80" oal
safe/accurate load in my 595 SS Tikka.......

If you dare go lighter than 140 grains, try the 120 TSX or TTSX with 44.0 grains RL-15. Gets you about 3,000 fps and some dead animals...

I have both LR and mag primers, will start with LR primers. As for the burn rate, RL17 might be just what the doc ordered! It's real close to H4350 in burn rate.

MtnHtr

its even closer to IMR 4320 and H 380,, both that have been around for eternity and are therefore easier to find...

A good dose of R15 works very well under a 140 TSX w/ my 22" tube.

Was just out a few days ago shooting my new Win Model 70 in 7-08. It was my first time out with the rifle, and I was testing some loads. The main bullet I'll be using is the 140 Nosler partition, which is the same bullet I use in 7x57's. The best group I got was with 45.0 grains of H-414, and it measured 5/8" for 3 shots at 100 yards. I will settle on that load.
Also shot a bunch of different loadings of light weight bullets. Sierra's 100 grain HP with 42.0 grains of Varget also shot a 3 shot, 5/8" group, so I'll settle on that for a Varmint load.

Don

+1 Great load for the 7-08; handles bigger animals just fine, too.

MM

46 gr of IMR4007ssc under either a Nosler BT or Sierra SPBT. 2800 fps and sub MOA from a 24" bbl.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/1Savage/DSC01230.jpg

49 gr with a 120gr Nosler BT is as accurate and 2900+ fps

If there is a magic powder for the 7-08, it may very well be R-15, as several others have already posted. I can also get good velocity and accuracy with WW760/H414 and IMR4320.

My 7-08 is an early Rem Mod 7 with an 18.5" barrel. It is uncommonly accurate and the short barrel makes it quite handy. I've shot a few 140 gr Noslers, but my gun really likes the 130 gr Speer boattail behind 45.0 gr/r-15 for 3024 fps.

And speaking of blacktails, here are two that I took with this outfit last fall in Humboldt Co, Cal.

Nice bucks!

I am kind of curious about the 130 Speer, have you ever found any of them in animals?

Thx 4 sharing

Dober

Thanks, Dober,
Who woulda ever thunk a 3-pt would make book, but mine green-netted 141 B&C, so should easily make B&C all time. The 4x5 grosses just under 130. And, they are free range deer too. I really got lucky, for sure.
This little rifle is pretty much my go-to rig for deer and hogs. Over the last 15 years or so, I've shot maybe 10 deer and around 30 pigs. I can recall no collected bullets from deer as all exited, but I did retrieve one nicely mushroomed bullet from a big boar. There's really nothing magical about Speer's 130 gr BT--it is just a basic cup-and-core bullet, but my gun simply loves it. Three-shot groups often make nice little clover leafs and almost never exceed 1 MOA. I like R-15 for the velocity, but IMR4320 is even more accurate, but sadly 120fps slower.
I've shot nothing bigger than deer/hogs with this sweet outfit. I like bigger rounds for bigger animals, usually with Nosler Partitons. (In fact, my buttocks are still smoldering when I boo-hooed the .25-06 for elk in this forum last week--talk about getting flamed! Undaunted tho, I will NOT be using my .25-06 for elk in Wyoming this fall, nor my beloved 7-08; I'll have my .300 Winny with 200 gr Partitions!)

Man that is smoken fast for that short barrel!

Ah come on, nut up and carry your 25 for elkies...grin

When and where you going if you don't mind me asking. I'll be hunting moose down south of Jackson the first week of Oct.

Dober

Those are a couple exceptional Blacktails!
Ingwe

Ruger280....Yep, I shoot my loads over a Chrony and Oehler simultaneously (the Chrony resides midway between the Oehler's 4' screens). The recorded velocity is repeatable, and there are no sticky bolt-lifts or even flattened primers. I still have 4+ lbs of that lot of R-15. BTW, I loaded up the same formula for my neighbor's A-Bolt, and it averages just under 3000 fps.

Dober....I'll be hunting south of Cody, Unit 61-2, in November for an elk. Several years back, I drew a desert sheep permit, possibly the most coveted tag in NA, in Nevada. I DID use my .25-06 then and took a good ram on the way to my recently-completed Grand Slam. There ain't no flies on the .25-06, nor the 7-08. I guess I like a little more oomph for a tough wapiti bull. It's just me.....

Don't blame you for liking the 300/200 Noz combo that was one of my favs for quite some time. (one of the fellas I guided for desert borrego used the same load in an Legend)

If you get a chance, how about sticking up some pics of your slam when you get a chance.

Cody, is a town I could live in easily, but I am kind of partial to Boze and Big Sky. Speaking of Big Sky I saw one heck of a blonde down there today, bruin that is...<g>

Dober

Oh and congratz on your slam!

Dober