Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles School me on the 7mm-08

140 AB's and I'm also fond of 154gr Hornady round nose....they flat out work like magic in the timber I hunt.

Have a 700 sps. Shoots the 139 Hornaday well, have only killed 5 deer with this load but performed good with none going over 20-40 yards after shot. Shoots the 120 BT's good with Varget. Just bought some 140 AB's to try later.

I've killed a pile of critters, mostly caribou with bullets ranging from the 100 XFB to the 170 Pro-Hunter. Mostly the bullets I've used have been around 140 grains with the Hornady SP and Barnes XFB doing much of the killing. Moose die readily by the capability of the little 308 cased 7mm.

100 grain Hornady HP (grounhogs) and 140 gr Ballistic Tips (deer) over IMR4320 has been working well for me.

Dale

46gr of H4350 and 140gr Corelokts for my 7600 pump. Not a fast load but the deer don't seem to know. I wonder if Remington uses the same 140gr Core-lokt in the .280 and &mm Rem mag? It seems on the tough side in my limited experience.

I traded for my first 7mm-08 last X-MAS IN Birmingham Alabama
Mine is a stainless Ruger 77 RSI fullstock with open sights ,
18 1/2 in. barrel.So far it shoots Factory Remington 140 CL`s
pretty good so far.My local Gun Dealer said tha around here in N.E. Alabama that most 7mm-08 shooters buy the Factory Remington
140 gr. CL the most.
Hope this Helps
AMRA

120 NBT over 45gr Varget with a 210M.

My pet Deer load is the Speer 145 Gr. Spitzer flatbase Hot-Core over 47Gr. of W-760 . Do not fire this load in your rifle without reducing 10% and working up . It is hot and kills Deer like lightening .

Ruger,

My brother ha been using a 7mm-08 mountain rifle for about 8 year now. He has taken close to 90 deer with it. He will only use 140 grain Core-lokts and swears by them. I used his rifle last year on two deer and it was just sweet. Dropped both pretty much on the spot but the nice thing was I could watch the impact through the scope. Try those Remington Core-lokts you will not be disappointed. He's never had one break up and he's killed bunches of them up close and personal. They normally pass through but every once in a while he finds one in an animal - in a perfect mushroom every time. Good luck.

Thanks for the help guy. The twist onthis thing is 1 in 11 1/2" but it should still turnt he 140 fine. I will give 120 and 140 a try and just see what the barrel likes best.

Why go that slow with the twist?

I don't know that is the way Savage makes um.

IMO a dumb move on their part.

FWIW, the original RP ammo was actually the 139 Hornady bullet, even though RP called it a 140 CL. Not sure how the newest ammo fares in accuracy, no doubt any 140 load will kill deer fine.

So Ruger, I'm guessing you bought the new Savage edge ?

Let me know how she performs, as I've been thinking about it too.

My big ?? & stumbling block is will it shoot the 140's, as I don't handload.

Paul.

I'd bet it will for CONVENTIONAL bullets, TSX and similar, perhaps not. JB posted twist rate info per bullets.

If not mistaken, the FIRST round offered was the 139 Rem '140 CL' load, and the 120 HP perhaps at the same time, or later.

If Savage/Stevens will NOT handle a std. 140, then they TRULY goofed, as MOST hunters shoot factory and will grab 140 ammo. Those picking Barnes bullets in that wt. MIGHT be disappointed.

I'd like to hear back from owners experience. JB's post below.

Actually, the standard twist rate in most 7mm rifles is 1-9" to 1-9.5".

I had a 7x57 with a 11.5" twist once upon a time. It was a custom rifle and the maker asked me what bullet I was going to use most of the time. I thought he was asking to figure out the throat length, but then he put the 11.5" twist barrel and didn't tell me. I found out it wouldn't shoot any bullet much longer than a lead-cored 140.

That's probably the reason for the twist in the Stevens. Most people never shoot bullets longer than a lead-cored 140 in the 7mm-08--but it probably won't work with anything much longer.

I ran some numbers through the twist calculator on Sierra's ballistic program, using 7mm bullets of various weights and lengths. The twist number is the slowest twist calculated to stabilize the bullet:

120 TTSX (length 1.222) at 3000 fps--11.0
140 TSX (1.265) at 2800--10.6
140 TTSX (1.363) at 2800--9.0
140 Partition (1.143) at 2800--13.3
139 Hornady BTSP (1.145) at 2800--13.2
140 Sierra ProHunter (1.10) at 2800--14.5

This pretty well agrees with my experience with that 7x57.
The program also indicates that the longest 140-grain bullet that will stabilize in a 11.5" twist is about 1.22 inches long.

Of course altitude and actual muzzle velocity will also affect twist rate.
_________________________
JB

No got a savage/stevens 200.

tag for good info. Just got my first 7-08 rem seven.

Cheers Ruger,

let me know how it goes at the range anyway.

Just checked Savages site & low & behold, their more expensive 7mm-08's are all 1:9 twist.

Go figure.

Paul.

I have three 7x08's, Sierra 120's and 140's is my choice. Several powders will make the 7x08 go. Varget, IMR 4064, W 760 and IMR/H 4350. I always use benchrest primers. Great round. Currently developing loads for the improved version.