Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 7mm-08

Thinking of using a 7mm-08 for a lightweight elk rifle out to 250 yds. 154 hornady sp handloaded, no running or angle shots will it work?.

Don't ask Swampy!!!

Same bullet in my cuz's 280 Mtn rifle worked two years ago.

Of course it will work. But if you want to be cool, you'll punch it out to .284 Winchester

Of course it will work.

that is the exact bullet I have used on elk. It's a perfect fit.

I'd have Little Worries With A Barnes 120 TSX...

Hellyeah....it'll work all day long. I'd trust it more than the fritzy fruity copper toppers.

I would have NO problem to 400 yards on elk, angling, frontal, doesn't matter. It is a highly underrated round. It gives up very little to the .280. Would you call the .280 a 200 yard rifle? Flinch

Seems everyone worries about the 708 being able to kill an elk but they don't want to stand their horse out there at 400 yards and let you shoot at it....something I don't get...

Flinch, I know you like the 140BT, but what about this bullet and the 139gr SST...any experience with them on elk out of the 708...

I only have a little experience with the 180 grain .30 caliber SST's. I expected them to really turn deer and elk inside out, like the ballistic tips do. I found them to perform more like a premium bullet. Small entry and exit holes with decent internal damage, but not massive trauma. I don't know how the 139 SST's perform. I believe they have a much thinner jacket than the .30 caliber 180's.

I REALLY like the 139 grain Hornady flat base spire point bullet for all around use. It isn't the sexiest or most stream lined bullet, but it plain hammers stuff. It is a highly unpicky bullet and is extremely accurate. I have used this bullet for long range rock chucking for years. It just plane works for deer and elk as well. It always hangs together and mushrooms beautifully. I have mainly shot them in several 7mm mags at 3,200 fps. In the 7mm-08, they rock! Flinch

I wouldn't hesitate to whack an elk out to 400 yards at just about any angle I can possibly reach vitals using my .260 and its pet 120gr TSX load.

I'll let you know how the 7mm-08 works. My nephew got one recently. I loaded him up some stout loads in 160 and 175 grain Nosler Partitions. Off the subject but on there farm and old bull went nuts attacking other cattle and my sister (which I can somewhat understand), and my nephew shot the bull with his 7mm-08 Winchester model 70 with a 22"barrel. That big 175 grain Nosler Partition put the SOB right down, with full penetration. Now granted it was only about 40 yards away, but the old Bull will at least make good hamburger, and lots of it.

That is like puting a V8 in a volkswagon bug. You are hamstringing the heck out of the 7mm-08 with 175 grain partitions. They aren't going to expand at all past 200 yards, but since you are shooting farm elk, you will be okay Flinch

I used my Stevens 7-08 loaded with NP 160gr. this fall killed a 4x4 mule deer at 375 yds.lasered with the range finder. DRT
I would not have a problem using it on Elk.Same load.

Who wants their horse wounded? I know I don't.

If you wound them, then you can keep shooting If you kill them outright, then the fun is over Flinch

Short answer is: It will work fine with correct shot placement.

I've killed three elk with a 7mm-08 - all using 140 gr TTSXs. Any decent bullet, including the 139 or 154 gr Hornadys, would have killed the same elk placed in the same spot.

I dunno about that. I've seen the 160 gr. Partitions expand quite well at over 400 yds. when started at a modest 2680 fps. E