Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 7x57 or 7-08 @300-500 yards w/140g

JB: Expansion!

I believe I have the world's largest supply of the discontinued 7mm 140g Solid Base bullets but only use them in faster sevens due to what I have read on the internet...:)

JB, have been shooting BTs in an AI and a 7RM lately...haven't recovered any yet...

tom,, my Charles Daly Firearms chambered in 280, was on a hunting trip in ky a few yrs ago,, a friend who is an extremely good shot spotted a large doe across the ridge 1/2 up the next mountain , he kept trying to give me the zero on this deer and i just could find it or see /spot it ,, after a few seconds i handed him the rifle said "fill out my tag please!" he aimed and shot the deer at 325 yards and that was the 1st time i saw the deer as it rolled down the hill 30yards stoned dead,, WE WERE USING Winchester Supreme Ammunition 280 Remington 140 Grain Ballistic Silvertip,, AS FOR ME I WOULDNT HAVE TAKEN THIS SHOT EVEN IF I SEEN THE DEER 325 IS TOO FAR FOR MY EYES,, he hit it were he said he was aiming middle of the lung area,, ,, he also offered to buy that rifle any time i was getting rid of it, a standing offer,, also before this topic comes up,, my friend was hunting and guideing for me the entire time , i was only wanting to get some meat, fill my tag,, and spend some time with him the person who took the shot was not important to me,, if you asked him about this he would say i dont rememebr the details of the hunt only the time spent,, and this was OUR DEAL!

IIRC wildlife violations don't have a statute of limitations. Just saying...

Can you expand upon this? I mean expound? Lol.

I was implying earlier, that the SB was a great bullet from Noz, loved the 120s in my 7TCU handguns in college.

JB not surprised, the harder bullets may be desired on tough angles, or to help odds of an exit hole, but long felt the 'shock effect' of an expanding bullet favored the softer side of the pendulum for deer bullets, which I feel is why many get lightning fast kills say using an 85 BTHP SGK in a 243, though personally all around I prefer the thicker jacketed 95 BT and feel it will expand further than a Barnes. No dout an 80-85 Barnes often launched at 3100-3300+ is bad Juju on deer, till they peter out and expansion is minimal.

I felt in the past that a small bore benefits well when used on deer, from increased frontal area of 'softer bullets' - again talking game bullets, not those acting as varminting grenades which might give shallow wounds on larger game.

Tomk, are those BT that you don't recover that 'explosive' or simply the residual sails on thru? Prob the latter.

65: Sure! But you already know the answer.

Those bullets JB mentioned are just thin jacketed,and expand a bit better at distance from moderate velocity cartridges like the 7/08 and 7x57 at 300-400 yards than something "tougher";likely set up a bit more frontal area sooner after impact,etc.i think JB is right on shots like that.

Years back I worried about a bit about using tough bullets on lighter game...but one day I was returning to the ranch with my friends wife after dropping off meat for processing in Medicine Bow.....she had an unfilled antelope tag and we saw a good buck,but the only rifle was my 270 and 130 Bitterroots.

We did a quick crawl and got within about 375 yards....I told her what to do and she planted one a third up the chest;the buck danced in a litte semi circle for about 30 feet and collapsed.Expansion was not dramatic but it was clearly "there" and the bullet punched a nickel sized exit.

That little Bitterroot might not make as perfect an antelope bullet as a BT;but I'll bet its' a better elk bullet,.....and it was "good enough" that day for antelope as well.

We all know the problem,and it's an old one....you gotta get expansion at distance,but you need a certain level of bullet integrity at close range where impact velocity is high so that you still get good penetration;and the faster a cartridge you use,the more you have to hedge the close range stuff IMHO....or so it would seem.This calls for some bullet structure compromises along the way.

Personally I always hedged the close shots because IME the overwhelming majority of game I've shot and seen shot has been in the WAY under 500 yard mark...(I'd sing a different tune if I spent all my time looking for shots beyond 500-600 yards).But if you spend much time on these forums, you'd never guess it.I think it's because the LR shooters tend to be very vocal and folks are enchanted with LR shooting.

Hey 6.5
The NBT have exited on all the broadside shots shots I have taken with them--I wouldn't hesitate to use them on larger game particularly in the 7-08...but have more bullet styles on hand than applications.

That said, am going to give the Berger 140g Hunting VLDs a spin in my 7x57 this winter to see how they shoot for next season

Projectile placement trumps all, even with a stick & string.

Saw a big Elk bull dropped with one shot at 750 yards with a 105 gr bullet from a 243 Winchester. How much ballistic push do you reckon that bullet was packing at that distance? Not much, I'm sure.

Projectile placement trumps all.

Agreed Reloader. That was an assumption in my original question.

7mm 08 x 500 yards + Berger VLD = dead[whatever]

I love my 7x57, It's the one I use 80% of the time. I think it 'runs out' about where my ability does. That's not much further than 300yds. Although, I use my 280, with a heavy sporter 26" barrel if I think shots might exceede 200yds or so. capt david

Hi tomk,

I have shot deer at very long range. Now when I see em I figure out a way to close the distance.

To answer your question, I am sure either will work; however, with the 7X57, you'll probably have to hand load. I have a circa 1954 NRA hand loader's manual in which 7x57 loads are listed. It is a formidable cartridge if you carefully work up loads.


Best of luck,

L