Any one have any reloading data or experience with 7-08 and 168 Berger VLD Hunters. My rifle is a Custom Shop Remington 700 24” SS with I believe a 9.25 twist.
I have RL 26, 16,15,19,22, H380 H4350, Big Game, Varget, H4895, and few others on hand. Any help to start would be great. Thanks Ken.

Tag, trying the same combo this spring

Why so heavy? Velocity drops off dramatically from 150 to 160/162/168. BC increases but the bullets don’t catch up until 500 yards or farther.



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Gotcha. Every one seems to talk about going with Heavy now days. I guess I was marching in the parade lol. 150’s probably do better with my twist anyway. Thanks Pharmseller for making me look at this with a different approach.

150g and 168g Nosler long range accubond loves to jump .120 or so, this works out perfect for the 7/08 and a short magazine. Get some Lapua brass, R#19 with cci 250 and stomp on the gas. I sort the LRAB by ogive length, and let me tell you, they knock the hell out of deer and hogs. We like real dead, real quick, and if you are the same, try these bullets. Jump these two LRAB bullets.

175gLRAB likes to be close to the lands, thus 280 and AI are excellent for this bullet. 7Rem mag shoots the 175 into bug holes with two powders, R#22 and R#26, 2850 and 3050 fps Respectively.

9 1/4" twist Remingtons shoot the 175g LRAB just fine.

Good info.

Don’t forget Big Game powder.

DF

Thanks for the unsolicited advice with the worst bullet Nosler had ever produced. And I'm a huge Nosler fan.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...rue/re-7mm-08-big-game-load#Post13653541

As mentioned, the 7mm-08 doesn't have the case capacity to really push the heavier bullets effectively (especially hunting bullets). I have two 7mm-08's, one that I use for deer and the other for shooting steel/paper. I stick with 140's in the hunting rifle, and shoot 150-168's in the heavy barrel rifle. I've seen some pretty good numbers with Winchester 6.5 StaBall powder, Hodgdon lists it at over 2700fps with 168's...may be worth trying some out. You have plenty of barrel length, but I just don't see the point using such a heavy bullet when there are comparable bonded bullets that will perform pretty well in the 140-150gr weight.

That being said, my next 7mm bullet will be 500 of the Nosler 168gr 2nds Custom Competition HPBT's. Not so much for the weight, but because they are reasonably cheap at $20/100.

“Catch up” in what way?

What do you mean by “effectively”?

Seems self explanatory, but to propel the bullet fast enough to really justify the extra weight (and without using longer barrel lengths, or seating the bullets to a a longer OAL in a long action receiver).

Look at the ballistics, and compare the Sierra MK's in 150 (0.429 BC) & 168gr (0.490) bullets. With a MV of 2800fps, the 150's are 1515 fps at 1400 yards with 12.2 mils of drop. The 168's, at 2700fps, are 1575 fps at the same distance with 12.4 mils of drop. Even stepping up to the 168gr Nosler CC bullets, which publish a BC of .520, the velocity is 1631 fps with 12 mils drop. Between the three, drop and velocity is again virtually indistinguishable at 500 yards. My long range "fun" rifle is a 22" 7mm-08, and my initial thought process was to run the 162/168s for 600-1k yards...but outside of the cheaper price of Nosler 2nds, there is no reason in my short action 7mm-08 to shoot the heavier bullets (unless shooting subsonics suppressed).

Of course, all of this is irrelevant with regards to hunting bullets. Hunters have been using the 7x57 for years with heavies at slower velocities for damn near a century, killing virtually every game animal on the planet.

Velocity.

Wind drift?

The heavier bullet catches up in velocity well before either has dropped to a level where bullet expansion is questionable (sub-500 yards, depending on the specific bullets and launch speeds), which means that the light bullet will reach minimum expansion velocity at a lesser distance. Additionally, there's not enough difference in elevation between the two bullets to matter (0.1-0.3 MRAD difference), since you'll be dialing for either bullet beyond the PBR (which only differs by a handful of yards, again depending on specific bullets and launch speeds), and beyond about 600 meters the heavier bullet drops less than the lighter bullet. Finally, the heavier bullet has less wind drift right from the muzzle and only continues to drift less and less as distance increases. So how exactly can the 7-08 not propel the heavier bullet fast enough to justify the extra weight? I see plenty of justification where it counts.

The 7mm 168 VLD has a G1 BC of .618, not .490
Makes a big difference.

So I still may try the Berger VLD 168’s. Does anyone have any load data they can share to get me started. Worst that can happen is I don’t settle on them in the end. Atleast I can say I tried. Thanks Ken

RL26 with 160gr Nosler Partitions WLR primers and Wi cases at 2.800 OAL gave 2762 FPS out of my Tikka 22.4" barrel

I use the 120gr Barnes TTSX , 130gr Speer BT, and the 140gr Accubond. in my Tikka. I think they are better suited for the 7mm-08.

I got to thinking today about the velocity of 7 mm 150 gr and 168 gr bullet running in the 2600-2800 FPS range.

I built a 357 rimless (.223 basic brass cut at 1.8”) pushing a 180 gr .358 bullet at 2600 FPS and 150 Gr. At 2870 FPS with no where near the case capacity of the bottle necked case of the 7-08. I know the 358 bullet does not babe the bc or long range trajectory but the powder is still pushing the weight.

Why?

If you’re gonna experiment, use the 162 eldx. If it works, let me know. I have no interest in the VLD after experimenting with the 140 gr VLD Hunting.




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With full discloser, I shoot moly plated bullets, so most likely you won't be able to run as much with bare bullets, so.....

In a 24" Rock barrel, I went to 42 grains of Varget and R-15 with either 162 Amax or 168 VLD's in the lands. Give or take 2700 fps.

I had a factory 700 Varmint with a 24" heavy barrel, that I shot strictly 162 Amax in, but can't find my notes, pretty sure I was using R-15.

Edit....found the old post on the varmint gun. Too bad the pics are gone, as Imageshack pulled the same shlt as Photobucket did.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...-08/Search/true/7-08-nirvana#Post7629839

I have a box of 162 ELD x too. Give me some time I’ll eventually get to it. Lol

I load the 162 in my 7mm Rem Mag, close to 3k.

The 162 AM certainly works.

What’s you data and on-game experience with the 162 AM?

I've found accurate loads using IMR4166, H4350, TAC, N203, and CFE223. They have ranged from 2630-2745 fps, and I settled on IMR4166 at 2630 fps in my 7-08's. I would kind of like to try Varget, as well, but haven't yet.

On-game experience with the 162 AM from the 7-08 includes a bunch of critters from WT and MD to elk and moose. I have seen nothing but excellent bullet performance from the 162 AM, which is probably the result of a high SD and modest impact velocities. I have seen the 162 AM drive through a moose shoulder on a broadside shot and end up under the hide on the offside. The expanded bullet looked just like what one would expect from a Horn IL.