Any thoughts on this?

Looking to develop a load for my 7-08. I hunt primarily upper midwest whitetail and should also be drawing a tag for a bear here soon. Bear aren't monsters on average but 400lbs isn't unheard of or uber rare.

Looking to come up with a load that works well for that but should also be ok for elk, muley, antelope or TX exotics as it were.

I'm guessing a TTSX of some sort in a loading that shoots well.

120 vs 140 grain? What do I gain with the 140?

What wouldn't you poke in the ribs (anywhere) with either the 120 or 140 at same ranges?

Your preference? Assume it groups fine in my rifle.

(I had been shooting the AK selection of 162 AMax - exclusively on deer and does a great job, just not sold on it for larger critters or ones with fall fat to go thru)

Randy Newberg swears by the 140 NAB and he shoots some pretty big creatures with it.

Big fan of his. Just watched ep1 of season 7 where he took some good bear in SE AK with one.

I hadn't given the AB much though, open decent enough on deer?

Haven't shot a Nosler in 20 years

Lots of discussion here over the years on best 7-08 loads. Based on what I've read combined with my own experience, I would use a 120 TTSX or a 140 AB for anything in NA other than a brown bear. If TTSX is your choice, I don't think you gain anything with the 140 over the 120. Pick the one that shoots best.

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Both the 120 & 140 Ballistic tips are a good fit, both have a reputation for thicker jackets but open well at typical ranges. The TTSX would be a good versatile choice especially if anything larger than deer is a possibility. Just about all the mid weight 7mm bullets will be work well for deer as the 7-08 works well with just about anything. I would pick whatever shoots well and is available for a good price then match it with a controlled expansion type bullet for heavier game.

140 grn ttsx and CFE223 will net you muzzle velocities of 2825-2850. It is a great mice to moose load.

41-42g Varget gets you +2800fps with a very deadly and reliable 140 g Nosler Accubond.

How do you turn on notifications in 24hr campfire. Not obvious to me.

^^^^This.

The 150 ELDX has some velocity sacrifice at the muzzle but will outperform the 140 NAB in energy even at 100 yards, but holds 1000 ft-bs out to 650 yards while tha NAB goes below 1000 at 475 yards...
Magical bullet
SnT

I'd also look at that 139gr LRX, but there's no flies on the NAB.

140 NAB has really been shining for my son the past couple years in his 7mm-08. We haven’t tested it up close but white-tails out beyond 100 yards and elk past 500 yards. Penetrating well and producing nice mushrooms. If we had more magazine length, we might try 150 Swift Sciroccos, but the Model Seven requires you stuff the bullet in the case so far that you lose powder capacity but I’ve used it in 7 magnums and been impressed.

Other son has been shooting 150 ELDXs in his 7 RM. shoots really well and has a fair BC but it has come apart on us several times on elk and never at close ranges. Always 300+yards so I’m not completely confident that it would withstand something like a direct shoulder impact at close range. I’m guessing that the 140 NAB will and know that the 150 Scirocco will.

Cross

Animals I’ve killed, or seen killed with my reloads in the 7mm-08:

Elk: 150 Eldx, 140 AB, 140 Partition (5 total, from 70 to 410 yards)

Deer: 120 BT, 140 VLD, 150 Eldx, 140 AB, 140 Partition (lots, from 125 to 550 yards)

Antelope: 140 AB (just one, tags are really hard to get in Oregon, 315 yards)

Most animals didn’t need a second shot.



Find a load for the 140 AB or Partition around 2825-2875 FPS, or the 150 Eldx at 2790 fps and let the rifle decide.






P

We all know that probably 95% of kills are made within 300 yds. That being said, in this example I'd trust a 140 Accubond performing at a 600 yd impact much more than I'd trust a 150 ELDX at under 100 yds.

I would have no problems with the 140 grain Partition in my 7x57.

I loaded my wife's 7-08 with a stiff load of Varget under a 140 NPT and she has killed stuff all over North America (I'm in the Army so we move around a lot), to include moose, black bear, blacktails, and caribou in AK. I built this before the AB came out and thought about switching over but don't see a good reason, this just works for her in her Model 7. If she or the kids draw an elk tag, that's what they'll be shooting.

140-grain Accubomb. No need for anything else.

I might choose 156 Norma Oryx.

Everyone is obsessed with the long ball these days. Even here in Montana most of the animals I have killed have been under 200 yards. For instance the muley I killed this year was well under 100 and all of the elk I have killed have been under 300.

The 145gn Barnes LRX is a sleeper that will kill most anything that breathes.
Please do not avoid it or it will get discontinued.

My Super Grade 7x57 will cluster bullets under a half inch at 2860fps.
In the little '08 case, you could get quite a nice surprise with it.

The Nosler BTip 150 grain should be in the discussion for best all-around 7-08 bullet.

A 140 Accubonds or Partition would be perfect. A tipped 140 bear claw too, if you can find them.

I love the TTSX, granted I’ve only used it on deer but have been more than happy with the results. For the 7-08 I’d be tempted to go with 120s over 140s because of the length of monolithic bullets. Plus, I’ve found the TTSX’s shoot better for me when pushed fast, and they require slightly higher velocities to expand correctly. I like the Accubonds but my 308 shoots 150 TTSX better. I also use Federal TBT in my 270 and wouldn’t hesitate to shoot anything short of Grizzly or Bison with them as well.

I'm very comfortable with the 140 partition..likely be just as comfortable with an AB...though I start them from a 7 Rem mag.

My 7-08 shoots 140 NBTs into itty bitty clusters and kills deer dead

I would shoot the 120 gr ttsx at nearly 3200 fps with big game or cfe 223 powder. I get great accuracy and I like the extra speed with the ttsx. Also, I have seen reports that the 140 doesn’t have as great of expansion due to the design as the 120. I have killed a lot of deer with the 120 and wouldn’t hesitate to use it on elk inside of 400 yards.

If I was going to go with cup and core I like the 140, or even better, the 150 gr partitions.

Small sample size as I’ve only loaded for my buddys one 7-08 in a blr, take down with a low power leupold in a scout rifle mount. Not exactly a set up for shooting groups at the range , but has proven its self as a quick to shoulder and get on target brush gun. He has taken several deer and one cow moose with this set up. The load we settled on was H4350 and 145 gr Speer btsp. Cci primers. The 145 gr bullet seemed to be a great match for this cartridge. I’d have to look at my loading notes to check MV , it should have been in that 2700fps neighborhood.

Well, you obviously dont know how to hunt right!








(i agree with your sentiment 100%)

I’m glad we aren’t faced with this type of decision, but if I was picking just one bullet for the 7mm-08, and would use that one bullet on everything from coast to coast and border to border, that one bullet would be the 140 gr. Nosler Partition, assuming it shoots well in my rifle. It does. That said, I am very fond of the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip, the 120 gr. TTSX, and the 139 gr. Hornady Interlock in my 7mm-08. But if just one...............the 140 gr. Partition. It’ll kill all that lives here.

140 grain Nosler E-Tips have worked swimmingly for me on Whitetail, Blacktail, hogs and Caribou. The TTSX's performance will be similar. Get a box of each, figure out which groups best and then stock up on that. It'll kill anything up to Moose perfectly well without leaving lots of carcinogenic metal fragments in your family's food.

I think I would try to pair the 120 TTSX with the 120 Nosler BT and use the BT for work up, practice, and deer and TTSX if anything bigger is on the agenda. I am doing this now in the 7RM and the 120 BT can stand up to all the velocity I can get so far. They shoot close enough to be interchangeable, I can hold an inch to 1&1/2 inch with a mixed magazine of these two. Either by themselves shoot in the .5-1 MOA range.

I'd look at the Barnes 139 grain LRX, a little better BC than the TTSX and supposedly opens up at less FPS.

Have never shot a 7mm-08 be for anything but am a fan of the 7x57. Great load for anythng in the 7x57 was the 160gr Speer Hot Core, same bullet I used in the 7mm mag. Call it a bit tuff for deer but fine for anything bigger. Don't choose a light bullet for deer and expect the same result's on larger game!

Like DonFischer I also have used the 7X57 and not the 7-08, but I load ammo for friends who use the 7-08 and my chronograph tells me the 2 are virtually identical in the field.

And also like don above, when I had my 7X57 if I were to load a one load for all of the 48 states it would be a 160 grain bullet.

In my 7MM Mauser I used the 160 gr Nosler Partitions and I would not choose it for bison.................but that about the only animal I would not use it on with total confidence. Up to a moose I would not feel a bit under-gunned. It worked fine on elk. And I am sure it will kill bison too, (I once killed a bison with 1 shot from a 5" barreled 44 mag handgun, so I believe it can be done with any rifle using a bullet that doesn't break up badly, and would give penetration of at least 20 inches ------------if you can shoot well)

but for bison I like a larger bullet for my rifle shooting.
Just personal preference.

Another excellent choice and should be able to pair this with a 140 BT to do the same thing I am doing with the 120s but with better BC's and greater velocity window.

The gist of this entire thread is there are few bad choices.

My wife and I have used the 140 grn Accubond in the 7-08 with great results since 2008

Can you imagine if a couple of the mountain men in the 1820s would have had even the poorest of one of these choces? They did way more than all of us with flintlocks....... Kind of puts things in perspective.

No kidding....

+100

I wouldn't overlook the 150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

Me neither. Best 7-08 bullet out there, for anything, at most any velocity.

Both those bullets are quite popular in the 08’ if they shoot I wouldn’t have any qualms running them. I did load the 120 TSX in the 7mm just for something to do , never did use them on any game .

The 120 BT's don't look like much but have dropped stuff more quickly for me than almost any other bullet in any caliber. From deer to caribou. Not sure why, they just drop stuff--I've gotten hardly any dead runs with them.

Thanks all. Think I'm going to start with the AB and go from there.