Anybody using the 150gr Scenar In 7-08? What powder & Velocity? Terminal performance?
Loving the 120 ttsx, but heard good things about the Scenar.

Whatcha shooting?

I liked 150 Ballistic Tips and H4350.

Whitetail and smallish black bear at shorter ranges (300yds max)
Iv'e shot a lot of 120's and 140's in BT's but never the 150.
700 with factory barrel and a 7-08AI with a fast twist Hart.

No reason to change bullets there.
The 120 grain BT is ideal.
I have been using it for similar sized game for about 15 years with great results
I am currently looking for a long range alternative that will buck wind better but there is no obvious choice

I’d also look at the 150 NBT or NAB, probably with H4350 like Brad mentioned. 300yds isn’t terribly far and the 7mm-08 is never a bad pick.

Scenars in any weight/caliber have never given me a reason to biatch. Terminal performance has always been consistent and predictable.

Varget and 150s in several for me, short suppressed to 24” barrels. Current Montana digs em and we’ll see if we can’t get one in a bull next couple weeks.

JM, I can't see any reason not to use the Scenar. Should work great. My rifle definitely liked H4350 and that bullet weight, and definitely did not like Big Game, which is a common recommendation. Personally I see the 150's more as elk bullets (especially since the Scenar's BC isn't needed for under 300 yards), but there's also no reason not to use them!

What is your load and velocity with H4350?


My LVSF really likes the 150 NBT.


Thanks

Jackmountain,

I normally shoot 120 gr. nbts out of my 7mm-08 but picked up the 150 gr. scenars to try out. They were on sale so why not have some fun. 41.0 grains is the best so far using the Big Game/150 gr. Scenar combination out of a Tikka.

I accidentally left the 41.5 grain load at home when I went out to shoot that day and still haven't gotten a chance to try it out in my T3x. So I don't know if the group would have been tighter than the 41.0. I suspect so, because the 40.0 and 40.5 groups went larger to smaller then this one at 41.0 (which isn't anything to write home about, but considering the others is a huge improvement).

That first shot is an honest pull. I can still 'see' it through the scope and 'feel' it in my trigger finger. Pardon the messy field scribblings on the target.

I see 2,700fps in a 20" barreled Remington bolt gun with 47.2gr of H4350, R-P case, CCI200, and a 145gr Speer. It'd likely make 2,760 or so in a 22" barrel. I'd likely load 45, 45.5, 46, and 46.5gr if I were to try a 150gr NBT at 2.81". Best to work up.

I’m seeing consistent .75” 5 shot groups at 44.5grs of H4350.


Looks like I’ve got room to move up.

My various 22" 7-08's could handle enough H4350 to go 2,700-2,730... personally, I don't think a 150 should be pushed beyond 2,730 in a 22" 7-08 with H4350. That's my experience with the three I've owned. The charge can vary rifle to rifle, so that's irrelevant. What's important is what the chrono says. I'm of the opinion if you want more than 2,700, H4350 is not your powder.

H414 is a good place to start but the dreaded temp variable "happens". Never bothered me though.

Texas...

H414 is a nasty dirty temp sensitive powder....

Sooooo many better ones out there....

Brad's recommendation of H4350 with the Nosler 150BT is spot on. It is just an outstanding combination and easy to run in any gun it seems.

I was hoping to get around 2650ish.


I’ll run mine over the chrono.

You obviously haven't shot much H414, seems pretty clean burning in my rifle and accuracy is excellent. That said .7 fps per degree is not a horrible thing and just work up your loads when the temperature is a bit warmer than you will be hunting in. Another nice thing about it is that you can generally find it on the shelf, which means a lot more to me than a powder like Big Game ( which I would really like to burn some of) that is unobtainable without a hazmat fee.

Reloader 17.....

Reloader 17 is also one of my favorites.

Laffin'...

I've shot a bunch. I quit it after a 7-08 load went bonkers in the cold. It's temperature sensitive more than I'm willing to run. In Texas you likely won't ever have a problem with that though....

I very much agree with this notion. Let the chrono dictate the load, not necessarily a manual or "internet load", although they are good indicators of where to start. A rifle/load will sometimes agree with expectations, sometimes not. I worked up five loads in the last two weeks that performed right on the money with regards to charge weights and velocities, which sort of surprised me. My odds are usually not that good.

I switched to a Magnetospeed unit recently and changed the way I do things. I'll just load the stepped-up charges about a half-grain apart and bang them through the rifle to find the appropriate velocity window, then I go home and load differing OAL batches for groups the next go-round. That way, I don't have too many overcharge rounds to pull bullets from. It's quick, as the Magnetospeed isn't difficult to set up. This works best when you are bringing multiple rifles to the range each trip.

Load data for 7mm 150 gr. Scenar bullets in 7mm-08 is rare. The advice I was given from several CF members who are Lapua brand connoisseurs was to work up using Berger load data for their 150 gr. classic hunter bullets.

Considering Winchester uses 760 (same as H414) in their factory loads you would have to consider your odd experience an anomaly.

Side note, Berger does not use pressure tested data, they use Quick Load.