They say one door closes and another opens. . . otherwise turn on your flashlight or you'll be in the dark. Or something like that.
If you've been reading my threads lately, you'll know I had bad news about my Ruger Model 44.
Well, I happened to have landed (fingers crossed) a Thompson Center Compass in 7mm-08. I'd been kind of looking for one, and POOF! there it was.
I'm going to try and get it ready for the upcoming Rifle Season in KY, so I'm in a bit of a rush. What bullet recommendations can you make for a cheap, easy whitetail load?
My goal is to use it as a close-in treestand gun and limit my ranges this season to 100 yards or so-- use it to replace the Model 44 in the lineup. Next year, I'll try and stretch it out and see how well it does at longer distances. I'm thinking the 139 grain Hornady IL for starters.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
I have necked down a couple Remington .308s to test that theory and may be shooting them today at some point. I will let you know how they work. No problems in function testing so far. As far as military brass is concerned I would follow the advice of not hot loading them because of heavier cases, less internal volume.
Have been working with a .308 Compass for a friend. Really nice rifle for the price. I’m impressed with the old style M-70 trigger set up and love the M-70 three position swing safety. Whoever designed this rifle had to be a M-70 fan. I watched a tutorial on trigger adjustment, some guy selling a $30 set of springs. All I did was work with the main spring to end up with a 3# trigger, didn’t need a spring kit.
And the barrel look great thru the Hawkeye borescope.
My 7-08 M-700/Shilen loves the 140 SGK, HPBT. Most accurate bullet in that gun (half inch) and does a great job on WT’s. Good exit with plenty of internal damage and lots of blood on the ground. Deer don’t go far when chest shot. I try keeping bullets out of the shoulders to save meat.
Latest project is a Mauser M-18 Creed. A bit more expensive than the Compass, great gun. That barrel also looks great thru the Hawkeye. Going to mount the scope next week and see how she shoots. This one also has a great trigger. Came 4#’s. With my metric Allen wrench it’s now 3#’s, clean and crisp. Less trouble to adjust than the Compass. Both about the same level of perfection.
FOLKS, I ran many 7/08s long ago......only had one primer blow.........and/or case neck - but I DO recall it was IMI 308 necked down, in a 700 OEM barrel - chamber.
SO if you are using Mil-spec 308 brass, you MIGHT wanna check your O.D. on your neck after loaded. You NEED sufficient clearance or it acts as a Crimped bullet that jacks up pressures. Avoid those spikes, and turn your necks if they are not within specs.
The 139 IL has been excellent on deer I have shot Varget...I ran 1-2 grains more than many in partial sized brass, but you don't need max velocity for short ranges. Run a modest load and you will be stacking your freezer.
JB and others might chime in, but I found the Nosler BT 140 to just nudge out the 139 in accuracy, but both shot about one hole 5 shots in a varmint 700. But, the 139 seemed tougher than the earlier 140 BT. Those BTs were deadly, but a bit more meat damage in my use. Newer BTs might be a bit tougher. I'd stick to 139s for woods where you want exit holes for blood trails should you need them. BTs will, but perhaps not on the worst of shot placements...like shoulder to shoulder or a shot end to end. 120 Barnes TTSX or 140 Partition if you want an almost guaranteed exit. If you use a mono like the TTSX, hitting shoulders enhances expansion, meat loss will not be bad, and you will get exits. Odds are a 139 will, but the 120 is like insurance I would say .....doubt a deer could hold one from any angle.
140 grain Nosler BT with 41.0 grains of Varget (Nolser manual shows 42.0 as maximum) as worked well from close in to 300 yards is what I have used most. The 140 g Barnes TTSX, as expected, also shines but I have shot more beasties with the BT.
I haven't tried the 120ttsx but I'm a 120bt convert. It took me awhile to give it a try but the 7-08/120bt combo almost seems designed to be used together
FOLKS, I ran many 7/08s long ago......only had one primer blow.........and/or case neck - but I DO recall it was IMI 308 necked down, in a 700 OEM barrel - chamber.
SO if you are using Mil-spec 308 brass, you MIGHT wanna check your O.D. on your neck after loaded. You NEED sufficient clearance or it acts as a Crimped bullet that jacks up pressures. Avoid those spikes, and turn your necks if they are not within specs.
The 139 IL has been excellent on deer I have shot Varget...I ran 1-2 grains more than many in partial sized brass, but you don't need max velocity for short ranges. Run a modest load and you will be stacking your freezer.
JB and others might chime in, but I found the Nosler BT 140 to just nudge out the 139 in accuracy, but both shot about one hole 5 shots in a varmint 700. But, the 139 seemed tougher than the earlier 140 BT. Those BTs were deadly, but a bit more meat damage in my use. Newer BTs might be a bit tougher. I'd stick to 139s for woods where you want exit holes for blood trails should you need them. BTs will, but perhaps not on the worst of shot placements...like shoulder to shoulder or a shot end to end. 120 Barnes TTSX or 140 Partition if you want an almost guaranteed exit. If you use a mono like the TTSX, hitting shoulders enhances expansion, meat loss will not be bad, and you will get exits. Odds are a 139 will, but the 120 is like insurance I would say .....doubt a deer could hold one from any angle.
120 NBT's do exit and kill well. In my 7-08, the 140 SBK HPBT is the most accurate, kills as well and exits. It may be a bit more expansive than the 120 NBT. Hard to go wrong with either one. The 7-08 does will with a host of bullet and powder combos. Great round.
I have killed deer with the 120 NBT; they eat as well as those killed with other loads.
Nothing wrong with working up a good handload with 139 gr Hornady SP's, if you can find the components you need right now. Big if too. Go buy 3 boxes of Amercan Whitetail Hunter loads featuring the 139 gr Horn interlocks 21 -22 dollars a box, they're as good as it gets for inexpensive factory ammo. You can remember my sterling advice as you are eating fresh venison. MB
As Mr Dirtfarmer has said (and a few others), a 120 BT running 3000fps through 7-08 is a match made in heaven on deer sized game (my son has dumped a truckload of aoudad sheep with it as well). It's a game killing machine, as is a 140 AB launched at 2800fps. It's all a guy would ever need up through elk sized game IMO.
As Mr Dirtfarmer has said (and a few others), a 120 BT running 3000fps through 7-08 is a match made in heaven on deer sized game (my son has dumped a truckload of aoudad sheep with it as well). It's a game killing machine, as is a 140 AB launched at 2800fps. It's all a guy would ever need up through elk sized game IMO.
I see you leaning more in that direction, away somewhat from your 160 NAB 7RM combo.
I find myself using fewer magnums, more conventional rounds, as well.
Yeah, I never (Or nearly never) work up near the MAX on anything. I'll probably start 5% off MAX and just leave it there. The goal here is to jelly a deer's innards inside 100 yards from a treestand.
I looked, and I've got some civvy brass in 308 to throw at this project, so I'll probably start with that and save the mil-stuff for later.
I have used the 120g NBT on 2 deer from a .284 Win. MV was 3200. Killed both deer but the the first was hit at 35 yards and almost made it to a property we couldn't hunt (About 50 yards) before tangling in the fence and dying. The bullet came apart and the jacket was found under the hide of the offside. The next was a deer hit at 280 yards. Hit in the shoulder the bullet then deflected up through the neck and out the head on the off side. The deer was broadside too me and was looking at me. Bang/flop obviously. Very accurate in my gun. Slowing it down to 3000 fps may help it perform even better.
My buddy Bob was an outdoor writer for many years. One of his acquisitions was some sort of 17 caliber wildcat that someone gave him. He said the first batch of ammo he got from the guy was clocking at some ungodly velocity and was vaporizing before it hit the target. The fellow knocked it down a few grains and sent Bob another batch. Bob shot a groundhog with it and the animal expired. Bob went out to pick up the carcass, and on carrying it back, he started hearing a sloshing sound that would stop whever Bob stopped and turned around. He thought something was following him. He finally jiggled the carcass and found the sloshing was coming from the groundhog. Upon closer inspection, Bob found the 17 cal bullet had exploded inside the groundhog and left nothing but jelly.
Your story about the 284 WIN reminded me of that. I miss Bob.
Dunno how dedicated you are to "cheap" easy whitetail load, but I have seen a bunch of big game killed with various bullets both from the 7mm-08 and 7x57 (which is essentially the same thing in a different shape). Just about any bullet in the 140-grain range works on deer, because the 7mm-08 doesn't push them fast enough to cause penetration problems. Also, I have used powders ranging in burn-rate from Varget and RL-15 at the fast end to H4350 and even RL-19 at the slow end, and all worked very well, though some worked better in specific rifles than others. These days I generally used Big Game, which has a burn-rate sort of in the middle of all those other powders.
I looked up bullets in the 140-grain range on the website where I use most for component shopping, and found a couple even less expensive than the 139 Hornady Spire Point, which I've used a LOT. One was the Prvi Partizan 140, but even less expensive was the 145 Speer Hot-Cor, which also works fine--at about five bucks a box of 100 less than the Hornady 139.
I might also comment that the 120 and 140 Ballistic Tips do work great on deer, but are not particularly cheap. Two 50-bullet boxes is almost twice the price of a 100-bullet box of 145 Speers.
My Grandson has taken many deer and hogs with his 7mm-08. It seems to be accurate and effective. The buck in the picture was another one shot kill at about 100 yards with factory Remington 140 grain bullets.
I was able to find 139 Hornady IL SP's at Midway and placed an order for them as well as some Lee dies. I'll probably start with Varget see where that gets me.
MB you can do a lot worse than that I ran 139s as a staple.
No doubt the 120 has a reputation, I read they designed it by shortening the 140 from the tip back, so the front of the jacket is heavier and seen pics to back that up. I would run 140 class if shooting beyond 300 yds, for more retained energy.
DF I used 120 HP and SP in a 7BR rifle, did ok, but not spectacular, retained about about 65-70gr as I recall, no exit. I do not recommend those or V-max for varmints, but no doubt the 120 BT is stout and made for hunting and steel from XP-100s.
The 130 Speer is seldom talked about, but that is a gem. If I had to use only one bullet, it would be the 140 Accubond, but I DO like the 150 class whether Nos BT, or some others like the AB, Partition is always a solid choice, and the new Tipped Sierra's are showing good results.
Agree, hard to pick a wrong choice, but the ONLY bullets under 130 I would use, is the NBT and TTSX. Those 120s zip along well, with light recoil.
Again, as distance grows, I'd move up to more weight, 130 in open country I'd use to 400 yds, anything further, I'd rather use a 139-150, some get high enough speeds with 154-162 to have decent trajectories, as the OP mentions later on going further out.
Now that the order is placed and the deal is done, and I'm just waiting for stuff to arrive, it's time for some more meaningful questions re: 7mm-08
1) Some folks on here say the 270 WIN is gay. Some have that idea or at least a bi-curious/man bun/metrosexual view of the 6.5 Creedmoor. How come the 7mm-08 didn't get hung with that reputation?
BTW: I did Ingwe's recommended test before I purchased the 7mm-08 and Googled "Is the 7mm-08 Gay?" and all I got back were pics of men standing next to large animal carcasses-- no gay wedding snaps. I take that as a good sign.
2) If the 7x57 is also called the 275 Rigby, what other names does the 7mm-08 have? "Seven Millimeter Ought-Eight" just doesn't roll off your tongue. I nominate the "275 Rigby Magnum."
3) The 275 Rigby conjurs up sitting in the moonlight with a goat tethered beneath you. What does 7mm-08 conjur?
It was cool to shoot the 7/08 before the 280/AI got more popular, it runs VERY close to a 270 with 130-150 with top loads and 22-24" barrels.
7/08 is like the 6.5-08 aka 260, the Creedmoor........VERY Efficient, Effective, modest recoil and blast. For non-handloaders, a 270, 308, 30-06 can do the same job for less money in factory ammo. Now the 6.5 Creedmoor often has more choices, with often better accuracy with factory ammo, and the costs is usually lower than 7/08. That said, a 7/08 will outrun the 6.5 with similar weights, more powder and larger bore to burn the powder. Though true, at long ranges, the gap narrows and the 6.5 often over takes the 7/08, but we are talking distances farther than most shoot.
No bad choice in these rounds like the 6.5x55. I like the short 7 about as well as the 6.5s, though the lighter bullets have a higher BC of course in 6.5, fo say like weight bullets. They are likely much more similar than different, in the end they all work.
All the 'Ballistic Gack' aside......a fella could run a vailla jane 270, '06 or 308 and do what is needed in NA. With plenty of factory ammo options. Handloading, gives the round more reasons to shine, it's a good choice. Enjoy.
Hah well the Seven O 8 was designed for the long range offhand silhouette crowd so to me it stands for men standing tall and sending bullets way out there to knock over steel targets. The 270 was designed specifically to make a certain English teacher money in magazine articles. Apparently English teachers don't exude a "manly" image.
This ^^^^^^^^^^^or the 120 Nosler over 43-45 gr of RL-15, never don't work; for the 140, drop a couple of grains of powder to 41-42 gr.
The 120 TSX is also great but really more bullet than is needed for WT's.
The target below has 3 different powders with the 140 NBT.............in my gun, that bullet is not sensitive to powder changes; RL-15, Varget & H-4350 all shoot to same POI at 100 yards.
Good choice in bullets, shaman - if you search the OLD posts here from Dogzapper and Steve Timm, you'll see they think very highly of the Hornady Interlock, even for elk!
Good choice in bullets, shaman - if you search the OLD posts here from Dogzapper and Steve Timm, you'll see they think very highly of the Hornady Interlock, even for elk!
Yes, I remember those posts. That was part of what got me to put 7mm-08 on the short list. It was a long short list I guess, but I suppose a man's reach should exceed his grasp. . . or what's a gun safe for?
Could just buy a couple boxes of Hornady American Whitetail ammo with the 139, sight it in, and go kill deer....
That's very close to what I did a few years ago, during another buying panic. 7mm-08 brass had just about disappeared, but I found Hornady American Whitetal 139's for around $20 a box on a website, so bought five boxes. Shot great in my rifle, and of course killed great, including the first deer taken by the daughter of a good friend of mine, on a hunt with me. And after it was all used up, I had 100 pieces of excellent brass....
Well. . . see I have this deal with my sons and their friends.
They all can shoot at the farm, but I get all the brass. My sons call it "The Brass Tax."
As a result, I get a lot of fresh, 1-fired stuff. One of their friends has a 308 Mossberg Patriot and he regularly comes down with Hornady ammo and blasts away. When I checked, I had enough for at least a season or two. They also have a friend that has an FN FAL.
My go to is a 140 grain ballistic tip with a slowly worked up to bit over max load of H414 for 2850 fps. Gun is a a early Model Seven with 18" barrel. Hotter I push them tighter it groups. Honest sub 3/8" groups.
Anyways it is hell of whitetails. Load and gun has taken about 30 most have been bang flop nearly all have dropped within sight. Nothing has gone more than 100 yards.Have taken deer from 25 to 325 yards.
I like the high lung shot. Behind the shoulder about 2/3 s the way up. All the after shot runners have been heart shots. High lung seems to shock the spine and drop them then massive blood lose from liquefied lungs keeps them from getting up.
As for the ballistic tip being fragile. I try and keep it off bone. But it will punch through both shoulders if need be. Most bone I ever pushed them through was on a doe looking at me about 90 yards. She spooked and turned as the trigger broke. Instead of base of the neck bullet enter point of the shoulder. Missed the shoulder blade but clipped every rib and exited the joint of the hip right through the ball and socket. Of course fair amount of lead in the exit but it did exit. From all I heard of the ballistic tip I was very surprised.
3) The 275 Rigby conjurs up sitting in the moonlight with a goat tethered beneath you. What does 7mm-08 conjur
A big plate of deer steak.
A boys and girls rifle. LOL!
There's truth there. Around these parts 270 WIN in generally seen in the hands of wives. 7mm-08 just plain ain't seen much.
We'll see. As the Mooselette matures, this may end up being her rifle. Right now, she'd got a Savage 340 in 30-30 set aside, but that could change. Right now, Grandpa's gonna have a new pony in the stable.
I'm going to try and get it ready for the upcoming Rifle Season in KY, so I'm in a bit of a rush. What bullet recommendations can you make for a cheap, easy whitetail load?
Of course you bought your supplies yesterday, so I’m too late. 🤭
With time as a motivating factor, I was gonna suggest....
Originally Posted by Wrapids
You would be hard pressed to grab any off the shelf 7-08 ammo and it not be more than capable for whitetails.
In particular, that you proceed over to our decrepit Bass Preaux Shop & fetch some Federal Fusion ammo in whatever weight (120 / 140) they’ve got on the shelf.
I’ve never not seen it shoot exceptionally well in several different rifles + chamberings, and it wouldn’t be loaded fast enough to stress those bullets when they met a deer. 2 shots to find zero, then head to the field.
I, too, have been intrigued ‘bout dem Icon rifles. Lemme know what you think of it. You’ll, no doubt, be mounting a 1.332 - 57.951 x 83mm scope on it, with the illuminated Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Reticle atop such a rifle. The Killing Fields of Neave deserve no less. 😆
Like JB mentioned, the Nosler Ballistic Tip isn't the cheapest, but I have had nothing but good luck with the 140 grainer out of the 7/08. I started out back in 1998, with BL-C2. Later, I switched to Varget. Accuracy was always good, and easily obtainable. I've also dabbled with the 130 grain Speer, both Hot Cor and Boat Tail, and the 140 grain Sierra BTHP Gameking. Always pleased with the 7mm/08.
Like JB mentioned, the Nosler Ballistic Tip isn't the cheapest, but I have had nothing but good luck with the 140 grainer out of the 7/08. I started out back in 1998, with BL-C2. Later, I switched to Varget. Accuracy was always good, and easily obtainable. I've also dabbled with the 130 grain Speer, both Hot Cor and Boat Tail, and the 140 grain Sierra BTHP Gameking. Always pleased with the 7mm/08.
Any details on accuracy, terminal performance, etc., between those bullets?
I'm going to try and get it ready for the upcoming Rifle Season in KY, so I'm in a bit of a rush. What bullet recommendations can you make for a cheap, easy whitetail load?
Of course you bought your supplies yesterday, so I’m too late. 🤭
With time as a motivating factor, I was gonna suggest....
Originally Posted by Wrapids
You would be hard pressed to grab any off the shelf 7-08 ammo and it not be more than capable for whitetails.
In particular, that you proceed over to our decrepit Bass Preaux Shop & fetch some Federal Fusion ammo in whatever weight (120 / 140) they’ve got on the shelf.
I’ve never not seen it shoot exceptionally well in several different rifles + chamberings, and it wouldn’t be loaded fast enough to stress those bullets when they met a deer. 2 shots to find zero, then head to the field.
I, too, have been intrigued ‘bout dem Icon rifles. Lemme know what you think of it. You’ll, no doubt, be mounting a 1.332 - 57.951 x 83mm scope on it, with the illuminated Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Reticle atop such a rifle. The Killing Fields of Neave deserve no less. 😆
The truth is, I'm getting to an age, 62, where heavy recoil is no longer interesting me.
Good Hunting,
FC
Herr Challenged! The time really has slipped away! We need to make another pilgrammage to Gus' soon.
As you can see, I leverage my sons' friends as ammo testers. Meanwhile, I am keeping up my streek of nary a single factory round lobbed at a deer in 20+ years. It's closer to 30 in reality, but that would be counting the years I loaded up, but didn't see anything.
I just annealled 50 rounds of FC brass and put it in the corn cob for a final cleaning. It'll be all ready when the dies show up next week. I figure I'll at least have everything lubed, sized, and primed before the rifle arrives.
Scope? I've got another one of those Bushnell Banner 3-9X40's to throw on it. I can see through it 10 minutes before legal hunting, and that's about all I need.
I'm off to the farm soon with 7 boxes of 30-30 ammo to test loads for the Marline 336 and the Savage 340-- insurance policy just in case this 7mm-08 doesn't pan out.
Ken Waters load - 43 grains of WW-748 and that 139 Hornady. I have been using it for nearly 30 years.
I've got a good friend who has been using 43gr 748 with a 140gr CT BT Combined Technology Ballistic Tip from a 20" bbl model 7 for years and it stomps these VA whitetails. Not sure if he uses a WLR or a WLRM but one or the other.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
Capacity is also an issue. GI brass is heavier than commercial brass so you have to cut your loads by 1-2 grains to keep pressures safe. In 308 and 30-06, I reserve it for anything that's not going to get anywhere near a max load.
I'm going to try and get it ready for the upcoming Rifle Season in KY, so I'm in a bit of a rush. What bullet recommendations can you make for a cheap, easy whitetail load?
Of course you bought your supplies yesterday, so I’m too late. 🤭
With time as a motivating factor, I was gonna suggest....
Originally Posted by Wrapids
You would be hard pressed to grab any off the shelf 7-08 ammo and it not be more than capable for whitetails.
In particular, that you proceed over to our decrepit Bass Preaux Shop & fetch some Federal Fusion ammo in whatever weight (120 / 140) they’ve got on the shelf.
I’ve never not seen it shoot exceptionally well in several different rifles + chamberings, and it wouldn’t be loaded fast enough to stress those bullets when they met a deer. 2 shots to find zero, then head to the field.
I, too, have been intrigued ‘bout dem Icon rifles. Lemme know what you think of it. You’ll, no doubt, be mounting a 1.332 - 57.951 x 83mm scope on it, with the illuminated Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Reticle atop such a rifle. The Killing Fields of Neave deserve no less. 😆
The truth is, I'm getting to an age, 62, where heavy recoil is no longer interesting me.
Good Hunting,
FC
Herr Challenged! The time really has slipped away! We need to make another pilgrammage to Gus' soon.
As you can see, I leverage my sons' friends as ammo testers. Meanwhile, I am keeping up my streek of nary a single factory round lobbed at a deer in 20+ years. It's closer to 30 in reality, but that would be counting the years I loaded up, but didn't see anything.
I just annealled 50 rounds of FC brass and put it in the corn cob for a final cleaning. It'll be all ready when the dies show up next week. I figure I'll at least have everything lubed, sized, and primed before the rifle arrives.
Scope? I've got another one of those Bushnell Banner 3-9X40's to throw on it. I can see through it 10 minutes before legal hunting, and that's about all I need.
I'm off to the farm soon with 7 boxes of 30-30 ammo to test loads for the Marline 336 and the Savage 340-- insurance policy just in case this 7mm-08 doesn't pan out.
Write soon. Write often.
The first brass I used in my 7-08 was FC 308 sized in Hornady dies to 7-08. They worked without turning the necks having just .002 clearance but these cases are some 12 grains heavier than the next 7-08 brass I came up with which was the Hornady American Whitetail ammo using the 139 gr. Hornady SP. I retired the 308 cases but am now thinking about annealing them and putting them back in the rotation. The Hornady brass developed neck splits in just a few loadings. Like three. After that I ordered some Winchester new brass which annoyingly had several new pieces of brass that came with neck splits! So now I anneal after three firings.
My brother’s nephew killed his first buck this morning using my 7mm-08 handloads. The shot was 430 yards. Out here we count mule deer antlers just by the points on one side, so it was a nice 3-point.
150 eldx 46.2 grains Big Game Winchester Large Rifle Magnum primer BTO 2.153” 2792 FPS
Hornady factory ammo chronographed 2750 FPS, so you might want to buy a box and try it. I switched from the 140 NP a few years ago and haven’t looked back.
I use 140 Accubonds over Ramshot BG in my M70 7mm08. I like using one load for everything in my rifles, and the AB shoots well and I’d be comfortable using it for anything in North America up to and including elk.
Been shooting the 708 since 1984. (I currently have 3) I also have been using the Hornady 139 interlock since then. (i prefer the flat base version) I have never tried another bullet, this has always performed flawlessly for me. (0-300 yds)
Like JB mentioned, the Nosler Ballistic Tip isn't the cheapest, but I have had nothing but good luck with the 140 grainer out of the 7/08. I started out back in 1998, with BL-C2. Later, I switched to Varget. Accuracy was always good, and easily obtainable. I've also dabbled with the 130 grain Speer, both Hot Cor and Boat Tail, and the 140 grain Sierra BTHP Gameking. Always pleased with the 7mm/08.
Any details on accuracy, terminal performance, etc., between those bullets?
Have you tried Big Game?
DF
Accuracy with the Ballistic Tips and the Gameking was always under an inch at 100. The Speers tended to hover around an inch. My last dabbling with the 7mm/08 was with a Tikka Superlite. I threw together 50 rounds with 140 grain Partitions in new Winchester brass. They were more like 1.25" or so, but no biggie, I put them together for whitetails.
On game performance I can only speak as to whitetail deer. I have recovered the jacket from one 140 grain "Ballistic Silvertip" which I believe to me a lubaloy coated BT, and one of the 130 grain Speer Hot Cors. It was fully expanded and intact, against the hide on the far side of a doe, that I would have guessed to be 110 pounds or so, in weight. The BST jacket was recovered against the off side hide of a buck that weighed 205. All the others, 15 or so, here complete pass throughs. Most were DRT's (I shoot for the front axle). The last one pushed it's nose for about 20 yards. It was shot with one of the Partitions.
I'd be perfectly happy to use a 7mm/08 with any of the bullets I mentioned on whitetails.
Oh, and I have not had the opportunity to load any Big Game for the 7mm/08, but I would be more than happy to do so and would start with the loads that I believe it was Pharmseller has listed.
Tagged out on mule deer this weekend, all four with the 7mm-08 using 150 eldx. Long was 430 yards, closest was 325.
P
How does that bullet do under 75 yds?
My experience with the 143 ELD-X in the 6.5 Creedmoor (which results in the about the same muzzle velocity) is that it would work just fine.
Killed a big-bodied mule deer buck in New Mexico two years ago at 101 yards (yes, I lasered it--afterwards). The buck was standing in a patch of Gambel's oak that blocked everything except the shoulder area. I aimed for the high shoulder/spine shot, and that's where it landed--breaking both shoulders and the spine, ending up under the hide on the far side. The buck dropped right there, of course, and yielded 100 pounds of boned meat.
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find any 120 BT's recently and will be going back to another 120 gr. option in the 120 gr. Serra SP. Killed a few with it when pushed by H4895. I'll likely be using Big Game behind them in a few weeks.
Put on a blindfold in the 7mm bullet section at your local gun shop.
Pick a box off the shelf.
Remove blindfold, make sure you got a 7mm box in the 120-160 gr range and pay for them.
Go home and load them up with Varget, RL15, H4350, Big Game, Hunter, MR200, or any of another dozen powders.
Kill a whitetail.
Report results here in great detail.
This.
I've used a bunch of cartridges through the years for deer, mainly because I like to churn rifles, but I keep coming back to the 7mm-08 (or 7X57) with just about any 140'ish bullet as perfect. I tend to lean toward bullets a little tougher than average because my hunting is generally in thick stuff with ranges closer to archery distances. YMMV
My 7-08 is the only rifle I don't load for. I bought a box of cheap Hornady American Whitetail with 139 interlocks (i believe that's the 139 they use) to break in the barrel and they shot so well I never bothered buying dies. Ive shot deer at all the usual angles and have never had a problem with performance. Maybe a little boring but traditional mid weight bullets are perfect for the 7-08 and whitetail.
Put on a blindfold in the 7mm bullet section at your local gun shop.
Pick a box off the shelf.
Remove blindfold, make sure you got a 7mm box in the 120-160 gr range and pay for them.
Go home and load them up with Varget, RL15, H4350, Big Game, Hunter, MR200, or any of another dozen powders.
Kill a whitetail.
Report results here in great detail.
That seems like all the instructions needed!
I have shot a lot of bullets in my 08AI but finally have settled on the 120BT's for my wife as I wanted to find a decent recoiling load that performed well. I've taken moose, elk, sheep, Alberta mulies and WT's, pronghorn, etc with the 7-08AI and its always performed great!
USPS tried to deliver the rifle yesterday, but LGS had already closed. It'll be out for delivery again today. I'll have it in my hands today or tomorrow
Dies, bullets etc. arrived from Midway and Amazon. I got a better-than-free hat out of the deal.
Before I left for work, I lubed 50 rounds of Federal 308 brass, ready to be resized when I get home this afternoon. I used a light coat of sizing lube on the inside of the neck.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
I have necked down a couple Remington .308s to test that theory and may be shooting them today at some point. I will let you know how they work. No problems in function testing so far. As far as military brass is concerned I would follow the advice of not hot loading them because of heavier cases, less internal volume.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
I have necked down a couple Remington .308s to test that theory and may be shooting them today at some point. I will let you know how they work. No problems in function testing so far. As far as military brass is concerned I would follow the advice of not hot loading them because of heavier cases, less internal volume.
I've pretty much switched to the 708 from a 270 I shot for 20 years. I just love the round. I am currently loading 44gr of varget with a 120 nbt. I've never been a big exit guy on whitetail, I want that deer to absorb everything that bullet has to offer, not the ground absorbing it. I shoot for shoulder, most times I find the nbt just under the hide on the other side and can cut it easily out with a knife. My experience with lung shots that have happened with the nbt has been very small exit and little blood trail if any....but these have been on shots under 100 yards. Oh they die just as well, but it helps to watch them fall before they get out of site.
I have loaded for two 7mm-08 rifles, both with Remington factory chambers. Neither one had what I considered sufficient neck clearance with necked down 308 brass. Do assemble a couple of dummy rounds with the exact batch of brass so you can check things out.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
I haven't tried military brass but almost all my 7-08 ammo is head-stamped "Lapua 308Win". I sized about 3/4 of the neck then went in on the sizing die by 1/2 turns until the bolt handle engaging into battery felt "right". I know there's going to be some brass moving about when I fire the necked-down 308's so I want the case-head firm against the bolt face.
Another question: I've got scads of 308 military brass that I'm not going to use otherwise. Is there any problem in resizing to 7mm?
I haven't tried military brass but almost all my 7-08 ammo is head-stamped "Lapua 308Win". I sized about 3/4 of the neck then went in on the sizing die by 1/2 turns until the bolt handle engaging into battery felt "right". I know there's going to be some brass moving about when I fire the necked-down 308's so I want the case-head firm against the bolt face.
i also have used Lapua 308 brass and necked brass down too 7mm-08,then fire formed this brass, then turned the necks , once i did this i had some very good accurate brass did this around 20 years out of my custom 7mm-08 rifle, i shot 5 shot under a 1/2 inch at 100 yards all day long some were even 2`s and 3`s if i really got fussy with my Lapua brass.good luck and have fun,Pete53
I've only killed one critter with a little Kimber 84M 7mm/08 (only one I've ever had) and that was a Texas Dall ( about the size of an East Tx WT) right at 200yds. I used the old Hornady Light Magnum 139 SST and it was "hot"! hard bolt lift, very flattened primers, but bug hole groups! ha Ram made a death run downhill, maybe 50 yds. All I found was fragments against the far inside ribs. This was around 2000 I think? Not sure, but I've read where they toughened the SST up a bit. I used the 139 Hornady IL over 55gr IMR 4831 in my first .280 (Ruger 77) I killed my longest shot deer in East Tx, 276 long steps, drt, wadded up against the far hide, high lung shot. Hogs, no problem, great bullet. I liked the 150 partition in my 7mm Rem Mag for WT, no meat damage! Good luck Shaman!
I like H4350 and 139-145gr stuff if using cup/cores in the 7mm-08. Much like the .308/150gr options, it's hard to go wrong with a 7mm-08 load in the 140gr range. The Hornady American Whitetail ammo is great, as is 140gr Federal Fusion.
If a guy wants to get sporty, the 120TTSX at 3,000fps+ is also a great route. You're basically neck and neck with a lot of .270win factory 130gr loads. The 7mm-08 is near the middle of the sweet spot when it comes to modern deer rifle chamberings. It's a proven winner. There will always be a couple in my safe.
I like H4350 and 139-145gr stuff if using cup/cores in the 7mm-08. Much like the .308/150gr options, it's hard to go wrong with a 7mm-08 load in the 140gr range. The Hornady American Whitetail ammo is great, as is 140gr Federal Fusion.
If a guy wants to get sporty, the 120TTSX at 3,000fps+ is also a great route. You're basically neck and neck with a lot of .270win factory 130gr loads. The 7mm-08 is near the middle of the sweet spot when it comes to modern deer rifle chamberings. It's a proven winner. There will always be a couple in my safe.
I haven't tried the 120 TTSX in my 7-08, but it would probably do well. I can attest to what the 120 NBT can do at 3K fps. And, it's hard to beat Big Game, per Pharmseller's reports. It meters great, burns clean, produces top velocities and stellar accuracy.
I do like H-4350, have a big jug. But in this round, I'm sticking with BG.
I have two 7mm-08 rifles, the first is a Remington 700 VS and is singularly the most accurate rifle I have owned. When Remington offered the Model Seven Synthetic Stainless in 1995, I bought the first 7-08 to appear at Huntington's in Oroville, CA. The Model Seven demonstrates the best accuracy using resized LC 308 military brass. It is my unscientific theory the thicker necks better support the cartridge in the chamber throat, I have not experienced sticky extraction issues. I got less accuracy when the case necks were turned. I suggest and echo the previous post which recommends H 414 (aka. Win 760). Those powders, along with the Nosler 150g. BT have proven deadly to the black tails hunted each fall. I went to the 150g. bullets due to published reports about bullet disintegration using the early version Ballistic Tips and loaded a bunch. Most have passed through on heart/lung shots but a couple of bucks had bullet fragments present when bone was hit and only one of about twenty was recovered. Now 120-140 grain BTs are likely more than sufficient, though maybe not as accurate. The 700VS also demonstrates exceptional accuracy using most any bullet and H 414. Love the 7mm-08 and I wager you will too.
My other 7-08 fav is the 140 SGK HPBT. It's amazingly accurate and has pretty good terminal performance. Lung shot WT's die quickly, good exits, good blood flow. I don't generally shoot shoulders, so don't know how they'd do thru a lot of bone. I know what the 120 NBT will do, even hitting bone. They exit and they kill. The SGK is a bit more expansive, but does hold together pretty well.
Keep 'em coming, guys. Only a few more posts and there'll be 100 on this thread, which may be enough to convince shaman that the 7mm-08 really does work on whitetails..
Oh, I'd say it's gone further than that. I contacted the LGS-- the rifle is due any minute. I'm leaving puddles.
I was jiggling the numbers, trying to figure out what I wanted for my starting load. MAX for Varget is 43.5 with that bullet. I was thinking of 42. That's about 96% of MAX. That might give me aroun 2777 fps velocity or thereabouts. For grins, I looked at the MAX Varget load for 270 WIN for comparison-- within a hair. I took pernicious glee in that thought.
Now you have to remember that I believe every man deserves one chambering that they can irrationally and whole-heartedly abhor for no good reason. 270 WIN is my choice. It's from way too many trips to the barbershop at a young and impressionable age. Similarly, I've think we should all have a round that they worship with similar zeal. 35 Whelen has been that for me. I keep one by my chair and I frequently pick it up and roll it around between my fingers to find solace and enlightenment. I've never bought into the whole thing about 270 WIN being gay, but I do see how Ingwe, et al came up with the idea.
I placed the order for the 139 grain Hornady's back on page 2. I'm just a humble servant of Allah on this one.
Tell Rick, the next time you talk to him, that if he's willing to spring for the rifles, I'm willing to do a Shamanic Deer Rifle Thread once a month, featuring a new chambering.
But seriously folks . . . Thanks all for you input. I'll let y'all know how this turns out.
Keep 'em coming, guys. Only a few more posts and there'll be 100 on this thread, which may be enough to convince shaman that the 7mm-08 really does work on whitetails..
That sorta conjures up memories of yesteryear here on the Fire, when Swampman500 took a rather strong position against the 7-08 being an adequate WT round. As some may recall, he's the one who shot dinks from his golf cart, or so it was rumored...
I just so happen to have a picture of him on maneuvers with the CSA, down in FL. I figured the Yanks finally caught him. He may be languishing away in a Yankee POW camp at some undisclosed location....
That sorta conjures up memories of yesteryear here on the Fire, when Swampman500 took a rather strong position against the 7-08 being an adequate WT round.
Keep 'em coming, guys. Only a few more posts and there'll be 100 on this thread, which may be enough to convince shaman that the 7mm-08 really does work on whitetails..
Holy crap. I couldn't believe the question was even posted, let alone the number of replies.
Can't wait for the OP to ask about the 6.5 Creedmoor for 100 yard whitetails
That sorta conjures up memories of yesteryear here on the Fire, when Swampman500 took a rather strong position against the 7-08 being an adequate WT round.
Clearly exposing himself as a fool.
He didn't seem to be easily dissuaded by logic or by efforts of a number of Fire contributors to shed light on that subject.
Best I can figure, his marksmanship made the 7-08 look bad, at least from his perspective.
I would think that could make any round look less than stellar, especially when one won't or can't admit the obvious..
Keep 'em coming, guys. Only a few more posts and there'll be 100 on this thread, which may be enough to convince shaman that the 7mm-08 really does work on whitetails..
Holy crap. I couldn't believe the question was even posted, let alone the number of replies.
Can't wait for the OP to ask about the 6.5 Creedmoor for 100 yard whitetails
I'd already bought the rifle. I was convinced a long time ago that 7mm-08 would work on whitetail. I don't see what the big stink is about. I ordered the bullets on page 2. I've already drunk the KookAid.
I'd already bought the rifle. I was convinced a long time ago that 7mm-08 would work on whitetail. I don't see what the big stink is about. I ordered the bullets on page 2. I've already drunk the KookAid.
7mm anythings do not work well on game. Here's the Top 10 list of why the 7mm 08 is a failure.
1. It's metrical. Science has proven that metrication was a failure, ergo, the 7mm08 is a failure. 2. Bell was Scottish 3. 3rd world countries used 7mms as their military cartridge. Hayzeus! Some examples - Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, Paraguay, Kingdom of Serbia. 4. It was a copy of the 7mm/303. A wildcat that despite being rimmed, didn't work. 5. Deer cannot be killed reliably with anything measuring less than 30 - except .264s. 6. The 6.5 Grendel is sexier. 7. 7mm Rem Mag!?! What the hell was that? 8. 30-30 9. 6.5 CM 10. It uses more powder than a 6.5 Creedmoor. 11. Silhouette shooting?
7-08 oughta work for ya, if ya dont break it. Let us know how it works opening day of Ky corn pile season.
Put your vest with front and back plates on . It,s gonna be like Ohama Beach their from how you described it before. Be prepared to assume the fetal position of terror on the ground from all the incoming rounds....
7-08 oughta work for ya, if ya dont break it. Let us know how it works opening day of Ky corn pile season.
Put your vest with front and back plates on . It,s gonna be like Ohama Beach their from how you described it before. Be prepared to assume the fetal position of terror on the ground from all the incoming rounds....
Who needs a cornpile? We lure them in with Oreo Cookies on a string.
Actually, it regularly averages 3 shot strings per minute for the first 4-5 hours of season. I don't count the individual shots, although since the old guys with their 30-30's have started dying off, the new guys are putting out far less lead. It comes in clumps. You'll have 15 minutes of relative quiet and then the whole end of the county erupts. It doesn't faze us in the least, but it's something worth hearing. I had a buddy who went in on D-Day +14. He got to hear 1 shot-string per minute following me to an Ohio Opener, and he got seriously weirded out-- more shooting than he'd heard since '44.
I run .308 mil brass through a small base .308 die then through the 708 die. Had had no problems and excellent accuracy. Not running anything at max, 120bt's and 140npt's have resulted in 2 deer and one cow elk for my son. Using big game and mag primer.
You were far more descriptive in the volume of fire in your deer camp thread. The mind picture I got from all the incoming fire surrounding your place was kinda like this to me in the clip. Just surviving opening morning has to be a huge challenge.
I can see why now how you wanna ease the new shamanic deer hunting tribe guy into rifle season and not let him hunt that opening weekend per that deer camp thread.
when i sell a new rifle at my small shop to a father for his daughter or son i have always recommended a 7mm-08 bolt rifle and most really like this cartridge and after the sight in and the hunt they have all been very happy with a 7mm-08. its also the cartridge my son started deer hunting with in a Remington 700 S.S. / Leupold scope he made payments of his own money to a dear friend,son did shoot a real nice 8 pt Whitetail with this rifle too. >>keep them coming let`s make a 100 +
7mm anythings do not work well on game. Here's the Top 10 list of why the 7mm 08 is a failure.
1. It's metrical. Science has proven that metrication was a failure, ergo, the 7mm08 is a failure. 2. Bell was Scottish 3. 3rd world countries used 7mms as their military cartridge. Hayzeus! Some examples - Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, Paraguay, Kingdom of Serbia. 4. It was a copy of the 7mm/303. A wildcat that despite being rimmed, didn't work. 5. Deer cannot be killed reliably with anything measuring less than 30 - except .264s. 6. The 6.5 Grendel is sexier. 7. 7mm Rem Mag!?! What the hell was that? 8. 30-30 9. 6.5 CM 10. It uses more powder than a 6.5 Creedmoor. 11. Silhouette shooting?
I got home late yesterday evening with the TC Compass -- too late to work on it. I got up this AM and got to it. LGS gave me 20 rounds of Federal 140 grain ammo with Nosler BT's thrown in to the deal. I didn't realize how short the stock was on this critter. It fit well though. This was a boon. I'm to the point where some of my deer guns are getting too long for late-season use with all the extra layers on.
By the time I left for work, I had the scope mounted and bore-sighted, the sling installed, and 50 rounds of Federal brass sized and back in the tumbler to remove the lube. The only cloud is that the brass all sized up to well under the trim-to length, but I'd kind of expect that. This is going to be a 100 yard gun this Fall. We'll work on the finer points later.
Question about the Compass: I noticed a recall notice on the TC Compass-- potential for discharge if the rifle is dropped with the safety off. This appears to be a new, unfired gun, but it IS a Compass and not a Compass II. They didn't give a list of serial #'s. Anybody know anything about this? Honestly, I'd assume any of my rifles, if dropped from enough height would discharge-- safety or no safety. In fact we had a guy a while back in Indiana that managed that stunt with an Rem 870 12 GA. It blew a slug up through the treestand, entered at his crotch and exited out through the shoulder and the guy lived to tell about it. Back in my day, we called that "negligent discharge."
If I may, for a moment, go back to the question of the 7mm-08's effectiveness on whitetail. I'm far from an expert, but my impression all along was that 7mm-08 was regarded as superior whitetail killer-- almost too good to be believed. There were a few things that got me there:
1) Years ago, I had some modeling software to test at work, and I fed it Hodgdons's load database and gave it the task of extrapolating the best performance for the least recoil. The one feature that I added was giving the model the latitude to play with loadings that were up to 5% off MAX. It produced several nodes. 35 WHelen was one. 7mm-08 was another. 2) Ingwe, et al going on about the 7X57. If there was e'er a magical round. . .I looked at the situation and realized 7mm-08 was close enough for whitetail work and added it to my list. I'm sure Ingwe was not pleased with my conclusion, but I'm not a leopard thong type. Different strokes, etc. 3) I was waxing eloquent on my 300-Savage-ish 308WIN loads for my Savage 99 and somebody said: "If you love 300 Savage, you'll love 7mm-08 even more!" I had to say that, at least on paper, they were right. That moved it to the short list.
I have investigated a bunch of options, including a grey-rat Savage 99 being rebarreled into a 7mm-08. This, would be as close to an ideal whitetail rifle as I could imagine. However, it would not be sane to blow $2K on a custom gun if I hadn't tried the chambering first.
Uhhh... I'm kinda late to this party, but it's kinda difficult to find a round that will NOT work on whitetail... so of course a 7mm-08 will be fine. As would about 50-60 other choices...
If you might like a Model 99 for that, you might also like a BLR 81... assuming they might have chambered some in 7mm-08.
I got home late yesterday evening with the TC Compass -- too late to work on it. I got up this AM and got to it. LGS gave me 20 rounds of Federal 140 grain ammo with Nosler BT's thrown in to the deal. I didn't realize how short the stock was on this critter. It fit well though. This was a boon. I'm to the point where some of my deer guns are getting too long for late-season use with all the extra layers on.
By the time I left for work, I had the scope mounted and bore-sighted, the sling installed, and 50 rounds of Federal brass sized and back in the tumbler to remove the lube. The only cloud is that the brass all sized up to well under the trim-to length, but I'd kind of expect that. This is going to be a 100 yard gun this Fall. We'll work on the finer points later.
Question about the Compass: I noticed a recall notice on the TC Compass-- potential for discharge if the rifle is dropped with the safety off. This appears to be a new, unfired gun, but it IS a Compass and not a Compass II. They didn't give a list of serial #'s. Anybody know anything about this? Honestly, I'd assume any of my rifles, if dropped from enough height would discharge-- safety or no safety. In fact we had a guy a while back in Indiana that managed that stunt with an Rem 870 12 GA. It blew a slug up through the treestand, entered at his crotch and exited out through the shoulder and the guy lived to tell about it. Back in my day, we called that "negligent discharge."
If I may, for a moment, go back to the question of the 7mm-08's effectiveness on whitetail. I'm far from an expert, but my impression all along was that 7mm-08 was regarded as superior whitetail killer-- almost too good to be believed. There were a few things that got me there:
1) Years ago, I had some modeling software to test at work, and I fed it Hodgdons's load database and gave it the task of extrapolating the best performance for the least recoil. The one feature that I added was giving the model the latitude to play with loadings that were up to 5% off MAX. It produced several nodes. 35 WHelen was one. 7mm-08 was another. 2) Ingwe, et al going on about the 7X57. If there was e'er a magical round. . .I looked at the situation and realized 7mm-08 was close enough for whitetail work and added it to my list. I'm sure Ingwe was not pleased with my conclusion, but I'm not a leopard thong type. Different strokes, etc. 3) I was waxing eloquent on my 300-Savage-ish 308WIN loads for my Savage 99 and somebody said: "If you love 300 Savage, you'll love 7mm-08 even more!" I had to say that, at least on paper, they were right. That moved it to the short list.
I have investigated a bunch of options, including a grey-rat Savage 99 being rebarreled into a 7mm-08. This, would be as close to an ideal whitetail rifle as I could imagine. However, it would not be sane to blow $2K on a custom gun if I hadn't tried the chambering first.
7mm-08 > it is just a great cartridge accurate ,modest recoil , ammo is now easy to fine ,many different type actions and brands to find the 7mm-08 in too. > so are we getting closer to 100 + ?
7-08 is just a modern version of the venerated 7x57. What more could one say...?
Now, that may not be quite the same to the Rev and other purists, but ballistics are pretty close.
So, it has an illustrious heritage.
I do like mine. Bobby Hart built, 23" SS Hart, Rem Sporter contour, in a Hunter's Edge with Timney trigger, Conquest 3-9x40 with elevation turret in low Talley LW rings. Olive paint with black specks, pillar bedded, glassed and free floated. I like to get those stocks unpainted, do the fitting, glass work, etc. then send'em back to McM for paint.
I generally fill in the bolt handle slot with glass, cut the notch to better fit the bolt handle. McM cuts a fairly large slot, custom fit looks better, IMO.
Dirtfarmer,some day i will have to dig out of the safe and send you a picture of my 7mm-08 custom me and my old dear friend " Jonny Bell" put together back before rifle manufactures offered this fine 7 mm -08 cartridge to the public.
Dirtfarmer,some day i will have to dig out of the safe and send you a picture of my 7mm-08 custom me and my old dear friend " Jonny Bell" put together back before rifle manufactures offered this fine 7 mm -08 cartridge to the public.
Uhhh... I'm kinda late to this party, but it's kinda difficult to find a round that will NOT work on whitetail... so of course a 7mm-08 will be fine. As would about 50-60 other choices...
If you might like a Model 99 for that, you might also like a BLR 81... assuming they might have chambered some in 7mm-08.
Heh... I think I was being conservative... certainly not counting all the "obsolete" (or at least old-ish) cartridges or the wildcats.
I suspect the "perfect" selection is always a matter of "nuance" as defined by the selector... very few clear winners unless comparing one for apples (varmints?), one for oranges (brown bears?), etc.
I have killed both plenty of prairie dogs and a Cape buffalo with the .375 H&H. Works great for both!
But have never used it on a whitetail.... :-)
You do have them bracketed!
Bet you wouldn't have a question where the bullet landed with a near miss on a PD. You could see where the earth erupted...
Would probably over penetrate a WT....
DF
Overpenetration was a problem endemic to the 375 and prairie dogs. That's why the Brits developed a cartridge for "vermin" they called, the 300 H&H. Problem solved!
I have killed both plenty of prairie dogs and a Cape buffalo with the .375 H&H. Works great for both!
But have never used it on a whitetail.... :-)
You do have them bracketed!
Bet you wouldn't have a question where the bullet landed with a near miss on a PD. You could see where the earth erupted...
Would probably over penetrate a WT....
DF
Overpenetration was a problem endemic to the 375 and prairie dogs. That's why the Brits developed a cartridge for "vermin" they called, "the 300 H&H. Problem solved!
I have killed both plenty of prairie dogs and a Cape buffalo with the .375 H&H. Works great for both!
But have never used it on a whitetail.... :-)
You do have them bracketed!
Bet you wouldn't have a question where the bullet landed with a near miss on a PD. You could see where the earth erupted...
Would probably over penetrate a WT....
DF
Overpenetration was a problem endemic to the 375 and prairie dogs. That's why the Brits developed a cartridge for "vermin" they called, "the 300 H&H. Problem solved!
Ha!
DF
And to think yesterday at this time, folks were going at me because the thread was veering off and nearing 100 posts. Now it's 375 H&H and prarie dogs. You guys are incorrigible, and I disavow any responsibility for any further silliness.
I have killed both plenty of prairie dogs and a Cape buffalo with the .375 H&H. Works great for both!
But have never used it on a whitetail.... :-)
You do have them bracketed!
Bet you wouldn't have a question where the bullet landed with a near miss on a PD. You could see where the earth erupted...
Would probably over penetrate a WT....
DF
Overpenetration was a problem endemic to the 375 and prairie dogs. That's why the Brits developed a cartridge for "vermin" they called, "the 300 H&H. Problem solved!
Ha!
DF
And to think yesterday at this time, folks were going at me because the thread was veering off and nearing 100 posts. Now it's 375 H&H and prarie dogs. You guys are incorrigible, and I disavow any responsibility for any further silliness.
I suppose you're right. I just came out of the secret underground shamanic loading facility with 25 rounds loaded. If all goes well with the weather, I'll have an answer for y'all about how it shot by Monday AM.
I've enjoyed this thread. I was considering a 7-08, then I got to doing some ballistics comparisons. My Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor will do about anything the 7-08 will do for deer sized game. That being said, good luck on your 7-08 deer hunt Shaman!
[quote=Ohio7x57]I've enjoyed this thread. I was considering a 7-08, then I got to doing some ballistics comparisons. My Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor will do about anything the 7-08 will do for deer sized game. That being said, good luck on your 7-08 deer hunt Shaman!
Ron, i own 7mm-08 and 6.5 Creedmoor and many other caliber/cartridges i enjoy loading and shooting them all ,i even purchased a 7mm-08 and a 6.5 Creedmoor both in Browning BLR S,S, rifles just for fun but i have a soft spot for a 7mm-08 before they became popular since my dear old friend built me a custom 7mm-08 and that`s the cartridge the 7mm-08 my young son grew up killin big game for meat. i also made money shooting a 7mm-08 for money years ago when kids were small in the winter on the weekends,i made a deal with my wife and kids if i won that day with my 7mm-08 rifle in the money shoot we went for supper and they were so happy when i called said get your coats on supper is on me. this was all 25-30 years ago back when my custom 7mm-08 always did well with my handloads and i bet that rifle would still compete well in those winter money shoots. but yes the 6.5 Creedmoor is a great cartridge too so is my new toy a 257 Creedmoor but i still have a soft spot for my 7mm-08 rifles.
I've enjoyed this thread. I was considering a 7-08, then I got to doing some ballistics comparisons. My Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor will do about anything the 7-08 will do for deer sized game. That being said, good luck on your 7-08 deer hunt Shaman!
Ron
I'd say you're set then.
Let's ask the question: Shaman, why did you pick the 7mm-08 ?
I've tried to be rational on my rifle choices, otherwise I knew I'd have all the closets full like my buddy Bob, my sponsor in Gun Addicts Anonymous. Bob taught me to manage my addiction. 1) I had piles of 308 brass piling up. I also have a pile of 30-06 rifles and one 308 WIN rifle already. I wanted something that would eat 308 brass, but break new ground. 2) The 6.5 Creed is starting to speak to me, but. . . I'm not shooting at long distances 3) If you take my 25-06 and 308/30-06 and split the difference, you get closer to 7mm than 6.5 4) I hate 270 WIN with a passion-- I know it's just a thing, but I can't help it. It delights me that I can get all that vaunted 270 WIN performance (give or take) and never buy a 270 WIN rifle 5) A lot of people were talking up 7's around me before they were talking up 6.5 6) I dig the concept of 6.5 Creed the sameway that I dig the concept of 7mm-08 -- an updated/improved standardization of a venerable round (6.5 Creed updates the 6.5X55 Swede-- 7mm-08 updates the 7X57) 7) I'm beginning to like the versatility of the 7mm-08. When I'm putting my feet up at Mister Browning's Store, I'll refer to it as my "Seven -Em-Em." When I'm feeling Continental, I can call it my "Seven by Fifty-One". If I want to get all snobby, I'll call it my "275 Short Rigby." All of a sudden I've got 3 rifles in one!
I've enjoyed this thread. I was considering a 7-08, then I got to doing some ballistics comparisons. My Compass in 6.5 Creedmoor will do about anything the 7-08 will do for deer sized game. That being said, good luck on your 7-08 deer hunt Shaman!
Ron
I'd say you're set then.
Let's ask the question: Shaman, why did you pick the 7mm-08 ?
I've tried to be rational on my rifle choices, otherwise I knew I'd have all the closets full like my buddy Bob, my sponsor in Gun Addicts Anonymous. Bob taught me to manage my addiction. 1) I had piles of 308 brass piling up. I also have a pile of 30-06 rifles and one 308 WIN rifle already. I wanted something that would eat 308 brass, but break new ground. 2) The 6.5 Creed is starting to speak to me, but. . . I'm not shooting at long distances 3) If you take my 25-06 and 308/30-06 and split the difference, you get closer to 7mm than 6.5 4) I hate 270 WIN with a passion-- I know it's just a thing, but I can't help it. It delights me that I can get all that vaunted 270 WIN performance (give or take) and never buy a 270 WIN rifle 5) A lot of people were talking up 7's around me before they were talking up 6.5 6) I dig the concept of 6.5 Creed the sameway that I dig the concept of 7mm-08 -- an updated/improved standardization of a venerable round (6.5 Creed updates the 6.5X55 Swede-- 7mm-08 updates the 7X57) 7) I'm beginning to like the versatility of the 7mm-08. When I'm putting my feet up at Mister Browning's Store, I'll refer to it as my "Seven -Em-Em." When I'm feeling Continental, I can call it my "Seven by Fifty-One". If I want to get all snobby, I'll call it my "275 Short Rigby." All of a sudden I've got 3 rifles in one!
Mental Masturbation Gold Medal Winner... Runner up in the Pole Vaulting Mouse Turds Event
I haven't tried the 120ttsx but I'm a 120bt convert. It took me awhile to give it a try but the 7-08/120bt combo almost seems designed to be used together
^^^^ This! ^^^^
The 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip is a wicked killer in the 7mm-08. Easy on the shoulder, too.
Mental Masturbation Gold Medal Winner... Runner up in the Pole Vaulting Mouse Turds Event
We’ve all been there!
So I had PointBlank loaded this morning and thought I'd see how my new 7mm-08 load would look next to my standard 165 grain 30-06 load.
After all that trouble-- years of cogitation and reading and asking questions. I found that, given both a sighting-in 2" high at 100 yards, they had nearly identical trajectories until way-way out there.
Granted, I'm accomplishing it with 1/4 less the recoil, but still!
I suppose that's a good thing, and it'll mean something 20 years from now when they're wheeling me out to my blind.
I got down to the farm and got a bit of shooting in before dark yesterday. The TC Compass is sighted in and shooting better than 2 MOA groups. One reviewer claimed he could get no better than 1.2 MOA out of one, so for me this is a success.
Oh, no doubt. This is just a first load. I'll probably not do any other work on it until Spring. My goal was to replace a 44 MAG treestand gun for this season and then work on fine tuning it later. Printing -2 inches on paper at 100 yards will be plenty for now.
I haven't tried the 120ttsx but I'm a 120bt convert. It took me awhile to give it a try but the 7-08/120bt combo almost seems designed to be used together
^^^^ This! ^^^^
The 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip is a wicked killer in the 7mm-08. Easy on the shoulder, too.
A classic and popular around here. And, for a good reason.
They work. Almost forgot to put in a plug for Big Game powder....
I just thumped a very nice 4X4 Mule Deer with my #1 using H414 and 140 gr Sierra. About 125 yards away and one round in the pocket turned his lights out immediately.
I just thumped a very nice 4X4 Mule Deer with my #1 using H414 and 140 gr Sierra. About 125 yards away and one round in the pocket turned his lights out immediately.
Varget...I ran 1-2 grains more than many in partial sized brass, but you don't need max velocity for short ranges. Run a modest load and you will be stacking your freezer. ![[Linked Image from jpgbox.com]](https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/55553_600x400.jpg)
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