Only these please.
What is your favorite weight and bullet to use deer hunting? capt david

140gr NP is my favorite in my M70 7x57 but it doesn't shoot MOA. 139 Hornady IL does though.

My FN 1898 commercial 7x57 shoots 150PTs @ 2700fps 1.25" @ 100yds I thinks that's good for any deer at any range one should be shooting.My self imposed max range used to be 300yds, but is shrinking to no more than 200yds or so. I'm 70 and age and the fact that I mainly shoot exotic does that are relatively abundant. capt david

139 gr. Hornady IL either flat base or boattail. Very easy answer for me. Great bullet started at 2850fps or so.

140 grain Nosler ballistic tip or the 140 grain Barnes TTSX in my 7-08.

I used a 160 grain Sierra Game King.

I load 120gr Nosler BTs for my 7mm-08. I just started loading for my 7x57 and I loaded some 139gr Hornady flat base and 140gr Rem Corelokts to try out. Before using the 120gr bullsts I used 140gr Corelokts and 139 gr Hornady. They gave me great results on deer. I've only shot one deer with the 120gr and it did great too.

139 hornady for the 08, and 154 grain Hornady for the 57.

Ive had super luck with the 150 NBT...

Haven't used the 7x57 for hunting, but have successfully used the 120 gr. BT, 140 gr. BT, and 140 gr. Accubond in the 7mm-08. I'm sure the 140 gr. Partition would be very effective, too.

Only have experience with the 7MM-08, and have pretty much settled on the 120 grain BT's or maybe the 120 grain TTSX for all things I hunt anyway.

7x57 and the Hornady 154 grain Interlock. I was not paying attention once and ran short and had a difficult time restocking the Interlock and used the Nosler 150 grain BT. Back to the Interlock again.

140 gr txs.

7-08. Kills wonderfully.

I used the 120gr bt on 1/2 a dozen deer, then switched to the 120 gr ttsx at 3175fps. Kills very well and shoots about .75 moa. The 120 gr bt did well, just got a little messy over 3100fps.

For Texas deer out of those mild rounds, I'd pick the 120 NBT.

in my 7mm-08 140 gr. Nosler Partition

120 gr. NBT or 140 gr. NBT

I bought my self a little knife for Christmas. I wanted something with a gut hook and a bone saw on it, and found one by Elk Rige. Not an expensive knife-think I paid $12.00 for it on walmart.com. Seems to be very well made, and very sharp. About half the weight of my Buck Folding Hunter. Hopefully I get a chance to use it next fall.

I could never get those to chamber in my 7-08.

My 7x57 shoots nice groups with the 120gr BT as well. 3/4" according to what I have written down. I don't know how I forgot about that.

I use the same bullets in both cartridges. The 140gr. Partition and the 150 gr. Ballistic Tips. For years I hunted a lease crawling with over 200 pound feral hogs, some way over and wanted bullets that worked well on both, tough enough to slam through big pig bones and soft enough to open on a meat doe. So far 100% satisfaction. I feel the 150 gr. Ballistic Tip is a very under rated bullet. Both my rifles are short barreled mainly for ease of handling in box blinds and pickup trucks so my velocities are probably around 2600 fps, maybe a bit more in the 7-08 as I never loaded the 7x57 to the max so as to preserve my brass. Early on I liked the 160 gr, Speer Hotcor and the 160 gr. Sierra Gameking, The Hotcor providing better penetration as I never recovered one but the Gameking did stay in several deer and many hogs. It was a quick killer though.

I've been hunting with 140 Ballistic Tips in my 7-08 for well over a decade, and I've had more DRT's with this bullet than all other cartridge/bullets combined. I recently built a 7x57, and Im starting with the 140 NBT just because I've already had such good luck with it.

Either cartridge use 139 gr FB Hornady SP or 140 gr NPT, end of story.

The one that shoots best in your rifle. (Someone had to say it.)

My 7mm-08 shoots 120 NBT's very well, haven't killed anything with that rifle yet. Used that bullet in my prior 7x57 for a few deer & antelope, used 154 RN Hornadys and several different 160's for a lot more, all with the same result. Pick one that shoots and go kill stuff, there's lots of good bullets.

I also use 120 NBT drops whitetail in their tracks (high shoulder). May run a short way if shot in the vitals. I've only shot one pig with the 120 NBT. Put it in the ear fell over.

Im using factory 140 grain E-Tips outof my 7mm08. When those are all shot up, I’ll reload the Nosler brass with 140 grain E-Tip blems and seconds from SPS, using Big Game, angling for around 2,850 fps.

I've killed wolf, caribou, moose with my 7-08 using stuff from 100, 120 XFB and TSX on the low end, through 130 139, 140, 150 Speer, Hornady, Barnes, Nosler variations in the middle and 160, 170 Failsafe and Sierra on the upper end. But the 139 SP Interlock is probably one of the easiest to shoot with many recipes while being very effective for deer-sized animals.

Yep. It depends on the rifle. I have two that seem to thrive on 175-grain bullets: 175-grain Speer Deep Curl and 175-grain Hornady RN. If I ever run out of the Deep Curls I'll stick with the RNs since they actually shoot a little better in both rifles. Another rifle likes 160-grain Partitions best, but I'm having a devil of a time trying to find the bullet/powder combination one of my Featherweights likes but eventually I'll land on it.

RM

I no longer own any 7MM rifles, but I have in the past. The best of the whole lot was a "Standard modell" in 7X57 that I had for several years and I killed a number of animals with it. In addition to 2 7X57s I have owned a 280, a few 7MM Rem mags and one 7MM STW.

Bullets that I used that I remember being good in the 7X57 were as follows:

Hornady 154 grain bullets in both Round Nose and Spire Point.
Nosler Partition in 150 160 and 175 grain.
Hornady 175 grain.
Speer Grand Slam in 160 grain.

I have used lighter bullets a few times down to the 139 grain Hornady, but nothing lighter then 150 grains ever impressed me as much as those bullets I listed above.

Did you try Seafire's load of 40 grains IMR 3031?

I have not but that’s a good idea. I bought some 4064 to try with 130s but if that doesn’t work I’ll give Seafire’s load a try with 154s. I have a boat-load of them.

Thanks for the reminder.

Yeah, they don't go in real smooth......

140 ballistic tips. The 120s are supposedly a little tougher and seem to get allot of love. I've just never had a reason to switch.

A little work with a Dremel tool and they will chamber just fine.

My 7x57 carbine is currently sighted in for the 120 grain Nosler BT. The most accurate load which has taken two doe.

I used to shoot the old Sierra 170 grain RN. Very accurate and killed well.

All around, I like the Hornady 154 grain Interlock spire point. I've killed the most deer with that bullet both near and far and believe it is the best weight for me. Accurate and very reliable.

Dan

My 7x57 shoots the barnes 140 TTSX very well, so I've looked no further.

My 7-08 shoots the 140 gr Sierra GK, 140 and 150 gr Nosler BT and Partition as well as the 154 SST sub MOA. It's hard to pick a "which shoot's the best"..I'm not sure it matters one iota between .560 and .650 to the intended victim.. LOL Therefore. I lean to what I can find "on sale" and go with that..Recently it's been the 150 gr BT's...

I have the same problem with my featherweight. Or I should say, a combo it likes better than the Federal Blue Box. lol. It shoots those suckers just fine.

Maybe I should dig some up.

I don't recall any 7mm bullet not suitable for deer.
Always have a dozen or more bullet types and weights on the shelves for my 7mm rifles but it never occured to me that I needed to consider deer as point of qualification.
Accuracy and velocity has only ever been my criteria.
John

When talking Featherweights, remember the various Winchesters don't have the same twist per generation of featherweight. The XTR's had an 8 3/4" twist and I learned it preferred the heavier bullets though I used more 140gn Solid Bases than any other bullet back in the 80's. My first XTR shot Sierra 175gn BT's better than any other bullet in terms of grouping.
John

That's good to know. I have 100 brass ready to go. I'll throw some Hornady 154's in a few of em to see what I can come up with. And I guess not rule out 160's.

156 gr Norma Oryx in my CZ 550 American 7x57. I use MD's load from Gun Gack. Only one I've ever caught weighed 148 and fully mushroomed. They blow through 300 lb hogs and knock them down on their ass. Second most accurate round (sub MOA) in my rifle behind the 139 gr SST.

154 grain Hornady Interlok in the 7x57 and the 145 grain Speer SP in the 7-08

My Featherweight, 44 grains of MIR 4895 or 4064...140 grain Ballistic tip or 139 gr SP Hornady
both right at 2800 fps...

The Ruger, 40 grains of 3031... with bullet weights from 139 to 175...
was pretty accurate with the 180 grain ELD-M also...

The 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip is a fantastic killer of deer and the like when combined with a good 7mm-08. If they shoot in your rifle, use them with complete confidence.

At moderate speeds all bullets tend to perform quite well but I have come to like the 140gr NBT particularly,

It is very accurate in my two 7x57(R) and a good killer too.

120TSX in both. My 7x57 is a Czech Brno and I've loaded the 120's @ 3050fps w/R-15 to essentially mimic the 7-08. I have 7-08's in a Kimber MT, Rem SS Mt Guide, Rem M7, and Win 70 Ranger Youth. The 20" bbls are right at 3Kfps and the 22" are 3050. I've shot deer with them from point blank flushed coming out of cattails out to 425yds, it's a combo I'm confident in.

My 7-08's all shoot the 120 V-max very well also so I use them a fair amount for practice. I can't recall ever using them on any critter though.

140 Grain Barnes TSX in our 7-08. Wish Federal still produced them but I have 8 boxes should last us for a while. My Daughters compact Tikka put them all through the same hole

I had a few 120,140 ballistic tips, plus the 150PTs. The PTs shot better and I've never looked back. capt david

1fidy corelokts flip em over.

Sort of hard to find a bad one from 120 gr up. But if just one it'd be the 140 gr Accubond. 50 gr of H4350 in the 7x57. Runner up would be the 139 gr Interlock. Have loaded the 7mm-08 with the 120 BT because of reports here but so far only have a sample of 1 kill but had a result a little inconsistent compared to what I've seen written. With 40 gr RL15 in my wife's A-Bolt Micro 20" barrel the bullet ain't exactly screaming. She had a 170# buck quartering to at 50 or 60 yards and hit him at the left base of the neck headed to the right shoulder. But the bullet never got there. There was a hole about 2" diameter where spine used to be but the bullet pretty much disintegrated. Just bits and pieces along with bits and pieces of bone and we butchered it ourselves. Nothing made it into the shoulder. Deer was most certainly dead right there but I have to wonder what happens broadside hitting the high shoulder bone. But we'll use the same load again next year in her rifle and with 45 gr of Varget in my Model 7 stainless.

I’ve seen straight-on spine shots do weird things to a few different bullets.

The good thing is, all ended up as rather spectacular DRTs so there really are no worries.

139gr Hornady Interlock flat base. Very accurate in my M70 featherweight 7mm Mauser. Same sectional density as a 165gr .308 bullet so you really can't go wrong. If I had to give that bullet up, I'd use the 154gr without hesitation.

I load the 120-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip in mine- shoots very well and dropped the only Deer ive shot at with it. I plan on using it more next year to make sure it wasn’t a fluke...I’ll bet it wasn’t, though!

The rifle I have it in is a Remington Model 7 with an 18.5” barrel, so the loads probably aren’t screaming, my chrony crapped out on me at the last range session. I do put them in front of the max load (which is what shot the best) of IMR 4895.

For deer, which is what the OP asked about, the Nosler 120 gr. BT is my favorite @ 3100 fps out of my 7mm-08’s. For something bigger, I’d use either a 140 gr. Partition or Accubond @ 2850 fps. I’ve never owned a 7x57 as I see no reason to do so. Ew, I feel some heat coming, but just me.

No heat from me. Great advice, IMHO. Love the 120 NBT in the 7-08!!

Add the 120 TTSX to the mix and you may not need 140s out of your 7mm-08.

The 120 NBT out of the 7-08 is a deer killing machine. Good exit, lots of internal damage and quick kills.

And it's fast and shoots pretty flat.

What's not to like.

DF

I could shoot just about any of them at deer and be happy. Right now it’s a160 Speer because my friend gave me several hundred of them.

Something weighing between 139 grs and 154 grs has worked well for me in my 7mm/08. I suspect the same weights would work well in the 7x57. I haven't used anything lighter and what I had heavier were given to a friend to use in his 7mm mag.

140 Partition started at 2880.




I’ve kilt a mess of deer with them.






P

7-08 140 Sierra PH's over Varget at 2775. Consistently good accuracy and works.

50 grains of AR2209 behind a 150 grain core-lokt gave me the same in my 7x57...2700 for 1.25" at 100 yards.


I thoroughly enjoyed shooting rabbits on the run with it, buckets of fun. And surprisingly easy to lob into a warren from distance.



added, interestingly enough the wee little Brno didn't like 140 grain BT all that much.

You forgot to mention Big Game powder...

You always post the nicest groups. I'm wondering if BG or your marksmanship should get the credit...

DF

In the 7x57, I have used the 140 grain Nosler Partition for many years. Accurate, reliable, excellent. YMMV.

7-08, 120 grain Barnes TTSX. 7x57, 139 grain Hornady SST.

Shoot the target from just outside powder burn range. It’s easy.

You should see my brother shoot. Keep your money in your pocket no matter what he says. Still my handloads, though.




P

According my hunting notes, I've now taken 17 kinds of big game with the 7mm-08 and 7x57--including the "javelina to moose" range suitability suggested by Jack O'Connor in THE HUNTING RIFLE, including elk, wildebeest and kudu. The bullets have included:

140 Barnes TTSX, 160 TSX
139 Hornady Interlock BTSP and Spire Point
120, 140 and 150 Nosler Ballistic Tips
140, 160 and 175 Nosler Partitions
156 Norma Oryx
160 North Fork soft-point
160 Sierra GameKing
140 Trophy Bonded Bear Claw

None of them "failed." From this I have surmised that the 7-08 and 7x57 work very well on big game.

What ever is most accurate in your rifles.
They all kill deer dead if you put them where they belong.

Reading here for a while, glint edge accuracy seems to be of particular importance for picking out your hunting load. If you are shooting at long range I would agree with that, but at the ranges that lots of us encounter our deer, .5 moa or 1.5 moa doesn't make a pinch of difference. At best if I'm lucky I'll be shooting braced off my knees and I'm going to wiggle more than that. For me at least terminal bullet performance is more important than sub moa accuracy.

Really surprised you haven’t tried the 120 TTSX in the 7mm-08. It’s a great combo that has caught on with lots of folks who aren’t inherently biased toward heavy bullets.

I am aghast that the Hornady 154 grain Interlock is not on that list.

Apparently taking 17 kinds of big game up to 1000+ pounds with 14 bullets from 120-175 grains isn't enough of a "field test."

Will start immediately right now, loading every possible bullet, then trying to win the Weatherby Award by traveling the world to slay every obscure animal possible. Of course, I'd have to do it with both cartridges, because they're so different!

You could write a sort of JY Jones book, "One Man, One Rifle, One State," never having to leave Montana or spending all the money it costs to qualify for Weatherby. After you've taken everything that Montana has to offer, you will henceforth be known as Grancel Barsness. That actually has a pretty good ring to it.

It does have a nice ring..

MD,

How did you like the performance of the 156 Oryx and was this in factory fodder? I thought if I ever get drawn for a Moose tag here in New England, it would make a good choice in the 7mm-08

ChipM,

Have used the 156 Oryx both in factory loads and handloads, if I recall correctly. Like a lot of bonded bullets it tends to expand into a pretty wide "mushroom," so sometimes gets stopped by the hide on the far side when bullets that don't expand as widely (especially monolithics) would have punched through. But I have still only recovered a small percentage of them, which retained between 85 and 93% of their original weight. While retained weight isn't the only factor in penetration (expanded diameter is at least as important) retaining around 90% sure doesn't hurt!

Mike,

Perhaps I should have mentioned being quite familar with the performance of 120-grain 6.5mm Barnes bullets from the 6.5x55, and 130 TTSX's from the .308 Winchester. I would strongly suspect the 120 TTSX would perform similarly in the 7mm-08. (If it didn't, that would certainly be a ballistic miracle....)

Thanks, John, but I think you must be responding to someone else. I don't have a 7mm-08. But I do have several 7x57s, and I suppose they'd do the same. if I ever hunt in the "condor zone" I'll certainly be loading something like that.

RM

Sorry, meant to type 7x57!

I think your testing has plenty of merit! Beats the heck out of water jugs.

120 NBT for me. Thinking about stepping up to a 140 NAB for heavier mule deer this year; possibly out to 400 yards with a 7-08. Thoughts/needed?

Good to see you getting the bases covered.

As you know I have only very limited experience, and only with the 7x57, mostly using 175 grain NPTs and a few times with a 162 BTSP Hornady...

Looking back I wish I'd tried those 120s and 140s cause my critters always appeared too dead.

Maybe this new .275 Rigby with 150s in it won't kill them quite as much...or maybe more...

This rather large member of the Deer family died from a single 140 AB from my dad’s 7mm-08, but 225 yards, not 400.




I’ve killed mulies past 500 with my 7mm-08 but with 140 grain Partitions.





P

Tom,

Yeah, it's amazing how dead isn't enough for some hunters....

Again, I have but little experience....

I did kill a deer dead once with a .223...but thats for another thread......

John:

I don't know if you mentioned, but which weight have you taken the most game with in 7x57? Most of your articles mention 160-grains, but those are just the ones you've written about.

Thanks

RM

I've used 160's (or thereabouts) largely because they all tend to shoot to the same place at 100 yards in my present 7x57. As a result, I could take several loads with different bullets along when on a "cull" hunt where a bunch of animals will be taken, and not have to tweak the scope, thus being able to get a lot of comparative bullet data.

But in my experience bullets of about 160 grains also work very well in the 7x57, at "conventional" ranges out to 200 yards, whether the animals is pronghorn-sized at 400 or moose-sized much closer. Are they perfect for every use? Dunno, having seen a lot of other weights work well. But the animals shot with 160's all fell pretty quickly.

140gr BT or 120gr TTSX

I've never had to shoot a mule deer farther than about 175 yards. In my opinion, stalking to get within 30-30 range is a lot of fun!

Sherwood

Sherwood,hate to tell you this,but you look like a younger Ingwe. Sorry.

In my 7-08 I settled on the 120gr. Nosler BT.

If I still had a dinosaur/7X57 I'd use the 175gr RN exclusively. Simply because, why not.

Me too. Works well. Good penetration, good internal damage.

Very effective WT round.

DF

He is one HANDSOME BEAST!

I'm sorta new here, sorta in that I signed on several years back but haven't been back. But I've been observing this forum and I realize now how much I've been missing out.

As far as 7x57 and 7-08 bullets go I now have a new 7x57 build that I'm fitting into the stock as we speak. I have had great luck with Sierra Game King Bullets on deer and hogs. I really like 140 grain bullets so this is what I'm going with on my maiden hunt with the 7x57. I also have a .280 Rem.and a 7mm RM and have had good luck with 140 game kings in both of them. My go to rifle for white Tail Deer is a .270 Winchester and I shoot 130 grain Game Kings almost exclusively at deer and hogs ln it. So 140 Grain Game Kings is an easy choice for me.

Texas Deer are not made of steel and I like to knock animals down fast. I hate tracking them in Southern Texas brush. Everything here either bites ya or sticks ya. And some of that what bites ya is definitely hazardous to your health so heck with that garbage. I like em DRT thank you, and Game Kings really wreck a deer's plumbing and put him down fast but still penetrate good enough to get into the boiler room and put him down for the count.

That's the "before" pic.

Anyone have an "after" they can post so the poor devil knows what's coming?

140 Nosler Partition in my 7mm-08

+1 for the Barnes TTSX

Dude, I don't know much aibout y'all here yet other than you're definitely gun guys and hunters and better company can't be found. But I like what Sherwood said, get within .30-30 range. To me that's hunting.

I have a 7x57 that I've not shot yet. I just had it built. It's on a Zastava Commercial Mauser action I bought off a Gun Broker Auction about 10 years back. Mile High Shooter sold me the barrel and gave me a stock for it. I've always shot a .270-6mm-.308 and .280 and never ventured into the 7x57. But I've just heard too much good about it not to try. Actually I like em all. If it burns ammonium nitrate and goes boom I'm in love.

In my .280 I have really liked 140s and 150s. I've always had great success with Sierra Game Kings in both my .270 and .280. So maybe that charm will extend over into the 7x57. Game Kings have always been accurate and penetrated and then expanded well for me. If they'll do it at 7x57 velocities then I think they will be a winner.


Sorry about being repetitious but I just woke up and read the last couple post and at this time of morning at my age things are a bit cloudy.

Welcome to the Fire, Filaman.

DF

7-08, 145 Speer BTSP, WIN 760 and a CCI 250 primer. The one and only load I used and ever needed. Max charge just off the lands and it would shoot dime size groups all day and killed deer DRT.

My favorite weight of bullet for deer hunting with my 7mm-08 is the 139 Hornady Interlock. Powder charge is 43 grains of WW-748, the Ken Waters load I have been shooting in every 7mm-08 I have owned (six, I think). My go-to deer rifle is my Remington Model Seven, the original model with blued 18-1/2" barrel. I love the 7mm-08, and need another! I only have one right now.

Dude, in the ear they're DRT! That's a death ray. It gives 'em a terrible Terminal headache. That's my favorite Hog Shot.

Thanks Dirt Farmer. I like fire.

This place is feeling like home sweet home. I've been in another forum for 12 years but I needed a little variety. So here I am.

BTW, I like Rifles, Beer, Deer, in that order.

I don't own a 7-08 and on another forum it was my target of jokes to counteract the .270 jokes that I was the brunt of. But seriously, I love the concept of the 7-08. I want one. I have a 7x57 that I haven't shot yet. I also have a .280 Remington which is one of my sweet heart rifles and I have a 7 mag, Savage 110 which is probably one of my most accurate rifles. But no 7-08 yet. But I love the ballistics and I always wanted a Model 7 Remington in it. I think it was really built for the 7 being they both came out about the same time. I don't have a mountain rifle and I've never hunted in mountains. But I've hiked long distance in the mountains and I think a model 7 being very light for caliber would be the primo mountain rifle in 7-08. Light but powerful. You can't beat that with a stick, not with a whole bag of sticks.

For the 7mm-08, I feed it 120gr NBT's, the 7x57 gets 160gr Accubonds. Deer can't stand either!

Your Dad has excellent taste in head wear!

7mm08 140 Remington core lokt. 7x57 - 160 Speer Grand Slam.

My wife's 7-08 hated 140 corelokts. Couldn't group them worth a dang. Best 200 yard group was about 10 inches

I don't have a 7-08 yet but I know a 140 grain bullet just goes well with any of the larger cased 7mms. I say in any of the larger cases because the heavier the bullet the more powder it takes to give it enough velocity down range for the bullet to expand properly. This is my opinion anyway. I personally believe that the 7x57 AND the 7-08 just scream for a 140 grain bullet. I'm a believer in the bigger the case the heavier the bullet it can push fast enough for proper bullet performance (at longer ranges anyway, say over 200-300 yards and beyond). Yes, they will handle a 150 grain bullet ok, but I think it really starts to affect velocity to the point of limiting bullet performance at longer ranges. I feel at 2600-2800 FPS, 7-08s and 7x57s are just perfect for 120-140 Grain bullets, where as a .280 and .284 push 140-170 grain bullets well. The 7 Weatherby and 7 Remington mags will push 150s to 180s fine. And the big magnums like the STW and the Ultra Mags, will push the 150-180 faster yet than the more tame Remington and Weatherby Mags which gives them the ability to shoot more accurately at even longer ranges with more retained energy, especially if you're into shooting into the next zip code. Now you can shoot about any weight bullet in any of the 7s from 7-08 up, but those weights listed for the specified range of case sizes seem to me to be the optimum for each weight for that case. That is my opinion anyway.

I have used the 140gn Barnes on Red deer and Wild Brumbies in the .275 Rigby loaded to 2900fps and they did very well, better than even the 160gn Failsafe's for which I recovered several on full length shots. Not so the Barnes. Still waiting for the first recovery.

Better scrounge around and stock up on the 175gr Hornady RNs as they've been dropped from the lineup.

I was able to hoard up 400 for my 7x57, but that's about it. I'll probably try the Hornady 154gr after that.

You won’t find the 154’s either. They were discontinued years ago.

Why not? it'll handle it. I think that's a fine choice.

The spire point 154 is the one I was referring to. Those old 154 RNs were good shooters in the rifles I used them in.

I thought he was talking about the 154gr RN. Spite points would be great.

I know this isn't the norm but I have better success with the 140 Gameking bullets than the 150 NP. They seem to DRT with the Sierra better. Just my opinion

There is a lot of "Sierra hate" on this site, but I've not had problems when they've been sensibly applied. For years my father used a 150 Sierra on top of 52 grains of 4064 as his 30-06 deer load. One shot, one kill, no fuss.

Every deer I've shot with a Sierra bullet has taken a dirt nap. Gamekings in .308 and .284 calibers. I think there were some Pro-Hunters in the mix. Then I started reading gun rags. Then I started reloading different bullets, About this time, is when I fell sick. I came down with the uncurable rifle looney disease. Always looking for the right bullet. Yay I found one, it works great. Go hunting, bang, I bag my game.
Next year.... I need to work up a load for this season.. Just couldn't shoot the same load.

I was younger then, I have slowed this down a bunch. I could care less, if I have used this same load before.
Just let me see if it will work in my new rifle.

Hey, it's all fun and games.
Enjoy your day.

Yep, Sierras work just like the others. Bout all I used til I discovered the “campfire”.

I had been shooting 140 grain Partitions for years in my push feed Model 70 Featherweight 7X57. Recently changed to Barnes 120 grain TSX. They shoot lights out with IMR 4350. I lucked on 6 boxes a couple years ago on a clearance and got them for $19.00 a box. They'll last me a LOOOOONG time.

130g Speer BTSP
42g of IMR 4895
Rem case
Rem 9 1/2
3000 fps
Favorite load for Rem 700's

Next up would be the 150g Nosler accubond, they love to jump to the lands

160g Sierra btsp max load of Win 760

REvans1957, ever think that there is a reason that all those TSX's were on the clearance shelf? The only deer that I've ever lost in over 50 years took a 7mm-08 TSX and ran away and hid. The year before a quarter size perfect hole through both lungs instead of the lung mush I normally see should have enlightened me, but it didn't. A tidy wound channel is how I've seen them described. I want a big leaky one.

1 of the finer points of living in backwater places like SD is that when bullet companies discontinue neat stuff like 154 RN and 100 gr .243 SP we get the word, but still have enough time to run around to gunshops and gun shows to score all we can. The supplies of these types of goods usually lasts a little longer than in heavily populated places. Naturally in this situation you need iniative and the cash to secure for your own needs.


139 gr SP Hornady flatbase and 140 NPT's are the best f the rest, for use at real world hunting ranges. MB

Its hard to narrow down to one type of bullet unless you have a typical kill range as impact velocities vary. This why all bullet makers now try to advocate one bullet for all ranges (i.e., ELD-X, AccuBond). Over the years I have killed several antelope and mule deer with 140 gr ballistic tips (BT) from a 7mm Rem Mag (3,275 fps), but all have been long shots (typically +325 yards) thereby reducing impact velocity with that bullet. Have used 308 Win 165 gr SST on whitetails as well, most shot inside 225 yards. Result, very dead animals. With 7-08 and 7x57 the 140 gr BT works even better at speeds in the 2,850 fps range at 300 yards or so. At long distance the A-Max provides great performance similar to the BT on antelope and deer. Thin jacketed bullet at 300-400 yard impact is total devastation on antelope and deer. Woods hunting (100-200 yds) would require a soft, less frangible bullet and I would use more weight, Core-Lokt, Hawk, Horn-SP Interlock. Deer are pretty much cream puffs when it comes to bullet use. A Nosler PT, Swift A-Frame, Barnes TTSX or other durable, deep penetrating pass through bullets are not really needed, but they work. Regarding those types, have used on elk and would use on moose and bear. Both Horn-SST in 154 gr and Swift Sciracco 150 gr would work well at mid to longer ranges (200-400 yds) in a 7mm. Today I would probably try the 150 ELD-X launched at 2,750 fps or so and see if it holds up as advertised for all ranges.

Windfall, my guess is that so many TSXs were available because they didn't have the little plastic tip thingy on them. Seems everyone wants a poly tip or gummy tip or "whatever tip". I've killed too many animals with TSXs and the old original X bullets to not have faith in them. I've never lost an animal hit with a Barnes all copper bullet.

I was in on the Barns X testing phase, never had so much trouble with zero expansion in my life. The Next version the TSX was a bit better but I would run a 160 Gameking before I will ever run another barnes mono bullet. Spent too much money on crappy bullet performance.

Sweeet!!!

In my 7mm-08's I like either:

46.5 Grains RL19 under the Berger 150 Grain Classic Hunter or alternatively the Nosler 150 Grain .LR AccuBond. Both yield velocities in the low 2700 FPS range, and sub-MOA accuracy. COAL is 2.835"

Someone spare me 7 pages of reading. Was there any love for the 175 gr. Hornady SP with the 7x57?

There's always some love for the 175 grain bullet in a .284 / 7-mm
I like it a lot. Works great in my 7-mm Rem. Mag. Not sure, if I ever used it in a 7-08
I like all the bullets talked about in this thread, as I'm not a hater.

It needs to dry up some, so I can get out and do some shooting.

I can tell you that all of my rifles shoot the 175-grain Hornady round nose soft point very, very well.

Youper, if the 175 grain Hornady SP is anything like a 175 grain Remingtom Core-Lokt, using that factory load on the first whitetail that I ever killed with my 7mm RM was nearly enough to make me quit deer hunting. It was like the most pathetic bullet performance that I have ever seen on a deer. The rifle wouldn't eject the empty and the deer died from a double lung shot, but that bullet did not expand one iota and just zipped right through. Read the 7 pages and pick something in the 140-150 grain range.

150gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

Had many one shot DRT with the old Hornady 154gr spire point in the 7mm-08. Think they dropped that from their line. Can’t recall the charge weight or IMR 4064 but it was super accurate in the model 700

It's still listed on their website.

I have used the 140 Nosler Ballistic tip and the 120 Barnes. Both are great!

The 154gr round nose along with the 175gn round nose were discontinued.

They are all game bullets which is why they all work.
I am surprised that anyone is surprised..
How the hell does anyone pick a bad in bullet in 7mm?

They think that a whitetail deer is a big game animal that "deserves" to be shot with a premium, heavy, bonded core or monolithic bullet and can't understand when the deer takes one through the 12" wide chest cavity and runs away. My first whitetail with my then new 7mm RM did just that with a 175 grain Core-Lokt and it made for a not so good memory.

Just picked up some Barnes 110 grain TTSX for my 7mm-08, going to see how they shoot. I like Barnes bullets, accurate and they work.

7-08 = 47.5 grains of Ramshot Big Game, Winchester large rifle primer, and most any 140 grain bullet, I'm partial to Nosler and Hornady. 2840 out of my 22" barrel.

I went to the range yesterday and 140 TTSX grouped just under an inch at 100 yards. I think that will be my go to load.

What do elk deserve to be shot with then?

PS - your shot was poor on that whitetail you lost, it wasn't the bullet's fault....

Elk are a whole lot bigger than an 18 month old spike horn deer and A 175 gran Trophy Bonded Bear Claw and 160 Nosler Partitions worked just fine on those. I didn't lose that first 7mm RM buck, but the rifle didn't eject that fired case and I watched that animal gasp and linger for longer than it should have. Minimal expansion. Softer, easier expanding bullets kill deer quicker. I was in the monolithic TSX and heavy for caliber mindset for a time, but no longer for my deer hunting.

I answered before, but this one is more detailed. My sons both hunt deer with 7mm08's and I shoot a couple of 7x57 rifles. They both like 140gr. bullets, one prefers 140 Hornady SST, the other 140 Remington CL. Loaded to 2800 fps. I use 160's in the 7x57, my rifles have long throats and fast twist and 160 or 175 gr. bullets shoot more accurately than 140's. The old Speer mag tip bullets were good, Grand Slams better if also hunting bigger stuff. lately i've been using the Sierra GK. Loaded to 2600 fps. The 160 NP is good too, and although a "premium" it does open quick enough for deer. I sometimes use 175 Hornady SP or Nosler partition in the 7x57 if also hunting bear or moose or elk at the same time as deer. Good weight when hunting in the bush.

Tag for reading later...

I'm looking back over this old thread and am curious: the 140s or 175s?

Actually both. But 140’s are what I was referencing.

I don't think I've ever used a bullet in my 7 x 57 that didn't work well....

the largest blacktail I killed with mine was 205 lbs on the hoof... shot at 50 yds or so...

the bullet and load..... 115 gr Speer HP... 28 grains of SR 4759...

was hunting at what I call 30/30 ranges.. ( woods range).. right thru the heart...

so even that worked...

Where was the deer lost?

Since I'm the one that opened that can of worms about the 175 Core-Lokt on my first 7mm RM deer, I thought that I'd explained that it wasn't lost only that the extractor broke and I couldn't eject the empty. The deer just lay there choking, gagging and gasping way longer than it should have or would have if I had double lunged it with a 140 or 150 grain lighter constructed bullet. The same rifle worked well on elk with 160 grain Nosler Partitions or a 175 TBBC. For my 7mm-08 these days I've been real pleased with 139 grain Hornady bullets.

I knew it wasn’t lost. I was asking him where you said it was lost.

When I was younger I was the same way. Wanted to used 180’s for everything.

180's for everything sure wouldn't have been a wrong choice if you were shooting a .308 or .30-06 like all the guys that I grew up with. It isn't a 30 caliber topic, but our group of deer hunters never lost a deer with those 08 and 06 chamberings when they all used that round nose Remington 180 grain Core-Lokt and with 12 guys in camp, some of those shots were less than textbook heart/lung shots. I've got a chart that Handloader Magazine ran that shows a side by side comparison of 37 different 180 grain .30 caliber bullets expanding into water saturated phone books from 3100 down to 1400 fps in 100 fps increments.The best one on the page still forming a classic mushroom shape all the way down to 1400 fps was that round nose Core-Lokt. It never shed a core in the 54 round nose Core-Lokts fired 3 each at the 18 velocities. I sure wish that Remington hadn't dropped that bullet for my .300 Savage. The guys reporting stopping bullets in deer in that other thread sure don't mention 180's very often.