7mm-08 Bullet Choice for Stone Sheep inside of 500 yards

[kfreeze]

Only thing holding me back on the 120 ttsx is it will get pushed around the most by any wind, and will also shed velocity at the highest rate.

Run the numbers in a ballistic calculator. Out to 500 yds there isn't as much difference. Also don't be scared to look at the 120 grn nos bt. They have a thicker jacket than the 140 grn bt and are known to be one of the best options for the 7mm-08.

 

[Roughrice]

Nosler has two flavors of Accubond, the plain old Accubond (AB) and the Accubond Long Range (ABLR) I've found them to perform differently out of my .270win. I prefer and plain (AB). I've had the ABLR "pencil Hole at longer ranges but not the AB. A whitetail I shot at 600yds had a nice exit hole and a completely obliterated heart and lungs. Where I hunt I can have a 40yd shot or a 600yd shot. In the .270 I found the 150gr best for both ranges. When using a 130gr at ranges under 100yd the entire front end of the deer was useless. 150's dont destroy so much but deliver all that's needed. If you are hooked on bonded bullets, try to get some Swift Scirroccos. They perform flawlessly in my .270 they are just too hard to find anymore.

Just the opposite experience for me.
My son and I both shot 7 SAUM at hogs last year. His160 AB had complete pass through with excellent performance on a shoulder shot of a big boar and whitetail doe.
My 168 ABLR went in the front point of shoulder (right through the armor plate) and did not pass through. It was a slight quartering in angle so I can understand the distance it would have to travel.
It apparently destroyed everything inside because the pig bounced when dropped without even a leg kick.
I did not shoot a whitetail with the 168 ABLR yet buy confident that it'll penetrate plenty well.

Both performed admirably in the 7 SAUM in my opinion and will continue to be used.

Notice the small entrance of ABLR in picture.

 

[hawk-i]

At 500 yds with a 7-08 my choice would be the 150 eldx and I'd have no issues with extending that to 600yds.
Just my personal observation, I'd be more concerned with adequate expansion at 500 yds then penetration.
All bullets are a compromise.

 

[gunner1stclass]

I have not gone on a sheep hunt so maybe I should not give an opinion. How about a question? I can see around 350 yards, but can the 7mm-08 really do a clean kill on 500?

At 500 without a doubt.

 

[akmtnhnt]

7-08 is far from the ideal sheep cartridge.
It's beyond foolish to assume horsepower doesn't come with accuracy. He's bringing a 460 wby here. He's suggesting a 28 nosler or 300 rum. Both of these have exceptional accuracy
There's lots of wind in the mountains and if you can shoot a higher bc bullet at the same speed or higher. It is a huge advantage.

No one shoots a 28 nosler as well as a 7-08. No one. If they say they do they're kidding themselves. There's tons of data on this. The average persons accuracy degrades around 243win and really goes downhill when you get into the 300wm range. This is true of people that shoot 10s of thousands of rounds a year. And is crazy true of the people that dont.
Again this is well studied.
You don't need those magnums unless you only shoot mpbr, which is fine but it's a lot of recoil when you can get it done with a whole lot less. 280ai has long been considered the sheep hunters choice. The difference between 7-08 and 280ai isn't much until about 500y or so. Which is past most people's cold bore shot capability. But again everyone's accuracy increases by reducing recoil.
Doesn't mean people can't hit things with monster cartridges. It's just less likely you will.
Also sheep aren't bullet proof.

 

[Salmonhead]

I've not personally killed a sheep, but several customers have and my brother has killed 3 of them. That said, the reports are sheep are "airy". So they are thicker than a deer but they are not as dense. With that, the ballistic tip is a great solution. The bonded bullets aren't necessary and might not perform as well for you. Same for the barnes. The bt or eldx should do well for you amd have a higher likelihood of anchoring the ram in its tracks. You don't want them falling off a cliff. The 708 doesn't drive them fast enough to blow them apart either.
Which ever you choose, please post pics after your hunt.

 

[HNDLDR]

Ive had terrible terminal performance with ballistic tips and would never consider them on any hunt for any animal of value. If you want to risk using them on a stone sheep hunt. Feel free.

I was just curious. My family has killed 7 deer through the years with the 140gr Ballistic Tip launched 2700 to 2800fps in multiple 7mm-08s. Some quite close, the furthest was 409 yards. Not a single one required a second shot. Not a single bullet stopped in an animal. Internal organ damage was always quite adequate to severe. My only complaint might be a little too much blood shot meat really close. I realize it's not a huge test group.

So anyway I was just wondering how they had failed you so badly.

 

[littlebighorn]

Having taken all four North American Wild Sheep, including a Stone, I can attest from my experience that none of them were hard to kill. The main challenge is to put which ever bullet you choose in the right place.

 

[birddog 68]

Having taken all four North American Wild Sheep, including a Stone, I can attest from my experience that none of them were hard to kill. The main challenge is to put which ever bullet you choose in the right place.

May I ask your cartridge choice for your hunts? Thanks

 

[littlebighorn]

May I ask your cartridge choice for your hunts? Thanks

Interesting question birddog.
My original sheep hunt was in 2004. I chose to tote a 300WSM, mostly because I was hunting in Grizzly country and I didn't want to be under-gunned. I used that rifle for 3 of the 4 sheep because I shot it well and it killed lots of stuff. I shot my last sheep, a Stone, with a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 130g Accubond. I was still hunting in Grizzly country, but by then I figured out that my guide would be packing a bear rifle and Sheep don't need bear medicine.
If I ever get to hunt sheep again, I will take my 6.5x284 shooting a very accurate 124g Hammer Hunter.

 

[birddog 68]

Interesting question birddog.
My original sheep hunt was in 2004. I chose to tote a 300WSM, mostly because I was hunting in Grizzly country and I didn't want to be under-gunned. I used that rifle for 3 of the 4 sheep because I shot it well and it killed lots of stuff. I shot my last sheep, a Stone, with a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 130g Accubond. I was still hunting in Grizzly country, but by then I figured out that my guide would be packing a bear rifle and Sheep don't need bear medicine.
If I ever get to hunt sheep again, I will take my 6.5x284 shooting a very accurate 124g Hammer Hunter.

Thanks for your reply. I might add that is a awesome avatar littlebighorn! Very nice

 

[ofbandg]

I wouldn't say that sheep are any more difficult to kill than a large mule deer buck but I would never say that they are relatively easy. As with all animals it's about placement. I have seen a ram absorb four rounds from two 300 Win Mags before it went down (once they are hit everyone shoots), and I have also seen them go down with one shot and never move. Legal rams are fully developed mature animals, usually at the peak of their strength. Any well constructed bullet will kill if placed properly but a poor shot may require a deep penetrating follow up on an adrenaline pumped animal. The good part of sheep hunting is they are usually in open country so you can get a follow up shot, they are often taken in the middle of the day in good light, and they are well defined unlike shaggy goats or bears so you can see your kill zone. If you are well prepared and find one within range your chances are good, but it is still wise to use a round that will put them down under adverse conditions. My sheep were all shot in the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's so my choices are dated, but my all time favourite is still the Nosler Partition.

 

[Roughrice]

I saw a guy hit a mature Aoudad 4 times with the 143 Eldx from a Creedmoor before it succumbed to the wounds. Two hits back to back at 200 yards and it left the scene. We moved around the mountain and saw it again standing with head hung low. He drilled it again and it stumbled off. He bolted and hit it again and it tumbled.

The next day, same rifle and ammo but different shooter and I (with 6.5-284 and 140 Ballistic Tip) glassed a group on a rocky bluff. We worked around the trees and found a shooting position 360 yards away. We both set up and counted down for simultaneous shots. Mine dropped at the shot and the Creed shot buckled him and he stammered off. We bolted quickly and before he could settle in the scope I put one in the crease between neck and shoulder and it tumbled down dead.

Moral of the story is…At that distance and velocity the ballistic tip did a beautiful job on a fairly tough animal.

 

[Marky_mark]

Having taken all four North American Wild Sheep, including a Stone, I can attest from my experience that none of them were hard to kill. The main challenge is to put which ever bullet you choose in the right place.

Having taken all 4 North American sheep in 4 months, and having started #3 already. I agree Bullet in the right place is key. But the right bullet in the right place makes a difference. Most of mine were taken with my 6.5x284, one with a 257 wby and one with a 300 Norma. High sd high bc bullets going at 2900+ fps works on sheep