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

[Goldengun]

Without crunching the numbers I'll take a higher BC and more Energy for 1000 Alex!

 

[Raudy707]

The barrel length is gonna be critical in determining the start up velocity. Out to 500 yds it's gonna be splitting hairs.

 

[Raudy707]

Here's my daughter's rifle. Browning micro medallion 20 bbl length
140 Accubond .485 BC 2730 fps
500 yds 2052 velocity 1310 ft lbs
8.3 moa drop 2.8 drift for 10 mph

150 eld x .574 BC 2608 fps
500 yds 2038 velocity 1384 ft lbs
10.2 moa drop 2.5 drift for 10 mph

We just couldn't get the start up velocity even with Rldr 17. So we had a inferior powder vs H4350 and it wasn't nearly as accurate. 1.1 moa vs .389 at 300 yds. Choice was easy for me.

 

[Goldengun]

I don't know what you hunt or where
But there is no animal I've ever hunted where my first choice for bullets would be a ballistic tip. If I'm after ultimate accuracy, it's a berger. If I need penetration, it's an a frame.

it wouldn't be my first choice either, but the evidence out there is overwhelming that BT's are flat out killers, and I've used them myself many times. It's funny, you don't need accuracy or penetration with them, and they still kill, ask me how I know!

 

[Raudy707]

Agreed x2 with @Goldengun . We've killed about 50 freezers full of game with ballistic tips including elk when we didn't know any better. Hogs, bears, deer. The bullet is justified and as accurate as any out there. The 120 BT is a deer killing thing of beauty out of a 7mm-08. I'd hate to admit how many big game animals I've killed with a 25-06 and a 115 BT. Same goes for the 180 grainer out of 300 win mag. Been pretty magical over my 35 years in the mountains.

 

[Goldengun]

No love for Berger VLD Hunters? I've gotten excellent results (DRT) on whitetail. StaBall pushes the 140 to 2950 with no pressure signs at all. I like the idea of monos, or partitions.. but the VLDs just go so far (staying above 2000 fps) and the rifle loves them, 1/2 MOA. Sheep may be tougher than whitetail
Let the Berger bashing begin

just picked up some 135 classics for my 260AI, the 130VLD'S worked great. It would defin

 

[Goldengun]

just picked up some 135 classics for my 260AI, the 130VLD'S worked great. It would defin

...definitely do the job!

 

[TK 1985]

I'm partial to the ELD-X bullets but I've seen it mentioned, and I agree, that I'd be going with whatever the rifle likes. Shot placement is more important than almost everything else.

 

[284wins]

In the list it would be 150gr eld-x. Have tryed the 178gr in 308win, works great.

But if you can find some 160gr speer btsp... have tested 150-180gr in 308 up to 600yds and in 7mm mag 160gr. No game will walk from one off these

 

[PredatorSlayer45]

Between these, what would be your pick for shots 500 yards and in, out of a 7mm-08?

Assume all have equal accuracy out of the rifle

Hands down partition or accubond 140gr. I've killed better than 4/5 of all North American Game with those 2 bullets

 

[Allen Lone wolf]

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.

My brother does. He uses one of these.

 

[george vasiliou]

How about the 140 grain Berger. I've been using that in my 7-08 for a long time and seems to kill pretty much everything.

 

[Allen Kitts]

I would add the accubonds to the list. They have been great out of my 6.5 PRC on game considerably larger than Sheep out to 500. If your dead set on the ones in the list my vote would be fore the Barnes. I've killed elk with 100 Grain TTSX bullets out of a 257 Bee for years. Longest kill shot was just under 500 on a 5 x 6 Bull Elk.

 

[pjracer]

140 grain accubond are available at multiple locations. I know it's not on your list but should be.

+1