Ok guys , again I want to thank everyone for all the info and encouragement. I'm soaking it all in. I now have gathered 10 boxes of ammo. I am heading out to the ranch Saturday morning. I'll shoot 3 to 4 bullets out of each box. So 30 or 40 shots. My question is how long should I wait between shots? Should I shoot 4 shots of one box and wait 5 minutes ? Wait 10 minutes? Don't wait at all and just shoot 'em up? My thoughts are a cold barrel will give a difference chrono MV than a hot barrel. How should I go about this?
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A Baffling Buffet of Bullets
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john k
Well-Known Member
Keep us posted. So thankful I handoad for my '08. Yes, be cognizant of barrel temp.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
Not sure about your temp but 40 shots from one rifle is a long day with proper barrel cooling. I'd split into two sessions if possible.
Some people use a portable fan to cool down the barrel which supposedly speeds up the process.
Some people use a portable fan to cool down the barrel which supposedly speeds up the process.
59FLH
Well-Known Member
how long should I wait between shots?
I wait until the barrel is cool to the touch (ambient) before starting another group. You might consider cleaning the barrel between groups while its cooling. Your style, your decision.
IMO, the first shot, cold shot, clean shot, is the most important shot when hunting.
I wait until the barrel is cool to the touch (ambient) before starting another group. You might consider cleaning the barrel between groups while its cooling. Your style, your decision.
IMO, the first shot, cold shot, clean shot, is the most important shot when hunting.
Wow... That's quite a selection of ammo.
If you have a preference in bullet weight or between cup and core or copper monos, you can eliminate a good chunk of your testing time.
Another great 7-08 factory round is Nosler 120 Ballistic Tip.
If you have a preference in bullet weight or between cup and core or copper monos, you can eliminate a good chunk of your testing time.
Another great 7-08 factory round is Nosler 120 Ballistic Tip.
Trying to find a copper mono that will preform at 400yards. But will use whatever works. I was wanting to test the Nosler 120's just forgot to order those. Maybe on the next trip.
On the shooting I'll definitely be mindful of the barrel temp.
Great idea to split the shooting up. The weather app is showing a 30° temp swing each day at the ranch so I I'll have at least 3 mornings of trigger time.
adam32+P
Well-Known Member
Start with those 120gr Fusions...you probably won't need to test anything else after that.
I wouldn't say that I'm hell bent but I'll give a little back story of why I have chosen a 7mm08 and my wanting to use a copper mono at 400yards. In 2012 I bought some land in the middle of nowhere. When my kids started hunting I was looking for a caliber they could handle at 10yrs old for WT and such but could potentially hunt elk with later in life if they wanted. The 7mm08 seemed to a good choice. If we are out at the ranch it's a 4hr round trip to get some bullets if you forget to bring any. So I bought them the same caliber and now one for me. Shot Hornady SST's for a long time. Then one day watching a Steven Rinella show where they cooked a deer heart. I decided to try it. But those SST's sling lead everywhere. Not particularly interested in eating any lead so I changed over to the GMX's. They work good 200yrd or so, our stand setups are 100 to 150 yards. I put up a new stand and started seeing deer out to 600yards at that spot. I'm not going to shoot that far. If I see them I will easily be able to get out of the stand and close the distance somewhere between 200 and 400yrds. The things we do for a deer!
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
I love me some deer heart!
I understand your experience with SST.
My son shot a couple of deer right behind the shoulder in the heart/lung zone and they fragmented so badly that the entire gut was perforated and blended a nasty soup of the entire inside that made a mess when cleaning and will ruin your meat if not washed off soon enough.
Keep us posted.
My son shot a couple of deer right behind the shoulder in the heart/lung zone and they fragmented so badly that the entire gut was perforated and blended a nasty soup of the entire inside that made a mess when cleaning and will ruin your meat if not washed off soon enough.
Keep us posted.
My experience also. I am somewhat a Hornady superfan. So I am not knocking them or SST's at all. I choose those bullets for my kids to use for precisely that effect. I wanted the animal down quick so they could be successful with one shot. Just moving in a different direction now.
