Best 7mm bullet out to 600 yds

[Chase723]

There's a ton. 600 yards isn't even 50% of the limit of that cartridge. Just don't pick something designed for varmints and you'll probably be happy.

168gr Berger VLD is a classic that works exceptionally well.

180gr ELD-M reportedly also is excellent.

Hammer bullets and Barnes are good monolithic options but I don't shoot them, personally.

 

[freddiej]

At the very least I can put my experiences up in Montana on Elk and Deer at those ranges. anything below 450/500 yards using the Barnes slugs. 120 TSX out to 400 for deer. 140 out to 400/450 for Elk. after that I would use Berger168 for deer or 180 for Elk depending on your twist on your barrel. this is for a 7MM WSM or 7MM Rem Mag case.. any other case would determine when you switch. the STW or RUM would dictate slightly different yardages and loads.

 

[Blue Ridge Rifleman]

They blew up, almost never even penetrated barely the hide behind the shoulder on a rib. I tracked that deer almost all day lucky there was snow on the ground.

It's curious. I've killed dozens of animals including 6 elk with 140 BTs at 3200 fps from 75 yards out to 350 yards. I have never had a performance failure and have never recovered a bullet. Maybe I'm just consistently lucky.

 

[Ingwe]

This last week, brother and I were working with two Rem 700 Sendero's Stainless fluted, bedded with Vias muzzle breaks, Leupold 8-25.

175g Long range accubond
Rem brass
CCI 250
62.5g of R#22
2860 fps
Shot 3/8" groups or less in both rifles, multiple groups fired in each.

R#26 is reported to give 3000 fps with accuracy...next outing will give it a try. We ordered 10 boxes that afternoon.

My load is similar to yours:
175ABLR
63.5gr RL23
Fed Gold March primers
2,815 FPS

 

[Ronald W Schaefer]

DD:
1. Do not use Nos BT bullets for hunting: go with Partitions or Accubond or...the 145 Barnes LRX--in wife's 7mm-08 is a tack driver and deadly
2. In your 7mm Mag, run the 160 gr bullets and don't look back--Pet load in wife's old school SAKO Finnbear is 160 Federal Trophy Bonded ahead of 68 gr. of RL-25; Fed 215 Primer; 2950, smooth, easy load and get's it done. FTB bullet is not my favorite but shot the best and kills stuff...so there ya go.

 

[SergeantD]

so trying to decide on a bullet for hunting. Will be deer hunting Maybe maybe a elk but doubtful. Will keep the range at 600 or less. Most being under 400 Would you run 140 with some speed or something else. 7mm mag 24 in barrel I seem to have a hard time deciding on this. Not sure the heavy high B C bullet is what I need for this application Your thoughts. Thsnks

Hornady ELD-X.....Period!

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

It's curious. I've killed dozens of animals including 6 elk with 140 BTs at 3200 fps from 75 yards out to 350 yards. I have never had a performance failure and have never recovered a bullet. Maybe I'm just consistently lucky.

The earlier BT's had thinner jackets and sometimes blew up too easily at Magnum velocities. Nosler beefed up their jackets when they began to label them 'ballistic tip hunting'

 

[Shooter 69]

Shoot a Berger 168 grain hunting VLD

 

[L.Sherm]

The earlier BT's had thinner jackets and sometimes blew up too easily at Magnum velocities. Nosler beefed up their jackets when they began to label them 'ballistic tip hunting'

I dont think 2800 is magnum velocity's and that's at the muzzle, I'm guessing 2650 when it hit.

 

[Buckmarkhunter]

I shoot 168 Berger's out of my 7mm. I use ham factory ammo works great and clean kills. I shoot to 700 yds at steel all the time.

 

[DKSDonnie]

I have killed white tails with the nosler bt 300 yds did Ok 200 and closer didn't do well at all. That was running about 3200 FPS Have had good luck with the nosler accubonds at all ranges Not

I too have killed deer at those ranges but more than often I lost a lot of deer due to the BT exploding on impact with little or no penetration from WSM's traveling at 3200 fps. I love the accubond for around performance esp on the closer shots up to 200 yds. Once you get over 3,000 fps, I use the accubond or something with a bonded core. The last deer I shot at 125 yds with a 7mm WSM with BT's dead on the shoulder with a dead rest didn't even flinch with very little blood and was never to be found. Never again. If you don't shoot over 300 yds, the 140's are plenty but if you are going to stretch it to 600 yds or go after elk, I prefer the 160's due to BC. Shot placement is also a huge factor.

 

[DKSDonnie]

They blew up, almost never even penetrated barely the hide behind the shoulder on a rib. I tracked that deer almost all day lucky there was snow on the ground.

Same here. Hardly any blood for maybe 75 yds and then nothing. Tracked, circled, backtracked, wandered, and still nothing. He didn't even flinch when hit. I had no snow at all. I was ****ed. I shot him with a 7mm WSM 140 grain BT right behind the shoulder traveling at 3250 fps. At those speeds, esp on those under 200 yd shots I will only use bonded bullets and I like the Accubonds. No more BT's for this guy. BT's are great for those 600 yd shots because the bullet has slowed down enough to penetrate properly before expanding. If they are close, better take a head shot. This is just my experience with BT's. I know others swear by them but I don't trust them.

 

[257RobertsMan]

I admit to not being a fan of tipped bullets as well, but only in some bullet types - particularly in thin-skinned target gullets like the A-MAX. SIL hit an antelope, facing, in toward the front of the backstrap (poor placement for sure) and it traveled down to the left ham. Pretty well shredded the rest of the backstrap and much of the ham. For that matter, I don't like thin-skinned target bullets for game, tipped or not.

The only tipped cup-and-core bullet I've used in my rifles was a 150g BT at less-than-max velocities and 282 yards on a cow elk. It was down before I recovered from the recoil.

[Edit to add]
Correction. I used a 95g SST in a used .2343 Win I picked up on an antelope doe. The SST load was the only load I developed because a) it was the first, b) it shot bug holes, and c) I ran out of time. Had planned to develop a load for the 90g AB but didn't get to it. The SST did the job with no issues, but I've since switched back to my .257 Roberts/110AB/3163fps, which has taken a lot of antelope over the years.
[End edit]

With TTSX I've seen a couple failures - both with the tip coming off in the action. The problem was traced to the noobie shooter jamming a bullet from the magazine into one that had been hand loaded into the chamber.

Other than that, no problems with AB (which we use a lot and TTSX (which we use even more). I think the Federal Edge TLR may be the best hunting bullet design ever, at least conceptually, although I have yet to try them on game..

I have an excellent load worked up for the 90g NAB in my daughter's 243. I like it so well I sometimes use her gun myself. I really enjoy shooting my son's and my matched pair of Browning 257 Roberts. I load a lot of AB's and tried the 110g but couldn't get anywhere near your velocity. Any tips or pointers on your load would be greatly appreciated. Sorry op, don't mean to hi-jack your post.

 

[Dbranch]

160 game king has preformed well for me out to 400yds on deer. pushed by 65gr of Rl22 at 3000fps The Load makes a ragged 1 hole group at 100yds The game king has low BC and I don't use that set up for long range but it kills. Some will tell you not too but matchkings, ELD match and BTHP match have served me well past 400yds. No problems with performance most not making it 30yds after hit but I pick my shots. Have fun and always work your loads up slowly