Mid-Weight 7mm Mono's for Elk Inside 500yds

[jlarose85]

Looking for some advice from all you elk hunters on here as I start my new custom rifle build. Cartridge will be 280AI, shots will not be past 500yds and I'm a fan of mono metal bullets. As of now I'm considering the Barnes 145LRX and 150TTSX as well as the 145 & 153 Hammer HHT's. What are you all's opinions on the mid-weight 7mm bullets and their effectiveness on elk inside 500yds? Should I be considering heavier than this, or will this more than do the trick?

Appreciate any info and real-world experience you all can offer.

Thanks

 

[jpeaston]

Looking for some advice from all you elk hunters on here as I start my new custom rifle build. Cartridge will be 280AI, shots will not be past 500yds and I'm a fan of mono metal bullets. As of now I'm considering the Barnes 145LRX and 150TTSX as well as the 145 & 153 Hammer HHT's. What are you all's opinions on the mid-weight 7mm bullets and their effectiveness on elk inside 500yds? Should I be considering heavier than this, or will this more than do the trick?

Appreciate any info and real-world experience you all can offer.

Thanks

280ai, 140ttsx, 3090 muzzle velocity. I have always used 500 yards as an elk limit with it, in November my brother shot a very large bull elk at 497 yards in the chest and we recovered the bullet on the back side of the ham up against the hide. Bullet worked great, mushroomed perfectly, bull took a couple of steps and tipped. Also, have shot a mule deer buck at 700 on the dot, which is right at the edge of minimum expansion at that altitude, both one shot kills. Groups really open up after 700 with that particular low bc bullet, so at the end of this load batch, I will try the McGuire Copper Rose. I live in California and have a lot of friends with very positive results from McGuire CR's. If you build it with a twist of 9 or 10, I usually recommend loading the lighter bullets in the low bc copper category, the additional fps will benefit you and penetration won't be an issue. Mine is a 9 twist and if I were doing it today with the new copper bullets on the market, I would definitely run an 8 twist.

 

[jlarose85]

280ai, 140ttsx, 3090 muzzle velocity. I have always used 500 yards as an elk limit with it, in November my brother shot a very large bull elk at 497 yards in the chest and we recovered the bullet on the back side of the ham up against the hide. Bullet worked great, mushroomed perfectly, bull took a couple of steps and tipped. Also, have shot a mule deer buck at 700 on the dot, which is right at the edge of minimum expansion at that altitude, both one shot kills. Groups really open up after 700 with that particular low bc bullet, so at the end of this load batch, I will try the McGuire Copper Rose. I live in California and have a lot of friends with very positive results from McGuire CR's. If you build it with a twist of 9 or 10, I usually recommend loading the lighter bullets in the low bc copper category, the additional fps will benefit you and penetration won't be an issue. Mine is a 9 twist and if I were doing it today with the new copper bullets on the market, I would definitely run an 8 twist.

Thanks for the input! Only thing I have ordered for the rifle at this point is a Bartlein 3B barrel with an 8 twist. I wanted to make sure I had the widest range of options of bullet weights so I wanted the faster twist.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I am a Barnes convert, when the TSX first came out, I had terrible outcomes, so gave away all of my Barnes bullets…
Since 2018, after buying 2 Rem 700 SPS Stainless rifles, the ONLY ammo available was Barnes TTSX & LRX in 7-08 & 300RUM.
What a change, these bullets, 180g TTSX in 300RUM and 145g LRX in 7-08 are so good I bought bulk packs of each to try in my 7STW, 300WM, 264WM & 300Bee.
I will be using the 145g LRX in New Zealand this year in the 7-08, so if it's as good on Red Stag over there as it is on Sambar here, it will be a winner. We're, my Dad and I, are taking 3 rifles, 7-08, custom 264WM and 300RUM. All 3 will have Barnes bullets loaded, but also the 264WM will have 10 rounds of Nosler 150g ABLR, this load is in the .2's for LR hunting, so it's coming too.
Bullet weights as followed:
6.5 127g LRX
7mm 145g LRX
30 180g TTSX.

Cheers.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Had a screamer in a 7RM with the 131 Hammer Hunter at 3504 FPS with RL23. 280AI is close to capacity.

 

[257Tony]

143 Hammer Hunter.

 

[AkleyFan]

I did work-ups on the Barnes 139gr and 145gr LRX - they work out to be almost perfect ballistic equals at the velocities I'm getting in my 2 - 280AI's, both with 8 twist barrels. I settled on the 145gr and am quite happy with them on all the game that I hunt including Elk. I have not tried other manufacturer's mono's. The 140gr TTSX shoots amazing in both my rifles too, but I dropped it for the additional terminal performance of the LRX at longer ranges. JMO and observations.

 

[waspocrew]

I had a good experience with the 145 LRX out of my 7 SAUM this past season. Accounted for 4 animals:
- Bull elk 420 yards
- Whitetail Buck 350 yards
- Whitetail Buck 580 yards
- Mule deer buck 315 yards

All pass throughs. Only complaint would be small exits, but all animals died within sight so no need to track.

 

[AussieWriter]

I am a Barnes convert, when the TSX first came out, I had terrible outcomes, so gave away all of my Barnes bullets…
Since 2018, after buying 2 Rem 700 SPS Stainless rifles, the ONLY ammo available was Barnes TTSX & LRX in 7-08 & 300RUM.
What a change, these bullets, 180g TTSX in 300RUM and 145g LRX in 7-08 are so good I bought bulk packs of each to try in my 7STW, 300WM, 264WM & 300Bee.
I will be using the 145g LRX in New Zealand this year in the 7-08, so if it's as good on Red Stag over there as it is on Sambar here, it will be a winner. We're, my Dad and I, are taking 3 rifles, 7-08, custom 264WM and 300RUM. All 3 will have Barnes bullets loaded, but also the 264WM will have 10 rounds of Nosler 150g ABLR, this load is in the .2's for LR hunting, so it's coming too.
Bullet weights as followed:
6.5 127g LRX
7mm 145g LRX
30 180g TTSX.

Cheers.

I load 145 LRX's in 7x57, 280 Ackley and 7mm Rem. When in Oz, I used 140 X's in a .275 Rigby and took Red stag and brumbies. The X out penetrated even 160gn Failsafes on the brumbies, length ways. You will do very well on the reds in NZ.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I load 145 LRX's in 7x57, 280 Ackley and 7mm Rem. When in Oz, I used 140 X's in a .275 Rigby and took Red stag and brumbies. The X out penetrated even 160gn Failsafes on the brumbies, length ways. You will do very well on the reds in NZ.

This is trip number 8, it's for Dad's 80th Birthday. He doesn't know it, but I built him his own REM 700 Stainless switch barrel in 7-08, it has a 260AI barrel to go with it, but I have only got loads from my own to test, September is a fair way off yet for me to work out a load with the 127g LRX.
He thinks we are taking mine. I built him a 270 for his 70th and he took a 29" Sambar stag with that rifle the weekend after his Birthday. So, let the tradition carry on I say.

Cheers.

 

[AussieWriter]

This is trip number 8, it's for Dad's 80th Birthday. He doesn't know it, but I built him his own REM 700 Stainless switch barrel in 7-08, it has a 260AI barrel to go with it, but I have only got loads from my own to test, September is a fair way off yet for me to work out a load with the 127g LRX.
He thinks we are taking mine. I built him a 270 for his 70th and he took a 29" Sambar stag with that rifle the weekend after his Birthday. So, let the tradition carry on I say.

Cheers.

Good deal. A 29" sambar is terrific.