What bullet weight 1/10 7mm08 26" @2800-2850 fps

[VaqueroApache]

Just wanted to say HELLO!! Came here to find out if anyone knows what is actually recommended bullet weight for 7mm08 with 1/10 twist doing 2800-2850 fps out of a 26 inch extra heavy barrel #8 straight contour Douglas barrel. I have used Speer 145 SPBT and 145 SPBT Match for years and always maintained 1/4 to 1/2 with the Match and 1/2 to 7/8 with the regular boat tails. I have shot it out to a 1000 yds with this setup and Match bullets using a cheater card attached to my rifle from actual shooting to that distance. I started using my rifle for deer hunting and just want to load something other than the 100 grain Hornady's I use for coyotes and load something else to keep me busy. Any recommendations from anyone with the info I have provided is much appreciated..

 

[barnesuser28]

If it is just for deer hunting then the 139 grain Hornady Interbond would be perfect. If elk is also on the kill list then the 145 grain Barnes LRX would be a great choice. I am shooting the 140 grain ttsx and 145 grain Lrx out of my 7mm-08 and i am going to use the 145 for elk this year.

 

[VaqueroApache]

Barnesuser28,
Thank you for the recommendation. thats the same bullet my son and I had been looking at at Bass Pro Shop.. If anyone has any other recommends with that 1/10" twist I'd like to read them.. Thank you again.

 

[J E Custom]

For deer sized game I found the 120 grain Ballistic tip to be the best.

I tried all of the other bullet weights and designs and they all shot well but the deer
allways ran 10 to 40 yards after a perfict hit.

With the 120s they hit the ground where they stand. I had trouble at first believing it but
after many DRT kills I was convinced that it had something to do with energy transfer,
velocity and bullet design combination.

The most accurate load I have with it is 41.5 gr of H414 @ 3010 ft/sec. .053 5 shot group.
The fastest accurate load is 45.4 grs Varget @ 3150 ft/sec .077 5 shot group (100 yards).

The 140s that I tried in a 1 in 10 twist just never got the accuracy of the 120s.

I went to a 1 in 9 twist and the 140s were more accurate but still did not perform like the
120s on deer.

Also on 168+grain bullets the 1 in 9 or 1 in 8.5 were nessary for accuracy shots over 600 yards.

J E CUSTOM

 

[VaqueroApache]

Thank you J.E. CUSTOM for your recommendation. We actually have a box of 168 grain match to play around with, just never used it. I knew it was the wrong twist for that weight, but couldn't help myself. Thanks again.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I sold my 7-08 after using it on deer with a 120. Needless to say two 120 sierra pills in a row didn't make it in broadside out of a 20" m7 stainless. I went up to the stunned deer and shot it at 10 yards with my dad's 44. It didn't die. I proceeded to holster the pistol which by now had snow in it's barrel from ****ing with the deer. I then gave said deer a left hook which knocked it stone cold, drug it back to the truck, and put it out with a pistol from the truck. I gave up on light-weight bullets in 7-08 after that and traded the dang rifle for a 44 mag of my own.
Moral of the story-- don't use light weight bullets when you actually want to kill what you are shooting. I won't use under 140 grain bullets in any 7mm now.

 

[Joe King]

The load I've been loading for my daughters 7mm-08:
49gr RL19
CCI200
140gr Nosler BT
Winchester cases

I never did run it across a chrony, but it was consistent MOA with one of the roughest barrels I've ever seen, Nosler manual states it at 2900

This year I'm going to change it to a 150gr Nosler partition, still with RL19

 

[jimbires]

I use hornady 139 SST's , with IMR4064 powder in my tikka . I use 140 berger hunting with RL17 in my rem . I have not got a kill with the bergers yet , but the SST's are a dandy whitetail bullet . Jim

 

[VaqueroApache]

I'd like to THANK the three of you for your informational feedback. I will keep it in mind as I decide what to go buy to reload. I really do APPRECIATE the load info as well. When I decide what to get and work u p a load I will post her for you all to know what result I achieved. Thank you all again..

 

[J E Custom]

I sold my 7-08 after using it on deer with a 120. Needless to say two 120 sierra pills in a row didn't make it in broadside out of a 20" m7 stainless. I went up to the stunned deer and shot it at 10 yards with my dad's 44. It didn't die. I proceeded to holster the pistol which by now had snow in it's barrel from ****ing with the deer. I then gave said deer a left hook which knocked it stone cold, drug it back to the truck, and put it out with a pistol from the truck. I gave up on light-weight bullets in 7-08 after that and traded the dang rifle for a 44 mag of my own.
Moral of the story-- don't use light weight bullets when you actually want to kill what you are shooting. I won't use under 140 grain bullets in any 7mm now.

Sorry you had such bad luck with the 708 and 120 grain bullets .

What 120 bullet did you try? I use 140s, 150s and 160s in all of my larger 7mm rifles but 120s
Exclusively now in the 7/08.

Not counting the Three I have owned I have built Nine other 7/08s and all of the owners have
gravitated to the 120 grain Ballistic tips after trying every bullet under the sun.

Larger bullets are great for targets and hunting with other cartriges but the 7/08 seems to be
an exception from what I have seen.

I also tried other 120 grain bullets and was disappointed with all of them. They were eather to
explosive or they would not expand at all (Probably due to the 7/08s velocity at the POI.

I have made one shot (DRT) kills beyond 500 yards with both my 7/08 pistol and my 20"barrel
7/08 rifle. I have also killed some very large pigs from 50 to 800 yards and one shot is all that
it took. some of the pigs did run, but not over 50 to 60 yards.

As i said , It does go against the traditional long range logic but I can only relate what has
happened to me with the 120 BTs.

I wish Nosler would make a 120 Accubond, I would have to try it out.

I would be interested in what 120 bullet you tried and what the results were with that bullet.

J E CUSTOM

 

[barnesuser28]

Sorry you had such bad luck with the 708 and 120 grain bullets .

What 120 bullet did you try? I use 140s, 150s and 160s in all of my larger 7mm rifles but 120s
Exclusively now.

Not counting the Three I have owned I have built Nine other 7/08s and all of the owners have
gravitated to the 120 grain Ballistic tips after trying every bullet under the sun.

Larger bullets are great for targets and hunting with other cartriges but the 7/08 seems to be
an exception from what I have seen.

I also tried other 120 grain bullets and was disappointed with all of them. They were eather to
explosive or they would not expand at all (Probably due to the 7/08s velocity at the POI.

I have made one shot (DRT) kills beyond 500 yards with both my 7/08 pistol and my 20"barrel
7/08 rifle. I have also killed some very large pigs from 50 to 800 yards and one shot is all that
it took. some of the pigs did run, but not over 50 to 60 yards.

As i said , It does go against the traditional long range logic but I can only relate what has
happened to me with the 120 BTs.

I wish Nosler would make a 120 Accubond, I would have to try it out.

I would be interested in what 120 bullet you tried and what the results were with that bullet.

J E CUSTOM

J E CUSTOM have you tried the 140 grain Barnes TTSX or 145 LRX? What were you're results? I am hunting elk this year with my 7/08 with either the 145 grain Barnes LRX or the 140 grain Barnes TTSX. I will use the 145 LRX if i can get a load that shoots better than the load i have now with the 140 TTSX.

 

[J E Custom]

J E CUSTOM have you tried the 140 grain Barnes TTSX or 145 LRX? What were you're results? I am hunting elk this year with my 7/08 with either the 145 grain Barnes LRX or the 140 grain Barnes TTSX. I will use the 145 LRX if i can get a load that shoots better than the load i have now with the 140 TTSX.

I did not have much luck with the Barnes @ anything 200 yards + because of 7/08 velocities
(avg 2200 ft/sec over 200 yards) but they worked well in my 7 STW pushed beyond a mv of
3450 ft/sec

On large game like Elk I would use the 150 ballistic or the 160 Accubond because of it's
predictably. I am a believer in 225, 250 grain .338 bullets for elk so I have never shot one
with the 7/08.

I would not recomend the 120 for Elk because of there size and weight. I have no doubt that
it would kill them if shot placement was behind the shoulder, but You would have to track
them and in some areas that can be bad.

I would recomend a larger cartrige with lots more energy but if that's all you have then keep
the distance to the point that impact velocity will be above 2400 ft/sec.

The Barnes should do ok if you hit heavy muscle (Like the neck)But the energy with the 7/08
drops below 1500 ft/lbs around 250 yards and that would be My limit with any bullet on Elk.

The 7/08 is one of my favorite calibers and I have killed more game with it than all other
cartriges put together but it does have it's limits like all cartriges.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

 

[barnesuser28]

I did not have much luck with the Barnes @ anything 200 yards + because of 7/08 velocities
(avg 2200 ft/sec over 200 yards) but they worked well in my 7 STW pushed beyond a mv of
3450 ft/sec

On large game like Elk I would use the 150 ballistic or the 160 Accubond because of it's
predictably. I am a believer in 225, 250 grain .338 bullets for elk so I have never shot one
with the 7/08.

I would not recomend the 120 for Elk because of there size and weight. I have no doubt that
it would kill them if shot placement was behind the shoulder, but You would have to track
them and in some areas that can be bad.

I would recomend a larger cartrige with lots more energy but if that's all you have then keep
the distance to the point that impact velocity will be above 2400 ft/sec.

The Barnes should do ok if you hit heavy muscle (Like the neck)But the energy with the 7/08
drops below 1500 ft/lbs around 250 yards and that would be My limit with any bullet on Elk.

The 7/08 is one of my favorite calibers and I have killed more game with it than all other
cartriges put together but it does have it's limits like all cartriges.

Just my opinion

J E CUSTOM

It's the 7/08 or a 7.5 pound unbraked 300 Rum shooting 180 grain pills. BTW I've shot it before and it isn't fun. We will have the 338 Lapua for anything past 300 yards.

 

[J E Custom]

It's the 7/08 or a 7.5 pound unbraked 300 Rum shooting 180 grain pills. BTW I've shot it before and it isn't fun. We will have the 338 Lapua for anything past 300 yards.

I hear you.

I have an 8.5 lb 416 that is un-breaked and that is just about the limit of my fun shooting.

I also have a wildcat 416 Buffalo based of the 375 RUM that is un-breaked but it weighs
just under 13 pounds and pushes 400 grain bullets @2650 ft/sec plus.

Sounds like you are good to go with the 338 Lapua. My go to for Elk at present is the .338 rum
with 250 grain pills that is good to 1100 yards before it drops below the energy that I like to have.

When It cools down a bit I will get back to testing my latest wildcat called a 338 super based
of an improved 375 RUM that holds between 115 and 119 grains of powder depending on
the type of powder.

It should bump my distance 3 to 400 yards more than the RUM and also manage the 300 grain
bullets well.

The 7/08 will serve you well with any bullet if you keep the distance down.

PS : put a break on that 300 and it will do it all.

J E CUSTOM