7mm-08 pet hunting loads/bullets?

[riverratt]

Im gonna pick up a savage 7mm-08 friday and im just wondering if anyone has favorite powder and bullet combo for whitetails inside 250yrds. Most shots will be within 100yrds. Thanks.

[jmorris]

I always had good results with 748 and 139g Nosler partitions on deer and hogs, at the ranges your looking at they can even be pretty mild loads.

[CarJunkieLS1]

Speer 130gr Hot-Cor. I'm using IMR4064 its accurate and consistent. 2900fps with that bullet equals light recoil and dead deer.

[green_MTman]

140 gr sierra game king

Varget is a great 7mm-08 powder

[Panfisher]

My favorite 7-08 load so far has been a 120 gr. Barnes X, over some IMR 4895 my rifle loves that combo and no deer has ever survived its wrath. Have also used 130 Speer Hot cor, didn't like it that well may just have been me, 140 grain Rem Cor-lokt, very boring deer killing bullet, and a several others, the 7-08 is a very boringly consistent killer of deers.

[Brian Pfleuger]

At that distance, light and fast rules the day.

I shoot 110gr Barnes TTSX in my 15" Encore Pro Hunter. I get 2,850fps in that but you can get 3,300 in a 24" barrel.

Thor's Hammer.

[CarJunkieLS1]

Panfisher what didn't you like about the speer hotcor? I like them on paper and my limited experience with them say they are g2g. Did u experience failures with them?

[Panfisher]

ILike I said it may just be me, I shot one deer at close (20 yards) range with a 130 gr. Hot Cor, it bolted and ran (no problem I usually expect that), and heard it crash about 60 yards away in the timber (again fairly common). Could not find a blood trail until withing about 15 yards of where it fell, at thot point it could be followed by feel, small button buck. They shot fine, and at the time I was expiramenting and found the Barnes 120 gr. and never looked back.

[A400 Fan]

Mine likes 760 with a 140, usually a Nosler BT or Partition.

[CarJunkieLS1]

Panfisher thats nice to know. Did the bullet exit or did it seem to fail. I suppose it worked as you did recover the deer. Do you happen to know what velocity the speer was going at. BTW thats a nice choice in bullet I wish my rifle shot the ttsx's well

[ritepath]

Interested in this thread. I'm wanting to pick up a 08 for myself, and start reloading for my sons and (hopefully mine)

Most all shots would be withing 250 yards.

[jimbob86]

Depends on the 7-08 ...... My Frontier likes 139 gr Hornady Soft points over 38grains of IMR4064 .... but that's a reduced recoil load tailored to it's 16" barrell ...... my brother loads Ballistic Tips over a large charge of one of the 4350's (I forget which) for his daughter's A-Bolt ....... same caliber, totally different cats.

[riverratt]

140 gr sierra game king

Varget is a great 7mm-08 powder

I really like sierra bullets and love the 165gr hpbt game king in the .30cal.

Im assumeing you are talking about the spbt bullet. Does it hold up well or does it blow up?

[mags2079]

have that same rifle it like large magnum primed, 31 grains of h335 and 160 serria game kings. going yo try reloader 17 and hornedy 155 bullets

[jimbob86]

Im assumeing you are talking about the spbt bullet. Does it hold up well or does it blow up?

Depends entrirely on impact velocity.

I use the 150gr .277" BTSP Gameking in my .270WIN ...... velocity at the muzzle chrono's @ 2900+ ...... at under 100 yards, it comes apart 2-3" inside a deer's chest. Past that, it mushrooms nicely, to way out past Ft. Mudge.

I don't think the .284" Gameking bullets are constructed any differently.

[Doyle]

My Frontier likes 139 gr Hornady Soft points over 38grains of IMR4064 .... but that's a reduced recoil load tailored to it's 16" barrell

I bought a box of those to load for my 15" Encore barrel - then I lost access to a reloading setup (buddy lost it in a divorce). It's probably still laying around in a box somewhere. Maybe one day I'll either get to use them.

[jimbob86]

then I lost access to a reloading setup

A Lee Handpress kit can be had for under 100 bucks, complete. Fits in a shoebox, and can be used anywhere...... just sayin' ......

[Doyle]

A Lee Handpress kit can be had for under 100 bucks, complete. Fits in a shoebox, and can be used anywhere...... just sayin' ......

I've actually thought about that but I don't see how it could have enough force to do a good full-length resizing job on rifle ammo. On pistol ammo, it might be worth a shot.

Then again, if I bought one I'd be looking to lay out for a really good scale and it would escalate from there. I just know it would.

[jimbob86]

I don't see how it could have enough force to do a good full-length resizing job on rifle ammo.

It's brass vs. steel ...... I'm not the Incredible Hulk, by any means, but I have no problem full length sizing cases with mine.

We did a couple hundred rifle rounds in an afternoon while camping on Father's Day ...... 30-30 and 7-08, all full length sized ...... we got an assembly line going around the picnic table, one person doing each step of case prep and then when all the cases were done, changed the die out, two people used a dipper to charge the cases, one placed placed a bullet on it and handed it to the guy with the press who seated it...... we crimped the 30-30's as a separate operation (one more die change) ....... but it worked pretty slick.

[Doyle]

Dang Jim, now you've got me thinking about spending more money. Lets see, I'd need a good scale with funnels, good calipers, maybe a set of Wilson case gauges for each caliber I reload, a tumbler, etc. I just know this is going to cause marital issues.

[jimbob86]

Need is often confused with want.

Calipers are a need.

A decent scale comes with the Lee kit, IIRC.

As does a funnel, case lube .... case trimmer , dies, etc.

All the rest is "nice to have".

[Mobuck]

I'm a big fan of Nosler Ballistic Tips for deer. 140 grain w/H414 in 7x57/7mm08 works for me.

[oldscot3]

I had a Rem 700 VS; when I hunted deer with it I used Speer 145 gr. flatbase softpoints with WW 760. Very accurate and hard hitting. From my blind, I once shot a big feral hog at approximately 225 yards. The Speer struck him in the neck, just at the base of the scull and blew right through. DRT as you would expect. I also harvested many a white tail with good results.

In my experience, the 708 is a very versatile and flexible cartridge for reloading, you won't be disappointed and probably will get good results from many of the loads you try. If you don't, you may have a problem with your rifle.

[NHSHOOTER]

my pet load for my Rem model 7 is 140 gr ballistic tip over 42 gr varget, cant tell you how it performs on deer, havent shot one with it yet, but it shoots 1" groups at 100yds.
second in line, I have been getting real nice groups with 145 gr speer spbt. over 46 gr of H380.
Last but not least, I got invited to hunt black bears over bait next month so I have worked up a load for those. 150 gr Nosler partitions over 40 gr of IMR4895.
I call these good loads because they all shoot 1" or under at 100yds if I do my part.

[std7mag]

Mine is a 140 Gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip over 41.4 Gr. of Reloader 17.

No it's not a barn burner, but is the "accuracy" load for my Stevens 200.
Shoots well out to 300 yards.

If I need more power, I always have the Rem Mag.


That being said, I just loaded up some rounds to find my "accuracy load" with Reloader 19.