I have recently purchased a 7mm-08 and am in the process of working up some good handloads.

The bullet I have chosen is the 140gn Nosler Ballistic Tip, am using AR2208 powder and Winchester Primers.

I would be interested to hear of others favourite loads for the 7mm-08 and the muzzle velocity that you get.

The muzzle velocity on my load is 2785 fps- I would like to be able to take animals out to 600 yds- Has anyone else taken long range animals with the 7mm-08.

In New Zealand my main game animals are Red deer, Fallow deer, Tahr and Chamios.

The 7mm-08 is a great cartridge. I have a Model Seven with an 18 inch barrel and have shot elk in excess of 400 yards with it using 140 grain Nosler Partitions. I will try and find the load I was using. But I believe it was with 4064 powder. I also used the 139 gr. hornady for deer hunting. It was an extremely accurate load out of that tiny barrel. Usually shot .7 inch groups. My wife is in the Army and stationed in Hawaii, and I believe I have my load data there. I am currently in Minnesota working on a house so it might be awhile til I can retrieve it.
Keith

I like the 7-08 with the 140 NBTs and RL-19. I have used this combo for deer and antelope out to 400 yards (antelope) with great bullet performance (one shot kills). My experiences are somewhat different than many in that I almost always get complete penetration. The one bullet that I did recover was in a deer shot at about 40 yards. The bullet penetrated the front left shoulder, heart and lungs, coming to rest just under skin/ribs on the right side. Although the core did partially separate from the jacket, it reatained about 40% of it's original weight.

With all do respect. why would you need to shoot so far ! I bought a 7mm STW for just that purpose and I learned that on deer I better get closer than that ! But if you are determined to shoot that far, good powders for the 7mm08 are Varget RL-15 and IMR 4064, All worked well in both of the 7mm08s I have owned.
...tj3006

Steve, I too recently bought a new 7-08 Remington and am well pleased with the cartridge.

My best load for my Remington 700 Mountain Rifle so far has been the 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip loaded in a Remington case with a WLR primer and a max load of Varget. In my 22 inch barrel I get 2840 fps and the best three shot group I have fired with it measured 0.57 inches.

I am not sure I would shoot at any unwounded game animal at 600 yards with a 7-08, but I guess it could be done. The rifle silhouette guys shoot rams at 500 meters offhand with the 7-08 all the time. I just do not care to shoot at game that far away.

The only game I have killed with the new 7-08 has been a nice wild hog shot at 50 yards with the 140 grain Nosler Accubond, worked great.

Good luck with the new gun, R F

140s with the 708 is a great combination. Several powders will work well. My favorite happens to be H380, 46.8 gr if I recall with Sierra 140 SBTs and .5 moa. it chronos an ave of 2868 fps.

I recently bought a 7 08 also and have been tesing loads. Everything I have tried has shot under an inch. This is incredible!!! I finally have narrowed my choice between the 140 gr nosler bt and the 140 gr sierra boat tail both with 48 gr charge of H4350. With either bullet I get less than .5 inch groups at 100 yards. The books I have list H380 and IMR 4350 and H4350 powders as top choices for accuracy while both 4350's have better velocity.

Gidday Steve,
600 yards is a long shot, at what distance are you sighting in?

quote:

Originally posted by oldun:
Gidday Steve,
600 yards is a long shot, at what distance are you sighting in?

I agree, 600yds is a long shot, its not a shot I would take as a matter of course. I prefer to stalk in as close as possible but I want to be comfortable with shooting confidently at longer ranges should I need to. In New Zealand, especially on the tops it can be difficult to stalk close enough.

I plan to have the 7mm-08 zeroed at 200yds, I have a VXIII 4.5-14x40 ready to install- I sent it to the Leupold custom shop and am having a target adjustment turret installed for elevation. I will range test it out to 600yds making note of the setting so I can aim straight at the target. On my other rifle I write this load data on the inside of the flip up lens cover- nice and handy to read.

In New Zealand I have found the likes of Hodgdon and Vitavourhi powders to be too expensive. For that reason I have chosen ADI AR2208- it is made in Australia, is cheap and is always available.

Is it true that ADI powders are the same as Varget??

Hi Steve,I have used 140gr B.T in my 7mm mag on Fallow if you want them for meat neck shoot them as the B.T can make a hell of a mess of the poor little fallow.140gr partition and 139gr Hornady interlock are two good bullets and should hold together better on Thar and reds.

As stated before, Varget/RL15/IMR4064 are "must trys" with the 7-08.

Deke.

On the subject of the 7mm/08, it seems that with 140gn,2800fps is easily achievable in 22"barrels.Now, What could one expect in extra vel. if:
- we load it to 3" c.o.l. instead of 2.8" and,
- fire it out of a 26" tube?

also when we AI it, what dimensions change?the std. shoulder dia. is already .454". I just cannot see how you can improve the std 7mm08 that much to make a difference.

I've spent the last couple of weeks working up a 7mm-08 load for the Barnes 140 TSX. I have settled on 45gr of RL-15 for 2,850 fps over the cronograph with an ES of 14. This is the most consistant load I could come up with and groups at .75"-1". This IS a hot load but no excessive pressure signs in my rifle, which happens to be a Savage Scout with a 20" barrel. My ballistics program shows a point blank range for a 7" vital zone to be 302 yards with a 257 yard zero with 1,680 ft/lbs of energy at 300 yards.

wcwest,

2850fps and 45gr out of a 20" barrel, I would definately call that MAX. I can't imagine more than 43.5 of RL15 w/140gr bullets and that is significantly further than the bullet manuf manuals recomend. I would be interested to find out the brass your using, what kind of brass life you get, and what the computer programs calculate your pressure to be.

I shot 43.4gr w/139SST's for a hair over 2900fps in a 22" barrel. I have settled on 43.0gr IMR4064 w/139's (which is also Ken Water's max) for 2856fps and STUNNING groups (on Monday I was comparing my 168MK's @ 385m and the 139's shot a 1.5" 4rd group) with a Rem700ADL. My 168MK group was only slightly better at that range.

Deke.

According to Barnes data the 140 XLC max load of RL-15 is 45 gr. Currently, Barnes has no data on the TSX but states the TSX is very close to the XLC in ballistic (velocity/pressure) performance but without the coating. This is what I based my max load estimate on. Like I said, no signs of dangerous pressures (case head expansion, badly cratered primers or loose primer pockets). The cases are once fired Winchester that were weight sorted, neck sized, neck turned and primed with CCI BR.

Steve,
According to Reloaders in Auckland, the following powders are the same;

ADI.......... Hodgdon

AR2208 .... Varget

AR2209 .... H4350

AR2213SC.. H4831SC.

It's my understanding that the Hodgdon Powders above are made by ADI of Australia.


Steve, I recommend you verify same before acting on my advice.

The 7mm08 is my favorite gun to shoot and I have some very good recipes that work great in my Rem 700.
Rem Brass, CCI BR2, Varget 44.5, Barnes TSX 140
H4350EXT 48.5, Barnes TSX 140
H4350EXT 43.8, Sierra 160 HPBT Gameking (Most Accurate)
IMR 4895 38.0, Sierra 160 HPBT Gameking

The above loads are tight groups with no pressure signs.

wcwest,

I and many others have found Barnes data to be VERY hot. I have found that the XLC can take an inordinate amount of powder and this bullet is my favorite 30cal Elk bullet generating at least 1-2% more velocity than the TSX's. Barnes is right that the TSX comes close, but not the same. Brass life will tell. If you are trashing brass with less than 4 reloads you are way too hot in my opinion. I call 10 reloads very safe. I do have some reloads that only have 5 reloads life and that is definately max. I would be careful with that load, especially if your ammo gets warm.

Deke.

Gidday Steve,

Olduns got it dead right with his hodgdon - ADI ratings. ADI makes the powder for Hodgdon. Also the ADI website has great load data on their website.

There is a link to it on the thread about 243 & 260 powder problems on the small calibre forum.

That is one really useful website.

You should have no problems with the 140 gr Ballistic Tips. A mate of mine uses them out of his 7x64 and has taken everything from waps to hares without a failure.

They are eminently suited to our game here.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

I have now shot a few animals with the 7mm-08 using 14ogn Nosler ballistic tips.

First animal was a Fallow spiker shot at 284yds through the shoulder, he wasnt going anywhere but did not die instantly.

Next I shot 5 Tahr ranging in size from Nannies through Juvenile bulls to finally a mature bull. Tahr are pretty tough customers and the 7mm-08 worked a treat, I lost one big bull from a running shot, the other five were good. The Tahr were not leaving any blood behind despite good sized exit wounds- I cant figure that out.

Overall pretty impressed

Just started loading for the 7mm-08 last year.
I got a Mod 7 18" bbl. for the wife a while ago and she really never shot it much but now my son is absolutely in love with it.

The best loads I have come up with so far are;

Rem cases and Fed 210 primers

120 gr. Nosler Bal-tip
44.5 grs. Rx 15

130 gr. Speer spitzer
45.0 IMR4064

130 gr. Speer spitzer
50.0 H-4350

All these group well under an inch at 100 yds.

The 120gr Nos load will average 4" at 300 yds.

I'm quite pleased with this rifle and cartridge.. It's a good one for anyone, but especially good for youngsters

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight:
The 7mm08 is my favorite gun to shoot and I have some very good recipes that work great in my Rem 700.
Rem Brass, CCI BR2, Varget 44.5, Barnes TSX 140
H4350EXT 48.5, Barnes TSX 140
H4350EXT 43.8, Sierra 160 HPBT Gameking (Most Accurate)
IMR 4895 38.0, Sierra 160 HPBT Gameking

The above loads are tight groups with no pressure signs.

The first load listed with the Varget and the 140 TSX gets 2830fps in a 20 inch barrel and shoots 3/8" groups consistently. I have a glassed action and floated heavy barrel in my Rem 700.

quote:

also when we AI it, what dimensions change?the std. shoulder dia. is already .454". I just cannot see how you can improve the std 7mm08 that much to make a difference.

Woodjack,
The diameter at the 40 degree shoulder in my 7-08AI is .461". It is not difficult to achieve 3000fps from a 22" barrel in 7-08AI with 140gr bullets. My rifle does it easily with more than one powder.

Great cartridge, Good bullets: 139 SST, 140 nosler part., 140 barnes tsx. 600yds, uhh... just had a friend barely go length wise with A 140 TSX AT 320ish, you might want to keep the animals small and the bullets hard.

Since 2208 is Varget, 40.5grs. of it and 139 Hornadys has proven to be very accurate in my friends model 7, as in a hair over 1/2" @100yds., don't know the velocity, imagine about 2700 out of a 24" tube. RE15, whatever that may be called in NZ would work just as well from my experience with both powders. Jay

The 7mm08 is a very good cartridge for the above mentioned game. Give the 140 gran Nosler Accubond a try. It is basically a BT with the core and jacket bonded. Personally I prefer the partition at it shoots well in my 708. I have pushed these two bullets just proud of 2800 fps but not much more. Somehow I will figure out how Hornady gets their light magnum load to push a 139 grain bullet to 3000 fps without detonating the rifle. Another good option for longer ranges.

Clem,

Not sure that Hornady does get 3000fps since some have reported significantly less on their chronies. I do get 2900 and 2902 "safely" with RL15 and H414 using the 139SST's out of a 22" barrel. Ken Waters has published loads of 2950fps using 139's and WW760/MagPrimer, but ball powders in the varying temps I hunt/shoot in with my 7-08 are not my first choice. With that being said, if a proprietary powder fits the load perfectly, maybe 3000fps is safely possible out of a 22"+ barrel.

Deke.

Clem,

The best accuracy I have gotten with the 139SST's has been w/IMR4064 which is almost interchangeable w/RL15, but RL15 gives better velocity. I have not found the H414 used with any of the SST's to be as accurate as I would like in my 7-08, but if you are talking 100-150yrds max it will do just fine.

My 139SST loads are listed below (R-P brass, FedGM210Match Primers):
IMR4064 43.0grMAX-2856fps, 2.739" best OAL
RL15 43.4grMAX-2900fps, 2.783" best OAL
H414 49.4gr-2902fps

Out west I am able to spare the shoulder, go for the lungs, let em run for 50-100yrds since it is not as densely wooded like the country where you live.

Like always, consider these max, start out 5-10% lower and work up from there.

Deke.

steve_s

My favorite load for my Rem 700 Mtn Lss w/22" Bbl is with the Speer 145 Grn Spire Point (HotCor) on top of 48.0 Grn of IMR4350 for a chronographed average of 2,848 FPS and average group size of 0.688" @ 100 Yds.

firstshot
----------------------------
Make your first shot count!

If I am not mistaken, I shoot 45.0 of Varget or 4064, the Varget Chrono 139's at 2960 I believe with 21" Heavy Varmint-yes, I shortened an older 24 " model, and have a new 26" NIB.

That load will shoot VERY well. 47.0 Varget I believe is what I shot with 100gr Hornady HP. 3 in 1/2 inch at 200 yards!!!!! It is consistently accurate. Not a random group.

You should see what it does to milk jugs at that distance! I think a deer would drop with a lung shot like lightning but I have not tried it......velocity SHOULD be VERY high with 100's-surprised me that light bullet shot so well at 200 yards.

As a caution, I posted loads that are safe in MY gun but ARE 1 gr. over max in book.

I do partial size my cases for my chamber, a tight spec chamber may hold less powder.

Worth noting, WW brass is an option and holds more powder but my loads above are with RP brass.

35.6 grains of h4895 120 grain Ballistic tips with rem brass and winchester primer .2640 fps out of my daughters mark 5 .She shoots 3/4 inch groups all day and she is nine .I shot it tonight one ragged hole this load and gun is unreal . She is going to try it out in Texas on her first White tail with me after christmas should be fun .

Happy Holidays Woodie

Just picked up a 22" barrel Savage Classic 14, with the Accu-Trigger, and found this old thread.

Ive had few 7mm-08 XP-100's and pistol length Encore barrels in the past and have used the 139gr Hornady SST with Varget and have had really good luck accuracy wise but I seem to remember reading somewhere that some feel the SST is a little too fragile of a bullet on deer size and up game.....what's everyones feelings on the SST ?

Ike

I'm not sure I can even see 600 yards but my son used a M7 with the 18.5" inch barrel to make our longest shot on a mulie but it was a mere 284 yards. Nothing compared to the barrel stretchers you folks make. Or stretchers of some sort.
My favored powder for the 7-08 is H4895. The 140gr NP is a good bullet as is the 145gr Grand Slam.

quote:

Originally posted by steve_s:
I have recently purchased a 7mm-08 and am in the process of working up some good handloads.

The bullet I have chosen is the 140gn Nosler Ballistic Tip, am using AR2208 powder and Winchester Primers.

I would be interested to hear of others favourite loads for the 7mm-08 and the muzzle velocity that you get.

The muzzle velocity on my load is 2785 fps- I would like to be able to take animals out to 600 yds- Has anyone else taken long range animals with the 7mm-08.

In New Zealand my main game animals are Red deer, Fallow deer, Tahr and Chamios.

Hi Steve,

I modeled the above for you with the bullet in question (BC = .485) @ 2785 fps, and zeroed the rifle at 200 yards as you suggested in a follow up posting. Here it is :

Distance ----- Fps ---- Bullet Drop
200 yds ----- 2,419 --- Zero
300 yds ----- 2,247 --- -7.8"
400 yds ----- 2,082 --- -22.6"
500 yds ----- 1,923 --- -44.9"
600 yds ----- 1,774 --- -77.3" (wind drift = 28.9" @ 10 mph)

With a vital zone of 4 inches above and below the LOS (line of sight) the bullet would hit 4 inches below LOS at 261 yards. Not good for 600 meter shots as you can see from the above trajectory table. No amount of accurate compensation with the naked eye can be done and then there is still the wind drift issue. The combined influence is way to risky to attempt a shot that far imho.

Also, the bullet would have lost so much of its momentum at 600 yards (140 gr @ 1,774 fps = 35.5) that I would not recommend the caliber at such a long range.

Take care.
Warrior

i have loaded for the 7MM-08 or about 18 years now. i have shot alot of different powders.. i have settled on 44.0 grs of RL-15 with the 140 sierra b.t. & nosler bil.tip. shot over croney at 2925 fps.. .750" groups rem 700 24" S.S.

The 140 Berger would be better for 600 yard shots, better yet the medium weight Berger at 2700ish fps!

Federal Case
CCI 200 Primer
47gr Vv N550
140gr Ballistic Tip

2925fps 22" Barrel M700 Mountain Rifle DBM

2.6" high @ 100yds, 3.0"low @ 290yds

This is "on the edge", definatly a MAX load, but it groups great out of this particular rifle.

Yeah buddy! By red lining his rifle, he would only have to hold over 76.8" at 600 yards.

Why would anyone in their right mind try to shoot an animal at 600 yards?