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I'd like to start reloading my 7RM for island Axis deer < 200 lbs. I'm choosing a 140 grainer for the task! Your recommendations please... ***A non-premium bullet that would do the job from 100-500yds if need be...[Hornady?] ***What powders? Looking to scoot this bullet downrange with a comfortable warm load  | ||
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140 gr. Sierra Game King with 2 or 3 grains less than the max load in the books. I prefer Hodgdons powders, H4350, 56gr. +/-1 and H4831, 62 gr. +/-1. Hornady's work well, also. I find the Sierra's shoot a little better groups in my rifles........Tom SCI lifer NRA Patron DRSS DSC | |||
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I have done a lot of reloading the 7mm Rem mag with RL-19 and H-4350. As far as the bullets your rifle will tell you what it likes.The rem core-loks and hornaday bullets would be a starting place.Good Luck in working up the loads. | |||
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Hey LB I always like the Accubonds or the Barnes TTSX's, RL22 and Fed215 primers Start at about 65 gr and work up, seat the Accubonds .025" off the lands and the TTSX's .050" off. Good luck ____________________________________ There are those who would misteach us that to stick in a rut is consistency - and a virtue, and that to climb out of the rut is inconsistency - and a vice. - Mark Twain | Chinese Proverb: When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others. ___________________________________ | |||
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I have been shooting a 139 grn Interbond over 70 grains of W780 for the past 6 months getting ready for this falls antelope, deer, and late season cow elk. I am also shooting 140 grn Accubonds with the same load. Both are great bullets. ________________________________________________ Maker of The Frankenstud Sling Keeper Proudly made in the USA Acepting all forms of payment | |||
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The big 7 was made to shoot 160gr bullets. You're not accomplishing anything by launching a lite for calibre at warp speed. Well, really you are: you can put a beer can in the gross hole you blow in the deer and have your picture taken. That'll impress the hell out of your non shooting friends whilst hanging around the water cooler. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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Lets see,65.3grs of IMR-4350,69.5grs of either Winchester WXR or Reloader-22 with those 140gr bullets work quite well for me.Those 139gr Hornady SP should do the job,they shoot great groups in my rifle.I like 139gr Hornady Interbonds and Speer 145gr Grand Slams too. | |||
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Thanks for the replies gents  I'll be trying these bullets first in regards to terminal performance... Hornady 139gr SP Nosler BT 140 gr Nosler 140gr Accubond Nosler 140gr Partition  | |||
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Sorry, I disagree. I don't see the point of buying a 7mm mag and loading it to 30-06 speeds. I've never had a 140 gr accubond not fully penetrate on a deer. What's the point of shooting a 160 grainer? I can shoot a 140 gr with a flat trajectory and get full penetration or I can shoot a 160 gr at a less than flat trajectory and get full penetration. If I were loading for elk then I'd shoot 160 grainers, on deer it's silly. | |||
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All I can say is that if you are going to load a 7mm RMag with a 140gr. bullet, it's going to require a premium bullet. Pushing a cup & core over 2900 fps is asking for a failure. Partition or TSX would be my choice for a game animal. Regards, Robert ****************************** H4350! It stays crunchy in milk longer! | |||
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Accubonds have become my bullet of choice in .25, 6.5mm & 7MM. Accuracy of a ballistic tip, penetration of a partition. Never fails to penetrate so you get a blood trail., don't get the bloodshot meat of a ballistic tip. Best, GWB | |||
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I've shot several big whitetail using a 280 loaded with 140 grain Accubonds. I load 4831 SC powder and Federal 210M primers. All 4 went less than 30 yards and down for the count. I find the Accubonds to be excellent accurate bullets in every gun I've tried. | |||
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RL22 & Nosler are my combo. 68gr RL22 & a 140gr Nosler BT has been able to group under an inch in 6 different 7mm's I have tried now. Barrels lengths ranging from 22" to 25" & FPS anywhere from 3100 - 3300 +. ______________________ Did I mention I love Sako's  | |||
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Forgot to mention. Barrel twists were 1-9 & 1-9 1/2. ______________________ Did I mention I love Sako's | |||
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Well, the diff in traj of the 140gr vs the 160gr just doesn't matter at conventional hunting ranges out to 400yds. The 160gr will buck the wind a bit better & you don't need the prmium bullets at that wt. I don't hunt w/ anything lighter than 160gr in my 7mags. Even for light game like antelope, the 160gr bullet kills well w/ less meat damage. One of my pronghorn fell to a 160grNP @ 3100fps @ only 125yds, DRT w/ only a silver dollar size exit. Compare that to another taken w/ a 280 & 145gr SpeerHC @ 3000fps at maybe 150yds. Huge fist size exit & I lost quite a bit of meat (as the shot went a bit higher than I wanted). JMO, if using the 140gr, & you know your impact vel is going over 2800fps, go w/ the Barnes, or NAB or NP. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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Well, the man made it clear he was using a 140, so here's my experience: excellent choice! I've never had a big exit hole from the game I killed with my 7mag and that bullet wt. I've had most experience with the 140 and 150 NBTs. Love them. Any of these will be fine: Speer, Sierra, Hornady in terms of non-premium. You did mention Nos partitions though, which is a premium bullet. It would be a top contender and its not that expensive anyway. Powders I like: H1000, RE22, RE19, 4350, 4831, Ramshot. Retumbo is a very stable powder, but too slow, IMO, for the 140. I've had remarkable loads with all of these powders and would toss a coin with any of them. Keeping in mind, the slower powders were with heavier bullets most of the time. To narrow it down for the 140, my top choice powder would be IMR4350 or IMR4831. I've gotten better velocity and accuracy with these over the Hodgdon in MY rifle. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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Thanks gents  Doc- Thanks for the details...just met a fellow and he loves the 140 NBT on deer...He's had no problems in the past twenty years with this bullet and IMR 4350 ...He and his family have accounted more than 150 deer with this combo out of the 7RM...I'm going to give it a try and give a terminal performance report of my findings after my next deer hunt... I'll try the 140 ACCUBONDS too!!! | |||
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Late-bloomer, FWIW I've used the ballistic tips extensively from 6 mm through 35 cal. They are excellent bullets and kill stuff, no problem. Only two negatives. They are a more frangible bullet than an accubond, partition, TSX or a Sierra HPBT (say 150 grainer in 7mm). Axis deer here in Tx range say 100 lbs for does up to 200 lbs for Stags. If you shoot an Axix at 7mag velocities under 150 yds or so, and hit it in the shoulder or spine, you are going to have a lot of blood shot meat. Second, where I shoot it is very thick. If the animal is not DRT, and I can't find a blood trail within 10' or so, it can be very difficult to track, especially at nite. With our temps here an animal not found within a few hours not only spoils, but is infested with flies, ants and is usually fed on by other varmint, hogs and buzzards. Consequently I typically use a bullet I know will pass through every time. Best GWB | |||
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When I first began deer hunting it was in northern Alabama. Deer limit: 1/day unless you had doe tags. Also, during doe days after Christmas, you could kill a buck/doe per day for a few days. I haven't killed a ton of deer with this combo but plenty of them. IMR4350 produces more than adequate velocity with the 140 NBT. I remember killing a doe in Missouri while stalking. I shot her at maybe 25 to 45 yards with this combo. She ran about 30 yards in the open woods and died. The exit hole was no bigger than a quarter. Lung shot broadside. I shot another doe about 45 minutes later in the back of the head at 20 yards. No problem with that either. I have many more years experience with IMR powders v. Hodgdon, especially with the 4350 and 4831. I love both but tend to pick up IMR first when trying loads. Habit. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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my current NBT load for my 7mag is a mild 63 grains of IMR4831 behind a 150 gr bullet. Killed everything I've shot with it, even when hitting bone. No problems. That lot of bullets was purchased in 1992. I still have about 200 rounds loaded and will likely never finish them. Last kill was a CO muley at 280 yards. Popped him in the high shoulder and dropped him where he stood. I have never ever had a NBT "fail," blow up, or do anything other than put down the animal I shot. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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I respect Docs hunting knowledge, but that is why I don't like 140gr non premiums at high impact vel. JMO, JME, but eventually, you'll want to take a less than optimal broadside lung shot or headshot & that is where the high vel NBT or sim bullet will want to "fail". Everyone has a diff definition of that but for me, I want penetration into vitals from any reasonable angle. Beyond 200yds I think they work fine, but unless I am clearcut hunting, I want something a bit more versatile. BTW, the diff in drop between 140gr@3200fps & 160gr@3000fps bullets @ 400yds w/ a 200yd zero is less than 2". I doubt most can hold 2" in the field. WInd drift just favors the 160gr. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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and I appreciate everyone posting their experiences as well. I will report, again, that I never did get NBTs going really fast either. I think I've posted a few times that most of my BT loads were roughly 200fps slower than what they couuld go. I think max load for the 150 NBT in 7mag with IMR4831 was somewhere in the neighborhood of 66 grains. I'm using 63. My 270 NBTs were: 150/2700 fps 140/roughly 2800 fps 130/2850-2950 fps. Most of my rifle experiences with NBTs involved Missouri and Alabama whitetails under 100 yards, and mostly under 50. BUT, at that time, I mostly aimed for soft tissue, and only sometimes bone. Each hunter has to select the best combo for his/her situations, period. No different that picking out appropriate camo for a hunt. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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Not silly at all as most knowledgeable magnum shooters know that the light bullets are what gives credit to the non-mag shooter's claim about excessive meat damage. And you might want to read a ballistics table before claiming such a flatter trajectory. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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AS I noted, about 2" diff @ 400yds. In the field, that means almost nothing.
At those speeds, the NBT works pretty well. The issue is impact vel much over 2700fps, they tend to frag badly & obviously penetration suffers. It does change form caliber to caliber as well. The larger caliber NBTs seem a bit toughr than smaller calibers. To each his own, but one should know the fact from fancy. A 140gr bullet in a 7mag is NOT appreciabley flatter shooting than a 160gr. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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Actually at those velocities, they worked flawlessly! And I've hit many a deer between 6 and 25 yards with those loads too and never had a problem.  Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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At those velocities, they surely should. They fall within what I consider to be the ideal velocity window. I motor my 160s in my 7RM at a shade over 2900fps. What's being discussed is a 140gr bullet @3500fps. Boy Howdy, look what I can do. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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I have had NBT's fail several times in 6mm,7mm,and 338. All these were up close inside 50 yds. If your going to shoot 140gr then Accubonds or Partitions are the bullet. I have also used the 139gr Interbonds and in my limited experience with them they are too soft for a up close shot.All the 7mm failures were with a max load and short ranges. I had not intended the hunt to go that way but you never know. Just my $.02 | |||
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I didn't know they'd go that fast! That makes for a good combo for 350/400 yards. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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I'm pretty sure you can't even sniff 3400fps in a 7RM. It is a good examle though of where a premium pill should be thought about. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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I have used lots of 140 BTs and some Hornady 139 grain bullets on whitetails and mule deer. Lost count, but in the 20 range, mostly white tails. They worked extremely well in my case. I have used some 139 Interbonds as well. If you need a lot of penetration due to angles or texas hear shot, the premiums are the way to go. Fo the most part though, I use standard bullets on deer in my 7 Mag. NRA Patron member | |||
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Wasbeeman writes
Perhaps I missed it, where in this thread does anyone talk about 140 gr bullets at 3,500 fps out of a 7 mag.? GWB | |||
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Using the numbers given, a 140 gr at 3200 or a 160 gr at 3000 fps the difference in trajectory with a 200 yd zero is indeed only two inches. However, those are unrealistic numbers because any 7mm mag that will do 3000 with a 160 grainer will do 3300 with a 140 grainer. If you're getting 3100 fps with a 160 grainer then you either have a really long barrel or high pressure, or both. Assuming a 300 fps spread between the two bullets the difference in trajectory opens up to around 3.5" at 400 yds. Whether or not you consider that significant depends on your point of view. The wind bucking advantage you claimed for the 160 gr bullet actually doesn't exist over normal hunting ranges, even with the listed speeds of 140 gr/3200 fps and 160 gr/3000 fps the wind deflection in a 10 mph wind at 400 yds is essentially equal per my ballistics software. Using a more realistic 140gr/3250 vs. 160gr/2950 the wind deflection is about a third of an inch in favor of the 140 grain bullet. That's due to the 140 grainer's quicker time of flight. To each his own, but I've shot probably between 60 and 80 whitetails with a 140 gr bullet out of a 7mm rem mag at 3250 fps. 90% of those bullets have been ballistic tips and the others were accubonds. I have never seen the need for a heavier bullet on deer. A 160 gives you absolutely no advantage for deer so in my mind there's no reason to use them. | |||
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My rifle has a 25" bbl it chrono's 140gr bullets at 3300 with 67gr RL22. I have not chrono'd my 160 gr bullets but have 175 gr Partitions using Retumbo they clock in at 2950 so 3000 with 160 is easy. When I use the word failure I see explosive performance.Gaping wounds on entering or lack of exit. I have used 154 Hornady SP in this rifle with great performance even at 20 yds I had an exit. Your rifle and experience may differ. | |||
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The speed a 7mm Mag produces, you will definately need some kind of bonded bullet. Anything like a Ballistic tip or something that will not retain weight after impact will result in wasted meat and someone biting into a chunk of metal when eating tasty backstrap steaks. The Nosler 140 AAccubond should be a great bullet to use. You will get a clean through and through hole about the size of your pinky. Maybe thumb sized on the exit if your loading them pretty hot. | |||
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The 140gr bullet is a good bullet for deer. I used a 160gr for my bore and every thing worked out fine. | |||
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I usually load 160 gr. bullets in my 7MM RM and find them very usefull on deer they being Partitions they are pretty usefull on a lot of things. I have also loaded 140 gr. Partitions on top of 68.0 grs. of R22, also a vicious killer of medium game. However the last ten years I have been using mostly the 150 gr. Ballistic Tips out of my 7x57 at 2600 fps. The rifle is both shorter and lighter and is a solid killer on deer and hogs. Leftists are intellectually vacant, but there is no greater pleasure than tormenting the irrational. | |||
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Even 3" diff in drop, still means little to the antelope/deer hunter. Maybe if you are shooting Pdogs, but like the wind bucking diff, there is just not enough between the 140 & 160 to call one superior over the other, JMO. BTW, the vel numbers are completely realistic depending on bbl length & load. You won't find many 24"bbl getting more than 3000fps for the 160gr or 3200fps+ for the 140gr. So 3250fps, the drop just isn't significant enough to call it superior or "flatter" shooting. As noted, most can't hold 2"-4" @ 400yds in the field anyway. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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Geez....I thought this thread died a long time ago  Doc- Thanks for sharing as you've added alot to my thread I'm planning on running the 140 grainer @ 3100fps +/- Not no 3500fps...me...I never said that as Geedubya also asked...  Thanks to all for chiming in | |||
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I've been Paper punching and hunting w/ 7 mm RM all of my adult life, on 5 continents it's yet to fail with any decent hunting bullet . I prefer Partitions only because I've used them so many times , Game Kings and Accubonds have also served me well. As for the Barnes TTSX's from what limited experiences I have had with them , appear to be excellent performers . Multi Gallon Water trap ,Wet phone books an ballistics gel show superb weight retention and Dia.expansion . This year I hope to have an actual Hunting report on them !. My advice would be to test your Rifle and see which fodder it prefers for accuracy , then concern yourself with bullet performance particulars . I have witnessed on more than a few occasions " Bullet Placement " trumps actual bullet performance . JMO ; I Personally prefer to be accurate with a moderate load , than inaccurate with a Max load regardless of Bullet type . In My experiences it's rare to get both .   | |||
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"bullet placement trumps bullet performance". Too true. Do we want to talk about folks that think a "magic" bullet can compensate for poor marksmanship?? Aim for the exit hole | |||
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