This could probably be in the medium bore disc. but I think I'll find what I want here.

Just bought a micro-hunter LH for my wife in 7mm-08. Picked that over the 243 as I wanted 'enough bullet' in case of a marginal hit.

Anyway, this will be whitetails only, 100 yards on in, and I'm looking for a decent bullet that will do the job without too much recoil for her. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

You will probly want to use premium bullets so I would go with the 140 or 150 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip . Good Shooting!

For that distance I would go with a 120-130 for a Deer. There are lots of good bullets out there for a 7mm in that weight.

I was thinking something in the 120gr range but the only bullet I can think of off-hand is the speer. I don't think it even has the hot-core. I don't particularily like the X-bullets either.

Is the 120 Nosler BT a game bullet or a varmint bullet? I may just go with that although I do have a selection of 139's in Hornady SST's and BTSP's. Possibly one of those bullets in just a medium velocity load will do the trick. I'm not used to thinking of loading in this sense as I like my stuff to be in the top 1/4 of the charts usually.

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Nosler makes a 140 grain partition, that is what I would use to meet what you want to do. Since you are stating that 100 yards is max you don't have to worry about loading it too hot to make it shoot flatter, so load it to what level she feels comfortable shooting.

The one that I thought of was a Sierra 1900 and it is a 120g in their Pro Hunter series. It is a soft point flat base bullet.

matt salm

Great choice,the 7mm-08 is perfect for your wife.

The 120 grain balistic tip is a hunting bullet,you could load it to over 3000 feet per second & I think that would be effective on deer but you would probably be better off using the 139 grain hornady's as I dont think you would find much difference in recoil between them.

The recoil from a 7mm-08 shouldn't be a problem for your wife using 140 grainers in a hunting situation however sighting in & load development over the bench might be a problem for her,I sighted mine in using 140 balistic tips & had a sore shoulder after 40 shots from the bench but wasn't bothered firing off another 40 shots off hand in a silhouette match straight after.

Maybee if you sighted it in for her & let her practice freehand or in positions simular to how you hunt she wont have any problems at all.

I cant tell much difference between my 7mm-08 & 243 offhand but the 7mm-08 does recoil more than the 243 on the bench.

Good luck,you have made a great choice & i'm sure your wife will enjoy her 7mm-08 alot.

Thanks guys for the input.
I have some 139 Hornady's loaded up at the low end of the scale, so I guess the first step is to sight it in, and let her shoot it to see what she IS comfortable with. If it recoils too much, I can step down to the 120gr range and try that.

If it were up to me, I'd slow the bullet down before I would go too far down the bullet weight scale.

If you are limited to 100 yards, the Youth Loads listed at the Hodgdon website would be just terriffic, IMO.

Of course, when my wife and I both shot my 7mag, I would load her up some red dot loads for practice, and let her rip with 175 gr full house loads after elk. She never knew the difference (and you guys better not tell her now, either! LOL!). HTH,Dutch.

Dutch,
I didn't realize Hodgden had that info, but I looked it over and it gave me some answers. Pretty good info actually,
Thanks for the hint.

Just load a 139 gr Hornaday Flat base SP or the 140 gr Nosler Partition. When Remingtion came out with thw 7mm-08 back in the 1980-81, They loaded the first batch of ammo with the 139 gr. hornaday. It was a very good bullet then and its a very good bullet now.

If I was really after minimal recoil, I'd use a 120 gr bullet @ 2700 fps.

Now, there is also a falacy about women not handling recoil, or in general, folks shooting milder recoiling guns better.

I was just talking to the range master at Rabbit Creek Range in Anchorage, AK, and the year before last he asked shooters to fire a 3 shot group at a target he gave out, then measured the groups, and is in the process of tallying the results. The rough estimate of the results is, that rifle caliber, and hence recoil has no effect on ones ability to shoot accurately.

What your wife needs more then powder puff loads, is sufficient practice to become a good shot. Loading up mild loads with her and thinking that the lack of recoil will some how make up for lack of practice just doesn't work.

Paul, I must disagree, to some extent. There is simply no way I can get my wife to practice, not with her 280, not with her 16 ga, unless they are modest loads. With my PPC, she'll shoot all day long.

In other words, in order to get the practice everyone needs, the lower recoil is critical to many shooters. JMO, Dutch.

Your 139gr hornadys will be fine. My son and I have used the 7-08 on mulies out to 300yds and for that we used 140partitions or 145gr grand slams. The last couple of years, here in West Virginia, I have used the 154gr Round Nosed bullet from Hornady. They kill!!!! If you wanted to try those, you might want to drop the velocity down a couple of hundred feet per second. I am of the reduce speed before you reduce weight school of thought.

My Rem 700 SSMR just loves the Barnes 130 gr. XBT bullet. This bullet is extremely accurate out of my rifle and even with it's short mountain barrel, it goes 2686 fps with 3/4 inch 3 shot groups at 200 yards. Even in this lightweight, recoil is nothing to speak of.

[ 04-10-2003, 23:41: Message edited by: Big Bore ]

I accidently shot a mule deer with the 130 gr. Speer one time and I have been using it ever since..It is just one of those perfect combo deer killers...I have shot a lot of animals with that bullet....Always get a 50 cent exit hole.

The 130 Speer is an excellent deer bullet.

Consider the 120 gr flat nose bullet made for the 7mm Waters. I still feel that such bullets are more effective within their range. Such a bullet should not be going too fast but that seems to be your goal.

Paul,
The rangemaster notwithstanding, recoil does affect one's ability to shoot accurately.

When we shoot a rifle over a bench, or when we have time to squeeze the trigger carefully then recoil does not prevent accurate shooting.

HOwever, a rifle whose recoil hurts, or the noise hurts, builds up and causes your subconscience to react when you know that the rifle is going off. So when you shoot at game quickly, as a jump shot, then you will flinch. It is a nervous reaction, and really has little to do with pure pain. If every time I came up to you I hit you on the shoulder more than just a little tap, but not enough to really hurt, you would find that when I came up and started the punch you would flinch. It is a nervous reaction.
If you doubt it then take something as a .300 or .375 and shoot it fast and have someone load it for you.

I have tried it and learned that lesson the hard way. I found that I can shoot the 30-06 class without flinching, but when I go to the magnums then I do flinch when I know the rifle is going off. That causes a shot that is not on target as closely as it should be.

Now maybe you don't flinch with a 500, but most do. I recall when I shot skeet some shooters would say, "Recoil doesn't bother me." Then when they would get a squib load they would almost jump off the station. I would say that for someone who is not bothered by recoil they had a bad flinch.

Most do not realize that they flinch because they feel no recoil in the field, and they are careful to squeeze the trigger on the bench. But they do flinch with powerful rifles or shotguns.

It is sort of like shooting a pistol and squeezing the trigger and hitting where you intended. But when you draw and fire as in combat there is a tendency to push the gun and throw the shots low. I am sure that some of the pros do not do that, but everyone I shoot with does it sooner or later, including me. It doesn't hurt, but it is a reaction that is natural.

I agree that there is no substitute for practice. I do not think that one who is not going to practice enough to make a clean kill should be hunting. I also tend to think that a full load out of a 7mm 08 will cause many women to flinch.

I will be interested to know how it turns out.

Jerry

I will be sure and tell you guys how it all works out. I just ordered 200 Speer 130gr bullets and will see how they shoot and my wife shoots them. I'm sure they will do well.

Thanks for the good info.

I agree with JerryM. I developed a bad flinch years ago with a Ruger Mk1 in 300WinMag. Ever since then I have to settle myself down when at the bench,even with my 10/22. Interestingly enough I have no problem with heavy recoiling handcannons.lol derF

matt, Savage 99 is on the right track. For a very effective close range deer, [they would probably work to 200 yards], load try the Hornady 139gr. Flat Point meant for the 7-30 Waters [#2822FP]. Load this bullet from 2400 to 2600fps[for the desired recoil level] and your wife will have a dandy deer load. These bullets are designed to operate at that velocity. As they are flat point you can tell them apart from other loads you might use in that rifle at a later date.
I did a similar thing for a buddy of mine who had a light weight 308WCF. He wanted a deer load that would kick HIM less. I loaded up some 150gr. "30-30" bullets at @2300fps. He really liked them, no recoil and they dropped deer quite well. They were very accurate too.

Try some flat nose bullets intended for the 7-30 Waters at Waters velocities and you have a winner. If you want longer range capability use Some of the Single Shot Pistol bullets on the market at Contender velocities. Your wife will consider you a genius. Luck to you.

Try using the starting loads with the faster powders. That will go a long way to reduce the recoil of the round. Even a muzzle velocity of, say, 2500 fps. will work. According to my Speer manuel, that would be about 35 grs. of H4895. 39 grs. gives about 2753 with that bullet. E

Matt,
Good move on the 130 gr. speers, it is just one of those well balanced bullets that just plain works in a 7x57 or 7-08..I have shot a lot of plainsgame in Africa and deer and antelope in the US and for deer it is the ultimate bullet that I have found and I used them all over the years in my old 7x57...For elk try the 160 Nosler for spectacular results. It really works on the big bulls.

The 175 gr. Nosler works real well on deer or elk in dense timber, but it may be too long for the 7-08 case as it protrudes into the powder space.

If my grandson draws his elk permit this year in Idaho I allready have some bulls staked out...I loaded him up some 130 gr. North forks in my 7x57 and I guarentee they will work on any broadside elk at up to 150 to 200 yards....

Ray,
I loaded up some of those 130gr Speers, and some 139gr Hornadys and took them to the range the other day. The Speers really didn't shoot very well unfortunately but the good news was the 139's shot into MOA for five. This was a moderately reduced load and the recoil was about nil. My wife handled a 35 Rem in a Rem 141 carbine, and the 7mm-08 with the 139's kicked a little less than that. Velocity is down there aways with the load, but I don't think she'll have any problems.

I will try another powder or two with those Speers again to look for a better load, but if I don't find it she'll be OK with the heavier bullet.

Thanks for all the info guys, I'll drag up this thread in November and let you know how she does.

I'm recoil sensitive myself and shoot the 7-08. I've settled on the 120 Gr Nos BT at about 2900 fps. It is very accurate and I've killed 15 deer with it so far from 50 to about 250 yards. About half the time, they run for about 50 yards after a lung shot, but that is no big deal to me and it is about the same as with other calibers I've shot deer with.

Matt:

As you found out a great generic bullet for the non mag 7mms is the 139 Hornady. I use it as a standard deer bullet in my 7 x57s.

Also as our buddie "Beeman" indicated, the 154 grain round nose is a champ. I use it and 175 gr RN's for my bear hunting loads here in Oregon.

I have hunted Wisconsin a lot up out of Tomahawk and Flambeau. The 154 would be my choice up there. You did not say where you hunted, north or south of Rt 29,.

They are inexpensive compared to the premium bullets but they sure do a great job and are accurate in any rifle I have shot them in.

Good luck and nice gun choice also. We are getting one for a niece to hunt with in Montana, antelope to Elk.

I have a friend that uses 120gr ballistic tips in his 7mm-08(model 7) for deer and he is very happy with the results.The velocity is not that high and they seem to hold together fine.

Matt -

The Speer 130s are an excellent choice. Speer #13 lists IMR 4064 for top loads with 41.0 grs to start, and 45.0 Max for 2835 and 3065 fps, respectively.

The start load is more than adequate given the range you are considering and will deliver 12.6 FP of free recoil in an 8 pound rifle. A 243 driving a 100 gr bullet 3100 fps has the same recoil in a 7.6 pound rifle.

Matt, I counted 13 bullets that were available from Hornady, 7 of which were recommended for large game. IMHO, your best bet lies somewhere between the 139 and 154 grain bullets.

Hornady also recommended WW748, IMR4064 and 4320 powders. Testing was done with a M788 with a 18.5"bbl.

packrat

Try the Speer 130 grain-it is a deer bullet, as opposed to a varmint bullet, which nearly all 120-grain .284's are.

We always heard "Sierra from the bench, and Speer in the field." Of course, that's outdated now, but still if you can get a Speer Grand Slam you're ahead of the game. It's an excellent bullet as is the Nosler Partition and also the Remington Core Lok. I might steer clear of the Nosler Bal. Tips. I like them, but must admit the jackets are a trifle thin for game. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

Matt,
Load her some weiner loads for the bench and some stiffer loads for game and as we all know you don't notice recoil while shooting at game.
I agree 100% with Jerry's post, and once a flinch devolops it's damn hard to get rid of, and yes i'm speaking from experience.
Stepchild

I'm late getting here and you've already got the 130 grainers, but I wonder if you would consider another route:

If you've got a recoil sensitive shooter and a minimum required power level (has to reliably take deer) and a maximum weight restriction (12 lb. rifle would have wimpy recoil, but how far will she carry it?), how about reducing the perceived recoil?

1) Doesn't Pachmayr make a vest with a built-in recoil pad?

2) Who says you can't put a muzzle brake on a 7mm-08? Shoot smart, not macho.

3) Install the Pachmayr F990 recoil pad in the correct size. Make sure you get the length of pull right. These things take the sting out of big calibers. They're like marshmallows. If you're not sure you want to do that, try one of those slip-on recoil pads, occasionally as cheap as $5.00. That runs the LOP out, but the idea is to simulate the permanent installation of a good recoil pad for the purpose of felt recoil reduction.

Hard sharp corners and edges can concentrate recoil in one spot. I once got bruises off a thin hard rubber buttpad on a .22-250 at the edges of the pad after just 20 rounds from a bench. I've also not gotten bruises off prone, 8600 ft.-lb. loads in a cheap plastic stock with a slip-on recoil pad and no brake. You are a whole lot better off with yielding, mushy surfaces and edges on the back of the rifle.

Why in hell would anyone want to use a premium bullet on 100 yard deer from a 7mm-08? I might choose a premium bullet if I was hunting a bigger animal such as elk or moose, but not for deer.

I don't have a 7mm-08, but I do have a 7x57, and my choices for deer would be the 139 gr. Hornady spire point or possibly the 154 gr. round nose. The 139 gr. bullet, just in cast there is the possibilty of a longer range shot. If not, the 154 gr. RN should work just fine, even loaded down a bit. Another bullet that looks good and shoot very well in my rifle is the 140 gr. Sierra spitzer flat base. ballistic tips give the tightest groups, but I'm not too trusting of their performance on game yet. Heard too many horror stories.
Paul B.

130-grain Speer flatbase, again!! No need for premium bullets for whitetails at 7mm/08 velocities!

[ 08-11-2003, 17:18: Message edited by: eldeguello ]