7mm08 and 120gr light recoil

M

mikeboehm

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
99   0   0
Location
Lower Mainland
My daughter is turning 10 in a month and I want her to try shooting my 7 mm O8 soon I have 120 grain Barnes ttsx but I am looking for a cheaper bullet that I can use some light recoil loads on that won't scare her off. For now I really don't care about accuracy or anyting I just want her to shoot some. Does anyone have any recommended loads using h4895 powder.

I know Hornady makes custom Lite 120 grain but hard to find it near my home without having it shipped
 
I started my daughter with 120 NBT's over. 34.0 H4895... very light recoil... very accurate in two 7-08 rifles we had and plenty for deer.
 
brybenn has the idea. Hodgdon's Trail Boss powder is ideal for this and work under any bullet. The 7-08 loads well with bullet weights from 100 to 175 grain, but with Trail Boss you need a 140 grain bullet to match their load data. The least expensive cast, plated, or copper jacketed 140 grain bullet will work in this scenario. Your rifle will shoot almost like a .22 rifle. Look here; http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle
 
If possible, start her with a .22 Rifle, (cost effective, minimal recoil) as her confidence builds move up in cartridge
 
TrailBoss..... my go to for plinking in everything! It’s work picking up a jug if you haven’t tried it before. Safe for all cartridges loaded from 70% case capacity and work up from there.
 
My 12 year old had no issue with American whitetail 139 grain ($32.00 per box), but that was with a browning micro midas which has a nice recoil pad that comes with it. I don't reload so this is what I could find at the local store.
 
mikeboehm said:
My daughter is turning 10 in a month and I want her to try shooting my 7 mm O8 soon I have 120 grain Barnes ttsx but I am looking for a cheaper bullet that I can use some light recoil loads on that won't scare her off. For now I really don't care about accuracy or anyting I just want her to shoot some. Does anyone have any recommended loads using h4895 powder.

I know Hornady makes custom Lite 120 grain but hard to find it near my home without having it shipped
Click to expand...

The cheapest 7mm bullets on XReload are the Sierra or Speer 110s.

H4895 is the ideal powder for reduced loads. You can load down to 60% of max charge. For a 110 grain bullet that's 27 grains, which should get you around 2000 fps.

110 grains at 2000 fps is .30 Carbine ballistics... Out of an eight pound rifle that will be an absolute pussycat in muzzle blast and recoil. Identical to a .223 if the recoil calculator is correct. Can't really get a center fire that's much more new shooter friendly than that.
 
Last edited:
I used 38.5gr of H4895 with 120gr Ballistic Tip. My boy shot a deer at 160 yards with that load. It is effective but still can have some recoil for a sensitive shooter. This is especially true if the rifle has too long LOP.

For an even milder load, consider 33.0gr IMR 4064 with 85gr Partitions in a .243 Win. This load has proven effective on deer.

I have also used 38.0gr H4895 with 110gr Sierra Pro Hunter bullets in a .270 Win. I haven't taken any game with this load, but it is a really mild recoil load.
 
mikeboehm said:
She will be using my Sako 85 7 mm O8 see how she likes it before she gets her own
Click to expand...

So I let my boy use a Weatherby Vanguard S2 in 7mm-08, but it is too long for him and he doesn't like it. He is about 4' 8" tall. He asked to go back to the Youth Model Seven in .243, which he can shoot with no problems and full power loads using 95gr bullets. Fit is very important.
 
hoytcanon said:
I started my daughter with 120 NBT's over. 34.0 H4895... very light recoil... very accurate in two 7-08 rifles we had and plenty for deer.
Click to expand...

My wife's cousin started hunting with a similar load, 36.0grs H4895, with same 120gr NBT in his 20" Savage Axis youth. Chrony'd @ 2550 fps and he shot a couple mule deer and a moose with that load before switching to a Sako Finnlight 308 when he turned 20
 
todbartell said:
My wife's cousin started hunting with a similar load, 36.0grs H4895, with same 120gr NBT in his 20" Savage Axis youth. Chrony'd @ 2550 fps and he shot a couple mule deer and a moose with that load before switching to a Sako Finnlight 308 when he turned 20
Click to expand...

My son shot a nice WT buck with that load at 12 years of age and my youngest daughter shot two WT does with it also... I was impressed with the terminal performance of both the load and the 120 NBT bullet... two complete pass-throughs and one "umbrella" recovered in the offside shoulder on a quartering away 250 pound buck... all very short blood trails. As an aside, the .25 cal 115 NBT has proven to be a very good bullet too, at .257 Robert's speed.
 
100gr Sierra hollow point and load at or below minimum charge, this will hardly move the gun.It is a cheap projectile if you just want trigger time.

I won't give you load data, you have to work up you own but if you go to the Hogdgon website you will get safe stating loads for that projectile weight.

When it is hunting time, get a fragile bullet like the balistic tip or SST and load them down, the low velocity will be suitable for this bullet at normal hunting ranges on deer and fit your needs.

Stay away from the Barnes for now as they have the need for speed to operate properly.
 
A really fun beginner load is 14grs Trail Boss under a 120gr bullet, does about 1700 fps. Like shooting a 22 magnum

I started my nephew shooting trail boss loads in his 260 Rem (Model Seven Youth) when he was 5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom