Was wondering if anyone is reloading their 7-08's with the TTSX bullets for hunting purposes? I think it's the projectile I'll be using with the new 7-08 I recently purchases. If you have, what grain of bullet have you tried? I believe Barnes now has 110 gr., as well as a 120 gr. which they've been producing for awhile. I'm curious as to what others may think on which one to go with for hunting deer,,,,or would you go with a hevier grain?
7mm-08 and Barnes TSX/TTSX projectiles
- Thread starter sure as shootin
- Start date
Are you using your RL 15 in that load?
The TTSX need higher speed to effectively expand.
So if you are going to use them in the 7.08 I would go with the lighter bullets which will launch faster.
Also, because they retain about 99% of their weight a 110 grain TTSX would still weigh about 108 grains after impact. Something like an SST which maybe only retains 70% might start out at 139 grain but after impact you have 98 grains left (if you see where I'm going).
In any event the TTSX is way more than you need for hunting deer. Deer are not difficult to kill, you don't need to penetrate anything heavy/dense on the way in OR out and many have fallen to 80 grain cup/core bullets fired from 243's by young shooters.
Also, if you are talking white tailed deer as opposed to mule deer you generally aren't shooting that far to hit them either. That means that bonded, boat-tailed, mono, flat shooting, far reaching bullets, while they may give you confidence (which is important), are again, more than you need and more expensive then the bargain basement bullets that drop the vast majority of deer each hunting season.
So if you are going to use them in the 7.08 I would go with the lighter bullets which will launch faster.
Also, because they retain about 99% of their weight a 110 grain TTSX would still weigh about 108 grains after impact. Something like an SST which maybe only retains 70% might start out at 139 grain but after impact you have 98 grains left (if you see where I'm going).
In any event the TTSX is way more than you need for hunting deer. Deer are not difficult to kill, you don't need to penetrate anything heavy/dense on the way in OR out and many have fallen to 80 grain cup/core bullets fired from 243's by young shooters.
Also, if you are talking white tailed deer as opposed to mule deer you generally aren't shooting that far to hit them either. That means that bonded, boat-tailed, mono, flat shooting, far reaching bullets, while they may give you confidence (which is important), are again, more than you need and more expensive then the bargain basement bullets that drop the vast majority of deer each hunting season.
You mentioned using Swift A-frames in a PM you sent to me as your choice of bullet. I noticed they retain almost their entire weight after impact, as well. Where have you been finding them? Cost?
On another note,,,,,,,sounds like quite a few people have tried the 120 gr. Has anybody tried the 110 grain before? I know these bullets feel the need for speed more than any other for expansion,,,,,the 110s loaded with RL 15 or Varget will give an extra 150 FPS. If you hadn't bought your 120 gr. pills yet would that information make you decide to go with the 110,,,,, or still go with the 120 gr.?
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buckbrushoutdoors
Regular
- Location
- fort saskatchewan AB/Edson AB
My 7mm08 is a very good killer with the 120 ttsx. Kills very fast. Ttsx like the light for caliber loads pushed at good velocity.
Having used a 7mm-08 in several rifles with barrels from 20" to 26", and a penchant for stiff loads, I would recommend against any monometal as the little 08 doesn't drive them hard enough unless your intended target is within 15'. Like a chronograph.
Cup and core bullets are where the little 7mm-08 shine. Even though I am a hardcore advocate of the Partition and Accubond, for this little sweetheart I loaded 130 grain Speer soft points for deer and they worked great.
I would use a lead core, be it bonded, a locked core, or standard cup and core for this chambering for all hunting. It just won't push a hunting bullet to the 3,000+ at the target to expand reliably with a monometal.
Cup and core bullets are where the little 7mm-08 shine. Even though I am a hardcore advocate of the Partition and Accubond, for this little sweetheart I loaded 130 grain Speer soft points for deer and they worked great.
I would use a lead core, be it bonded, a locked core, or standard cup and core for this chambering for all hunting. It just won't push a hunting bullet to the 3,000+ at the target to expand reliably with a monometal.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
I had just emailed barnes about the ttsx and the reply i got was they expand down to 2000fps but 2200 is the lowest he said he would go to allow reliable expansion
I've only shot two deer with Barnes bullets, and FWIW, I shot a big mule deer doe with a 140gr TSX with my 18.5" barreled 7mm-08 around 16 years ago. It was a quartering towards shot, and it broke a shoulder, turned a lung and a bunch of other organs to jello, broke 3 more ribs and stopped right under the hide on the opposite side. Bullet weighed 140gr, the four petals opened perfectly and had a diameter of just a hair under 0.6". It was a fairly close shot, just over a hundred yards if memory serves correctly. I'll be the first to admit that combination of caliber/bullet/intended game wasn't ideal, but it worked quite well that time! I also didn't have the luxury of testing different bullet/powder combinations at that time, as the wallet mostly held moths during those years, so whatever ammo I had available at the time, I used it!
I would also recommend the lighter bullets if going monometal. That said, I still prefer the good ol' Partition, especially in that caliber, as you have the guarantee of at least a portion of the bullet penetrating and at least a portion of the bullet deforming and delivering some foot pounds rather quickly!
I would also recommend the lighter bullets if going monometal. That said, I still prefer the good ol' Partition, especially in that caliber, as you have the guarantee of at least a portion of the bullet penetrating and at least a portion of the bullet deforming and delivering some foot pounds rather quickly!
Same information I was given,,,,just waiting to see which one he recommends more for me to try,,,,the 110 0r 120 gr. I'm sure both will be just fine. I know the bullets are on the pricey side but once I develop a load for it I won't be shooting it a lot. I get almost all my shooting in at the range with my .308 Sako with more economical bullets in the rounds. My hunting round for that rifle is the 130 gr. TSX.
C.I. Distribution, one of the site dealers sells them.
They are not cheap running 70-75 bucks for 50 ($1.50 a bullet) . These are a "very premium" bullet that I save to for game animals (moose), not punching paper beyond load development. In comparison, a quick check on the "adjusted for the buck" price of Partition's is now almost 60 bucks for 50 ($1.20 a bullet).
Here's his latest link: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/886054-SWIFT-Scirocco-II-and-A-Frame-Bullets
There is only one other Swift dealer in Canada that I am aware of. accuratebulletcompany (dot) com
Scirocco II's are Swift's bonded bullet (similar to the Accubond or Interbond). Those go for about the same price but are packed in a box of 100 (so comparable to Accubond's which go for 45'ish bucks for 50 - call it a buck a bullet) - which is also comparable to the TTSX (price wise) which also comes in at about a buck a bullet.
With Swift you only get two choices - the A-Frame and the Scirocco - they just don't make any other type. The A-Frame should be thought of as a "bonded partition". The nose is a little tougher and almost never separates (like the partition does) and the jacket is slightly tougher like a bonded bullet.
With the A-Frame you get 175% expansion at a "7.08 friendly speed" of 2200 fps (so 300 yards without loading hot). To get 160% expansion with the TTSX you need 2400 fps (under 200 yards) if shooting a "similar weight bullet at the same muzzle velocity" - at an impact speed of 2400 fps a bonded Scirocco II expands to about 200%.
(slightly opening the tip of a mono bullet @ 2200 fps is not what I personally consider expansion - I would launch a TTSX with my 257 Wby which would turn it into a "more than adequate" big game rifle shooting a 100 grain bullet, not so much in my slower guns)
If you can't shoot lead the mono's have their place. If you shoot blistering "magnum" speeds then you can get away with shooting mono's and get expansion like you are "used to" with more traditional bullets. If you are shooting a 7.08 then maybe a mono isn't your best choice. If you are shooting close enough to retain the velocity that the mono "needs", then you have way too much bullet for what you are shooting - a 30 cent Sierra would be "more than enough" at that range.
All of these are "premium hunting bullets", not "range poppers".
(edit to add: To be fair I had a similar discussion with our Hornady rep who was pushing the virtues of the GMX (Hornady's mono). He stated that while true that the GMX did not expand like even a bonded bullet at lower impact speeds, the depth of penetration and the "shape" of the wound channel "made up for that" - now maybe that is true, but if you hit a deer broadside and you only have (what?) 18" to penetrate until you are out the other side, what good does 38" of penetration do for you. And while the internal wound channel may look (different) you still have a 7mm hole on exit instead of a 13 mm exit hole (expanded bullet) which could aid if you have to track to recover in dense bush. What the discussion did leave me with was the consideration that I would try the GMX in my 243 if I was hunting from my bow stand. From that location I can not see past 35 yards due to the bush density - and that's uber-close for any "rifle". In that situation and 80 grain GMX right to the shoulder of a deer should put it down "right there" - and a shoulder shot at 30 yards is the only shot I would consider so the mono might do less damage than even some bonded bullets which I have had "explode" at that range and do considerable damage to the meat)
You really have to match your bullet to "your" conditions. If we all hunted the same there would only be one style of bullet on the market
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- Location
- The Kawarthas ON
The way I see it dead is dead and both will work with the right shot placement within a reasonable distance. I've been shooting 140 grain bullets out of my rifle exclusively and am getting great accuracy, this is out of a 9.5 twist barrel. I haven't tried the ttsx bullets yet but will be shortly. The twist in your barrel will dictate what size bullet your rifle likes but the ttsx are long for their weight. For hunting purposes and deer only I would try the 120 ttsx. I'm planning on trying the 140 ttsx as I will also be hunting moose and all shots will be under 300 yards max for deer and moose (more than likely much closer). The 140 for me should give slightly less wind drift(couple inches) while giving up minimal drop (less than an inch) @300 yards compared to the 120 ttsx and the 140 will deliver a couple hundred foot pounds more energy. Just my thoughts...
- Location
- Rockland, ON
Good information, thanks. A lot of these bullet options for the 7mm-08 are not available unless you load your own. I don't and won't be. I'm planning to take my 7mm-08 (BLR@20" barrel) with me moose hunting this fall as a secondary option to my 30 cal. I want to begin testing moose cartridge accuracy from the rifle soon and would like to narrow the ammunition field. I'm inclined toward the Federal loaded Nosler Partion but I am wide open to experienced advice.
If the hunting requirement for the 7mm-8 was moved from deer to moose and sticking to shots of 200/250 yards maximum with factory ammunition would you advocate for a 140g cup and core bullet like the SST, a Federal loaded Nosler Partition or a Bonded bullet like the Fed Trophy Bonded or Remington Accutip?
Thanks
