7mm - 08 Powder Preference

if I was loading for a 7-08, my first choice of components would be a 140 grainer over Varget or RL15. For deer hunting a 139 Hornady or similar would work, but for larger game like bear elk or moose Id go with a 140 Nosler Partition or 140 Triple Shock X
 
todbartell said:
if I was loading for a 7-08, my first choice of components would be a 140 grainer over Varget or RL15. For deer hunting a 139 Hornady or similar would work, but for larger game like bear elk or moose Id go with a 140 Nosler Partition or 140 Triple Shock X
Click to expand...

I've been doing the R15/ Hornie 139 thing for a while. I love the powder, but have been underwhelmed by the bullet, in terms of blood trail. I'm going to mess with 120 and 140 TSX this year. I bet I can really get that 120 movin' along in my 22" tube. :D
 
I have been using Varget and IMR 3031 with everything from Speer 115 grain hollow points to Sierra 160 grain boat tails.
Best accuracy came from Sierra 120 grain Flat base bullets, and the IMR 3031.
Feel free to pm me for specific loads. I have a great deal of experience with this cartridge...
 
7mm 08 Components

I will have to take notes as I am off to a gun show in Fredericton and I should take a shopping list.
I love my Remington 700 BDL with a SS 22" light Remington Mountain Rifle barrel.

I have some bullets but am not sure if they are too heavy or incorrect for white tail deer, especially the ones in the 150 & 160-gr range.
Combined Technology Ballistic Silver Tip 140 gr.
Nosler Solid Base Boat Tail 150 gr.
Sierra Spitser boat tail 160 gr
Hornady BTSP 162 gr.

What do you recommend for primers?
I was told to get magnum primers for handguns are there any out there for rifles?
Should a person use full length sizing dies or just standard dies?
I have a set of Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension FL dies. I think they are probably suitable for what I will be hunting.

I find there aren't as many guns selling at shows these days, but lots of buyers for small less expensive items like holster and sling. For the past two years I find guns are slow selling items, but the other items are selling like reloading supplies.
 
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magnum primers will work, but not needed in a 7-08, any large rifle primer will work (Federal 210, Winchester WLR, CCI 200). Full length dies are perfect for hunting ammo. Any of the bullets you mentioned will work fine for deer hunting in a 7-08
 
albayo said:
I have some bullets but am not sure if they are too heavy or incorrect for white tail deer, especially the ones in the 150 & 160-gr range.
Combined Technology Ballistic Silver Tip 140 gr.
Nosler Solid Base Boat Tail 150 gr.
Sierra Spitzer boat tail 160 gr
Hornady BTSP 162 gr.
Click to expand...

I found that I had a hell of a time getting the Combined bullets to shoot well. I could get them down to about two inches. That isn't bad for a deer load, but I was already shooting quarter inch groups with lighter bullets.

So I went to a lighter hunting bullet. Speer 130 grain Boat tails were the heaviest bullet I could get to shoot accurately. The Sierra 120 Game Kings with IMR 3031 actually produced the load my gun likes the best. And they work like a laser beam on whitetails...

I did get a pretty accurate load out of Sierra 160 grain bullets, but feel that they are just too heavy for this cartridge. Serious arc like a rainbow when shooting at 300 yards...
 
What? Naw, the 7mm08 with 160's and good handloads is plenty flat enough for 300 yard work at about the same speed as a 308 168 grainer.

And, due to it's spectacular BC, it's a very flat 1000 yard round compared to most other cartridges of similar capacity
 
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