My unscientific 7mm-08 factory ammo test

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JPOHLIC

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Here are some pics of our less-than-scientific ammo test we did last year at elk camp.

I used an unmodified Stevens 200 7mm-08 and fired factory loaded 140gr Barnes TSX, nosler partition, federal fusion and winchester ballistic silvertip into a fairly green log at about 25 feet. There was nothing significant left of the ballistic silvertip but the other 3 held up quite well. I was really impressed with the federal fusion, it held up almost as well as the partition and was half the price.

Penetration depth for these three rounds was almost identical and compared to my buddies 300 win mag they came with an inch or two. I don't recall what bullet or weight he was shooting but I was pleasantly surprised.

Left to right: 140gr Barnes TSX, 140gr Nosler Partition, 140gr Federal Fusion





 
Interesting stuff as I am going out tomorrow to sight in my new 7-08 X-bolt. I'm taking some Fed. Fusions, Rem. Core-lokts & a bunch of hand loads trying to work up a load of my own. I was hoping the Fusions would group for me so I can use them as my factory back-ups.
 
JPOHLIC said:
Here are some pics of our less-than-scientific ammo test we did last year at elk camp.

I used an unmodified Stevens 200 7mm-08 and fired factory loaded 140gr Barnes TSX, nosler partition, federal fusion and winchester ballistic silvertip into a fairly green log at about 25 feet. There was nothing significant left of the ballistic silvertip but the other 3 held up quite well. I was really impressed with the federal fusion, it held up almost as well as the partition and was half the price.

Penetration depth for these three rounds was almost identical and compared to my buddies 300 win mag they came with an inch or two. I don't recall what bullet or weight he was shooting but I was pleasantly surprised.

Left to right: 140gr Barnes TSX, 140gr Nosler Partition, 140gr Federal Fusion





Click to expand...

When you throw the 300 Win Mag into the comparison and say the penetration was 'practically the same'...., at 25ft., it seems a little misleading, to say the least. I have both calibers and would never plan to use the 7-08 for a 300m shot at say, a bull moose, when I could be using the 300 Win Mag.

Just not sure how that particular piece of information is relevent, except perhaps to make you overconfident of the capabiltiy of the 7-08. Don't get me wrong, I love my 7-08 ( and so does my shoulder :), but they are 2 different tools for different jobs, in my opinion.

Just my .02

Jim
 
jakfrost said:
When you throw the 300 Win Mag into the comparison and say the penetration was 'practically the same'...., at 25ft., it seems a little misleading, to say the least. I have both calibers and would never plan to use the 7-08 for a 300m shot at say, a bull moose, when I could be using the 300 Win Mag.

Just not sure how that particular piece of information is relevent, except perhaps to make you overconfident of the capabiltiy of the 7-08. Don't get me wrong, I love my 7-08 ( and so does my shoulder :), but they are 2 different tools for different jobs, in my opinion.

Just my .02

Jim
Click to expand...

You're right, comparing to the 300 win mag is not relevant, especially since I don't know what size/type of bullet he was shooting. I just expected it to penetrate significantly more than the 7-08.

My personal shooting limit is about 225 yards, I don't feel comfortable taking longer shots on game than that, but I would not hesitate to use it on a bull moose up to that range. I think 250 would be about the limit for a 7-08 on a big bull.

Here are two more 140gr fusions that I recovered from this years' bull moose.

First shot went through the center of the shoulder blade, off the spine and down the leg where it shattered a 4" section of upper leg bone into tiny little bits just above first joint. The moose dropped on the spot and did not get up. The finishing shot went through the base of the neck and was found under the hide on the offside shoulder.





These fusions held together excellent considering the shot was maybe 35-40 yards. Expansion was about 3x. I used to think the 7-08 would need a partition or TSX for larger game but now I'm not convinced.

But what do I know.. I'm just a guy with a gun chasing animals through the woods
 
That caliber shouldn't be used on things much larger than coyotes. Even then it is at it's limits.

Try a .338 Lapua, that is about the minimum for Canadian game!!

oh yeah, I use a 7-08 for everything, whoopsy!!
 
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