7mm-08 BT or Accubond?

[ReloadKy]

Before the rona hit I bought a savage 110 hunter in 7-08. The secondary reason I bought this is I wanted a rifle that I could comfortably shoot all day and still kill the heck out of deer with. The primary reason is I have a son that hunts and shoots (243) he will move up to the 7-08 in a few years and my wife enjoys blasting milk jugs and has killed one 9 pt buck with a Ruger 243. She wanted to step in caliber before her next hunt. So i went with the savage that has the acustock so I could make it fit her. She shot it for the first time and really enjoyed it.

Now to my question; should I load it with 140 ballistic tip or 140 accubonds for this upcoming deer season. I have both.

Second part of the question; how fast should I push them? I do not want to smash her with added unnecessary recoil but want to get the best performance. The rifle so far has only shot the 120 and 140 ballistic tips I have tried 3 different powders and all three have produced 4 shot groups under an inch, so the rifle will shoot. Any help or advice is much appreciated.

 

[DrMike]

Go with the BT; you won't need the extra toughness of the AB. If you're already getting good accuracy with different powders, I'd be content to use the loads you've already worked up. Any terminal velocity between 1800 fps and 2700 fps will kill deer, and do so with aplomb.

 

[SJB358]

Go with the BT; you won't need the extra toughness of the AB. If you're already getting good accuracy with different powders, I'd be content to use the loads you've already worked up. Any terminal velocity between 1800 fps and 2700 fps will kill deer, and do so with aplomb.

I’d use H4895 for about 2400-2600 start speed and let her enjoy it.

 

[TackDriver284]

What Mike said,,,,you won't need a AccuBond since you are not going magnum speeds where a Ballistic Tip will be a little more frangible. The Ballistic Tip in your 7mm-08 is just perfect. You will be more than happy with the performance of the Ballistic Tip.

 

[desertcj]

I'd load it with 120gr ballistic tips if it was me. Very mild recoil and at 3000fps they will smack the tar out of a deer...

 

[ShadeTree]

I'd load it with 120gr ballistic tips if it was me. Very mild recoil and at 3000fps they will smack the tar out of a deer...

I don't have the experience with this bullet to add any affirmation of results on whitetails, but unless a whole lot of people are flat out lying about their results over the last decade, the 7mm 120 gr BT is the bullet I'd choose to try first if looking for a light recoiling deer killer in 7mm-08.

 

[Blkram]

As above, the 140 BT's will serve you just fine on whitetails. do not worry about max speeds, if you have loads shooting so well. Both your wife and son will enjoy the experience and the deer won't know the difference!

If you were looking to step up to larger game such as moose and elk, then I would say load the AB's for the extra penetration.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Bought a Bergara B14 7mm08 last year. Used the 140 AB because it was what I had on hand with 46 grs of Big Game. Well satisfied with the performance. Recoil might be a little stiff for your wife or son. My son and friend use the 120 BT in their 7x57 with very good results. Have worked up a load with Speer 130. This or the Sierra 120 wouldn't be a bad choice either. Dan.

 

[JD338]

The 140 gr BT is a great choice for deer. It's the go to bullet got my wife in her 280 AI out to nearly 400 yards.
Another option would be the 120 gr BT. It uses the 140 gr BT jacket but cut down to meet the specs of the 120 he design. This gives it a much thicker jacket which allows it to withstand higher impact velocities without coming apart. It would be ideal in the 7-08 and offer lighter recoil.

JD338

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I'd go with the BT. At 7-08 velocities, you dont need the extra 15% weight retention an AB will give you. I load the 150g NBT for my wife's Kimber 7-08. Velocity is 2825fps and I know it will kill any deer or elk that walks out to 500 yards.

 

[ReloadKy]

Thanks for all of the input!! Yesterday the load she shot was the 120 BT with 40 gr of H4895(I only have like 4 of them left). I would load that all year long if the 120's weren't out of stock everywhere I look. Anyone know why, they aren't begin discontinued are they? So for know I reckon I will work on the 140 BT load and save the 140 AB for my 7 mag!!

 

[mjcmichigan]

Definitely a decent plan! The 120/140, the deer won’t know the difference and if your wife can handle the 140’s, then don’t worry about it.


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[JD338]

The 120 gr BT is a popular bullet as is the 140 gr BT. I'd keep an eye out for both at Shooters Pro Shop and stock up on some when they go on sale. I've been shooting blems and factory seconds for years and there is nothing wrong with them.

JD338

 

[ReloadKy]

JD the ones that I have been shooting are in fact factory seconds. I have reloading buddy nearby and we usually once a year go in a bunch of blems and split the shipping cost.

 

[Gunner46]

I kept a watchful eyes on SPS for a couple of years. When the 140 BT's popped up I bought a boat load of them ! If you already have loads that are accurate, then don't fret too much over velocity.

I won't even try to guess how many of us 7/08 guys are all using 41-43 gr of Varget, or RL-15 with 140 BT's.

I've never shot the 120's, but a bazillion guys can't be all that wrong if they're so hard to find.

Use what you can get your hands on and don't look back...…..

 

[redryder66]

Bass Pro has the 120 BT in stock.

 

[ReloadKy]

Thanks, Red!

 

[Silentstalker]

As many have mentioned, the 120 is a great choice. Nothing wrong with the 140 tho. Load what you can find and don’t look back!

 

[ksubuck]

Unless things have changed recently, this is how I understand it. The 120 and 150 BTips in the 7mm line have a little thicker jacket intended for medium game hunting. The 140 BTip is the more traditional jacket. The 120 is made for the 7-08. If impact speeds aren't excessive it really doesn't matter, but if you are hitting close and fast the extra jacket seems to help in my experience.

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[ReloadKy]

That is interesting to me ksu. I had not read that there was a difference in jacket thickness between the different weight of BTip bullets. I know Nosler made improvements to the jackets on the newer BTips versus the old ones but had not learned about the differences that you spoke of.