I am looking at getting a new rifle for hunting deer with in eastern Oregon, I already own a 7mm WSM that i use for elk hunting, so i was thinking that the 7mm 08 seems to me like it would be perfect for deer, i was thinking of loading up 140 grn bullets in either Barnes TTSX or Nosler AccuBond, any opinions as to which i should go with, or does it really matter. Thanks
7mm 08?
- Thread starter dezmick
- Start date
YoteSmoker
Handloader
- Oct 3, 2006
- 1,602
- 0
The 7mm08 is my favorite deer-sized cartridge and it even did a fine job on a bobcat this past winter with my wife's deer/elk hunting load. IMR4350 and Varget both work very well for me with the 140 TTSX and AccuBond bullets, producing and average of 2800 fps. I am seriously considering working up a coyote-deer load with either a 120 ballistic tip or TTSX that would be even flatter shooting!
I think the 7-08 is a great cartridge. Probably a little better than the 308, only because of lighter bullets with decent BC in my mind. I think I would stick with the 140gr BT/AB for deer. Can't see needing anymore than either of those two for deer. Plus, like Russ said, you can buy BT's for a great price most of the time. Scotty
- Nov 4, 2004
- 25,569
- 9,679
The 7mm-08 loaded with a 140 gr BT kills deer like lighting. If you need a tougher bullet, go with the 140 gr AB or PT.
JD338
JD338
DrMike
Ballistician
- Nov 8, 2006
- 37,532
- 6,584
For deer, the BT will work just fine. I have certainly used a lot of TSX bullets, and they will work very well on deer. The AB will expand somewhat ore reliably, but dead is dead if you put the bullet where it belongs.
257 Ackley
Handloader
- Nov 25, 2008
- 1,763
- 0
The 7-mm08 IMHO is one of the top cartridges for deer you can buy. It is easy to load, has a wide variety of bullet types and weights available, inheritly accurate, light recoil and is a great starter caliber for kids or women. There are three in my safe right now.
It is the caliber that I bought all of my kids when they started hunting deer and has worked well for me in a custom built rifle for deer and elk. The 140 grain BT is all you need for deer, although my son has been using the 120 grain BT for the last 2 years. This past fall he shot a deer quartering toward him at about 75 yards at the junction of the neck and chest area. When I was butchering the deer I found most of the jacket in the far-side rear quarter. The bullet did a great job on the vitals of the deer and traveled quite a ways through that deer. Nosler uses the same jacket for the 120 as the 140 BT, so it has a little thicker jacket than you would typically find in a 120 grain bullet. The previous year the deer he shot was over 250 yards out in a field and folded like a cheap tent with the same bullet. Both were nice sized deer (140 lb plus does).
I have taken 3 elk with my rifle in this caliber using 140 grain Swift A-frames. One was a nice 5X5 bull at about 100 yards and the other 2 were cows shot at less that 200 yards.
I highly endorse the caliber when you consider the versitility it has and the results you will get from using it. Can't imagine anything much better than this caliber in a Winchester Featherweight with a 3-9 X40 type scope for your applications :mrgreen:
It is the caliber that I bought all of my kids when they started hunting deer and has worked well for me in a custom built rifle for deer and elk. The 140 grain BT is all you need for deer, although my son has been using the 120 grain BT for the last 2 years. This past fall he shot a deer quartering toward him at about 75 yards at the junction of the neck and chest area. When I was butchering the deer I found most of the jacket in the far-side rear quarter. The bullet did a great job on the vitals of the deer and traveled quite a ways through that deer. Nosler uses the same jacket for the 120 as the 140 BT, so it has a little thicker jacket than you would typically find in a 120 grain bullet. The previous year the deer he shot was over 250 yards out in a field and folded like a cheap tent with the same bullet. Both were nice sized deer (140 lb plus does).
I have taken 3 elk with my rifle in this caliber using 140 grain Swift A-frames. One was a nice 5X5 bull at about 100 yards and the other 2 were cows shot at less that 200 yards.
I highly endorse the caliber when you consider the versitility it has and the results you will get from using it. Can't imagine anything much better than this caliber in a Winchester Featherweight with a 3-9 X40 type scope for your applications :mrgreen:
Powerstroke
Handloader
- Feb 24, 2006
- 1,800
- 71
There will always be the caliber controversy, however the 7-08 has to rank right up in the top caliber choices for any N/A deer hunting.
Bullet selection is short of stellar - load options goes well beyond that. There are many reduced recoil loads available to get new and young shooters started - it doesn't get much better than this round. Most 7-08's appear to be very easy to load for and perform very well with about any combo.
Mine is one that doesn't seem to care what goes down the tube either - eveyrthing I have put down it shoots good. A mulie or two along with a few elk have fallen to this gun. I have yet to but any accubonds down the barrel, but have settled on 140 and 120 gr B-tips.
Good luck and let us know what you decide -View attachment 7-08.JPG
Bullet selection is short of stellar - load options goes well beyond that. There are many reduced recoil loads available to get new and young shooters started - it doesn't get much better than this round. Most 7-08's appear to be very easy to load for and perform very well with about any combo.
Mine is one that doesn't seem to care what goes down the tube either - eveyrthing I have put down it shoots good. A mulie or two along with a few elk have fallen to this gun. I have yet to but any accubonds down the barrel, but have settled on 140 and 120 gr B-tips.
Good luck and let us know what you decide -View attachment 7-08.JPG
