7mm 150 grn BT’s on close range shots

[Blkram]

I basically stuck to the 165 gr SGK in my 7mm Rem Mag when I had it, so cannot give first hand experience with the 150 gr BT in this cartridge. I did take an number of various big game species (antelope to elk) with this cartridge, and the 7MM STW, from 15-475 yards with the 165 and 160 gr SGK's and 160 AccuBonds. All worked well when I did my job.
I do have the 150 gr BT and AB for my 280 Rem and will be developing loads for this bullet weight in this cartridge. I definitely have opportunities for deer, moose, and elk at ranges from 10-400 yards for whitetails in the areas that I hunt, and will not be afraid of using this bullet at these ranges on deer. The caveat being the shot placement.

You will want to stay off the shoulder with the BT, except when you want a high shoulder shot to anchor the animal in its tracks. A low miss of the spine may get the major artery under the spine and produce massive blood loss.
A high miss of the spine usually results in the animal getting up after the initial shock and collapse to stagger or run away. Be prepared to send an insurance shot while the animal is down, or send a follow up shot as the animal regains its feet. Watch carefully for several minutes to be sure it is the former, or be able to follow up if the latter. CAUTION: Most people are too busy celebrating the DRT and miss any chance for follow up when it is the latter that occurs.

Another thing to consider when shooting at angles in the mountains, is where the bullet will enter and potentially exit.
For better blood trails, ensure that the entry or exit wound is low in the chest cavity in order for the blood to drain from the chest cavity and provide better blood trails. Many shots that result in mid-chest entry/exit wounds tend to leave little to no blood trail as the majority of the blood stays within the chest cavity.
On angling shots, ensure that the bullet will travel through the animal so that it provides the greatest amount of damage to the vitals to ensure quick, clean kills.
Quartering away is easier, as you can aim so that the bullet will impact the offside shoulder to limit amount of travel after initial hit due to the broken shoulder and extensive damage to the vital organs, usually including a double lung hit that mitigates length of travel after initial shot.
Quartering to shots are more difficult as you must get past that shoulder to hit as many vitals as possible.

 

[SpirePoint]

Hi JC
Whitetail shots at less than 100 yards with a 7mm Remington Magnum, most any cartridge you can buy or bullet you can load is extremely deadly. It’s more about bullet placement. What’s most accurate in your gun. The more accurate, the more forgiving when you don’t make your best shot.

I don’t like to go look for an animal, so I shoot high shoulder. I moved from a 308 Winchester to a 7mm RM in about 1980 and added a 7mm WSM in about 2006. I’ve only had 2 deer run with 7mm cartridges and it was because I missed my spot. A lung shot ran 60 yards and a gut shot ran over 200 yards.

When I first moved to the 7mm RM, it seemed most were shooting the 139 grain InterLock with advertised velocity of 3400 fps. I loaded using this data for years until I looked at a newer Hornady reloading manual where the maximum loads for this bullet indicated only 3200 fps. This moved me to start looking at reloading in a little more depth. The balance of speed and bullet weight to develop energy took my attention rather than just speed. Starting fresh looking for a new load that was accurate in my gun and developed the highest energy, I wound up loading the 162 grain SST at 3000 fps as my hunting round. I’ve loaded a number of different bullets with various powders and my gun just likes the 162 SST with 69.6 grains of MagPro.

So, in selecting what to shoot, find what is accurate in your gun. If recoil is of concern, generally the heavier the bullet the greater the recoil. I would not try 7mm bullets less than 139 grains. Like you, where I normally hunt most shots are up close. However, on occasions I’ve made trips where much longer shots were possible. A longer bullet in the same style will have a higher ballistic coefficient and the bullet speed and energy will hold up better further out.

Last, but not least, is availability. What can you continue to get down the road. It’s sad when you find the best round for a particular rifle and later a component is unavailable or discontinued. I have 3 different cartridges that the load includes AccuBond bullets that I haven’t seen for a while. I’ve had really good results with Reloder powders and still have some of several on the shelf, but I think we may never see it available again.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Charlie-NY]

7mm Rem mag + 50yd shots = Bonded bullet. Use a 160gr AccuBond and you will be fine, near or far. I've shot a fair number of critters from Whitetail to Red Stag with the 160gr AB and terminal performance was always as you would expect,

Just my 2 cents.

 

[SJB358]

We have used the 160 AccuBond quite alot. In todays world, it is pretty tough to get. The 150 Ballistic Tip, Scirocco, etc are all great choices as well. If you were daring and wanted to use something with some mass the 175 ELD and 180 Scenar are pretty good. Both expand like crazy but retain a solid amount of mass. The ol 175 Partition and even the 160 are great choices.

Something bonded might be easier on meat up close but honestly, anything full tilt out of a 7 mag under a 100 yards is going to leave a mark...

 

[TNBillyEarl]

I’ve had the seven mag for several years and I’ve tried multiple bullets in it. I thought the partitions were just a little bit too tough for Whitetail, and even though they exited it did not seem like the bullet had expanded very much and I did not get a good blood trail. A big buck on the mountain can reach about 250 pounds on the hoof, which is not big by some standards but it’s a pretty good deer to me. They dress out around 185 pounds. I’ve shot two bucks in the last five years with 154 grain Hornady interlocks and did not have the bullet exit. One was a spire point and the other was a round nose. Both of those were broadside shots through the lungs. What little bit of blood was put down on the ground actually came out of the Deers mouth and nostrils and it took me quite a while to find both of them because they both ram 100 yards and there were only sparse specks of blood. So it’s very important to me to get a decent exit wound and a good blood trail.

I can add to some of this; and I too hunt in the woods where 75 yards is most likely out of sight, thick, and in need of tracking. I have shot every Hornady offering sans the CX and have never gotten the blood trail I do with Core-Lokts or Fusions. When finding this forum b/c I needed help reloading, I began Shooting 160g Partitions from my 7mmRM. The deer just don't run more than a yard or two. And shooting through the lungs spoils very little. I'm shooting 140g and 150g Partitions now out of a 7mm-08 and every deer has been the same when double-lunged: a 50 yard sprint before falling over stone dead. And the blood trail is a red carpet. (Partial confession - I like to piddle around and will be shooting BTs next year if I can find some.)

-B

 

[gldprimr]

I bought the 7mm mag years ago to go out west on an elk hunt, so it’s what I use for deer at home. I was planning on keeping the velocity 2800-3000 fps. I actually tried the bt’s years ago when they still had the thin jackets and was not happy with them. But I have been reading that Nosler beefed up the jackets on them some time back to hold up better. Unfortunately when you mountain hunt like I do “bad angles” are just part of it. You see the deer and have about 10 seconds to decide if it’s a shooter and to then get the shot off. Definitely not like the hunting videos where they are studying everything with a spotting scope. Thanks for the quick reply

If you’re planning to keep velocity at 3000 fps or below I’d recommend the 120 gr. Ballistic Tip. I’ve used it in my 7mm-08 at 3000 fps and it’s astonishing what a good job of putting them down quick it does. It’s also a bit tougher than you’d expect. Anyway, given the velocity you say you plan to load to give the 120 gr. Ballistic Tips a try - I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

You would be much better served with a 160g AB or Partition at that range. Those BTs will ruin the front half under 100 yards if any bone is hit.

 

[204Gunner]

160 Partition with RL 22 from 5 yards and far as 500 yards or so

 

[Darkhorse]

I too mostly hunt the deep woods and in some of the overgrown timber cuts we can't see a deer at 75 yards. When hunting at home I load the 154 grain Hornady spire point in my 7mm Rem.magnum, the 165 grain Spire point in my 300 Win. Mag and lately the 150 SST in my .308. The only one of these I don't like is the 150 grain SST because it does ruin a lot of meat. I was shooting 150 grain Interbond's in the 7 mag. but they apparently stopped making them. The next bullet I try will be 150 grain Accubonds.
I did shoot a medium size buck with a 140 grain Partition out of the 7 mag. at max velocity. That one ruined a lot of meat.
The 180 grain spire point interlock is my elk load in the 300 win mag. It stays together, makes a good mushroom and is extremely accurate. I shot a big 5x5 in Colorado with this one at a measured 400 yards. It kicked once then DRT.
I like a medium weight bullet that's a proven expander with the penetration to go through the animal so I get 2blood holes. And it must be accurate. I won't load it if it's notl

 

[Joec7651]

Welcome, there are some really good people and great friends here.

Try a Nosler, Barnes, Hornady, or whatever manufacture you choose mono in the 140-150 neighborhood, and load it as fast as your rifle will safely push them. Penetration, shock, and blood trail whether you’re on bone, broadside ribcage, bad angle, or end to end.
I like and use the Nosler E-Tips in .224, .277, .284, and 308 caliber. Love them, and that includes two 7mm Rem Mags at 3250 fps. I don’t think you could go wrong with whatever copper bullet you chose. They will work from just off the muzzle to whatever limit you impose on yourself.

 

[PJGunner]

Many years ago, like the ate 195s I used to hunt the northwest corner of california, fairly close to the Oregon border. Shots at the little Blacktail Deer were short and fast. I started with a plain old Winchester M94 running 170 gr. bullets for penetration and hopefully a good enough blood trail that wold last before the rains completely wiped it out. Like the OP, if a deer ran more than 25 yards without a decent blood trail, he was lost and gone forever. Final rifle of choice for that area was an old bubba'd 1903 Springfield with the barrel cut to 18". Hand load used a 170 gr. Speer 30-30 bullet loaded to an estimated 2400 FPS. Deer hit with the load usually expire on the spot and those that ran left rails that looked like they used a paint brush. They ruined a lot of good eating meat though. The thought was a choice of losing some meat or the whole deer. Not much choice I admit but.....better than losing the whole deer.
Today, if faced with that type hunt situation I'd be looking into something with a bigger hole in the front. I was hunting up on the Olyimpic Penninsula and close to the Olympic National Park. Thickest damn brush I'd ever seen. I got stationed next to a swampy area and had lots of time to start thinking. What would be the most perfect gun for where I'm hunting. What I came up with would have also been just about perfect for those northwest California hunts, a .358 Win. Come to think of it so would a .35 Whelen. When I got home we'd planned on going back up there for another hunt the next year so I started looking through the paper for a .358 Win. At that time the the Whelen was still a wildact and I wasn't all that interested. But some form of luck I found one just two weeks late. These days, our Paper won't carry ads for guns DAMMIT! I did load work up for the rifle but didn't like the 200 gr. bullets available and felt top loads with 250 gr. were a bit too slow for the possible shot next to a clear cut. he hunt didn't happen thanks to ecofreaks and the spotted owl. The place where we stayed shut down for good AFAIK, at that was what I was told.
The whole point off this is sometimes we really just need to get a different rifle for the conditions we're hunting. My current heavy is a custom mauser in .35 Whelen running a Barnes 225 gr. TSX at 2710 FPS. Dunno what kind of blood trail that bullet might leave as everything I've shot with it has dropped DRT. Seriously, I've never shot a deer with that load but something like the 225 gr. Sierra or Hornady might be soft enough for a good exit wound and blood trail. That is if you actually need one. The AccuBond might work as well but I can't say. I've shot the 200 gr. Hornady's, 250 gr. Speer and Hornady's and the 225 gr. TSX all on paper and all were very accurate in three rifle chambered to the Whelen. The custom was top dog with the TSX and I've only hunted elk with that load.
Just a suggestion should the OP decide to try something else from the little onld enabler, me.
Paul B.

 

[gldprimr]

I am wanting to give the 150 grn ballistic tips a try in my REM 7mm magnum but wanted to check with you all and see who has used these on close range shots. I hunt only whitetail deer in a mountainous area and all my shots are under 100 yards. Average shot is probably 50-60 yards. So what are your thoughts? Would this bullet hold together on a bad angle shot at 50 yards at 7mm rem mag velocities?

FWIW - i hunt in south west Mississippi, shots are close with brush and other cover very thick. I have successfully used a 7mm-08 loaded with 120 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips loaded to just over 3000 fps for quick one shot kills either DRT or very short death dash no more than 20 yards to kill a number of deer here. My hunting partner used 125 gr. Ballistic Tips I loaded for him to ~ 3200 fps in his 30-06 with similar results. Currently I’m using a bolt action 6.5 Grendel with 129 gr. Nosler ABLR loaded to 2600 fps with the same results. I would be reluctant to use a 7mm magnum loaded to full velocity at the close distances you mention simply due to the meat destruction. Load it down to lower velocities and it will do exactly what you’re trying to accomplish without destroying so much edible meat.