Favorite Loads for the 7-08 Remington

JD338

JD338

Range Officer
Staff member
Nov 4, 2004
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I'm no stranger to the 7-08 Remington. A friend introduced me to Metallic Silhouette shooting in the mid '90's. He let me use his M700 VLS with a Leupold fixed 20x scope and 2 oz. trigger. I was impressed with the accuracy and the power . The 160 gr Sierra Ram Loads hit those 55 lb rams at 500 meters with authority.
Fast forward to last summer, Sue and I stopped by Weatherby in Sheridan WY and she really took a shinning to the Weatherby Camelia. Then during a late season doe hunt, Sue used my Nosler M21 308 Win. She really liked the mauverability while sitting in her "Cabin" deer blind.
Well being good at math, I added it up and laid out a plan for her birthday.
I ordered a Weatherby Camelia Wilderness in 7-08. I have already secured RCBS dies, 150 pcs Star Line brass, and a few bags of 140 gr BT seconds. I have Big Game, Varget, StaBall 6.5, IMR and H4350, and RL17.
What are your favorite loads?

BTW, I'll post pictures of the rifle and the birthday girl in a few weeks. Mums the word. 🤫

JD338
 
My wife Emma shoots a Weatherby Vanguard youth model 7mm-08! And she is Little Annie Oakley with that rifle. I have never loaded her with anything but 140 grain PSPCLs or Sierra Gamekings on top of IMR 4350. I cannot remember the exact charge but its not max. Recoil is nil and report is mild from the 20” barrel. On good days I can keep 5 rounds inside of 1” but generally its a 1-1.25” gun which is plenty good enough for Emma, she won’t shoot past 250 yards in any case.

The 7mm-08 (and 7x57 that it imitates for that matter) is a great cartridge. Someday a Model 70 Featherweight in 7mm-08 will join the herd. Until then I’m content borrowing Emma’s!
 
Varget, H4350 and H380 have all worked well in 4 different 7-08 s I ve loaded for when running 139-140 gr bullets.

Don’t rule out H4895 if you want to reduce recoil and knock 200-300 fps off the velocity. Those loads will still go 200-250 yards and take down deer/antelope game when using 140 gr bullets.
(Look up Winchester youth loads/reduced recoil loads and they explain the “as low as 60% of full power H4895 loads”)
 
45 grains of imr4350 and 140gr BT's were by far my best load.

17 rounds, one ragged hole...then it walked...after a cleaning...right back to the one ragged hole.

That said it is one cartridge that is just inherently accurate with many powders and differing charges.
 
The load DrMike worked up for Susan's Steyr Mannlicher Mountain Classic in 7mm-08 is 47.2 gr of IMR 4350 behind the Sierra 140 gr Pro Hunter in Nosler brass with F210M primers. Sorry, did not chrony that load out of that 20" barrel. And it shot just slightly better than the Nosler 140 gr AB ammo, which was MOA in that rifle.

I am using the Nosler 140 gr AB ammo in my Winchester Model 88 I had rebarreled to 7mm-08 at this time.
I do want to try loads with this bullet and the BT version, with Big Game and H4350, respectively.
 
I have always found the 7mm-08 easy to load for . it almost seems you can't make one shoot bad . the recoil is mild making this an easy to shoot cartridge . I have three 7-08's . I have a Tikka 595 , a trued up remington with a broughton BBL , and I have Denise's Browning X-bolt .

the X-bolt I load the 120 ballistic tips over 39.0 grains of H4895 . it's a slightly reduced load.
Denises' browning 7mm-08 oct 27.jpg PB040283.JPG

the remington , I load a 140 Berger VLD hunting with 49.0 grains of RL17 . I tried a different way of load development on this and I "THINK" it locked me into jamming the bullet into the lands . it does shoot , but I don't like a jammed bullet . if I chamber a round , I shoot it off . if I try to eject a live round I have a bullet stuck in the BBL , and spill powder all down through the action , and trigger. it's a big pain in the neck . I'm going to try to develop a load for this combo again , to see if I can get away from the jammed bullet .

the upper right is this final load .

P8140527.JPG

a 320 yard groundhog . I've taken a ground hog at close to 700 yards .
P7280608.JPG P7170149.JPG

5.5 inch 1000 yard group . I shot this right out of the truck , no sighters . I had the wind call , but didn't get the elevation too good . this is when I realized a drop chart wasn't going to cut it, too many variables . I bought my sig kilo 2400ABS range finder shortly after.

P1220030.JPG

the Tikka . I shoot " FREE " Hornady 139 BTSP bullets , with 43.2 grains of IMR4064 . I got the bullets on a rebate from Hornady for buying equipment . I think I got 15 boxes from the rebates . this is my preferred deer hunting rifle . I've taken more whitetails with this than I can remember . this rifle really shoots well for how I load for it . it gets the hand me down brass from the other two rifles . if I find range brass , this rifle shoots it . if you looked in my ammo box , it has Norma , Remington , Winchester , etc . this rifle is still a solid MOA shooter . I had a 3-9 scope on it , but I have upgraded the scope to a VX6 , 2-12 power with the Boone and Crocket reticle .

I can't find any paper targets , so here is a few one shot groups . LOL

PB010344.JPG PC101888.JPG PA310274.JPG 2023 N Carolina 6 point 3.jpg
 
JD338 said:
I'm no stranger to the 7-08 Remington. A friend introduced me to Metallic Silhouette shooting in the mid '90's. He let me use his M700 VLS with a Leupold fixed 20x scope and 2 oz. trigger. I was impressed with the accuracy and the power . The 160 gr Sierra Ram Loads hit those 55 lb rams at 500 meters with authority.
Fast forward to last summer, Sue and I stopped by Weatherby in Sheridan WY and she really took a shinning to the Weatherby Camelia. Then during a late season doe hunt, Sue used my Nosler M21 308 Win. She really liked the mauverability while sitting in her "Cabin" deer blind.
Well being good at math, I added it up and laid out a plan for her birthday.
I ordered a Weatherby Camelia Wilderness in 7-08. I have already secured RCBS dies, 150 pcs Star Line brass, and a few bags of 140 gr BT seconds. I have Big Game, Varget, StaBall 6.5, IMR and H4350, and RL17.
What are your favorite loads?

BTW, I'll post pictures of the rifle and the birthday girl in a few weeks. Mums the word. 🤫

JD338
Click to expand...

You are a good husband, Jim.

I had good luck with H-4350 in mine.
 
I've been using either IMR4350 or RL17 with 140 Grain Sierras or 140 Partitions in mine. My Rifle is a first year Remington 700 Titanium which with a scope and ammo is at 6lbs. Even with the light weight I'm getting 3 shot inch groups or less at 100 yards.
 
The following loads all used varget and this is my go to load at present using the hornady 139sst, 42.5 grains - 2,833fps sd 10.8.

Nosler 140 ballistic tip all loads were adequate for hunting with sweet spot somewhere between 42 & 42.5 grains.
41.5 grains 2,765 & 14.4sd
42 grains 2,798fps & 7.4sd
42.5 grains 2,837fps & 10.9sd
43.0 grains 2,862fps & 18.3sd

Sierra 140 game king 42.5 grains for 2,817fps and a 4.8sd. Accurate load

Hornady 139 interlock 42.5 grains for 2,829fps & sd9.7. This is the most accurate load in my rifle to date. Will use these bullets when I have run out of current sst loads.

Sierra 140 grain tipped game king,
41.5 grains 2,788fps sd12
42 grains 2,843fps sd9.4
42.5 grains 2,881fps sd19.2
43 grains 2,907fps sd9.8
My notes show accuracy at 41.5 & 43grains. Around an inch.

All loads tested in batches of five from a 24 inch barrel.
 
I have loaded for two 7-08's. A savage 110 and browning x bolt. Both rifles shoot great and are easy to load for. Both rifles like H4895, BL-C2, R17. I have gotten 120 gr Nosler ballistic tips with 43gr H4895 to surpass 3000fps and absolutely hammer deer. This year in my son's Browning 7-08 we loaded 120 gr barnes ttsx and BLC2. He killed 3 deer and none of the deer even took a step after the shot.
 
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