curious about 7-08

[birdseye]

wondering what bullet wieght would be sufficient in the 7-08,woukd a 139Gr be heavy enough.
Ive never owned one but a friend picked one up and would like to reload for it,and wiukd IMR 4350 be a decent powder to start with ? thank you for any & all replies

[Twisted Canuck]

140 gr is the sweet spot for mine, it didn't group 150s very good. A very capable cartridge, use a good bullet suited for the game ie: TSX, Accubond, Partition. An easy cartridge to load for, the 4350 will work.

[catnthehat]

AO member Manitoban has a 708 that has killed a truck load of deer, moose and elk with 140 TTSX bullets .
Cat

[Prairiekid]

My preference is actually the 120 TTSX. I prefer to have velocity on my side for monometal bullets. I have used 140’s with success as well.

[Pioneer2]

Win 760.....mag primer

[fatboyz]

Originally Posted by Prairiekid

My preference is actually the 120 TTSX. I prefer to have velocity on my side for monometal bullets. I have used 140’s with success as well.

As said above, and Three of us here in Rocky all shoot 120 TTSX in 3 different rifles. Have killed a pile of deer, few elk, few moose, and 1 ram with them. The accuracy is fantastic and with basically 119 grains of recovered retained bullet weight they do just fine. Recoil is light, a very nice combination.

[catnthehat]

Out of over 30 animals, I think Manitoban has recovered only 7 bullets, all of them perfectly mushroomed with no petal loss.
I was quite surprised myself at the expansion because most people automatically think the 140 is on the heavy side. Personally speaking I would tend to run a 120 as well, but the results speak for themselves!

Some of the deer were well over 300 yards .
Accuracy of this M70 Featherweight is outstanding .
Cat

[DLab]

Originally Posted by fatboyz

As said above, and Three of us here in Rocky all shoot 120 TTSX in 3 different rifles. Have killed a pile of deer, few elk, few moose, and 1 ram with them. The accuracy is fantastic and with basically 119 grains of recovered retained bullet weight they do just fine. Recoil is light, a very nice combination.

What powder and velocities are you running with the 120's?

[heretohunt]

I have used 120 gn TTSX with either Varget or CFE223. Accuracy and speed is very good.
Of course the ttsx has a great track record as a hunting bullet and my experience has been no different.

[Dick284]

What else can you say about the 7mm-08 Remington cartridge when your daughter has a string of one hit wonders with the cartridge.
139grain Hornady BTSP’s at 2660fps!

[brewster29]

Originally Posted by heretohunt

I have used 120 gn TTSX with either Varget or CFE223. Accuracy and speed is very good.
Of course the ttsx has a great track record as a hunting bullet and my experience has been no different.

Spot on in my experience. 120 TTSX over Hodgdon’s load for Varget…I did get pressure issues with CFE223 in hot weather… but excellent velocity and accuracy. Varget is 100 fps (at 3100 fps!) slower but we all know it is as temp stable as anything. I have a couple boxes of 139 LRX I have not tried in 7-08, but they should retain velocity better than the 120’s and perhaps expand better at longer ranges. I have not recovered a 120 TTSX yet.

[kingrat]

Wife's and sons guns loves the 139 lrx and its devastating on elk and moose. I would not hesitate to load the 120 ttsx and shoot anything with it as well.

[Pioneer2]

7x57

[sage 13]

145gr speer BTSP H-4350

[birdseye]

After I went through his 7-08 tightening the action dpscrews,scope rings & Bases,we headed out for some target practice,no bore sighting after we fixed the scopes bad canter,my friend was all over the bullseye,his rifle seems to be a decent shoote.Very pleased with the factory Hornady ammo he used.Now to reload and start to sample with diff recipies.

thank you all for the replies,Ill keep you posted on his results.He had a pretty bug smile after he took his target down §a👌

[Smokinyotes]

I’ve never owned a 7-08 but I did load some 140’s for my buddies sons gun. I thought the velocities were kind of lame. What’s the advantage of a 7-08 over the parentcase 308 win?

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I’ve never owned a 7-08 but I did load some 140’s for my buddies sons gun. I thought the velocities were kind of lame. What’s the advantage of a 7-08 over the parentcase 308 win?

Sounds cool, you big silly.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by sage 13

145gr speer BTSP H-4350

Yup

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

I’ve never owned a 7-08 but I did load some 140’s for my buddies sons gun. I thought the velocities were kind of lame. What’s the advantage of a 7-08 over the parentcase 308 win?

In real life hunting situations you will not notice any difference.
On paper, the 708 may have a little bit flatter trajectory, which is what it was designed for - Silhouette shooting.

In reality it offers only a few FPS difference between itself the 7X57, and in the heavy 175's used for the 500 meter ram the 7X57 has just a bit more powder capacityy , which some like.
However , when trying to save mass for the requirement of silhouette match shooting , some shooters would go with the 708.

I have been out of the game for quite a while however, so this thought process may be dated.
For the average hunter, as far as accuracy and killing power goes, not difference will be found.
Cat

[elkhunter11]

I had two 7mm-08 rifles, a Model 7 SS, and a Model 7FS. Both were lightweight rifles that shot sub moa with handloads. I used the 120gr Ballistic Tip for deer, and the 140 Solid Base when I took the Mdel 7 FS along on hunts as a backup. I only killed a couple of deer , and one moose with the 7mm-08, but it worked well. I see the 7mm-08 as an excellent choice for a lightweight/compact rifle, especially if the shooter is of smaller stature.

[Homesteader]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

In real life hunting situations you will not notice any difference.
On paper, the 708 may have a little bit flatter trajectory, which is what it was designed for - Silhouette shooting.

In reality it offers only a few FPS difference between itself the 7X57, and in the heavy 175's used for the 500 meter ram the 7X57 has just a bit more powder capacityy , which some like.
However , when trying to save mass for the requirement of silhouette match shooting , some shooters would go with the 708.

I have been out of the game for quite a while however, so this thought process may be dated.
For the average hunter, as far as accuracy and killing power goes, not difference will be found.
Cat

You are correct as usual Cat. In addition I believe it had something to do with not being a military cartridge and in some countries that was an advantage for sport shooters. Mexico rings a bell

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Homesteader

You are correct as usual Cat. In addition I believe it had something to do with not being a military cartridge and in some countries that was an advantage for sport shooters. Mexico rings a bell

Yes that is true.
Cat

[Prairiekid]

I have two 7-08. One is a Finnlight and the other a Model 7. I use Varget and CFE 223. I get my load data straight from the Barnes website. I agree on seeing some pressure signs with the CFE. Personally I love the cartridge, I would love a
7-08ai, but know it’s not worth the effort for me. I haven’t shot a deer over 50 or 60 yards in quite sometime, so I can’t imagine needing more. I used to shoot a 25.06 with 100gr TTSX, and that thing was downright lethal. I typically default to the Finnlight, but the M7 is a pleasure to carry if I’m still hunting all day long.

[Beached Whale]

In my wife's 7mm08 we load the 120TTSX over H4895 because that is what it likes. It has been a great combo for her so far.

My hunting buddy used 150 ELDX over win760 and has also had good luck.

I just staring using 162 ELDM over H4350 in mine but the jury is still out on that one.

Three very different bullets for 3 very different types of shooters. My wife won't shoot anything over 200 yards so the Barnes suit her well. My friend doesn't like copper bullets and wants something that has a better BC so he like the ELDX. I have hunted with match bullets for a long time without issue so I run the ELDM.

[WHMS]

I have 2 big game rifles, both in 7mm-08 and both will be coming on my elk hunt this week. T3X Supelite wearing a bell and Carlson stock that I’ve developed a load using 140gr Barnes TTSX at roughly 2900 fps and a M70 super grade shooting 140gr accubonds at 2750 fps. I’m using big game as the powder for both. Hoping I’ll have some pictures to post in the coming weeks

[CNP]

I've been using a Sako A7 in 7mm08 as my primary hunting rifle for 15 years now. I've only loaded it with 139/140 gr bullets as I have never felt that it needed any more zip than 2700-2900 fps. Never have I used mono metal bullets, just the old standard cup and core bullets, sometimes flat base and sometimes boat tail. Sometimes with a polymer tip. Every bullet shoots well when you come up with the right charge. My absolute best groups came with 140 gr accubonds and IMR 4350. Moose, elk, deer and sheep have all been slain with my favourite rifle. Most hunting now is done grazing lands with little bush. I've taken longish shots on deer and elk in the range of 400 yards. At that distance with the 7mm08, shoulder shots are the best option for a bang flop.

[Sask Bearman]

H4895 is a great powder in 7/08 and 140 grain ttsx is about perfect.

[ORVIS]

I used my 7-08rem with 139g Hornady Interlock Bullet on last years spring bear with good results

[bcpappy]

I got my 2 sons a browning micro midas in 7-08 each, my youngest will get one as well once he is old enough. They both got bucks last year with great results using 140 accubonds, both guns shoot these bullets a little less than MOA. I think the caliber is perfect for moose on down to coyotes within 300 yards. Nice light recoil, I kinda want a 7-08 for myself now.

[Mountain Guy]

139 hornady SST's in front of varget has been great for me. Bang flops on deer.
Loaded some 120 TTSX's with varget for good results at the range and hoping to test out on an elk...