What is your favorite Light 7mm-08 load for white-tails?

[country_20boy]

I'd load the 120 BT with whatever powder you choose to a book minimum, or maybe 1-2 grains over min. Velo should be 2500-2700 and will kill any whitetail that walks within 150 yards. Recoil should be very mild.

Hearing protection and having a stock that fits will be more important than the actual recoil ft-lbs.

 

[Ringbill27]

I believe I have the 120gr TTSX going 3150fps with Big Game.

 

[swampmaster]

I already have an extra youth stock for a model 7 otherwise I am looking to a 700 cmpt with a 20" barrel. Then when he outgrows that he can get into whatever caliber he chooses. My work will be done by keeping the recoil low and fitting him with the gun to use until he gets his own. I'm hoping to encourage him to save his $$ to buy his first rifle like I did and not just have one bought and given to him. Seems when a kid associates the work that went along with earning the money they tend to appreciate what they pay for themselves.

 

[eaglemountainman]

I believe I have the 120gr TTSX going 3150fps with Big Game.

Great load.
I'm getting just slightly more velocity (3170/3180) with CFE 223. Puts 10 rnds just under an inch out of a Montana. In 16 years it's killed about everything from coyotes to bull elk with impressive results.

 

[Ringbill27]

Great load.
I'm getting just slightly more velocity (3170/3180) with CFE 223. Puts 10 rnds just under an inch out of a Montana. In 16 years it's killed about everything from coyotes to bull elk with impressive results.

I tried that CFE223 and was getting comparable velocities to big game but the it was giving 2” groups. Big game was able to give me 1 mos. I picked up this American used for my wife and it’s been difficult to find a factory ammo that’ll group at all. I suspect this is why it was traded in. I’ve was trying to get the 120gr ttsxs and the 139gr to shoot well and landed on my 120/big game combo right before season.

I’ve never had a ruger American not shoot well with anything you feed it but this one is picky.

 

[Whitetailaddict]

Honestly I just like the factory Hornady rounds.

 

[Wildone]

I tried that CFE223 and was getting comparable velocities to big game but the it was giving 2” groups. Big game was able to give me 1 mos. I picked up this American used for my wife and it’s been difficult to find a factory ammo that’ll group at all. I suspect this is why it was traded in. I’ve was trying to get the 120gr ttsxs and the 139gr to shoot well and landed on my 120/big game combo right before season.

I’ve never had a ruger American not shoot well with anything you feed it but this one is picky.

Did you try playing with the the jump?

 

[Ringbill27]

Did you try playing with the jump?

Not yet. Was testing right before deer season settled on the screaming 120gr. Deer season came and went. My wife successfully killed a doe. Then Northern MN froze over. I don’t have a snowmobile and can’t get to the rifle club till spring.

But I will!

 

[Ron.C]

have used this load for blacktail, whitetail, bear and elk. Not the lightest 7mm-08 load out there but quite tame in all regards. My rifle is a rem 700 mountain stainless.

41gr IMR 4064, 140gr Barnes TTSX. (2800fps).

I can also shoot the same powder with 139gr hornady interlocks out to 300 yards with marginal change in point of impact.



Iprefer the TTSX if I'm in G bear country or chasing goats but the hornady interlocks kill deer/black bears about as good as any other bullet I've seen used

 

[eaglemountainman]

Did you try playing with the the jump?

The load I mentioned in post #44 is seated .060 off. Coal is 2.816

 

[BruinPoint]

I started my son on this load in a T3X Youth 7mm08. It's fun for both of us to shoot, but we haven't shot anything besides steel with it:

27gr H4895
120gr Nosler BT
R-P brass
Rem Lg rifle 9 1/2 primer

 

[OXN939]

Back to the Original question. I know what shoots well in my gun, but I am looking for a light load like 120gr bullets for my young grandson who barely weighs 70lbs. I have only loaded with IMR 4350, but am interested if anybody else has a different pet light load for the 7mm-08

120 grain Hammer Hunters
41 grains Varget
50 thousandths off the lands

Have killed deer, elk, pronghorn, hogs etc with that combo. Super effective

 

[swampmaster]

Hey Swampmaster. I don’t load for a 7-08, but did check on Hodgdon’s website and they show a few reduced loads for the 7-08. One that looked promising would be a 120 gr ballistic tip over 40.8 gr of H4350 for a mv of 2496 fps. This would basically duplicate the 7-30 Waters from years ago, which at one time, was a very respected whitetail round designed to compete with or surpass the 30-30. I have a 7mm BR handgun that does about the same with 120gr ballistic tips and it does well on whitetails.

Hodgdon had several other loads with the powders for the 120 gr ballistic tip. All of them were around the 2500fps, give or take.

You are doing a great thing for your grandson by reducing the recoil. Make sure to let us know how it turns out.

Thanks. -Rufus

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the delay. I did some more digging and your load looks really similar in velocity and pressures to using my IMR4350 @ 42gr w 120BalTip, 9 1/2lg primers. According to the book this actually gives just a little higher vel at 2508 vs 2496 while lowering the pressures from 32,600psi on the H4350 to 31,900 onthe IMR4350. Also I might try and order some 4895 since the site says 1# are available. The pressures on that are way lower and velocities much higher than the IMR or the H4350.

 

[Rufus]

Thanks for the reply and sorry for the delay. I did some more digging and your load looks really similar in velocity and pressures to using my IMR4350 @ 42gr w 120BalTip, 9 1/2lg primers. According to the book this actually gives just a little higher vel at 2508 vs 2496 while lowering the pressures from 32,600psi on the H4350 to 31,900 onthe IMR4350. Also I might try and order some 4895 since the site says 1# are available. The pressures on that are way lower and velocities much higher than the IMR or the H4350.

If you can get H4895, that is the best option, in my opinion. If not, the H4350 load off of Hodgdons website should be good. It might be a little dirty as H4350 is a little slow for this application, but should be very pleasant to shoot. Thanks. -Rufus