7-08 loads

[Montanahunterjon]

I recently purchased a tikka t3 lite in 7-08 and am getting started working a load for it. I like nosler partitions and I have varget, h4064, imr4350, h4350. I'm thinking of try Berger vld. Does anyone have any favorite bullets or any loads they love? Anything in 7-08 is great, but if you have other guns or calibers I'd love to hear what you've perfected.

 

[sbhooper]

I do not have one, but my .308 likes Varget real well. Personally, you could not give me any Bergers. I would stay with the Partitions unless you are just shooting targets.

Go to Hodgdon's reloading data page. It will give you all you need to know for Hodgdon and IMR powders.

 

[Gunner46]

You didn't mention what you wanted the loads for, but the two I've had experience with both have been top performers for me.I would love to post some pics of a perfectly mushroomed bullet, but I've never been able to recover one and all 7 have been 1 shot kills.

I've only used both for Eastern whitetails and pigs at ranges under 150yds.

#1 150gr Nosler Ballastic Tip, .5 gr short of max charge w/ 4895 @ about 2700fps.

#2 120gr Barnes TSX, .7 gr short of max w/ Varget @ about 3050fps.

 

[MThuntr]

My notes are all packed up but I shoot 140gr Nosler E-tips over H4350. I am going to try CFE223 when I get setup at my new place.

You lose velocity when shooting the longer and all copper bullets. Like above you couldn't pay me to shoot Bergers unless I was shooting strictly paper.

 

[BigHornRam]

I've had good results with Barnes bullets in 120, 130, and 140 gr. using H380 and H414. H380 in particular with the 140 grain. Good speed and accuracy.

 

[BuzzH]

I've shot only 140 grain ballistic tips and 140 accubonds so far in our 2 7-08's.

I've used h4350 RL 15, 17, and 19, IMR4831, H380, and varget.

My wifes rifle (23 inch barrel), tough call between RL 15, 17, 19, and varget all were .5-1.0 inch 5 shot groups at 100. Varget load was about .6 for a 5 shot group.

Ended up going with 43.0 grains of varget, cci250 mag primer, WW cases, and 140 accubonds. MV is 2930 with very little velocity variation.

I tried all of the same loads in my rifle (24 inch barrel), I also settled on the same varget load (43.0 grains) and MV in my rifle is 2850.

My best velocity, and best accuracy was with RL 17 and ballistic tips. MV was 2980 and about .35 5-shot groups. Trouble is, with the accubonds the group spreads to just under 1 inch.

RL 19 shot awesome with accubonds, but I ran out of it. Really it shot just 50-60 fps faster than the varget load with accubonds, no better accuracy.

If I can ever find rl19 again, I may switch to it. But, I have a bunch of varget and it shoots the best and with the best velocities of what I have available..

H380, h4350, imr4831 were the worst of the bunch in our rifles both accuracy and velocity. I tried several powders in a friends 7-08 and his shot H4350 awesome...way better than anything else.

I've also been really happy with the 140 accubonds on everything. We have shot 6 elk, black bear, numerous deer and pronghorm with them.

Very good performance.

 

[Montanahunterjon]

Why no love for the Berger bullets? Is it that they wouldn't penetrate? I would be using the rounds for hunting big game, but I definitely want accuracy. I have had great results with the nosler partition from my 30-06, I was really surprised at the accuracy. Accubonds look good too but have stuck with the partition lately. Barnes isn't one that does well in my 30-06 but I may try it in the 7-08. Buzz what brand 7-08 do you have, and what was your friends you did the load for?

 

[BuzzH]

Both of our rifles are remington 700's. Both have pacnor super match grade barrels, 1-9 twist, #2 contours...barrel lengths as noted.

My buddies rifle was a weatherby vanguard in a youth model...it really liked the h4350 load. I dont recall the exact powder charge. His boy has killed 2 cow elk with the BT and H4350...one shot each.

The accubonds, IME, perform about like a partition.

Recovered this accubond from a 6 point my brother shot with my 7-08 last year, right under the skin just in front of the off side shoulder, 487 yards.

 

[sbhooper]

Why no love for the Berger bullets? Is it that they wouldn't penetrate? I would be using the rounds for hunting big game, but I definitely want accuracy. I have had great results with the nosler partition from my 30-06, I was really surprised at the accuracy. Accubonds look good too but have stuck with the partition lately. Barnes isn't one that does well in my 30-06 but I may try it in the 7-08. Buzz what brand 7-08 do you have, and what was your friends you did the load for?

In my 7 mags, the Partitions are half-minute shooters with little testing. As far as I am concerned, Berger is over-rated and nothing but another expensive target bullet. I have never been able to get them to shoot and did not want to waste the powder and time to get them to do what I wanted.

I stay with proven performers that I know will shoot accurately on my guns and perform on game. Those are Nosler Partitions and Hornady Interlocks. I have yet to have a gun that would not shoot them.

I have had good luck with Barnes in the past, but they can be finicky, so I have ignored them.

If it was me, I would stay with the proven performer-Partitions. The 140 should do everything that you want in the 7-08. The Accubond should shoot well for you, too.

 

[Hunts]

Have shot a few 7mm-08's. My best load is a 140gr bullet with Varget. Velocity target is 2,850fps.

I'm working on a new load. The Win. 150gr PP and looking for 2,750fps also using Varget. This will be my new hunting load for the Tikka.

 

[Montanahunterjon]

Have shot a few 7mm-08's. My best load is a 140gr bullet with Varget. Velocity target is 2,850fps.

I'm working on a new load. The Win. 150gr PP and looking for 2,750fps also using Varget. This will be my new hunting load for the Tikka.

What's your best load? How much varget?

 

[idahofishnhunt]

The load I developed last year for my two 7mm-08's with H4350 got me 2,863 fps. My 7-08 also seems to like the Varget, and it takes less powder so I may be moving to that load. The biggest issue is I like using Accubonds in both rifles, mine and my daughters, so I've been trying to keep the loads the same...cause I don't want to accidentally mix them up if I had two different loads...which isn't very easy when two rifles don't like the same load.

Anyone have any tips on the best way to keep these separate besides marking on the casings or something...I really can't see a way without having to put a lot of effort into it. That's basically why I settled for the H4350 load...cause both rifles shot it the the closest compared to other loads I tried.

 

[BuzzH]

A black sharpie applied to ammo boxes...never failed me yet and effort minimal.

My wife and I both have 7-08's, I just keep everything seperate...never had a problem.

 

[idahofishnhunt]

Easy solution Buzz, when it all boils down to it...it's up to me keeping it straight really.