Thread: 7mm08 Projectiles - who's using what?

Originally Posted by joelhenton

Hi canross,

I'm using Hornady 162gr ELD-M. Been very good for me.

Joel

Interesting to see the use of 162gr projectiles in the 7mm08 – what’s the muzzle velocity on them? Do you push it out range-wise at all? A heavier bullet will definitely have less wind drift, but I would have thought the slower speed would impact it at distance? Possibly the higher ballistic coefficient negates that?

Originally Posted by planenutz

I've recently been loading the Nosler 140gr BT (P/N: 28140) but similar to your recent experience with the pigs I had two deer with what sounds like the same kind of explosive results. Other people tell me they're not having the same outcomes with these BT's so I'd be very interested to hear your results if you went down that road.

Like you, most people have been surprised when I mentioned the projectiles blowing up. As others have said though, it’s a hollow point, so a soft point might make the difference.

Originally Posted by GWH

@canross what distances are you shooting too?

When i first started hunting and handloading i loaded a 130gr Speer at a pedestrian 2800 fps.

At that stage i never used dial up scopes or shot at animals further than 300 yards. Everything i fired those rounds at fell over quick smart and i often recovered a nicely mushroomed projectile from just inside the skin on the offside shoulder.

The Speers and the Sierra gamekings or prohunters are some great performing bullets and generally always easy to get to shoot. They may not have fancy coloured plastic tips or outlandish marketing but they work great. They are also well priced.

Not shooting very far – everything so far has been 200m or less. In this case these shots were at ~100m. The future will likely see me shooting further, so I'm working up loads with an eye to start stretching further on paper just to learn something new.

I’m not overly fussed on velocity aside from keeping bullets moving at the right speed to perform at the right range – most of my focus is on the load that shoots the tightest groups, which has the 140gr speer hollow points going something like ~2650fps at the muzzle and ~2450fps at 100m.

There’s a lot of love for the Sierra soft point gamekings and prohunters, so I’m thinking I’ll give them a try as well as the Nosler ballistic tips, seeing as I already have them

Originally Posted by GWH

He was using the 140gr Hollow point Game king, these have a large hollow point with petels designed to fragment. Go to a soft point game king or prohunter and you will be well served. US Whitetail get alot bigger than our Sika too.

Very good point on the hollow point vs soft point. It had slipped my mind that I had the soft point option so will have to give them a try.

Originally Posted by Husky1600

I have used the Sierra 140 Game King for years, never had any reason to doubt what they can do, never failed me on deer, pigs or tahr Have also loaded some 139 SST's and they shoot pretty much the same, but yet to take anything with them. Have some 150 Remington Corlokt that a young fella has been using, but haven't heard the results yet.

Another vote for the Sierras, much appreciated

Originally Posted by superdiver

Those 145gr speer HCSP are legit. Shot a 80-90lb sow quartering away inside 100m and found my projectile mushroomed on the opposite side.
Another vote for 162eldm if you can get them shooting. Not expensive, work much better at a slower MV and have been devastating on all animals i shot with them(yearling fallow upto rutting red and sika stags)

Have you found the increased ballistic coefficient of the 162 gr projectiles outweighs the reduced velocity over 140 gr projectiles?

I’ve been working on the theory that velocity of a similar 140gr projectile is preferable to increased projectile weight of a similar 160gr projectile in the 7mm08 because the case capacity and max pressure is so small that an increase in weight leads to significant decrease in velocity, with decreased bullet performance at lower velocities and a less-flat trajectory, which is a major reason why I like 7mm projectiles. I may be overthinking this though, I have been known to be wrong occasionally