Youth Loads 7mm-08

Next school holidays I’m going to take the lad chamois hunting. He is ready to move up from the 223 and will go to a suppressed model 7, 7-08. I am keen to develop a mild load for him.

Hodgen have some recommendations on youth loads using either H4895 or trail boss.

I have a container of H4895 and picked up some 120grn nosler bts and ready to start.

Hodgen recommend to start at 60% of max load as a starting point so 43.7grn x .6 = 26.2grns

Has anyone had any experience with these youth loads and any pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks

I started my daughters with a 120gr TTSX at about 2960fps. Used 42gr H335. Rifle was about 7.5lb suppressed. They shot it well, no issues with recoil.

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Originally Posted by stug

I started my daughters with a 120gr TTSX at about 2960fps. Used 42gr H335. Rifle was about 7.5lb suppressed. They shot it well, no issues with recoil.

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I might be being too precious!

The rifle is light with one of your stocks on it, however dropping from a 140 to 120grn would make quite a difference.

Do yourself a big favour and grab some IMR 4198.

Load the 120gr with 30gr of the 4198, you could test for best grouping from 28 to 32 gr.

This powder gives way better grouping than 60% of max charge with 2206H.

Remington used 30gr of IMR 4198 in their factory reduced recoil youth loads.

Ive used the 4198 for reduced loads in 223, 243, 260 and 708.

It works damn well.

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Originally Posted by GWH

Do yourself a big favour and grab some IMR 4198.

Load the 120gr with 30gr of the 4198, you could test for best grouping from 28 to 32 gr.

This powder gives way better grouping than 60% of max charge with 2206H.

Remington used 30gr of IMR 4198 in their factory reduced recoil youth loads.

Ive used the 4198 for reduced loads in 223, 243, 260 and 708.

It works damn well.

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Thanks, but shit getting hold of powder is a bit of a mission!

I better start scouting

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Originally Posted by Stag

Thanks, but shit getting hold of powder is a bit of a mission!

I better start scouting

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I don't think it's that commonly used in NZ compared to other powder types, so you may well find some sitting on shelves. AR2207 is an equivalent, and I have a friend who has done the reduced loads as I've suggested above with Ar2207.

Suppressed 7/08 is gentle as anyway why bother

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Greetings Stag,
Based on my experience with AR2206H (H4895) in the .308, .303 and .30-40 Krag you will find good results at around 80% of maximum charge. Much below that there are likely to be smoked cases. 35 grains of AR2206H would give 2,500 fps or a little more with the 120 grain and have recoil easily managed by a youngster used to shooting a .223. You will probably find that the primers back out of the cases with those light loads but this is normal. It would be best to set the cases aside for light loads and don't use them for your full power loads as their head space will be shorter. I was testing some 7mm-08 loads with 150 grain projectiles in a light suppressed rifle recently. These gave about 2,600 fps and to me the recoil was light.
Regards Grandpamac.

Anyone tried the Hornady 120gr SST Custom Lite? (I know, dirty factory ammo for the plebs)

Greetings again Stag,
I just remembered I had a sheet of youth loads they put out at one time. It is probably still on their website somewhere. They listed 35.6 grains of H4895 for 2,605 fps with a 120 grain Hornady and 35.2 grains of H4895 for 2,503 fps with the Sierra 130 grain. Pressure was 34,700 CUP and 32,500 CUP respectively. This is pretty much in line with my results in the .308 and others. Get the youngster to try the loads before the trip but please don't let him shoot them prone wit a bipod. This makes the recoil worse as you can't ride with the punch. He will never notice it in the field.
Regards Grandpamac

Or you could just take him hunting chamois with the 223. Its an excellent calibre for chamois, shoots flat, knocks em flat.

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Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings again Stag,
I just remembered I had a sheet of youth loads they put out at one time. It is probably still on their website somewhere. They listed 35.6 grains of H4895 for 2,605 fps with a 120 grain Hornady and 35.2 grains of H4895 for 2,503 fps with the Sierra 130 grain. Pressure was 34,700 CUP and 32,500 CUP respectively. This is pretty much in line with my results in the .308 and others. Get the youngster to try the loads before the trip but please don't let him shoot them prone wit a bipod. This makes the recoil worse as you can't ride with the punch. He will never notice it in the field.
Regards Grandpamac

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Thanks for your very generous supply of info. Given I have the powder and projectiles I will work to your recommendation of 80%. He will get plenty practice in. Has shot a few deer now but I’m sure when lined up on a Chamois his heart will swing the crosshairs.

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Originally Posted by NRT

Suppressed 7/08 is gentle as anyway why bother

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Because he is 8 years old……..

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Originally Posted by Stag

Because he is 8 years old……..

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It's gentle bro give him ear plugs

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You guys must be some hard arses, theres no farken way my almost 8 year old boy or 10 year old girl could comfortably shoot my suppressed 708 with my full power handloads.

I had to download my 223 55gr for my daughter a couple of years ago, she shot the cock of a nat at 200 yards with it but moaned about her shoulder.

Both my kids are pretty lean thou. I guess that makes a difference.

My normal loads are always pushing max thou and i like light rifles.

Ill be doing some lighter 243 loads for the kids soon to start shooting goats etc

I did a load with 120gn Nosler BT's a few years ago. Had a muzzle velocity of 2800fps using AR2208, I forget how many grains.
It was a real kitten to shoot, and its a very light rifle, not suppressed.
It killed deer fine.

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Originally Posted by Seventy Six

I did a load with 120gn Nosler BT's a few years ago. Had a muzzle velocity of 2800fps using AR2208, I forget how many grains.
It was a real kitten to shoot, and its a very light rifle, not suppressed.
It killed deer fine.

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I haven’t read a bad thing about the nosler BT’s for killing. Thanks for feedback

assumably you will get in as close as possible and set them up to suceed.....the 7mm/08 with light load will carry more authority than 223 and give more margin for error....the softest projectiles you can get trundling along at pedestrian speed should work fine if you can do those two things.
speer spbt springs to mind.or any of the varmit type out there...the reason I say this...we did it with 7.62x39mm with speer 130grn HPS and 125grn nosler ballistic tips with great results....so same as down loading .308. red hinds at bush ranges just fell over dead with chest shots.
you COULD get a hold of trail boss...some of Roberts cast hps and make up really really tame loads,something like 6-7-8grns,the kids could plink away with them ,not much different to 22lr and a case full of TB will be supersonic but way down on other loadings but have some killing power out to hundy....at end of day,its all about making kids confident with rifle,shooting hares with soft loads and big rifle would set them up perfectly.

Weirdly the .284 120 NBT is a tougher projectile than the 140 NBT. To make the 120 they use the 140 jacket, but shorten it slightly meaning the 120 jacket is thicker at the tip than the 140. If the 120 work well and you have trouble finding more let me know as I have a part box here (30ish from memory), we can come to an agreement on price. Also have 120 TTSX and some hornady 120gr hollow point.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

...the 7mm/08 with light load will carry more authority than 223 and give more margin for error....

..at end of day,its all about making kids confident with rifle,shooting hares with soft loads and big rifle would set them up perfectly.

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These two points clearly articulate the purpose of why I am going down the route. Nice summary thanks

I also have some of shooternz’s 130gr cast projectiles. Really way to shoot as a subsonic or reduced load. Gets the kids use for the rifle and trigger pull with pretty much no recoil.

I have a PDF file from Hodgdon with reduced youth hunting loads.
The list 35.6gr of H4895 (2206h) with a 120gr Hornady sp for 2605fps for the 7mm08.
Attachment 174584

2206h gives shit accuracy as ive said above. Imr 4198 is the way to go to keep good accuracy with reduced loads in anything from 223 to 3006.

If you want to know loads just google reduced imr 4198 loads for your cartridge, and keep an an eye for posts on yankie forums by a guy with the handle 'seafire' he knows his shit.

Thats where ive got all my good reduced loads from.

Gotta say, well done for teaching your boy how to shoot, and hunt, to the point he will soon be progressing on to a 7mm, and hopefully taking a chamois. So good to see a young fella being encouraged and nurtured in real life rather than sitting behind a screen. Good luck with your ventures and look forward to the pic's.

The good ol hornady interlock is a good bullet that still performs at low velocities......and it is a lot cheaper than Noslers..... another option maybe?

I made up a reduced load for my 6.5prc and my Son shoots it fine.
Certainly no point in giving them a flinch if you have the means not to.

Another couple deer for my young fella tonight with the 7mm08 using factory sst, not long turned eleven and also happy to shoot my suppressed rem mag with factory 162gr.
Started him of with a 223