Elk load for 7mm-08

[PA BEN]

Just got home from work, don't have time tonight. Maybe tomorrow, this weekend for sure.

[HighRoad]

[Curly]

Good elk load right there.   

[PA BEN]

Nice group Here's the one's I loaded a little hotter, 5 shot, I didn't have the best rest so I want to shoot another 5 shot group. They did shoot 1 3/4" higher then the other load.

[Salmo]

Personally, with a TSX I go with a 120gr at 3000fps +..   I prefer more speed to help with expansion..  Not that 140 wont do the job but the 120 will expand much better at longer range's..  Laffin my assss of at those that limit the -08 to 250 yds..   What happens at 251 yds?  the critter lives???   omg LMAO,   Only someone who hasn't been there done that would claim such.

The 7mm-08 is an excellent elk round!   With practice it will cleanly take a nice Bull at any range you feel comfortable shooting..  I know I ran one for 14yrs..   Now I prefer the .260rem, but not for any particular reason..

Have a great season!

[Huntnphish]

  Laffin my a*censored*s of at those that limit the -08 to 250 yds..

 Really? I'm glad Pa Ben has more common sense than this, limiting a 12 year old to 250 yards is not only sensable but the responsible thing to do as well.

 Good for you Pa Ben.

 

[coyotewallace]

 

Were going to learn hunting first not long range shooting..
My 12 year old will be keeping her shooting to 100-150+/-yrds tops for a few years......

[BOWHUNTER45]

   

[Salmo]

I just caught the tail end of this thread. I shoot a 7 Mag, and shot the 120 TSX for a season. It was going a lot faster than the 7mm-08 (3450 fps). I killed an elk, buck, and bear with this bullet. I was not a fan. All the animals died, but the penetration was moderate. Meat damage at that velocity was ridiculous. It turned meat into jello. On the elk, there was no room for error on shot placement.

Personally, I prefer a deep penetrating bullet to ensure I get to the vitals from any angle. A 120 TSX wont do that on an elk (my opinion). It will definitely kill an elk, but a heavier bullet is a little better.

Your 7mm-08 shooting a 120 TSX will have less velocity and less meat damage. Think twice about the 120... If I was in your shoes, I would pick something with a little more weight. I think a 140 TSX would be about perfect.

I now shoot the 160 Accubonds and love them. I actually loaded them down out of the 7Mag and they are moving about 2900 fps. They are great for me... Good luck.

A 120 TSX will retain more weight than either the 140 Accubond or the 140 NP  which almost always retain the 65% Nosler claims and driven faster will dig deeper.   A 120TSX at 3000+fps is one mean sum biatch..    At higher velocitys such as the 7mm mag your givin the ability to push heavier bullets faster and in a 7mag I'd no doubt up the weight.

The original poster was asking about the 7mm-08 which you haven't used on elk so why bring up a 7Mag..  Two different monsters all together..

Energy tables mean alot less to me than velocity..   Velocity is what gives a bullet the ability to expand violently..  A 120tsx will go farther, flatter, faster which means acceptable expansion will happen at farther distance..

To the O.P.   In the 7-08 I'd also run a 140 AB or a 140NP before I'd run a 160AB...    My son killed his biggest buck to date, a 185" Mule Deer at 357yds with a 140Partition in the 7-08.    The really impressive part of this is that this buck was every bit of 300lbs on the hoof.  That buck hit the ground as hard if not harder than any critter of any kind shot with any cartridge that I have ever seen.  There was a day when I had a 30-06 that I thought you'd have to pry outa my cold dead hands...   

Based an over 18yrs with a 30-06 and 14yrs with a 7-08  I have yet to see a 30-06 with a 180gr AB or Partition kill any deer elk or bear any deader than a 7-08 with 140 or a 120tsx..  Wanta anchor a trophy buck with a quickness?   Nail him with a 120tsx in the shoulder..  It will bust up both shoulder real bad waaaay farther than most are capible of even shooting..  Only saying this cuz I've been there and done it.  Had I not had experience with a 7-08 i never woulda chimed in..

[Salmo]

  Laffin my a*censored*s of at those that limit the -08 to 250 yds..

 Really? I'm glad Pa Ben has more common sense than this, limiting a 12 year old to 250 yards is not only sensable but the responsible thing to do as well.

 Good for you Pa Ben.

Really?  Any man woman or child that has shot much at all knows that 250yds is a chip shot.    With any practice at all and the kill zone elk size game have 250yds becomes even easier....   

But if PA BEN knows his kid is not up to a 250yd shot than we all know the shot won't be taken..    My 12yr olds all were able to hammer out excellent groups that would take out elk at that distance..  Trigger time being the key..

Again anyone that thinks the 7-08 is limited to 250yds is laughable..    Funny part is I know grown men that should not shoot anything at 250yds and farther  I also know teenagers that can cleanly take game out to 400yds..

JMO, but the biggest problem with hunters today is too many believe critters are bullet proof and that magnums are need to put a critter down..  Hahahaha   Hell I'm the perfect example of that. At 6-2 and 235lbs I do not handle recoil well....   I'm far better off killing big game with a 7-08 than using a 30-06 or a 7mag or a 300win mag..   I can put the bullet where is is supposed to go on a more regular basis shooting a cartridge I can handle better..

Next time your at a Sportsman show stop and talk with the guides selling elk hunts..   Most get a sick feeling knowing a client is gonna show up with a magnum....   They rather see guys show up with .308, 270win  or-06  rather than guys that show up with .30 mags...  Shot placement from a .260, 7-08, 308 trumps any half assed shot from any magnum.    PA BENS kid is far better off with a 7-08 than any mag.  And with practice why the heck would anyone set a 250yd limit?   

Take the kid to the range, set him up and at least give him trigger time to 300yds.   You can also develope the load you want him or her to shoot.  Then load it down for the kid to practice with..  Come time an elk is standing there he/she will never know.

[BOWHUNTER45]

This has been a very interresting one .... SWEEEEEET.. When I was younger I ALWAYS LOVED LIGHTER BULLETS .. but mainly for speed on smaller game like groundhogs and coyotes because I always loved shootin longer distances and wanted the speed ... I have loaded bullets since I was 13 ..Mainly cleaning brass or cutting down casing but it did not take long before I was loading beside my dad...I have shot thousands of rounds threw a .270 .243 25-06 & 7mm-08 after all these years of shooting target and hunting I will have to say the 140 gr out of a .270 & 7mm-08 is the perfect bullet hands down.....Not to heavy and not to light ... just a flat out awesome big game bullet ... and you will enjoy eating what you have killed and most importantly put them down quick.. but then again its all about hornaday for me .....Nothen but !!!!! just my    I think I said this many times before ...

[BOWHUNTER45]

  Was this 7mm-08 7mm mag or something else.... This is what I am saying ..Takes practice and knowing how to control breathing and squeezing the trigger and a good load to produce groups like this ......

[BOWHUNTER45]

  Laffin my a*censored*s of at those that limit the -08 to 250 yds..

 Really? I'm glad Pa Ben has more common sense than this, limiting a 12 year old to 250 yards is not only sensable but the responsible thing to do as well.

 Good for you Pa Ben.

Really?  Any man woman or child that has shot much at all knows that 250yds is a chip shot.    With any practice at all and the kill zone elk size game have 250yds becomes even easier....   

But if PA BEN knows his kid is not up to a 250yd shot than we all know the shot won't be taken..    My 12yr olds all were able to hammer out excellent groups that would take out elk at that distance..  Trigger time being the key..

Again anyone that thinks the 7-08 is limited to 250yds is laughable..    Funny part is I know grown men that should not shoot anything at 250yds and farther  I also know teenagers that can cleanly take game out to 400yds..

JMO, but the biggest problem with hunters today is too many believe critters are bullet proof and that magnums are need to put a critter down..  Hahahaha   Hell I'm the perfect example of that. At 6-2 and 235lbs I do not handle recoil well....   I'm far better off killing big game with a 7-08 than using a 30-06 or a 7mag or a 300win mag..   I can put the bullet where is is supposed to go on a more regular basis shooting a cartridge I can handle better..

Next time your at a Sportsman show stop and talk with the guides selling elk hunts..   Most get a sick feeling knowing a client is gonna show up with a magnum....   They rather see guys show up with .308, 270win  or-06  rather than guys that show up with .30 mags...  Shot placement from a .260, 7-08, 308 trumps any half assed shot from any magnum.    PA BENS kid is far better off with a 7-08 than any mag.  And with practice why the heck would anyone set a 250yd limit?   

Take the kid to the range, set him up and at least give him trigger time to 300yds.   You can also develope the load you want him or her to shoot.  Then load it down for the kid to practice with..  Come time an elk is standing there he/she will never know.

This is a personal opinion on Bens part ... longer distance shots takes alttle more practice... being able to hold on the target and no doubt squeezing the trigger 300 yrds is not crap for an experienced marksmen but a kid its a lttle different ...Practice practice and more practice

[PA BEN]

Wow, where did I say I limit my kids to 250 yds? My oldest who is 24 now shot a buck at age 13 at 300 yds w/a 7mm rem. mag. All but one has shot deer over 200 yds. My youngest hasn't yet but w/a good rest I wouldn't stop her from shooting over 200.

[True Sportsman]

A 120 TSX will retain more weight than either the 140 Accubond or the 140 NP  which almost always retain the 65% Nosler claims and driven faster will dig deeper.   A 120TSX at 3000+fps is one mean sum biatch..    At higher velocitys such as the 7mm mag your givin the ability to push heavier bullets faster and in a 7mag I'd no doubt up the weight.

The original poster was asking about the 7mm-08 which you haven't used on elk so why bring up a 7Mag..  Two different monsters all together..

Energy tables mean alot less to me than velocity..   Velocity is what gives a bullet the ability to expand violently..  A 120tsx will go farther, flatter, faster which means acceptable expansion will happen at farther distance..

I brought up the 7 Mag because I was shooting the same bullets he was asking about.

You should read through your energy tables and trajectory tables more often. If you do, you will realize that small light bullets will go faster out of the muzzle but lose velocity quicker than a heavy bullet with high "sectional density" (look it up). Lighter bullets will also drop quicker at longer range than a heavier bullet going slower.

Light bullets also suffer more from wind drift at longer range. I feel this is the main drawback of the light for caliber bullet. Try shooting a 120 TSX at 400 yds in a 20mph crosswind. I have in the 7 Mag, and at 7mm-08 velocities it will drift even more. This why I suggested, as you did, a middle of the road bullet like a 140 or 150.

PA BEN, it looks like you are on the right track... Your rifle seems to like those bullets.