120 gr? 140? 150?

C

Carmike

New member
Hello all,

Relatively new deer hunter here. I have a Ruger American 7mm-08 rifle that I plan to bring to the stand with me this year, and I am wondering how much bullet choice matters. All shots, if I'm lucky enough to get one, will be under 100 yards, as where I hunt in north central Minnesota is pretty thick cover.

I have bullets in 120 gr, 140 gr, and 150 gr that I got from a friend who had them left over after he sold his rifle. For my uses, will the bullet I choose make much of a difference?

Finally, if I've got the gun sighted in using one of the bullet weights, should I only use that weight, or will the difference at close ranges be negligible enough to not worry about?

Sorry for the newbie questions, and thanks in advance for any help.


Carmike
 
140 gr will give you good performance and penetration on deer-sized animals. 120s are just too fragile for heavy northern deer.
 
I have 2 7-08's and they both like different bullets, shoot whatever bullet you have sighted in with. Try all three and see which gives you the best group. Personally I think whatever bullet weight you pick will kill "drt" if you hit em in the boiler room.
 
any of those bullets will kill any deer in america or any where else for that matter, use the one that shoots the best and shoot them thru the lungs. i happen to like the 120gr bullets at 3000fps and it shoots two shot groups that a dime will cover at 200 yards. why two shot groups you may ask, well the first shot from a cold barrel may be different than the second shot from a warm barrel at game while hunting and my load and rem 7mm08 shoot the first two into a figure eight that a dime covers at 200 yards from a rest. i have killed a truck load of deer with that rifle and load, i just got back from wyoming on a prong horn hunt and took two, one at 280yrds and one at 310yrds. both with complete chest pass thru,s with a healthy load of varget and 120gr nosler bullets. eastbank.
 
I like 140-150. As for using all three I would find the one my gun likes the best and use that. Then if you want to try another see where it impacts. It might be high/low or it could be way off in another direction.
 
Knowing the manufacturer and exact bullet would be more helpful than just the bullet weight. A 120 gr Barnes TTSX will out penetrate a 140 gr SST.

But all things being equal speed kills. Any of them will kill a deer, but everything I read from 7-08 shooters say the 120's put deer down faster. If you start shooting long range or hunting game larger than deer the heavier bullets start to be an advantage.
 
Generally, you should stick to the middle of the weight range for medium sized game(deer). I've had excellent results with 139-140 grain bullets from a couple of brands for deer hunting.
Quite often, the lighter bullets for each cartridge are designed for use on "varmints" and will expand too rapidly to perform as well on deer.
Remington CoreLokt , Hornady soft point/SST , and Nosler BT are designed to work well on deer sized critters--I've used all of these with equally good results.
I'm currently using the Hornady 139 SP factory loads unless I'm guiding. If I'm in "guide mode", I load my 7mm08 carbine with the old Speer 145 Grand Slam factory ammo as I'm fairly sure it will penetrate a deer end to end if that is what I need to do to end the blood trail.
 
7-08

My personal choice would be 140gr.

As others have mentioned, it also depends on the type and construction of the bullets you have.

I hunt with a single shot 7 x 30 Waters which gives 1/2" MOA at 100 yds and drops deer and hogs with a single shot. I use Barnes 140gr TTSX for hunting.
 
Best choice would be to see what shoots best in your gun.

I don't know what you consider short range, but in deer hunting, you could sight the rifle in for any of the three weights you listed and not be off enough to matter to 300 yards or so.
 
I hunt North of Hibbing so I too know what it takes to put Brown on the ground up there on Da'Range.
120 gr is quite capable. A fast flat shooting open field cartridge it's gott'a be. In the bush plowing its way thru those Balsam limbs the 120 may not be your best choice. Since Federal makes 5 different 140 gr cartridges and only one 150 gr. 140s must be the chosen one by your Brother'n owners of the 7mm-08.
Frankly I was surprised how few 7mm bullet weights are available in its store bought. (120-140-150 only.)
 
They will all do the job, so use the one that's most accurate in your rifle.

A 120 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip performs well even at higher velocities, so don't believe those who say it's "too fragile". You also don't need to pay extra for solid copper bullets.

People overthink things due to so many choices being available, when reality is they all work well. Shot placement makes far more difference than which bullet you use.
 
Snyper, I am heading down to SC in a few days with both of my 7-08s, my ruger prefers 120 nosler ballistic tips and my model 7 likes sierra 140 gr spbt. We will see which kills em better. Stay tuned for an update by the end of the month..
 
Snyper, I am heading down to SC in a few days with both of my 7-08s, my ruger prefers 120 nosler ballistic tips and my model 7 likes sierra 140 gr spbt. We will see which kills em better. Stay tuned for an update by the end of the month..
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I've killed deer with bullets ranging from 55 grains to 300 grains.
Shot placement is all that really matters in 99.9% of hunting situations.
 
In MY Model 7 7-08, the 140 Sierra SPBT, followed closely by the Nosler 140 Partition are the best in my gun for accuracy.
 
I shoot 150grn NBT's out of a 20" at 2650fps. I've killed a dump truck load of deer and never had one complain about dying from lack of speed. Accuracy and a big hunk of lead leaves big holes with most DRT is what I prefer. Shoot what the gun likes best and don't worry about the rest.
 
I love this website. Thanks, guys. I'm continually surprised by how little I know, and I find that fact both a little uncomfortable and a little fun.

All three are Federal. The lighter two are the Fusions, the other is the Power Shok.

I have been hesitant to go out and buy a bunch of different brands, mainly because of the cost of the rounds. I don't tend to shoot the rifle much for fun, so I've tried to keep it to hunting. I'll head out and get a few different brands to see what each one shoots.

What's the accuracy difference between a bullet a gun "likes" and one it doesn't? Are we talking multiple inches at less than 100 yards?
 
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