i have killed a pile of deer with a 7mm08 loaded with 120gr nosle BT bullets and 43grs of varget. out of a rem 700 sps left hand rifle scoped with a 2.5x8 leupold. the last one(a large doe) was shot at 60-70 yards standing broadside thru some light brush, i aimed right behind the front shoulder for a low double lung shot, at the crack of the rifle the deer lunged and stumbled about 30 yards leaving a(ray charles) large blood trail before going down for good. eastbank.
7mm-08 Factory Loads for Whitetail Deer
- Thread starter vffdoug
- Start date
Saltydog235
New member
That deer was killed this year, the scapula was messed up and had bullet shrapnel in it. The CorLoct came apart, the shot would have put the deer in the dirt had the bullet not failed. It was killed by an older gentleman using a .243 and an 80grn TTSX at 120yds.
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603Country
New member
I killed a lot of deer with CoreLokt bullets and never had a complaint. Then I switched to the first gen Nosler Ballistic Tip and shot a bunch more deer. Then on to the 2nd gen Ballistic Tip and shot even more. That's somewhere around 200 deer just with the Ballistic Tip. Most bullets were 130's in the 270 and lately 120's in the 260 and then I switched to 100's in the 260. I have lost a couple of deer over the decades, but doubt it was the bullet's fault. I remember hammering a big buck with the 270 when I was hunting near Bandera. The dust cloud on the other side of the buck was huge. Plenty of pass through and there'd have been a good blood trail if he'd gone more than 5 feet. I shoot em in the lungs and they die. Pretty simple. I will say that the deer, on average, go a little further when hit with the 100 grainers than they do with the 120 grainers from that little 260.
You want a deer down? Try that 130 gr Nosler BT in the 270. That is truly a hammer of a cartridge. The 120's in the 260 are just a smaller hammer, but quite adequate. I'm pretty darn sure I'd be happy with Hornady, Sierra, Speer, Remington, or Winchester bullets. Like Art suggested, bullet placement is important. Anybody's bullet will do, if we do our part.
Don't take this to mean that any old Nosler BT will do. Once upon a time I tried the 55 grainers in my 220 on a couple of small does in South Texas. That wasn't a great bullet choice for that task. I only tried it because the ranch manager wanted a doe or two for customers for supper and I had to switch from coyote hunting to meat hunting.
You want a deer down? Try that 130 gr Nosler BT in the 270. That is truly a hammer of a cartridge. The 120's in the 260 are just a smaller hammer, but quite adequate. I'm pretty darn sure I'd be happy with Hornady, Sierra, Speer, Remington, or Winchester bullets. Like Art suggested, bullet placement is important. Anybody's bullet will do, if we do our part.
Don't take this to mean that any old Nosler BT will do. Once upon a time I tried the 55 grainers in my 220 on a couple of small does in South Texas. That wasn't a great bullet choice for that task. I only tried it because the ranch manager wanted a doe or two for customers for supper and I had to switch from coyote hunting to meat hunting.
Saltydog235
New member
It was a 7mm Rem Mag and broadside. The bullet failed, came apart, broke, separated, went to crap. However you want to put it. You don't have a scapula with bullet frags in it like that on a glancing blow.
The TTSX put a nice hole in its neck though.
The TTSX put a nice hole in its neck though.
bamaranger
New member
why?
Why is it that the ballistic tip (specifically the Nosler Ballistic Tip) is so quickly slammed? I 've got a pal who has a .270 and worked with him to get a 130BT/.270 load together that will drive nails, and breaks 3000 fps at the muzzle. He's lost several deer, and continually slams the bullet. Invariably, we learn his zero is off, or he's shooting farther than he realizes, or took a shot at a bad angle, moving deer, etc, etc,
I think a major part of the OP's issue is "very heavily brush" area. Been there, haven't we? How did I miss/cripple that one? Well, you likely hit something you did not see and the bullet ended up where you did not intend. Lost a dandy 6pt this year, at 35 yds max, in the brush. It looked clear.......broke leg, no deer. I almost had to have hit something. But it was not my rifle or loads fault. I took a shot under difficult conditions (brush) that I should have passed. "Grunts" comments about clearing lanes is apt, if that is a viable option on an established stand. Not everybody hunts that way of course, but that will solve the "brush" problem to an extent. I'd like to see all the brush I've cleared cutting shooting lanes for bow hunting piled in one place....it'd be a heck of a bonfire!!!!!
"Panfisher" makes a good comment. Once somebody is down on a load/combo, the combo will rarely instill any confidence, and the malcontent will go searching for a new solution.
REgards the .270/130 BT. Accurate combo in any rifle I've tried it. But I do not think I could drive it fast enough from a 22" bbl to get the "hammer of Thor" effect that 603 country describes. Yielded dead deer, but not particularly dramatic or dynamic, just dead deer 10-50 yds away ususally.
About normal.
Why is it that the ballistic tip (specifically the Nosler Ballistic Tip) is so quickly slammed? I 've got a pal who has a .270 and worked with him to get a 130BT/.270 load together that will drive nails, and breaks 3000 fps at the muzzle. He's lost several deer, and continually slams the bullet. Invariably, we learn his zero is off, or he's shooting farther than he realizes, or took a shot at a bad angle, moving deer, etc, etc,
I think a major part of the OP's issue is "very heavily brush" area. Been there, haven't we? How did I miss/cripple that one? Well, you likely hit something you did not see and the bullet ended up where you did not intend. Lost a dandy 6pt this year, at 35 yds max, in the brush. It looked clear.......broke leg, no deer. I almost had to have hit something. But it was not my rifle or loads fault. I took a shot under difficult conditions (brush) that I should have passed. "Grunts" comments about clearing lanes is apt, if that is a viable option on an established stand. Not everybody hunts that way of course, but that will solve the "brush" problem to an extent. I'd like to see all the brush I've cleared cutting shooting lanes for bow hunting piled in one place....it'd be a heck of a bonfire!!!!!
"Panfisher" makes a good comment. Once somebody is down on a load/combo, the combo will rarely instill any confidence, and the malcontent will go searching for a new solution.
REgards the .270/130 BT. Accurate combo in any rifle I've tried it. But I do not think I could drive it fast enough from a 22" bbl to get the "hammer of Thor" effect that 603 country describes. Yielded dead deer, but not particularly dramatic or dynamic, just dead deer 10-50 yds away ususally.
About normal.
Saltydog235
New member
Only had one issue with a BT and it was a fluke. The bullet I'm talking about was a Corloct from a 7mm RM our club president shoots.
I love the Nosler BT, especially the 150grn loading so shoot in my 7mm08. They're nasty.
I love the Nosler BT, especially the 150grn loading so shoot in my 7mm08. They're nasty.
I agree with folks about shooting through brush. There's no cartridge made that will reliably hit a deer's vitals through brush hit more than, say, 3 yards from the deer. If it does hit, it may be tumbling and not expand.
If you're moving through brush and jump a deer, it's unlikely that you'll get a good shot angle and wound a deer in the rear end or paunch it. Either will result in a slow death and poor tracking.
Remington Core-Locts and other factory rounds will reliably kill deer, provided you do your job and put the bullet in the lungs...period. If you can't stop yourself from taking low-probability shots, don't hunt brush areas!
If you're moving through brush and jump a deer, it's unlikely that you'll get a good shot angle and wound a deer in the rear end or paunch it. Either will result in a slow death and poor tracking.
Remington Core-Locts and other factory rounds will reliably kill deer, provided you do your job and put the bullet in the lungs...period. If you can't stop yourself from taking low-probability shots, don't hunt brush areas!