need 7mm Mag load suggestions for white tail
- Thread starter Ocraknife
- Start date
Lighter bullets don't tear up meat either, as long as you don't shoot the meaty parts
I've had great results with most any 120-150 grain bullet in a 7 Mag.
My favorite is a 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip
Any load that's accurate will easily do the job.
People tend to over think these things when there's little practical difference in performance
Sgt Pepper
New member
Off the shelf, 150 grain soft point is excellent all around in the 7mm Rem Mag for white tail and hogs and is readily available. If you anticipate shooting big animals at ranges of 400+ yards, I would consider the 175 grain soft point. Of course, there are all kinds of bonded and more "big game" oriented loads but they are overkill for general white tail and feral hog hunting.
The bottom line with 7mm Rem Mag is that any round will do the job anywhere against anything in the lower 48, but I find the simple 150 gr soft point of your favorite manufacture is easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and always works as expected.
The bottom line with 7mm Rem Mag is that any round will do the job anywhere against anything in the lower 48, but I find the simple 150 gr soft point of your favorite manufacture is easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and always works as expected.
Had a few events of bullet blowup with standard cup and core - 139, 140, and 145 Hornady, Sierra, and Speer when loaded at 3140. I've loaded 154 Hornady IB and 150 Partitons with great performance. H-4831 has been the most accurate with good velocity in the 4 7mms I've loaded for.
If you can make good shots then a solid would work well.
I have blown up some meat with 7mm on smaller game (caribou)
One of those you take what comes, normally a long range hunt and in the fog and 70 yd shot.
The problem was not the entry, the problem was the exit was through the shoulder opposite the heart lung area and the angle (my only shots)
I cleaned it up and did not loose more than a couple of pounds but..... certainly was only good for burger.
I also had one out at 250 yds and it went down (as did all of them), longest run out was the 250 but he was moving and momentum carried it 20 yds or so. The others dropped in their tracks so the humane aspect and solid kill are issues.
Kind of a tough one. My dad hunted Ak Deere with a 30-06, its what he had, those are pretty small.
Partly depends on what the animal size is in your area.
You might contact the bullet makers and see what they have that does clean kill job but not major blossom.
Velocity you run at affects that. I ran fast as it could have been 400-500 yd shots, never did but very possible.
A slow 7mm is no different than a 270. Lots of deer hunted with that.
Its the bullet and velocity match to the game that is the hard part.
At 200 yds you can pretty well pick your shot, angle is another matter.
I have blown up some meat with 7mm on smaller game (caribou)
One of those you take what comes, normally a long range hunt and in the fog and 70 yd shot.
The problem was not the entry, the problem was the exit was through the shoulder opposite the heart lung area and the angle (my only shots)
I cleaned it up and did not loose more than a couple of pounds but..... certainly was only good for burger.
I also had one out at 250 yds and it went down (as did all of them), longest run out was the 250 but he was moving and momentum carried it 20 yds or so. The others dropped in their tracks so the humane aspect and solid kill are issues.
Kind of a tough one. My dad hunted Ak Deere with a 30-06, its what he had, those are pretty small.
Partly depends on what the animal size is in your area.
You might contact the bullet makers and see what they have that does clean kill job but not major blossom.
Velocity you run at affects that. I ran fast as it could have been 400-500 yd shots, never did but very possible.
A slow 7mm is no different than a 270. Lots of deer hunted with that.
Its the bullet and velocity match to the game that is the hard part.
At 200 yds you can pretty well pick your shot, angle is another matter.
More to the point, the cartridge isn't complete overkill for a sub 200 yard deer, but it's power and trajectory ARE wasted. Even a 30-30 would accomplish pretty much the same thing under those circumstances.
So pretty much any bullet will do. I would stay away from the plastic tipped fast openers. Cup and core is cool, but go heavy to slow it down. Bonded or all copper is probably best, but needlessly expensive.
My first priority with this cartridge at those distances would be to slow it down. Minimum loads featuring a 150gr bullet at around 2650 would be a best case scenario.
The 7mag is a great cartridge, and I've seen hundreds of Mulie, Whiretail, Pronghorn and Elk taken with it. You're over gunned to be sure, but the Ruger is a great rifle. Happy hunting and post us some pics!
So pretty much any bullet will do. I would stay away from the plastic tipped fast openers. Cup and core is cool, but go heavy to slow it down. Bonded or all copper is probably best, but needlessly expensive.
My first priority with this cartridge at those distances would be to slow it down. Minimum loads featuring a 150gr bullet at around 2650 would be a best case scenario.
The 7mag is a great cartridge, and I've seen hundreds of Mulie, Whiretail, Pronghorn and Elk taken with it. You're over gunned to be sure, but the Ruger is a great rifle. Happy hunting and post us some pics!