sierra 140gr hpbt gameking?

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riverratt

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As some of you know i purchased a 7mm-08 this year as another deer gun. My 10 year old took a likeing to it and prefers it over the.243 i got for him and his brother, so he kinda took it over this year. With the short availability of bullets combined with a short time until season i took what i could get and did a quick load workup. My 10 year old took a nice 8pt with the 140gr b-tip. I wasnt too happy with how they preformed, sure dead deer with a massive amount of internal damage but small exit and poor blood trail.

I took a doe with 140gr accubonds, better exit and no tracking (drt). But the exit was still a lot smaller then im used to. I also took one with the 120gr ttsx. I was definitely not impressed with that one, broadside double lung shot and the deer ran across the 200 yard field crossed the fence and recovered in the bottom of the neighboring property. Good exit and good blood trail but to long with poor internal damage.

Anyway, i have grown very fond of the .308 dia 165gr hpbt gameking in my 06 and was wondering if anyone has used the 140gr hpbt gameking in the 7mm-08. If so how did it do, i know it is a harder bullet and im shooting around 2600fps (book velocity). Im just curious how they preform out of the mini .308. (As my boy calls it):D
 
If the ballistic tip exits but does not give you a "big enough exit hole," more than likely you are going to have to move up in velocity to get what you want. 7 WSM or 7 Rem mag.
 
I'm shooting the same bullets out of my Ruger 7/08 at 2800 fps, and they do awesome. I use them for hogs and deer and have stocked up on them as they do what they should.
 
Thanks old stony. As i stated before i have absolute confidence in the 30 cal. Version, if the 7mm is anything like its big brother thats the bullet for me.

[QUOTE
If the ballistic tip exits but does not give you a "big enough exit hole," more than likely you are going to have to move up in velocity to get what you want. 7 WSM or 7 Rem mag./QUOTE]

I dont think anyone would consider an exit hole the size of a pencil as big enough. The accubonds exit hole was still smaller then a dime, and the ttsx was right at or perhaps just larger then a dime.

I dont think moving up in velocity is the issue (sure it should help) i just need to find a better bullet for the velocity that im shooting. My 30-06 always exits and always leaves a quarter to silver dollar size hole, the same with my black powder gun , my .44mag and my 30-30. If the two 30 cals can consistently produce, at least, a quarter sized exit then why is it too much to expect close to the same results from a round that its velocity is in the middle and is only .024 smaller?
 
Hmm my 7-08 loves the 120 grain xbt and leaves much destructon inside. I would say the 140 hpbt would certainly be enough for white tails
 
Niece used her 7-08 with 140gr ballistics tips again this year ..... and again shot the deer a bit high in the shoulder ..... and again wasted a good portion of the shoulders and ribs with bubbly bloodshot meat on both sides .... not a fan.

Lower muzzle velocities or a tougher bullet would be the answer ..... as would shooting the animal lower and slightly further back...... but my brother is loading for and advising her, not me .....
 
Three years ago she used my "kids' gun" (also a 7-08, but with a 16" barrel, fed with 150gr bullets downloaded to 2400 f/sec) to take a mature buck @100 yards ...... much less meat damage, and though he did run a few yards, he was easy enough to follow with the blood trail we had to try not slip and fall on .....
 
Riverrat, I have hunted with 7-30 Waters, 7x57 Mauser, 7-08, 7 WSM, 7 Rem Mag, 7 WBY mag, and 7 RUM. Of the bullets you listed, the ballistic tip is the least tough bullet. If it is exiting, then it is as fully expanded as any conventional bullet will be at that velocity. The first three in my list with the 140 ballistic tip give similar results to what you had. The next three exit with a hole about the size of a silver dollar (if they exit). The Rum explodes the 140, does not exit, but makes the deer look like a bomb went off inside. The Rum has an entrance hole about the size of a half dollar. If the 140 ballistic tip is not giving you a big exit hole, it is because you are not pushing it fast enough to make it happy. Of the bullets listed, the ballistic tips should perform better at the lowest velocity. My suggestion would be try a Berger VLD hunting.
I forgot, I hunted with the STW for many years. It makes a bloody mess as well. Very similar to the RUM.
 
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Jimbob, expanding bullets do not get any tougher than the tsx.
Click to expand...

reynolds357, I was referring to my Niece's Ballistic Tips .... if the meat damage is excessive, you need less expansion ...... either less speed or a tougher bullet ..... but it holds true: in your RUM example, if you are already using a TSX, and the bullet makes like a bomb, then you need less speed, maybe more mass ...... Barnes does make heavier TSX'd in .284" diameter ...... all the way up to 175 gr, IIRC.....
 
I have always like Speer bullets over Sierra bullets for game. In retrospect, I always based my choices on one or two deer kills & became Speer biased. I suggest you shoot a couple of deer with the 140gr Sierra to draw a conclusion on performance. It sounds like you are an experienced hunter & can always recover a deer well hit, regardless of a giant exit wound. I'm sure some will suggest this or that or rave about the Sierra GK, but in general, as a standard lead core bullet, it should be an excellent game bullet as are all Sierra "GK's".

There are many, many variables in bullet performance on game causing extreme opinions one-way-or-the-other in every caliber. It is good to ask for experienced advice keeping this in mind.

FWIW...

...bug
 
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I like the Accubond because it passes through leaving a silver dollar hole, when shot placement is perfect. Dead deer usually within steps.
Less volatile than the Btip.....
 
I use a 140 spire point boat tail in 270 and have great results. I'm not a big fan of using ballistic tips or hollow points on any thing I plan to eat. I have used the Sierra and Hornady version of this bullet with equal satisfaction. Generally left a good but short blood trail with a deer laying in a puddle at the end.
 
i use the 120 noslet BT bullets with 43grs varget for 2800fps and have killed seven deer with it with no loses and most did a death schuffle with in 30-40 yards. double lung hits at the bomb. eastbank.
 
Every example you give sounds like the bullet did what it is supposed to, provide a clean kill. I've seen Partitions fail to work as advertised, but the result was a dead animal so in my mind it was not a failure. I've had animals run hundreds of yards after being shot through both lungs, that is going to happen sometimes as different animals react differently to being shot. It seems like you're looking for the "perfect" bullet, as I did for many years, and I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing. If you want complete penetration, Barnes comes as close as any I've tried. You want large entrance wounds with massive internal damage, Nosler BT do that as good as any. If they ever create the bullet that does both of those things, with any cartridge/velocity, I'll be the first in line to get it:D
 
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Good luck finding almost any Gameking in stock right now. Sierra seems to have put them on the back burner as all the online sources I've been checking are empty in most calibers.
 
Jimbob, I have long since moved to Bergers in the RUM. Now it really makes a heck of a mess. My Bullet evolution in the Rum was Ballistic tip, Barnes X (original), TSX, now I am settled on Berger.
 
Allen im not looking for a perfect bullet just one that meets my personal preferences. Some want a hard and heavy bullet for penetration, others a soft bullet for dramatic kills. As far as i go i like a bullet just on the hard side of the halfway point.

I never said that any of the bullets failed they just didnt do what i wanted them to do. The b-tip is to explosive, the ttsx just seemed like it didnt open up until it was halfway through the chest (based on the hole through the lungs). The closest bullet to what im looking for is the AB. It exited through the off shoulder so that could have had a lot to do with it.

I didn't start this thread to compare and contrast the different bullets but to ask if the hpbt gameking is effective at 7mm-08 velocities. As i stated the .30 cal version is a harder bullet, heck i blew through the shoulder of a 180 lb deer and bullet exited behind the ribs. If the 7mm hpbt works like the .30 cal version out of my 06 then my search will end there.
 
Once again thanks old stony, a pictures worth a thousand words. Looks like im gonna try to find some for some load development and with any luck put the bullet to use next season.
 
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