Ammo and Optics for 7mm-08

[Toban204]

I just purchased a Weatherby Vanguard S2 in 7mm-08 and would greatly appreciate recommendations on:

1. Ammo selection (brand, model and weight). I am going to hunt antelope, elk and whitetail with it this fall and my preference would be to settle on one cartridge to cover all three.

2. A scope for $350 or under. Most my shots are short range in brush country, but for antelope there could be a longer poke.

3. Rings and bases.

Thanks!

 

[blacksheep]

I hunt with an TC Encore/Pro Hunter. MY go to load for whitetails is the 7mm-08 with 140g Winchester Silvertips. As for a scope, Nikon ProStaff 7 2.5-10X42 with a 30mm tube. You can find them for around $300. Rings for me are steel Leupold dual dovetail rings and base. They are almost indestructible.

blacksheep

 

[midwesthunter]

I would try out Nosler 140 accubonds, Hornady 139 interlock, Federal 140 trophy copper

As for scopes, I am a fan of vortex, 3-9 or 4-12 power should do what you need.

 

[Tikka06]

Talk to Schmalts on here and see what you can get for that price range, he certainly has better prices than retail and is great to work with. For ammo, my 7-08 loves the federal premium 140 gr nosler partition and the 140 gr ballistic tip. I also bought up a case of the Hornady American whitetail 139 gr interlock and it shoots pretty good as well. Those 140gr partitions kill deer like no joke. I’m considering going to the trophy copper or E-tip this year just to see how they group and perform.

 

[noharleyyet]

https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/nib-leupold-vx3i-3-5-10x40-duplex.290832/

 

[Guest member 25165]

Vortex Optics Viper HS Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 4-16x 44mm Side Focus

An evolutionary upgrade, Vortex Viper HS Rifle Scopes offer hunters and shooters an array of features sure to be well received. A new optical system...

www.midwayusa.com

midway has a vortex viper on sale. I don't know how much magnification you are looking at, but this is a pretty good deal.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I’ve got a Remington Model Seven SS with a 20” barrel in 7-08.
Here’s my setup:
Leupold VX3I 3.5-10x40
Talley lightweight rings
140 grain Partitions/Accubonds

 

[Don Fischer]

I have tended over the years to go to heavier bullet's hunting. In a 7mmx08 I believe I'd go with the 154 gr Hornady cup and core bullet. heavier bullet's help hold velocity down and let the bullet preform better, just my opinion. Of course if the rifle handled 139 gr Hornady's better that's what I'd use. I think people tend to ask to much of their bullet's and as a result we see more expensive premium bullet's. They still kill things near and far but, cost something like 100% more than well chosen cup and core bullet's. Of course the cup and core bullet's probably won't perform as well at all ranges but to say 300 yds, they are solid gold! For optics, I think most people go for to much power. This idea that you need to see bullet holes at 300yds is bogus to me! What you need to see well if light! Lower power scope generally give more light and wider field of view. 3-9x scope on a hunting rifle is all I'd want in fact 2-7x I think is even better. Have both and for big game hunt with them n the lowest power. My elk rifle is a 30-06 and the scope on it is a very old Redfield 2 3/4x. At a target the size of an elk even at 300 yds, it's all I need. I have a 243 and the 30-06 and I would not take the 30-06 and it's 2 3/4x scope sage rat hunting over my 243 and it's 3-9x scope! Size of the target makes a big difference in how well you can actually see it, if you can see it at all!

 

[deer_shooter]

I’ve got a Remington Model Seven SS with a 20” barrel in 7-08.
Here’s my setup:
Leupold VX3I 3.5-10x40
Talley lightweight rings
140 grain Partitions/Accubonds

My 7-08 is virtually the exact same set up only mine is a Rem SPS in a HS Precision stock. Same scope purchased from Schmalts as others have recommended, as do I.

 

[Toban204]

Thanks all. Sounds like a relative consensus around 140 grains at least. I probably won’t go through that much ammo so I might try out some of the premium stuff like Nosler. I figure with potentially shooting an antelope at longer range and with using 7mm-08 on an elk I will want as much performance out of the bullet as I can get.

 

[Dougfirtree]

If you like lead bullets, I think you'd be hard pressed to beat a 140 accubond somewhere in the 2700-2800fps range. If you prefer monometal, I would think the 140 e tip, or Federal Trophy Copper would be great choices. The 120 ttsx would probably be good, too. Mine wears a Leupold vx3 in 2.5-8x, which seems about perfect.

 

[Boarmaster]

I have a MCR x2 in 7mm08. I have older swaro 3-10x42 on it. I would be just as happy with a VX3or(i)3.5-10x40.
I shoot Federal 140 partition BTs out of it.

 

[WalkingBird]

If you had said just deer and antelope, I would have agreed with the above 140gr Silvertips, but if you're looking to add elk, I'd say either a 140gr Accubond or a TSX/TTSX load will do the trick

 

[Letthemgrow]

We've shot deer and antelope with my wife's 7mm-08 and used silvertips for one shot kills. All the bullets went exactly where they were intended to though.
If you plan to include elk I would see how the Accubonds shoot out of your rifle.
Antelope to elk is a really broad range and I would say if choosing only one bullet you have to go with what works best for the larger animal, as it will also work for the smaller ones.
I picked up a Swarovski 4-12 on clearance that I just couldn't pass up at the price.

 

[Scarey]

I have a Ruger M77 MKII stainless in 7mm08, Nikkon predator hunter 4-14x44 and I shoot Nosler ballistic tips 150gr. It's probably my go to rifle for most game. If I need to go bigger I have the same rifle in .280 Rem. With a Vortex 4-12x40 and still shooting the Nosler 150 gr ballistic tips.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Go lead-free and shoot 120gn TTSX or 145gn LRX.

 

[iiiNelson]

Maybe try out a few loads and see what your rifle likes the best then choose hunting ammo around those choices. Pretty much anything from 120-150gr will work for deer and antelope. 139-150gr would likely work best for deer or elk.

The choice between lead or lead free is personal but I’ve been considering lead free myself. I’m looking at Barnes, Nosler, Federal, and Hornady options.

 

[Toban204]

To be honest I’ve never really thought about the lead-free options and don’t know a lot about the reasons why people choose them. I assume for environmental and health reasons, but are there other pros (or cons) to lead free bullets?

 

[std7mag]

EPA has listed lead as evil.

I have a Stevens 200 (Savage model 10) that was 7mm-08. I reamed the chamber to 7mm-08AI.
I chose an EGW 20 MOA one piece, base ( for your shooting you probably won't need the 20 MOA)
Due to the height of the EGW base ( they are kinda tall) i use Vortex Viper low aluminium rings.

Leupold, Vortex, Sightron all make some really decent scopes for your budget.
I've been using more & more Sightron lately.

As far as ammo is concerned, the 140gr ETip, Accubond, Partition would all work well out to 400 yards.
Barnes would work well also.

Handloading would admittedly be better.

 

[VikingsGuy]

To be honest I’ve never really thought about the lead-free options and don’t know a lot about the reasons why people choose them. I assume for environmental and health reasons, but are there other pros (or cons) to lead free bullets?

Here are some HT threads that will give you some lead-free context:

More discussion on non-lead ammo - New York Times

I find it interesting how many hunting topics the New York Times has published in the last couple years. Some of them are helpful in sharing hunting insights to people who probably have never had any exposure to hunting, or if they have had any exposure, it is a good possibility that exposure...

www.hunttalk.com

Lead fragments in hunter harvested deer

I recently listened to the podcast Randy put out about non-lead ammo and raptors. Very informative on many topics in my opinion. On the podcast, this paper was discussed at length: http://soarraptors.org/wp-content/uploads/LeadFragmentsVenison2009.pdf They basically shoot 30 deer, send them...

www.hunttalk.com

Handloading with Lead Free Bullets

All, I think I am going to make the switch to lead free bullets after doing some research on how much our lead bullets break apart while traveling through a deer. With that being said, what are some important things to know before reloading them? List of things I can think of: Obviously...

www.hunttalk.com