Handloads: 7 mm-08 Remington

The 7 mm-08 Rem. has been a favorite hunting cartridge of mine going on 30 years now. A broad selection of bullets has always been one of its best attributes.

Those weighing 140 grs. provide a ballistic balance of flat trajectory and retained energy for shooting at a distance. However, the additional speed of 120-gr. bullets flattens trajectory in the distance where big buck antelope typically stand. The high ballistic coefficient of the Nosler 120-gr. Ballistic Tip makes it one of the best bullets for those extended shots.

The Nosler Reloading Guide 8 lists several propellants that fire 120-gr. Ballistic Tips at close to 3200 f.p.s. Winchester 760 is one of those propellants, and it has always provided high velocity coupled with good accuracy in numerous 7 mm-08 rifles.

This trend continued with a New Ultra Light Arms Model 20 rifle. The rifle shot Ballistic Tips an average of 3188 f.p.s., burning 51.5 grs. of 760 through its 22" barrel. Extreme spread of velocity was 28 f.p.s. for nine shots, and five, three-shot groups averaged 1.10". Recoil of the load was 24.5 ft.-lbs. from the 5-lb., 13-oz. NULA rifle. 

Ballistic Tips fired at that speed and sighted to hit 2" above the point of aim at 100 yds. drop 14" at 400 yds. and 29" at 500 yds. The bullets arrive at 500 yds. still packing 1,354 ft.-lbs. of energy—nearly 60 percent of their original energy.  

During the past 30 years, no other cartridge has delivered that level of performance combined with such relatively light recoil.