Sako A7 7mm Rem Mag all around hunting ammo choice?

[Elkhunter18]

Hello to all members, I am new to this forum and looking for some good advice with experiences you may have had.

I am an archery hunter and just purchased my first hunting rifle to start doing some rifle hunts. I purchased a Sako A7 RoughTech Stainless in a 7mm Rem Mag. I have a Leupold VX-3i scope mounted with CDS dial. I do not plan on reloading so looking for the best all around off shelf hunting ammo between my choices below:

Ammo:
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140 grain
-Hornaday Precison Hunter ELD-X 162 grain
-Barnes Vor-tx new long range 139 grain

Animals:
-Elk, deer, antelope and bear

Shots:
-100 to 600 yards

I just broke in my rifle and shot some Hornaday Superformance GMX 139 grain ammo. They shot extremely tight at 100 yards. All bullet holes were touching. Defiantly shot the tightest out of other brands mentioned above. The reason I do not want to shoot these, I heard these require a minimum of 2300 FPS to fully expand which puts a maximum distance of 435 yards out of a 7mm.

Been told to stick with one of the bullets mentioned above that will provide maximum expansion and mushroom effect at any distance.

Please provide me with some insight or what you would recommend. Looking at ballistics on paper, the 140 accubond seem to outperform in all categories. But also heard a lighter bullet could drift more in the wind.

Look forward to hearing your opinions and experiences. Once I decide on one or two of these mentioned, I plan on shooting out of my rifle to find the tighest shooting. Since I am going with a CDS dial, need to perform this test before sending my dial off.

Thank you.

 

[Elkhunter18]

Bottom group was Hornaday Superformance GMX 139 grain ammo and top group was Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain ammo.

Debating if it is due to the ammo or the grain why my rifle liked the 139 grain better. If it's the grain, I was thinking of trying the Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140.

 

[WildRose]

Hello to all members, I am new to this forum and looking for some good advice with experiences you may have had.

I am an archery hunter and just purchased my first hunting rifle to start doing some rifle hunts. I purchased a Sako A7 RoughTech Stainless in a 7mm Rem Mag. I have a Leupold VX-3i scope mounted with CDS dial. I do not plan on reloading so looking for the best all around off shelf hunting ammo between my choices below:

Ammo:
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140 grain
-Hornaday Precison Hunter ELD-X 162 grain
-Barnes Vor-tx new long range 139 grain

Animals:
-Elk, deer, antelope and bear

Shots:
-100 to 600 yards

I just broke in my rifle and shot some Hornaday Superformance GMX 139 grain ammo. They shot extremely tight at 100 yards. All bullet holes were touching. Defiantly shot the tightest out of other brands mentioned above. The reason I do not want to shoot these, I heard these require a minimum of 2300 FPS to fully expand which puts a maximum distance of 435 yards out of a 7mm.

Been told to stick with one of the bullets mentioned above that will provide maximum expansion and mushroom effect at any distance.

Please provide me with some insight or what you would recommend. Looking at ballistics on paper, the 140 accubond seem to outperform in all categories. But also heard a lighter bullet could drift more in the wind.

Look forward to hearing your opinions and experiences. Once I decide on one or two of these mentioned, I plan on shooting out of my rifle to find the tighest shooting. Since I am going with a CDS dial, need to perform this test before sending my dial off.

Thank you.

While I'm more and more becoming a fan of the monometals, I'm not a fan of the GMX at all.

I ran short of .375Ruger ammo on a hunt last year and picked up a box locally.

I shot a very large 8pt at just over 400yds facing direcly away from me.

Entry was just below the anus, exit from the left chest and the exit was less than the size of a quarter.

Shot quite a few hogs in the 200-400lbs and three other deer with the same results.

They just don't seem to want to expand to suit me. Every one of the animals that wasn't broken down or spined ran way too far to shoot me and all of them were dead on through the heart/lung areas.

Ammo:
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140 grain
-Hornaday Precison Hunter ELD-X 162 grain
-Barnes Vor-tx new long range 139 grain

All good choices but personally I'd stick to the heavier end with bears on the list and for them it wouldn't be bad to look at one of the Nosler Trophy loads shooting the Partition.

If you're shooing big bears you need a tough bullet designed to really penetrate well but smaller BB's in the lower 48 are far less tough so the accubond or accubond LR are great choices.

Federal Premium has done well for me as well when I've had to use it so you might look there.

Try two or three, find what shoots best for you and run with it.

 

[WildRose]

Bottom group was Hornaday Superformance GMX 139 grain ammo and top group was Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain ammo.

Debating if it is due to the ammo or the grain why my rifle liked the 139 grain better. If it's the grain, I was thinking of trying the Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140.

I'd stick with what you have if you are happy with the accuracy. Not much need to keep wasting money especially on the ligher loads that in reality might not be the best choice for bear.

It wouldn't hurt to use one for the bears and another that is equally accurate but lighter for the light, thin skinned game unless of course you're as likely to enter both on your hunts on any given day. That changes the equation considerably.

 

[the hunter]

Wear I am Winchester expedition big game ammo is cheaper than the nosler, win is loading 7mm rem mag with a 168gr nosler ABLR.

 

[Rhovee]

I had the same exact rifle and scope. Gun shot the HSM 168 vld very accurately.

 

[Elkhunter18]

Thank you all for the feedback.

I typically will just be hunting antelope, deer and elk. Would really only shoot a bear or cougar if I see one while hunting the others. I live on the west coast so the Black Bears are not monsters.

All what you have provided gives me a great start. WildRose, I have heard the same things about the GMX. Even though it shoots tight for my Sako, I am going to try different loads.

Since I am doing a CDS dial, I need to find the best load and run with it. If I was using a non CDS scope I would shoot a load for deer and then shoot a load for elk. Sounds like to 160 ish load is best all around though.

Thank you all and happy hunting.

 

[WildRose]

Thank you all for the feedback.

I typically will just be hunting antelope, deer and elk. Would really only shoot a bear or cougar if I see one while hunting the others. I live on the west coast so the Black Bears are not monsters.

All what you have provided gives me a great start. WildRose, I have heard the same things about the GMX. Even though it shoots tight for my Sako, I am going to try different loads.

Since I am doing a CDS dial, I need to find the best load and run with it. If I was using a non CDS scope I would shoot a load for deer and then shoot a load for elk. Sounds like to 160 ish load is best all around though.

Thank you all and happy hunting.

Honestly with my limited experienece shooting the in the .260 and .375 Ruger I wouldn't recommend them for anyhting other than big hogs and dangerous game where maximum peneteration is the primary consideration.

I was flat flabbergasted at their perfomrance vs the Peregrine which will expand no matter what it hits and do so consistently retaining between 85-95% of it's weight every time.

The bigges problem I've had with the Peregrines is recoveriong so few of them. To see the first one I had to shoot it into a muddle hillside and dig it out. Looked almost exactly like their marketing picture.

 

[memtb]

Hello to all members, I am new to this forum and looking for some good advice with experiences you may have had.

I am an archery hunter and just purchased my first hunting rifle to start doing some rifle hunts. I purchased a Sako A7 RoughTech Stainless in a 7mm Rem Mag. I have a Leupold VX-3i scope mounted with CDS dial. I do not plan on reloading so looking for the best all around off shelf hunting ammo between my choices below:

Ammo:
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 160 grain
-Nosler Trophy Grade Accubond 140 grain
-Hornaday Precison Hunter ELD-X 162 grain
-Barnes Vor-tx new long range 139 grain

Animals:
-Elk, deer, antelope and bear

Shots:
-100 to 600 yards

I just broke in my rifle and shot some Hornaday Superformance GMX 139 grain ammo. They shot extremely tight at 100 yards. All bullet holes were touching. Defiantly shot the tightest out of other brands mentioned above. The reason I do not want to shoot these, I heard these require a minimum of 2300 FPS to fully expand which puts a maximum distance of 435 yards out of a 7mm.

Been told to stick with one of the bullets mentioned above that will provide maximum expansion and mushroom effect at any distance.

Please provide me with some insight or what you would recommend. Looking at ballistics on paper, the 140 accubond seem to outperform in all categories. But also heard a lighter bullet could drift more in the wind.

Look forward to hearing your opinions and experiences. Once I decide on one or two of these mentioned, I plan on shooting out of my rifle to find the tighest shooting. Since I am going with a CDS dial, need to perform this test before sending my dial off.

Thank you.

Vortex 139