7mm-08 for long range?

[barreltwister]

At a gunshow last weekend I picked up a NIB 700 SPS Varmint in 7mm-08.

I put it into the HS stock from my 223VS for now....but I might get a McMillan A3 for it. I have a Leupold 4.5-14X LR/T on it....
I hope to get a 160/168 up near 2700 from the 26" tube....

What do you think about this rig for a 500 yard deer rifle?..assuming it's accurate enough.....

should I stick with a 140 maybe?

 

[jeffro]

162 Amaxs work great out of the 7-08.

 

[J E Custom]

At a gunshow last weekend I picked up a NIB 700 SPS Varmint in 7mm-08.

I put it into the HS stock from my 223VS for now....but I might get a McMillan A3 for it. I have a Leupold 4.5-14X LR/T on it....
I hope to get a 160/168 up near 2700 from the 26" tube....

What do you think about this rig for a 500 yard deer rifle?..assuming it's accurate enough.....

should I stick with a 140 maybe?

The 7/08 will do fine on deer ai 500 to 600yards .

I have used it in a custom pistol at ranges in excess of 500 yards on deer and have been
very happy.

For normal deer hunting (300 to 400 yards) I use a 120gr ballistic tip @ 3010 ft/sec and for the longer shots the 140 or 150 works well.

I have a 22" barrel on my rifle and the velocity is 3000+ ft/sec.

For accuracy the best load I have found is 49.5 grs H 414, CCI BR primers and a 120gr Nosler
balistic tip.

J E CUSTOM

 

[barreltwister]

I found a nearly new 700PSS stock and bolted the SPS-V 7-08 into it tonite.

I got from a friend a NF 40MOA base and 30mm rings..but I don't like the way my LR/T 4.5-14X40 sits...its' too high with about a 3/8" gap under the front bell....and, do I really need a 40 MOA base to shoot this rifle to 600 yards?

The 4.5-14X LR/T has 100 MOA of elevation adjustment....IF it zeros near the center of the adjustment range that leaves me 50 MOA.....

wondering if I should just mount it in regular Leupold bases and 30mm rings which I have already....

 

[jeffro]

With your scope, and shooting out to 600yrds there is no way you need a 40MOA base. If you think in the future you may shoot out to 1000yrds then you could get a 20MOA base. 40 is way to high, and just not needed.

 

[MachV]

I put together an old J action Savage last year for deer hunting with a 22" 708 barrel. Being a big fan of H414 and likeing the light recoil of the 120Nosler vrs the wallop that the Amax was putting out I borrowed JE's load. I got the drop chart verified but was not really planning on a long shot, just something light enough to haul cross canyons. As it worked out the buck I decided to take was 675 yards out so I put the 4rth mildot on the bucks backline and let the 120 grain Nosler do the rest.
Longh way around the barn but the 708 can and will get-r-done if you do your part to 600 yards...even with the 120 grain Noslers!

 

[rdsii64]

If you use the right bullet, that 7mm-08 will do a lot more from a lot further away that most people think. Let me put it this way. if you have a fast enough barrel twist, the 7mm 180 grain VLD has a BC of .615. if you load that round to an easy recoiling 2650 FPS muzzle velocity, it won't go subsonic until 1400 yards. Now if you cut that distance down to 700 yards it's still moving at 1700 FPS and has over 1100 foot pounds of energy at impact.

Now lets compair that to a .308 180 grain VLD. the BC is .507 and goes supsonic at 1153 yards. At 700 yards its moving at 1566 FPS with 980 foot ponds of energy at impact.

for that .308 to deliver 1100 foot pounds of energy you have to cut the range down to 625 yards.

Dont get me wrong. The .308 is my favorite gun. At the ranges I am proficient enough take a shot at a game animal, it will kill anything that walks on four legs. If you want to reach WAY OUT THERE with something that won't beat your shoulder up, its hard to beat that 7mm-08 with the right bullet.