7mm rem mag 160 ballistic tips

[john 800]

I found some 160 nosler ballistic tips i was looking to try in my 7 rem mag. I have a pound each of h1000 and retumbo, but I would have to find a load that works quickly or I will be out of powder by the time I find something. Just looking for a deer load out to 300 yds or so. I also have larger quantities of imr7828, imr 4350, imr 4831, h4831, re22,26 ans a few of the slower enduron powders
What do you guys think on powders? From what I hear retumbo with 160s seems pretty common. I hunt northern mn so temps from 50f down to below zero are common

 

[Adam in WI]

If you're worried about temp sensitivity and you're only hunting to 300 yards I myself would be using the H4831. Any of your choices should work fine though.

 

[std7mag]

As Adam said, any of the powders listed will work.
Personally, the only powder listed i wouldn't use for that bullet weight is the 4350.
It would work, but your velocities would be down from the others.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I don't believe even a 100 fps muzzle velocity drop would show up on a target from a hunting rifle at 300 yards. If you think it will, zero your rifle late Oct, should have a morning around freezing. Or just load your 4831, it's what I'm running in my rifle for elk, shoots very well. It was 7 below last Oct when I shot my elk, sighted in at 50 above. Hit where I was expecting.

 

[centerlineseal]

I have had excellent results using IMR7828 and 160 - 168 gr bullets in 7mm RemMag.

Working up through a powder ladder test, arrived at:

+/- 2750 fps, 65.0 gr powder, CCI250 primer. 3 shot group with Nosler 160 gr - 0.444 inch

3 shot group with Berger 168 gr - 0.192 inch

Word of caution: This load shot fine with no signs of pressure in two different rifles, but a third rifle, a 700 ADL, showed case head swipe and heavy bolt lift.

 

[Cloudchaser]

I agree with Adam, I shot H4831 in my 7mag. for over 40 years and I think you will be happy with it....might not be quite as fast, but it always shot well and the elk and mule deer never got up...

 

[searcher]

In my experience shooting those Ballistic Tips out of my 7 Rem Mag, they are super accurate, but will open much too soon and not penetrate well on a large deer or anything larger. I quit using them as they were marginal on the many mule deer I shot. I don't doubt they will do fine on "average" whitetails, antelope, etc., - but if it were me - I'd choose another of Nosler's more "solidly constructed" bullets or just go to a Barnes, Swift, Etc., Etc. I don't like to rag on any fine manufacturers bullets - but I'd not use that one in a 7 mm Rem Mag.

 

[AckleymanII]

I have killed a BUNCH of deer with Remington, A Bolt 7 Mags(muzzle breaks, one and all) with 140g Nosler ballistic tips and two bull elk. Shoot the deer in the ribs 6-8" behind the front leg, they are done.

One bull was around 100 yds on a broadside shot running, and at the shot his nose plowed the ground, front legs quit working, and he did not even kick a hind leg. The other bull was around 200 yards, trotting broadside and he kicked a back leg two or three times. Hits were dead center of the body front to back and top to bottom of the brisket, bullets did not exit but the guts sounded like slush in a washing machine when I rolled them over.

The 120g nosler ballistic tip is unreal accurate with 72-73g of R#22, Rem case, and the CCI 250 has you cutting the same bullet hole, 3500 fps, TTSX use the same load. Pard in Flagstaff uses a 7 mag with 120g TSX on bear, deer, and elk.

160g Sierra btsp, my load is 61g IMR 4350(3000-3100 fps depending on the barrel), Rem case, Rem 9 1/2 bullet just off the lands. Start at 59.5g and work up.

160g, 65g of R#22, cci 250, in rem brass can be very accurate and fast, but again, start a tad lower and work up. 68g with a 140, cci 250 has proven to be very, very accurate.

I have never had any ballistic tip blow up on a deer, but I am not a shoulder shooter, with my closest shot being around 75 yards.

Brothers and I have killed some whopper deer in Kansas with the 7 STW and 7 Mags with 140g Ballistic tips(3200 fps MV) and the 140g Nosler combined Tec in the 7 STW with a MV of 3600. The 150g Nosler ballistic tips seems a lot tougher than the 140, and I expect the 160g to be for some great penetration on deer...time will tell.

A 28" 7 Mag custom, 9T,#5 contour shoots the 168g Berger vld hunting at 3180 with Retumbo & 215's in Rem brass, throated properly. R#26 may be beyond 3200 fps...not bad. The 160g ballistic tips have more bearing surface than the Berger vld....make adjustments accordingly.

With the 154g Interlock, I am shooting it at 3250 with R#25, 9fps SD, small groups. Load is in Rem brass with 215's not grouping well and the Win mag primer shooting very small groups. Load is at the top of the pressure curve and Rem brass primer pockets do not last long, this is a hunting round, not a target load. Pay dirt comes on powder charges at the top of the curve, develop loads in two shot groups, you will see the higher you go up, the smaller the groups get, till bullets are over lapping. We shoot this load in a number of factory 700's and one factory A Bolt.

Back off my loads and work up in your rifle....lot# of powder, barrel bore dia can differ.

 

[snert]

I use 7828 and a 150 NBT. I have found it to shoot accurately pushed hard, and also very well in hot (groundhog devastation) weather or 650 yard deer (in cold weather). Every deer i have shot were happily eating and then happily prancing about in deer heaven seconds later. Chest hits, neck hits (I was a tad high on one) and head shots were all pretty spectacular. 7828 seems like a good powder so I have never tried another.

 

[6BRAIman]

I can tell you from my experience with a 7mag. I’ve loaded for 5 or more Rem 700 7mag’s using a 150 or 160gr bullet and those rifles really liked IMR 4350
With my rifle that is a Browning
A-bolt it does not shot that load as well. I tried some H4831sc and it shoots pretty good.
I tried H1000 in it and that’s what the rifle really likes. It’s not a stiff load but it shoots great in my rifle with a MV of 2930fps.
Win brass
H1000 67.6grs
Berger 168gr H VLD
Fed 215

 

[284winner]

I found some 160 nosler ballistic tips i was looking to try in my 7 rem mag. I have a pound each of h1000 and retumbo, but I would have to find a load that works quickly or I will be out of powder by the time I find something. Just looking for a deer load out to 300 yds or so. I also have larger quantities of imr7828, imr 4350, imr 4831, h4831, re22,26 ans a few of the slower enduron powders
What do you guys think on powders? From what I hear retumbo with 160s seems pretty common. I hunt northern mn so temps from 50f down to below zero are common

I ran those 160s in my Weatherby 7mag some years back. Loaded on top of H4831sc running around 3000 fps. Accuracy was great the bullet got it done.

 

[South Paw Sammy]

I have a couple Remington 700s in 7mm rem mag.
One of them likes RL22 64.3 grains and the 140 BT
One likes RL25 69 grains and the 160 AB
I think the RL22 you have would work well with that 160BT

 

[284winner]

67.5 grains of H4831sc gave me 3000-3025 roughly. There are better powders but I had jugs of that from my 6.5s so used it. H1000 and Retumbo were better options of course. So we're some of the reloaders.

 

[JEFFPPC]

7828

 

[thatguyshm]

I won't waste my time doing load work up on any 7mm RM that won't shoot 65-66gr RL22 with a 160gr accubond. I usually load starting at 63, and just increase by a grain to 65. No pressure signs and I'll try 65.5 and then 66. If all looks good, no excessive web expansion then I'll throw 65.5 down range in a 3 shot group. That'll tell me everything I need to know about a 7mm RM.

 

[AckleymanII]

I won't waste my time doing load work up on any 7mm RM that won't shoot 65-66gr RL22 with a 160gr accubond. I usually load starting at 63, and just increase by a grain to 65. No pressure signs and I'll try 65.5 and then 66. If all looks good, no excessive web expansion then I'll throw 65.5 down range in a 3 shot group. That'll tell me everything I need to know about a 7mm RM.

We found the same thing with a 162 SST....tough bullet, accurate when seated close to the lands.

 

[Adam in WI]

We found the same thing with a 162 SST....tough bullet, accurate when seated close to the lands.

I couldn't get the 154 sst to shoot well to save my life. The 162 eld was wonderful.

 

[AckleymanII]

I put them on the lands.

I shot three under a group of Persimmon trees from 300-325 yards with me sitting at the kitchen table of an old abandoned farm house, window open. Two dropped in their tracks, one jumped straight up like a bottle rocket, coming down head first with his horns sticking in the ground. R#25, Win Mag primer, 3250 fps.