reloading model 7 7mm-08

[6BRAIman]

Does anyone have any help with loads for a model 7, 7mm-08 that i have had a douglas barrel put on. Can't seem to make it shoot like i thought. I would like to stay with the 140gr. sierra's i have tried in it. Thanks for any help.

 

[1holeaddict]

reloading

Just finished a model 7 308win. It had the black plastic stock on it. The gun shot like a 410 with 00buck. I ordered a laminated thumbhole stock from Boyds and bedded a full 3" of the barrel and also the action. Loaded up some 150gr SST with Re15. The seating depth was just enough to fit in the mag.I shot 3 3 shot groups and all were under 3/4" at 100 yards. All 3 groups were with different powder charges and they all shot the same. Just fine to empty the boiler room on a PA whitetail.

 

[Elkbane]

You should have decent luck with Varget in the 42 gr +/- 1 gr area with Fed 210M primers. That basic load has worked for me in 3 different 7mm-08's with about any 140 grain bullet I've tried, in Winchester, Federal and Norma cases. From what I can tell about it, Varget seems to work pretty well in the 308 based cases.

I have one load for a 24" Douglas barrel that shoots Nosler BT's up to 44 gr with no pressure signs, but that was with Federal brass.
Elkbane

If you're buying new brass, Norma is the best I've found for neck thickness variation, but it's expensive.........(buy once, cry once).

 

[bozo699]

You should have decent luck with Varget in the 42 gr +/- 1 gr area with Fed 210M primers. That basic load has worked for me in 3 different 7mm-08's with about any 140 grain bullet I've tried, in Winchester, Federal and Norma cases. From what I can tell about it, Varget seems to work pretty well in the 308 based cases.

I have one load for a 24" Douglas barrel that shoots Nosler BT's up to 44 gr with no pressure signs, but that was with Federal brass.
Elkbane

If you're buying new brass, Norma is the best I've found for neck thickness variation, but it's expensive.........(buy once, cry once).

Elkbane's experience mirrors mine, the 7-08 I am shooting now I shoot 40.0 grains of Varget,210m primer, Norma brass fully prepped as if it were match cases, and 140 grain Accubonds seated to just function smoothly in the mag, in a factory Tikka T3 lite well under 1/2" at 100 yards repeatably, the powder charge is a little lighter then some would like, however it was the very first thing I tried in it and it shot it so well I never changed anything, just been enjoying shooting it
Wayne.

 

[H2OBUG]

I my Savage I am shooting 140 NBT & 40.5 of Varget over a CCI LR--Winchester brass

Best accuracy was in the 40.5 -41 range no pressure signs at all. (sub .75" @100)

Bullets seate .020 off lands

In my A-Bolt I am shooting a 120 V-max over 43 of Varget --have not been able to get the browning to shoot like the Savage

This is a light recoil load I put together for my son.

 

[bheadboy]

i have a number of 7-08 and all shoot well with the 140sbt sierra and 140 nos bt, using 4064 in the 41-42.5 gr range depending on the gun, seat jumping .020 as these are hunting guns and will oftem be unloaded.
all shot in the .5-3/4 range
Bob

 

[lurcher]

My experience also mirrors the above I use 43g of varget with CCI LR primer norma brass unturned and a 140 BT. I've tried a couple of other bullets (139 SST, 140 grain sierra prohunter) none shot as tight as the BT.

The model 7 mag is short (2.845? inches?) and the 7 cannot be lengthened with a wyatt box as the trigger is too close to the magazine slot in the action. To get the ballistic tips to 20 thou off the lands and still feed out of the mag I trim 60 thou off the bullets with a meplat trimmer.

 

[K22]

I have a Model 7 in 243 and 223. Until I free floated the barrels and had the action bedded, I had trouble getting either rifle to group within 1 1/2". Now, both rifles groups around 3/4" consistently.

 

[1holeaddict]

It really is amazing to see what those little pencil barrels can do after u show the rest of the rig some love.When u can squeeze a 1/2"-3/4" group out of those pencil contour barrel's it is nothing to frown at. Remember guys they have a purpose which is a light weight hunting gun not a bench gun.

 

[sharpshooter_308]

Guess.I'm the odd ball. I have an older 700 mountain rifle in 7mm-08. I shoot h4350 behin 139gr SST's. Shoots right around an inch, sometimes less, with no work other than the trigger. Havnt killed anything with it yet but I love the rifle. It's the near perfect deer gun for these parts.

 

[jonbearman]

I have a savage I slammed together with the factory sporter and cleaned the heck out of it with jb bore paste and proceeded to shoot it and zeroed it and shot 3 back to back 4 shot groups with it and they were ragged holes with the 120 noslers and h4350.I did this to see if I would like it in a rifle already having a encore pistol chambered in it.I now know I will build a custom in this caliber.