Which load for Caribou?
 

I was wondering which load would be best for Caribou and Black bear out of my Savage 7mm? I am going to Newfoundland this October, and I am pretty excited. My only factory choices are 140gr, 150gr, and 175gr.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

I would use a good 140 or 150gr bullet.Federal premiums with 140gr partitions or bearclaws would be a great choice.I have taken moose,elk and bear with 140gr partitions and they hold together great and penetrate well.There is no need for 175gr bullets in the 7mm unless you like added recoil and increased bullet drop.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

Thanks for the help. I noticed the extreme bullet drop from the 175 grain, compared to the 140 and 150 grain.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

I would go with a 160 gr. Barnes X, Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or Win. Fail Safe. You need the SD for penetration. Good luck

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

Sectional density was important for penetration with conventional bullet designs.With modern premium bullets the construction of the bullet is far more of a factor where penetration is concerned.A 140 failsafe or barnes x will out penetrate any conventional 175gr bullet by a wide margin in spite of them having a much lower sectional density. I have taken moose in excess of 1000lbs with the 140gr partition and penetration was more than adequate(bullets passed completely through and exited) .Since a caribou or black bear is half the size of a moose or smaller penetration will not be a problem.

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RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

So, now I have determined that I should use the 140gr. Partition. Is there any one brand that stands out above the rest? Or should I try a few different companies, and see which has a tighter pattern out of my gun?
Thanks for help.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

Use whichever brand shoots best in your gun.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

Sectional Density (SD) means nothing if the bullet does not stay together. Many older style bullets did not stay together so it did not mater how much SD they had. New well constructed premium bulets have the best of both worlds they stay together, and with higher SD they are almost unstopable when it comes to busting through tough bone and heavy muscle.

I am a firm believer of heavy fast bullets, (or even heavy slower bullets at short ranges), rather than light fast bulets. I do not want to leave nothing to chance when it comes to killing a game animal. We owe these animals which we hunt that much respect. To some people a heavy bullet is not necessary, but to me they are. An animal can never be to dead. Good luck.

RE: Which load for Caribou?
 

You may have already decided on using the 140gr partitions but if I were you I' d lean towards the 160gr partitions. My rule of them is to always err on the side of heavy. Meaning I' d rather go too heavy than too light. The difference in bullet drop between the 2 is pretty minimal. Like Handloader said with the way bullet technology is now days its hard to make a bad choice, but 140gr is still a deer bullet in my opinion. Bous are a little tougher than deer. However the 140gr is still a good choice, back when I bought factory loads I liked federal a little better than the others because of accuracy. But then again every rifle is different. Just giving you another perspective.