latts

Is the 7mm-08 a reliable cartridge for hunting Elk and Mule deer using 140gr Nosler Partitions? Any thoughts would be appreciated....

BigBore1895

I would think that 140 grains is a little small for elk, though many guys on here will say that 55 is acceptable if you can hit it in the right spot. I hunt with big bore cowboy guns such as 45/70' s, 45/110, 44-40, etc.. so I like the big bruiser bullets myself. However, accurate shots have to be a must with any bullet. Also, there may be more tracking if you hit them with something this size, since elk are tough nuts to knock down. Just my 2 cents.

bigbulls

Yes the 7mm-08 is just fine for elk. Now with saying that there are limitations. Like not shooting across a canyon 500 yards away. If you can shoot this rifle well and know where the bullet is going when you pull the trigger then you should be able to take an elk down cleanly at any range inside 300 yards.

I am assuming that you are shooting the Federal premium with the 140 grain nosler. You should also take a real hard look at Winchester supreme with their 140 grain failsafe. This bullet will get through any heavy bone that it might encounter on the way to the boiler room and still get there and probably exit the other side. I had one that went through a shoulder and two ribs on entering, front and back of both lungs and through the liver and still exited the other side. That one was a 140 grain .270 bullet.

Contrary to popular belief you don' t need a shoulder cannon to take elk.

halcon

I never knew the 44-40 was a big BRUISER bullet . LOL How could anyone turn down a 7mm-08 in one sentence and recommend a 44-40 in the next . Kidding right .

Tim Buma

Will work fine, just don' t stretch the distance. 250 maybe 300 yard maximum.
Performance is very similar to .270.
7mm Mag or SAUM/WSM would be a better choice, not a lot more recoil, and a bit more distance on demand.
Good luck with your hunting.

PaJack

I agree with the others,my friend has taken a few elk with the 7mm-08...

Adrian J Hare

I used this Cal. for the first time Caribou hunting and have to say I was impressed with it. I know most will not beleive this but on a steady rest I cleanly took one bou in the 550/600 yard range. I had to aim a couple inches over the back to place the shot in the boiler room. The second animal I killed was 200 and dropped like a stone. Hope this helps ya , i' ll be looking for this gun for my wife for Moose hunting No problem...BT

Pluto

Are you sure. A couple of inches over the back between 550/600 yrds? Something is not right. Either you held over more than a couple of inches or it was less than 550 yrds.

A 7-08 zeroed at 300 yrds (which is a foolish thing to do because at 150 yrds you are over 5 inches high) is over 42 inches low at 550 yrds and 58 inches low at 600 yrds. I know bou are big but 58 inches from 2 inches over the sholder to a perfect kill shot. Are they 6 foot thick?

How did you estimate the range?

Adrian J Hare

The gun was sighted 1 inch high at 100 I was told. In a practice shot at a target before the hunt shot, I held around 1 foot to 14 inchs above the point of impact.The thick lines on the scope where about 1 inch above the point. A range finder that used told us the point was 425 yards. I guessed on the kill shot that the Bou was out a little farther at the time and the impact point was behind the front shoulder. My personal view/opinion was about 2-4 inch range above the shoulder of the animal. That would have a drop of about 22-24 inches. I don' t know to the excact but I know it dropped alot. The animal was a long way out I can say that, with open sights , I would not even thought of it, because you could not see the shoulder area well enough to take it. with a 3x9x40 on 6 power I could view the animal well enough to take it...BT

LPD17

I just got back from a ten day hunt in South Africa, I took a 7mm-08 for my wife to shoot and ended up using it on everything other than zebra. Unfortunately, I wished I had taken a softer bullet, I was hunting with Fail-Safes and they performed adequetly but did not get quite the mushroom you would like on bigger game. I' m always amazed with this caliber and recommend it for most game in North America