douglasm

What are your thoughts on the 120 gr. Nosler BT in a 7-08 for whitetails inside 100 yards? The velocity will be in the 3000fps range. This is a load for a small 11 year old on his first deer hunt.

StrutnBPS

I use to shoot the 130gr BT's out of my .270. They are the best grouping bullets I have tried out of my rifle. It is really scary how accurate they are in my "out of the box" rifle.

Last year I changed to the 140gr Winchester AccuBond's. For one, I wanted a heavier bullet. Second, I really didn't care for the damage the ballistic tips caused.

There are a lot of debate about these bullets. They mushroom a lot quicker than a bonded bullet and some say they don't hold much of their weight. Others love them.

The only negative thing I had agasinst them is like i said, the damage to the meat.

TomFromTheShade

I would beef up to a 140 grain bullet if I were you. The heavier bullet will give you better performance on game, and if you are worried about recoil you can slow the speed down a little bit. If you could find an accurate load around the 2600fps area you would have plenty of oomph for deer, and a pretty pleasant shooting little round. As far as bullet choices go I would think that a good fast expanding soft point would fit the bill. Maybe, you could go with a silver tip? I think that they come in 140g. Anyway, good luck to the youngster!

timbercruiser

I'm not a fan of the BT bullet. Have personally seen too many lost deer and screwed up performance on deer I helped dress.
If the youngster is a very proficient shooter of the 7-08 I would look at a good bonded bullet like the Hornady. I doubt just because the bullet is a 120 it willkick appreciably less than a little heavier bullet. I had rather see youngsters start out with something like the .243.

lureloser2

doug i shoot a708, reminghtom mod 7 i have in the past shot balistic tips , i did not get good performance out of them , i shot adoe at 50yards thru theheart it ran 100yards , bled like a bow shot deer. i now shoot barnes x bullets130 gr imr powder4895 41gr they perform well. i have also shot nosler partitions ,handloaded . they were awesome . my father reloads ,alwayswants me try some loads ondeer . he just target shoots

DoctorDeath

DOUG I SHOOT A THOMPSON ENCORE 7mm08 WITH A 139gr BALLISTIC TIP AND HAVE TOOK DEER THAT WEIGHED ANYWHERE BETWEEN 150lbs TO 350lbs IN CANADA .... GREAT COMBINATION IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.

ROLL TIDE
DD

Rebel Hog

Fed. 7mm-08 140gr NP

Todd1700

I personally do not care for ballistic tips although I fully realize that some people love them. I don't like the excessive meat damage and the often poor penetration. Most of the wounded and lost deer I have had first hand knowledge of over the past 4 years involved ballistic tips. I am particularly leary of them in lighter grain weight bullets. Ballistic tips expand, fragment and shed weight faster than other bullets. So obviously the lighter the bullet to begin with the greater the chance (IMHO) of poor penetration, overexpansionand no exit hole. Ironically the very reason I dislike them (IE their tendency towardsexplosive fragmentation) is precisely why some people love them.

In the hands of an experienced hunter/marksman able to keep his shots behind the shoulder and with the patienceto wait for a good shot angle the combination you mention may never be a problem. It would not be my choice for a kid on his first hunt however.

I have a 7mm-08 as one of my deer rifles and even with 140 grain bullets recoil is still pretty mild.

Deerslayer_37

Ballistic Tip is too light for anything but varmints. It's not strong enough to be considered a good WT bullet. Go with a 140 Interbond by Hornady. If you really want a polymer tipped bullet, the best on the market is the Hornady Interbond, although im not sure if they offer a 7mm-08 bullet(im sure they do)

slayer

White-tail-deer

Personally I feel the 7mm-08 is great choice for a young hunter. I would also go witha 140gr. bullet.I have taken many deer with the 140gr. ballistic tip and feel it is a very goodbullet. But it is onechoice of many good bullets.Having confidence inthe rifle you are hunting with is extremely important with a young hunter, so if there is any doubt with the ballistic tipuse theNosler partition or another good reputable bullet.

The recoil is manageable. If recoil becomes an issue there are very good aftermarket recoil pads that are fitted for specific rifle models and can be installed at home. Packmayrmakes the decelerator padand Limbsaver's recoils pads are excellent as well.

Good luck in the upcoming season!! You have many great and excitingtimes ahead!!