7mm-08: What is your opinion as a plains game rifle?

[Frostbit]

My wife, Joyce, shot all her game with a 7 x 57 using 173 grain Sellier & Bellot factory ammo. None of the game complained since they all died practically where they stood, including the Reedbuck at over 250 yards. The 7mm - 08 would be fine as long as the bullet is placed properly.

Pictures of her with Impala, Reedbuck, Puku are on the hunt report linked to in my signature line.

 

[Jfet]

...and the fight started!

I am still in one piece better yet we are still married. :dancing:

Lessons Learned:
1. Be patient
2. The AH community has done a great job in helping us determine that the 7mm-08 will do the job.
3. Be patient
4. Don't take shooting mechanics for granted. Understand why you put you head here, your hand there, and your foot over here. You whole body is part of proper shooting.
5. Be patient
6. Shooting mechanics can be slightly different for different people especially when you are dealing with your wife.
7. Be very patient
8. Be willing to ask for help
9. Be patient
10. Be willing to pay for help
11. Be patient
12. When your wife goes to her shooting class, stay away
13. Be patient
14. Go to your own shooting class
15 Be patient

 

[Frostbit]

...and the fight started!

I am still in one piece better yet we are still married. :dancing:

Lessons Learned:
1. Be patient
2. The AH community has done a great job in helping us determine that the 7mm-08 will do the job.
3. Be patient
4. Don't take shooting mechanics for granted. Understand why you put you head here, your hand there, and your foot over here. You whole body is part of proper shooting.
5. Be patient
6. Shooting mechanics can be slightly different for different people especially when you are dealing with your wife.
7. Be very patient
8. Be willing to ask for help
9. Be patient
10. Be willing to pay for help
11. Be patient
12. When your wife goes to her shooting class, stay away
13. Be patient
14. Go to your own shooting class
15 Be patient

I taught Joyce to shoot. Actually I taught her gun safety then tried to teach her to shoot. We had some rough patches in there. Neither of us takes well to the other telling them what to do. It all worked out with time but I have to say..... A trip for Joyce to **NOT**PERMITTED** for a three day "safari" walking course made all the difference.

She came back confident and it showed in Africa. She also came to realize she was already a good, safe, firearm handler. She was complimented on her gun safety at **NOT**PERMITTED** and was told "who ever taught you gun safety and shoot did a great job with your basics".

Now when we are at the range together if I mention something I see she thanks me. Also she taught me quite a few tricks she brought home from **NOT**PERMITTED**. It's expensive but really worth it.

 

[Royal27]

I taught Joyce to shoot. Actually I taught her gun safety then tried to teach her to shoot. We had some rough patches in there. Neither of us takes well to the other telling them what to do. It all worked out with time but I have to say..... A trip for Joyce to **NOT**PERMITTED** for a three day "safari" walking course made all the difference.

She came back confident and it showed in Africa. She also came to realize she was already a good, safe, firearm handler. She was complimented on her gun safety at **NOT**PERMITTED** and was told "who ever taught you gun safety and shoot did a great job with your basics".

Now when we are at the range together if I mention something I see she thanks me. Also she taught me quite a few tricks she brought home from **NOT**PERMITTED**. It's expensive but really worth it.

Formal training is worth every cent! I went to SAAM for their Safari course and will go back to the precision course as soon as I can afford it.

 

[Whitetailguy]

What didn't you like about the Accubonds? Just curious as that's what I load and was planning on using.

 

[graybird]

Here is some interesting reading> Although this is for 30 caliber bullets, it feel it has some of the same validity for the 7mm cartridges, too.

Ballistics Test: The Best Big Game Bullets | RifleShooter

 

[tarbe]

Here is some interesting reading> Although this is for 30 caliber bullets, it feel it has some of the same validity for the 7mm cartridges, too.

Excellent reading!

Biggest surprise for me? The Partition's 50 yard performance (frontal diameter and penetration) was better than the A-frame.

Given the 50 yard impact velocity is making for uber stress on the bullet, I would have guessed the "tougher" A-frame would win that battle.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Excellent reading!

Biggest surprise for me? The Partition's 50 yard performance (frontal diameter and penetration) was better than the A-frame.

Given the 50 yard impact velocity is making for uber stress on the bullet, I would have guessed the "tougher" A-frame would win that battle.

As the Partition penetrates it loses the front part with the diameter of the front dropping back down to something just a bit larger than the original bullet diameter. This means less resistance. The A-Frame doesn't do that and at that close range it expands very quickly.

I'm a premium bullet fan having tinkered with all of these except the Federal listed in Graybirds post. Though it may be ancient technology I still think the Nosler Partion should be considered one of the best bullets out there for PG and such.

 

[enysse]

I'd take the Swift A Frame over the Nosler Partition any day of the week.

 

[Norwegianwoods]

Excellent reading!

Biggest surprise for me? The Partition's 50 yard performance (frontal diameter and penetration) was better than the A-frame.

Given the 50 yard impact velocity is making for uber stress on the bullet, I would have guessed the "tougher" A-frame would win that battle.

The results you refer to, makes me doubt the whole test really.
2 different bullets have the same weight and hits at about the same speed.
If one of the bullets expands to larger diameter and shed more weight, it is bound to have less penetration than the other expanding less and losing less weight.
Simple physics.

No way the Partition will penetrate the same as the the Barnes TTSX either when the Barnes hits at higher speed, expand about the same and the Barnes keeps 99.6% of its weight while the Partition only keeps 68.8%

Either there must be a typo, a miss reading of the ruler or something totally wrong with the test media.

 

[sestoppelman]

Animals shot in the right place with an appropriate caliber, using Nosler Partition bullets are rarely not recovered, and usually are not very far away. They are good proven bullets. No bullet is perfect and any bullet can fail to perform as advertised. The Partition usually does what it was designed to do, as Phil says. Shed the front half and keep driving for deep penetration and producing a dead animal. In the larger calibers it often does not actually shed the front half.

 

[tarbe]

The results you refer to, makes me doubt the whole test really.
2 different bullets have the same weight and hits at about the same speed.
If one of the bullets expands to larger diameter and shed more weight, it is bound to have less penetration than the other expanding less and losing less weight.
Simple physics.

I think there might be some value to knowing the volume of the temporary and permanent wound channels. There is more to the equation than just frontal diameter, retained weight and depth of penetration.

Having said that, I am still surprised by the results. But I am not ready to accuse the tester of not knowing how to read a ruler!


Tim

 

[graybird]

I think there might be some value to knowing the volume of the temporary and permanent wound channels. There is more to the equation than just frontal diameter, retained weight and depth of penetration.

Having said that, I am still surprised by the results. But I am not ready to accuse the tester of not knowing how to read a ruler!


Tim

I agree! I would also like to see data on 10 bullets versus just one. I believe more replications would provide more concrete information.

 

[Velo Dog]

Good afternoon,

One of my friend's has issued a 7-08 to his wife (Kimber brand bolt action) and she has gotten to be a very good shot, from sticks with it.

She shoots 160 grain Oryx (bonded lead core) bullets, loaded to whatever speed factory specs are (I don't know because "A"-yours truly has a 7x57 and sees no need for the 7-08 to have ever been invented and "B"-I'm too senile to remember what speed he said they were loaded to but, it might have been around 2600 fps?).

She has sacked a fair number of "plains game" so far and almost all with one shot each, including a couple larger/tougher ones-gemsbok and zebra.

She has hunted in the Lowveld of South Africa and the Kalahari as well, still in South Africa but, up against the border of Botswana, and longer shots such as things are in Namibia.

They both are very happy with the cartridge and bullet performance.

Her husband by the way, prefers a Simpson "brand" drilling, with the rifle barrel being 9.3x74R for "plains game" plus he has also used a Ruger #1 in 9.3x74R in Africa before.

Travel Safe/Shoot Straight
Velo Dog.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I think there might be some value to knowing the volume of the temporary and permanent wound channels. There is more to the equation than just frontal diameter, retained weight and depth of penetration.

Having said that, I am still surprised by the results. But I am not ready to accuse the tester of not knowing how to read a ruler!


Tim

Absolutely agree with that statement!

 

[tarbe]

As the Partition penetrates it loses the front part with the diameter of the front dropping back down to something just a bit larger than the original bullet diameter. This means less resistance.

I hear you Phil, but the Partition expanded diameter was slightly larger than the A-Frame. So how is that providing less resistance?


Tim

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I hear you Phil, but the Partition expanded diameter was slightly larger than the A-Frame. So how is that providing less resistance?


Tim

Was it max diameter or final diameter? I have what started life as a 7mm 160gr Partition that I used on a Shiras moose some 12 years or so ago. It weighs right at 80gr. It's front end diameter is only slightly larger than the 7mm shank. It hardly looks like a mushroom. It was found just under the skin of the offside of the bull and is the only Partition I've ever recovered as all others have exited.

An A-Frame I would expect to have the mushroom shape with the "cap" of the mushroom nearly twice the shank diameter. Thus it would be boring a bigger hole in the media which would of course make it that much more resistive in comparison to the rear end of the partition.

That all said, the impact of a bullet on an animal or gelatin block is a very dynamic event. Expansion rates, weight retention, shape changes will all affect the penetration and shape/size of the wound channel.

 

[tarbe]

Was it max diameter or final diameter?

The reported expanded diameter of the partition from the test was slightly larger than the expanded diameter of the A-Frame from the test.

I have subjected partitions to close range impacts on water-soaked newsprint and at high velocity, and I can make them end up looking somewhat like you described.

My perplexity comes from the fact that at least in this test, the Nosler diameter and penetration both exceeded the A-Frame. That is surprising to me...

 

[enysse]

It was only 3 inches and what would have happen if they shot it into a shoulder bone? I care to bet the farm the tougher bullets come out on top.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

The reported expanded diameter of the partition from the test was slightly larger than the expanded diameter of the A-Frame from the test.

I have subjected partitions to close range impacts on water-soaked newsprint and at high velocity, and I can make them end up looking somewhat like you described.

My perplexity comes from the fact that at least in this test, the Nosler diameter and penetration both exceeded the A-Frame. That is surprising to me...

Yeah, intuitively that doesn't jive does it.