Best bullets for 7mm-08 hunting African plains game?

[Capebuffalo]

Cape Buffalo,
On the great cats… I’ve had the greatest success with Nosler Partitions.View attachment 533281
View attachment 533280View attachment 533282
Nosler used to load a 250Gr Partition factory load for the .338 Winchester Magnum. Absolutely magnificent. Unfortunately, new Nosler products seem to be in extremely short supply all over the world since the past one year.

Among currently manufactured/available factory loaded ammunition for lion & leopard, I really like these in a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.

Buy Power-Shok Rifle 375 H&H Magnum Ammo 300 | 375B

Shopping for the Power-Shok Rifle - Learn more about the latest Power-Shok and other hunting or shooting gear at Federal Ammunition.

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Nice old fashioned unbonded lead cored design. For lion & leopard, this is actually a good thing.

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/338-cal-338-250-gr-interlock-rn#!/

I’m assuming that this is the 250Gr .338 caliber Hornady Interlock bullet which you’re referring to. It will be absolutely devastating for lion & leopard (where legal, of course). A close friend recently hunted a 500LB male lion In Mozambique with a .338 Winchester Magnum Model 70 Super Grade and hand loaded 250Gr Hornady round nosed Interlocks. One broadside heart-lung shot folded the lion and the game went less than 30 yards before dropping.

Up until 1980, Winchester used to offer a 300Gr Power-Point factory load for the .338 Winchester Magnum. It was a favorite cartridge of King Mahendra of Nepal, who favored this load in his .338 Winchester Magnum Mannlicher Schounauer for hunting Royal Bengal tigers in the Terrai.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Houston Bill]

Houston Bill,
Do you have the synthetic or laminated stock? Do you have the 24" barrel? How is the recoil on those Tikka's? The laminated ones in 338 WM look really nice, I was just wondering about the recoil since it is on the light side.....

Hi @Capebuffalo, I have the synthetic stock T3. Yes the barrel is 24.3". I have several Tikka T3's from .243 Win up to .338 WinMag. I had muzzle breaks put on the 338 and the 300 WSM. The breaks really help at the range when I practice or do load development. I don't notice any help when I am hunting because I don't really feel the recoil hunting anyway. I find that for the money the Tikka's are about the best value in a hunting rifle. My experience has been they are very accurate (always better then 1 MOA and sometimes better than 1/2 MOA) with a very smooth action and I like the fact they are a bit on the light side so they are not too bad to carry on the mountain hunts I have done.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Hi @Capebuffalo, I have the synthetic stock T3. Yes the barrel is 24.3". I have several Tikka T3's from .243 Win up to .338 WinMag. I had muzzle breaks put on the 338 and the 300 WSM. The breaks really help at the range when I practice or do load development. I don't notice any help when I am hunting because I don't really feel the recoil hunting anyway. I find that for the money the Tikka's are about the best value in a hunting rifle. My experience has been they are very accurate (always better then 1 MOA and sometimes better than 1/2 MOA) with a very smooth action and I like the fact they are a bit on the light side so they are not too bad to carry on the mountain hunts I have done.

Houston Bill,
I agree with you, because I figured all those good characteristics in the Tikka's as well. For sure value for your money and the laminated stock looks really nice. I am interested in buying another 338 WM to use here in NA where weather conditions can be extreme during hunting season. I was just concerned about the recoil in such a light for caliber rifle....but as you said, a muzzle brake can solve that. Also good to hear about its good accuracy....

 

[Capebuffalo]

It performs well, but I really wish that Hornady was still making the old round nosed version. The round nosed version is now only available as Federal factory ammunition. That ammunition is advertised as being capable of achieving 2390fps. But it only achieves 2317fps (I checked on a chronograph).
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Hunter-Habib,
Yeh, I was interested in some Federal ammo in the past too....until I saw their velocities...Disappointing, because they use some of the nicest bullets in their ammo...

 

[Capebuffalo]

I am speechless......
I get 2900 ft/sec with 150 grain Swift Sirocco's and Staball 6.5...out of my 7mm-08 with a 22" barrel and 1:8.5 twist, and no pressure signs at all! I was planning to add a 280 AI or 7mm Rem Mag to my collection, but don't think it is necessary anymore....Haven't tried it with other bullet weights yet, but assume it will perform great.
Anybody with similar success with Staball 6.5?

 

[Elkeater]

I am speechless......
I get 2900 ft/sec with 150 grain Swift Sirocco's and Staball 6.5...out of my 7mm-08 with a 22" barrel and 1:8.5 twist, and no pressure signs at all! I was planning to add a 280 AI or 7mm Rem Mag to my collection, but don't think it is necessary anymore....Haven't tried it with other bullet weights yet, but assume it will perform great.
Anybody with similar success with Staball 6.5?

Staball 6.5 seems to work well in the 7-08. I have a 7-08ai with a 24” barrel I’m shooting 162gr ELD X at about 2900 FPS with Staball 6.5.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Staball 6.5 seems to work well in the 7-08. I have a 7-08ai with a 24” barrel I’m shooting 162gr ELD X at about 2900 FPS with Staball 6.5.

Wow, that is great velocities, Elkeater! Have you tried the 168 and 175 grainers yet?

 

[Elkeater]

Wow, that is great velocities, Elkeater! Have you tried the 168 and 175 grainers yet?

I have not. And honestly my go to load for that rifle is a 140gr Absolute Hammer at 3005FPS. It’s my coues deer rifle. Have also killed Aoudad, axis deer, goats, and hogs with it.

 

[Capebuffalo]

A hammer indeed! Your 140 grain AH load is great for western US, but in the wooded areas in NA and bushveld areas in South Africa I prefer a heavier bullet, such as the 156 grain Norma Oryx, 160 grain NP and SAF, as well as Woodleigh's and SAF's 175 grainers. New gun powders make the 7mm-08 a real versatile cartridge, and it is even more worthwhile now to have it in a 24' barrel with a 1:8.5-1:8 twist.
I am just curious at this point what will this cartridge do with the heavier bullets by using Staball 6.5.

 

[Elkeater]

A hammer indeed! Your 140 grain AH load is great for western US, but in the wooded areas in NA and bushveld areas in South Africa I prefer a heavier bullet, such as the 156 grain Norma Oryx, 160 grain NP and SAF, as well as Woodleigh's and SAF's 175 grainers. New gun powders make the 7mm-08 a real versatile cartridge, and it is even more worthwhile now to have it in a 24' barrel with a 1:8.5-1:8 twist.
I am just curious at this point what will this cartridge do with the heavier bullets by using Staball 6.6.

I suspect though I haven’t tried that a nice 168gr class bullet would be an excellent choice for the bushveld. And I would bet that staball 6.5 would push a 168gr bullet at a nice velocity for most plains game.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Which 168 grainer do you mean? The Nosler ABLR or the Berger VLD or the Berger Classic Hunter? I am just concern that it will be a little on the soft side for short range and may be a lack of penetration, or does Hammer or Barnes bullets have a 168 grainer? .

 

[Elkeater]

Which 168 grainer do you mean? The Nosler ABLR or the Berger VLD or the Berger Classic Hunter? I am just concern that it will be a little on the soft side for short range and may be a lack of penetration, or does Hammer or Barnes bullets have a 168 grainer? .

The ABLR would be the best out of those. I would prefer the 160gr standard accubond at short range though. Hammer has a 169gr hammer hunter but that would be a very long bullet in a 7-08 case and likely take up too much powder capacity. I think the 7-08 really shines between a 140-160 gr class bullet. The 120gr monos can be driven very fast and hit hard as well. With today’s bullets we have such a large selection to play with. Depends on if you want long and slippery for those long shots or if you want something tough at close range or any other number of possible scenarios.

 

[Capebuffalo]

Yeh, many different bullets for various situations. I looked, the 169 Hammer bullet you mentioned needs a 1:8 twist and will be probably too long for a 7mm-08's magazine. Then there is a Barnes 168 grain LRX which will be too long too. I think the only 168 grainer that will fit in a 7mm-08 magazine will be the Berger Classic Hunter. Some 175 grainers such as Woodleigh's, Swift AF and NP are shorter and do fit the magazine. However, I don't think there are many animals that can't be flattened by a premium 160 grain premium bullet, especially if you can put a little more speed behind it as what you could in the past. Wonder what is the length of that ABLR....but as you said a 160 grain AB or Partition with enough speed behind it will already be devastating at short range.

 

[RichieG]

Strange, I have just been looking at that bullet on the website!!

Also awaiting comments. At 2700 fps it might just be a dandy long range number.

I've used a TSX in a 308 at 2850fps on blue WB, Zebra and Nyala and was surprised how effective it was. That said I've seen it go straight through a Springbuck which died right there but there was zero blood spoor.

For the OP, I'd recommend the factory loaded Swift 160 gr Aframe. Premium bullet, great penetration, good blood spoor and at 2650fps will deal effectively with most things that cross your path on a PG hunt. Not radical, just old fashioned experience and common sense.

If you handloaded I'd recommend the SA manufactured 160gr Safari Bullet Company 7mm bullet.

Good luck and enjoy your hunting!