Help me decide: which Plains Game Bullet for my 7mm-08?

[Doug Hamilton]

Well personally I’m a bit limited on bolt action rifles, as my 7mm-08 is currently my only one. I don’t really want to buy another “small” caliber when this one should cover most PG.

Otherwise I only have AR platforms that I can’t use in Africa.

Later on I plan to pick up a 375 or 416 for Buffalo, but that’s not in the cards right now.

I want to make the best use of what I have and if that means skipping out on Eland, that’s totally fine.

If you get the .375 or .416 you can use that on any dangerous game and eland. Use your 7-08 for everything.else. You'll be fine. Have a great hunt and let us know how it went.

 

[Philip Glass]

Hi! This is my first post on African Hunting after lurking for the last year.

A little background to my question......I was blessed to be invited on my first African hunt in Zimbabwe last July with Mokore Safaris at their Savé Valley Conservancy camp. Our party had an amazing time, I took a few Impala and I'm now hooked! I can't say enough positive about the Mokore team, real professionals!

We are discussing another trip with Mokore in 2025 to their C9 camp in Mozambique. I plan to take this trip a bit more seriously than my first, plan it out and bring my own rifle for plains game, a Remington 700 in 7mm-08.

My general list for the hunt is:

• Kudu
• Bushbuck
• Impala
• Warthog
• Waterbuck
• Duiker
• Eland (Maybe)
• Nyala (Maybe)

Now my question. I've narrowed down my 7mm-08 ammo selection between:

140 grain Accubond or 150 grain Barnes TTSX
​

I'll probably look at someone like Hendershots to get these loaded.

Which would you pick and why? OR! Is their another load that would better match my rifle and the plains game I've listed here.

Thank you!

Barnes is my go to.

 

[Nhoro]

Thanks for the feedback Nhoro!

We haven't talked with Neil yet. Gary, Dalton and Tristan were our group's PHs in Zimbabwe last year. Right now we've just been in touch with Gary about planning our next trip.

As you and many others here have noted, I will without a doubt run my rifle set up by the Mokore team before moving forward.

And I did hear that compared to the Save Valley the C9 is much closer range.

I just thought a general consensus from this forum would be a good start after my initial research, and thus this post!

Have a great weekend!

Mozambique is fantastic, so many animals. I have filmed hunts for both Gary and Neil. You are in for a great hunt.

I would advise you to look carefully at the 7x57 ballistics. A reputation on plainsgame second to none and built on 175 gr bullets at a modest velocity. I would suggest that you try for the heaviest bullets that Your gun will handle- probably 160 gr and lead core bonded bullets. I would not be comfortable with 140 gr bullets on a big Kudu. Personally I use 220 gr and 180 gr PMP bonded bullets in my 3006 and bought some Hornady Interlock 180 gr this week. I hunt Mokore and areas like that. Most hunters and PHs use similar heavy for calibre bullets.

 

[dchum]

Mozambique is fantastic, so many animals. I have filmed hunts for both Gary and Neil. You are in for a great hunt.

I would advise you to look carefully at the 7x57 ballistics. A reputation on plainsgame second to none and built on 175 gr bullets at a modest velocity. I would suggest that you try for the heaviest bullets that Your gun will handle- probably 160 gr and lead core bonded bullets. I would not be comfortable with 140 gr bullets on a big Kudu. Personally I use 220 gr and 180 gr PMP bonded bullets in my 3006 and bought some Hornady Interlock 180 gr this week. I hunt Mokore and areas like that. Most hunters and PHs use similar heavy for calibre bullets.

A 140 grain Barnes will brake both shoulders of a kudu and exit inside the off side when within 150 yards.

Maybe you are not familiar with Barnes or monolithic bullet construction.

That 180gr PMP will end up weighing 140 grains anyways.

 

[Firebird]

Nhoro, coutada 9 is not one I know anything about. Is it a good area for nyala as some of the others are? I’m wondering if the op should have that on his “list” compared with(or ahead of) some of the other less likely animals. Thoughts?

 

[Smull1010]

Nhoro, coutada 9 is not one I know anything about. Is it a good area for nyala as some of the others are? I’m wondering if the op should have that on his “list” compared with(or ahead of) some of the other less likely animals. Thoughts?

Check out Mokore’s C9 galley:

Mozambique Plainsgame 2023

Safari Areas in Zimbabwe

mokoresafarisafrica.com

 

[Firebird]

Thanks for confirming what I expected was the situation. I am in agreement with you that I would just as well hunt plains game as dangerous game. And I would hunt the same animals as those on your list, but in a different order and I would want two of each! And I believe you did say you were going to take them as they came. I will be elsewhere hunting other things in 2025, will be fun to read the reports when we get back!

 

[sgt_zim]

Great responses! I really appreciate everyone’s feedback as this is an area I’m still learning about.

Sounds like generally speaking the Barnes TTSX should be what I ask my PH about using?

Fast and flat, not heavy, so maybe use the TTSX in the 140 grain?

OR at 100-150 yard ranges would a slightly heavier round be more beneficial using the 150 grain?

OR am I splitting hairs here?

I see a lot of A-Frame suggestions as well and this round was part of my initial research, but I just don’t see the availability to buy it right now from a professional loader. Same for the Norma Oryx.


Sounds like my 7mm-08 will be a little light on the Eland regardless of the round I choose, so I can borrow their 30-06 if the opportunity arises. Eland is pretty low on my list overall, so I’m not too concerned here.

Don't worry much about "flat."

Nearly all modern bottle neck cartridge loads are within a few inches of each other out to around 250 or 300 yards, especially with a 200 yard zero or using Maximum Point Blank Range. Since you are headed to Africa to hunt multiple species, keep it simple and zero at 200

Any of the common hunting bullets, from 140 to 160 gr, will be about 2-3" high at 100 yards and around 3-4" low at 250 yards if you zero at 200.

You will need to adjust your elevation for smaller animals, but for the bigger antelopes, the vital zone is much larger than your +/- out to 250

 

[Alex38]

If I were taking my 7mm-08, and use the 140 TTSX if it shot well in my rifle. Also try 140 Nosler E-Tips. For lead core I’d try the 160 Partition.

 

[AKCoastie]

4 years ago I was in SA and one of the discussions we had were caliber choices(I rented a 308). The caliber that alarmed my ph is if someone was bringing a 7mm-08 (I personally love the caliber) , but had great things to say about 325wsm (I happened to buy one last spring).

Personally I would give the ph a rundown of your rifles and calibers your comfortable shooting. See what their recommendations are. Then go from there.

I love barnes. But I don't get hung up on weights, insured on what I can get and the rifle likes.
Accubond I have recently found fir my 325wsm, still doing development to see where it goes.

 

[Tintin]

Woodleigh 140gn Weldcore PPSN if you can get them.

 

[CBH Australia]

Woodleigh 140gn Weldcore PPSN if you can get them.

They group well in my .280a.i and I would consider them for the op purposes if they go ok in the rifle.
I like 7mm as a calibre. My first was a .7mm-08 that took plenty of pests with a 20” barrel.

 

[Scott CWO]

Taking Kudu & eland into consideration, I'd recommend heavy-for-caliber 170-175Gr bullets.

Amongst currently manufactured bullet choices, my recommendation would be for:
- 170Gr Norma Oryx
- 173Gr Prvi Partizan soft nose
- 170Gr Rhino Solid Shank

If Kudu & eland are not on your menu, then your choice of 140Gr Nosler AccuBonds will prove to be perfectly adequate.

P.S: Even though Nosler has been listing them as "Out Of Stock" ever since 2019... I must concur that the 175Gr Nosler Partition used to be the finest all-round 7mm caliber expanding bullet on the market. It worked like lighting on all plains game.

Much too heavy for the 7mm-08.

 

[Scott CWO]

I know that we often think of heavy for caliber bullets as being the best. This is a 7mm-08. Their barrel twist often will not let them shoot well too heavy of a bullet. Plus the limited powder capacity. Not sure it will run a 150 gr TTSX fast enough to really get the most benefit out of it. Likely the 140 AB would be best and then borrow a camp rifle if you decide to hunt for and eland.
Bruce

Exactly!

All this talk on AH about heavy for caliber bullets doesn’t make sense, especially with modern bullets. It’s just physics. Here’s an easy to understand explanation:

Go outside and gather three rocks - one light in weight, one medium weight and one heavy. Pick up the light rock and throw it as far as you can. The light rock starts out fast but doesn’t go very far because it runs out of energy quickly. Next, throw the heavy rock. It starts out much slower and also doesn’t go very far because your arm can’t throw it fast enough. Next you throw the medium weight rock and you are able to throw it farther than either of the other rocks.

Every cartridge has a proper weight bullet that performs and flies the best given its powder capacity and energy. For a 7mm-08, it is the 140 grain bullet. For the 30-06 it’s the 165 grain. For 270 Win, it’s the 130 grain. For the 338WM it’s the 225 grain bullet. In my 30-06, I use the 165 grain for everything in Colorado and never need to switch loads whether I’m hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, sheep or black bear. My wife and kids shoot a 7mm-08 140 grain bullet at everything as well. Keep it simple.

 

[FlyGuy]

With eland possibly being on the menu...
Swift A-Frame or Barnes TTSX

 

[tydaws]

4 years ago I was in SA and one of the discussions we had were caliber choices(I rented a 308). The caliber that alarmed my ph is if someone was bringing a 7mm-08 (I personally love the caliber) , but had great things to say about 325wsm (I happened to buy one last spring).

Personally I would give the ph a rundown of your rifles and calibers your comfortable shooting. See what their recommendations are. Then go from there.

I love barnes. But I don't get hung up on weights, insured on what I can get and the rifle likes.
Accubond I have recently found fir my 325wsm, still doing development to see where it goes.

I'm curious to know if your PH elaborated on why the 7mm-08 was alarming to him.

Based on my readings, not personal experience, the 270 seems to have been used successfully on PG in Africa for the better part of a century now. Nosler load data suggest an average load to run 2800-2850, with 2900 fps being achievable with a 150 grain bullet in the 270. Nosler also suggest an average of ~50 fps less in a 7mm-08, also with a 150 grain bullet. The 7mm-08 also out performs the old standby 7x57 in basically every ballistic scenario, when compared apples to apples. Seems like splitting hairs to me, especially for shots within 200 yards, assuming a bullet of the same weight and construction is utilized. Again, just curious.

 

[Daisy]

Exactly!

All this talk on AH about heavy for caliber bullets doesn’t make sense, especially with modern bullets. It’s just physics. Here’s an easy to understand explanation:

Go outside and gather three rocks - one light in weight, one medium weight and one heavy. Pick up the light rock and throw it as far as you can. The light rock starts out fast but doesn’t go very far because it runs out of energy quickly. Next, throw the heavy rock. It starts out much slower and also doesn’t go very far because your arm can’t throw it fast enough. Next you throw the medium weight rock and you are able to throw it farther than either of the other rocks.

Every cartridge has a proper weight bullet that performs and flies the best given its powder capacity and energy. For a 7mm-08, it is the 140 grain bullet. For the 30-06 it’s the 165 grain. For 270 Win, it’s the 130 grain. For the 338WM it’s the 225 grain bullet. In my 30-06, I use the 165 grain for everything in Colorado and never need to switch loads whether I’m hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, sheep or black bear. My wife and kids shoot a 7mm-08 140 grain bullet at everything as well. Keep it simple.

Great analogy.

Heavier bullets gained favor during poor bullet construction time and with dangerous game. That has somehow morphed into everything Africa.

Go read on rockslide or another forum with 100k hunters harvesting elk, mule deer, bear at much higher rates than people that harvest plains game in Africa. Most use fast lighter than caliber bullets, and have the ballistic data AND field data to prove it.

 

[wvfred]

I would shoot both and decide from there.If eland is on the menu it would be 150 gr. Barnes for me and be very particular with shot choice.

 

[IvW]

Exactly!

All this talk on AH about heavy for caliber bullets doesn’t make sense, especially with modern bullets. It’s just physics. Here’s an easy to understand explanation:

Go outside and gather three rocks - one light in weight, one medium weight and one heavy. Pick up the light rock and throw it as far as you can. The light rock starts out fast but doesn’t go very far because it runs out of energy quickly. Next, throw the heavy rock. It starts out much slower and also doesn’t go very far because your arm can’t throw it fast enough. Next you throw the medium weight rock and you are able to throw it farther than either of the other rocks.

Every cartridge has a proper weight bullet that performs and flies the best given its powder capacity and energy. For a 7mm-08, it is the 140 grain bullet. For the 30-06 it’s the 165 grain. For 270 Win, it’s the 130 grain. For the 338WM it’s the 225 grain bullet. In my 30-06, I use the 165 grain for everything in Colorado and never need to switch loads whether I’m hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, sheep or black bear. My wife and kids shoot a 7mm-08 140 grain bullet at everything as well. Keep it simple.

Rocks dont kill African game.....
7mm08 twist 140gr as you correctly point out....
Eland....minimum 7x57mm with 179gr premium bullet which the 7mm08 cannot handle....

 

[Scott CWO]

Rocks dont kill African game.....
7mm08 twist 140gr as you correctly point out....
Eland....minimum 7x57mm with 179gr premium bullet which the 7mm08 cannot handle....

Really they don’t? It’s an example of physics with your arm being the rifle. Same principles apply. And yes the 7mm-08 is light for eland but he’s not sure he’s hunting eland.