reloading the 7mm-08

[pastorbuck]

I've only reloaded straight walled pistol rounds so far and I want to start reloading for the 7mm-08.  First, do they make a carbide die for this round or is it only regular steel dies in which I'll have to use a lubricant.  I noticed the die sets come in various numbers of parts.  What is the best set up for reloading the 7mm-08 or any other necked cartridge for that matter?  Also, I'll be shooting this out of a TC Encore barrel and was wondering if any deer hunters have worked up some effective loads and what they may be.

Thanks for any help.

Scott B.

[Graybeard]

Dies for bottle necked cartridges are not available in carbide and even if they were you'd have to mortgage your house to afford them. You must use lube.

I long ago stopped reloading for the 7-08 as I can't make reloads as accurate or as fast as the Hornady Light Mag ammo. The most accurate loads for it I ever made used Hornady bullets and W760 powder and they were accurate but at book max and since W760 is very temperature sensitive the loads worked up in cool weather were way too hot in summer and locked up my bolt so I disassembled them and never tried that load again. The powder could have worked but to make the loads most accurate it required a book max load and in my rifle that was just too much.

If I were to decide to use it on something for which the Hornady light mag ammo didn't have quite enough bullet to get the job done (very unlikely to ever happen as it's NOT the only rifle I have) then I'd use the Nosler Partition or Accubond or Hornady Interbond in 150-160 grain weights and probably begin using Varget. But as long as the 139 grain BTSP bullet in the Light Mag is enough for the job at hand I'll use only those factory loads in mine and not bother loading for it.

[Lone Star]

No carbide dies, you'll have to lube the cases.  I prefer using a spray-on lube, Lyman and Hornady make it as do others.  A standard 2-die set from a reputable die maker is fine - Redding, RCBS, Hornady, Lyman, or Lee.  Make sure that you read the front section of at least two reloading manuals about die setup and loading for bottlenecked cases. 

There is no way to know what load will work best for you.  The 7-08 has been around for a long time and a lot of different loads work great.  For deer, 120 to 140-grain bullets are probably best.  Choose the powder charge from a current loading manual, start low and work up.  Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of bottlenecked cartridge reloading.   


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[Grumulkin]

My Encore 7mm/08 handgun likes Varget with 140 grain bullets.  One hundred yard 3 shot group sizes run in the 1 to 1.5 MOA range.

There are two ways to get around the messy lube problem.  One would be to use Lee Collet dies with no lube at all being necessary.  The other would be to use Imperial dry lube (it looks like powdered graphite to me) with a neck sizing die.  For full length sizing, I believe Imperial Sizing Wax is the best; it really doesn't make much of a mess.

As far as die sets go, I've come to prefer Redding 3 die sets for bottle necked cartridges.  The set comes with a full length and a neck sizing die.  I also have RCBS, Hornady, Pacific and Lee die sets and don't have anything bad to say about any of them except some of the RCBS dies.  In some RCBS dies, the rod for the decapping pin is held in place by pressure from a nut that has to be tightened a LOT in order to hold it firmly in place; I would not get one of those.  Only get a die set where the rod for the decapping pin is threaded.

[Dave in WV]

I have a Remington 7600 pump rifle I load for. I don't experiment  with different loads because I got what I wanted the first load I tried. I full length resize using Imperial wax for a case lube. I load 46gr of H4350 using a 140 Rem Core-Lokt bullet and a Federal BR primer.

[Tn Jim]

I also shoot a Encore in 7-08. I use RCBS dies. Didn't know they had any that used a decapping rod held by a pressure nut. I thought only Lee used that silly set up. Mine is threaded. I spent alot of time and money finding a load that was really accurate in that barrel. I really wanted to use a 140 grain Nosler Accubond, but 1 1/2" groups were the best I could get out of them. Sierra GameKings 140's were a little worse at 1 3/4" to 2".

 But I finally stumbled across a load this barrel likes. A Remington case, Winchester standard Large rifle primer, 45.8 grains of IMR-4350 and a 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. OAL is 2.840 inches. In my barrel that puts the ogive of the bullet at 60 thousandths of the lands. As I started increasing the OAL (and moving the ogive closer to the lands) the groups started to open up. At 10 thousandths off it looked more like a shotgun pattern than a rifle group. Where I have it I get a good 3/4" group. I don't have a chrony, but the velocity SHOULD be 2800-2850 fps. All my loads were worked up to carefully.

Took a smaller buck with it year before last (150 lbs on the hoof) at 140 yards. Ran about eight steps and dropped. Complete pass thru and the chest cavity looked like a bomb went off in it. I couldn't have asked for the gun/load to have worked any better. Stick with a good bullet in the 140 area for deer and you will really like the 7-08.

[yooper77]

I load the 7mm-08 Remington for my 15" Encore pistol barrel with great accuracy using IMR-4064 and 140 grain bullets.  Velocity isn't a issue I have taken deer with my 10" Encore 7mm-08 Remington barrel which also liked the same loads as my 15" barrel does.

I go the cheapest route by using once fired 308 Winchester brass, do to very expensive factory ammo prices.  I handload for all my metallic cartridges, factory ammo prices are outrages and that alone will keep me from buying.

I usually pad lube all my bottleneck brass, other then sprays.  I size each case then wipe them off with a clean cloth, do worries.

Older RCBS dies have a decapping stem that is split at the end that holds the pin in and the threaded collar squeezes everything together.  I have many of these older dies and I have found the key is to keep your dies very clean and you won't have any problems.  If you want to change your stem over, RCBS sells Replacement Expander-Decapping Assembly that use headed decapping pins to convert your dies if you like.

yooper77

[beemanbeme]

As you can see, the 7-08 is pretty easy to load for. I use H4895 for mine and a 140gr Rem Core Lokt works about a well as any of the cup and core bullets for me.  you don't need any of the magic bullets to get the job done with a 7-08.  Standard primer.  If I was going on a hunting trip, I might switch to a 140gr Nosler Partition for the added confidence it would give me. 
My dies are standard RCBS dies. Sometimes things are just too simple.

[GameHauler]

As you can see, the 7-08 is pretty easy to load for. I use H4895 for mine and a 140gr Rem Core Lokt works about a well as any of the cup and core bullets for me.  you don't need any of the magic bullets to get the job done with a 7-08.  Standard primer.  If I was going on a hunting trip, I might switch to a 140gr Nosler Partition for the added confidence it would give me. 
My dies are standard RCBS dies. Sometimes things are just too simple.

I am liking what you said
I am putting together some start loads for daughters gun
I am going to use some 4350, 44gr to start and nosler P's 140's
but also have a pound of 4895
would be nice to take a few rounds of each to the range
Mike