7mm-08 Remington, Nosler-Partition 140 grain bullets on deer, elk | MV 2800-fps | B.C. .434 | SD: .248

Range yds
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
 500
Velocity fps
2802mv
2694
2585
2484
2382
2284
2185
2097
2005
1919
1834
Energy ft/lbs
2443
2224
2028
1848
1681
1528
1383
1256
1136
1144
1045
flight/sec
frac. /sec
.055
.111
.171
.232
.297
.365
.434
.537
.584
.664
7½mph/11fps
"lead from"
+½'
1.2'
x
x
in-feet
x
x
'
'

15mph/22fps
hrt/lungs
1¼'
2½'
x
x
x
in-feet
'
'
x

30mph/44 fps
hrt/lungs
2¼'
4¾'
x
x
in-feet
x
x
x
x

35mph/51.3 fps
hrt/lungs
2.8'
5.7'
x
x
in-feet
x
x
x
x

Drift@10mph
90°-angle
0.2"
0.8"
1.84"
3.2" 
5.1"
7.6"
10.4"
13.9"
17.9"
22.6"
200yd zero
 -1.6"
+0.7"
 +1.8"
+1.6"
zero
–3.1"
–8"
–14.4"
–23"
–33.8"
-46.9"
In all tables: LEAD is always in FEET; wind drift and trajectory is always in inches. Your lead is always from your targeted point of impact, i.e., -- heart lung area. All figures are using broadside 90° angle shots, cut running leads in half if angles are 45° degrees, etc.

With its mild recoil and report the 7mm-08 is a very popular deer cartridge.  You will kill more deer and be more deadly with a rifle/cartridge combo that you can shoot with the most accuracy! I want a caliber/cartridge combo that is a pleasure to shoot, it has become my number one criteria. Reloading costs are a factor too, because for many reasons, I will want to do a lot of various kinds of target shooting.

Most whitetails are killed at 100 yards or less and mule deer at 200 and under. Occasionally, you might take a shot at longer range—300 and 400 yards. Any competent rifleman should be able to hit just about every shot at 200 yards or under, but at 300 it really gets tough, and at 400 yards the odds are not good!

My choice for an all around North American rifle is a bolt action rifle with a 22" or 24" barrel chambered for the 7mm-08 Remington. That is my pick for the perfect deer rifle for hunting across North America. There are a lot of other rifles that might do okay, but in my opinion, they wouldn't be as all around perfect as the 7mm-08.

Rick Jamison writer for Petersen's Hunting Magazine, July 2002, p- 20, Guns & Loads Article Long Rangers,  - says in essence that, for deer sized game you need a minimum of 1000 ft/lbs of energy and 2000 ft/sec velocity at the impact range for adequate bullet expansion. The bullet needs a sectional density between .215 to .265 and a high ballistic coefficient for long range shots. This is a great Hunting Magazine, I subscribe through the local school magazine drives.

You can look at the various ballistic tables I have on the Net and determine (with a well placed shot) the approximate outer range limit your cartridge and selected bullet will be capable of killing a deer. If you can't put the bullet in the vital kill zone don't take the shot no matter how capable the cartridge you're using is at that range.

Shooting at running game is a lot more dangerous! Check the background and make certain no other hunters are in the area. Safety first! 

Use deer lengths from 150 yards on out. I worked up these charts to give you a general idea of what it takes to instantly gauge the speed, angle, and approximate lead required to make a killing shot on that once in a lifetime trophy buck, and it is now or never! Figure your own cartridge at different deer speeds, etc. One hundred yards should be considered the limit for most running shots.

The latest 2003 premium bullets can retain 80% of the bullet weight even at close range. With these new bullets the 7mm-08 Remington cartridge should do okay on elk at reasonable ranges and proper POI bullet impact angles. (POI) Point of Impact.

In many southeastern states in the U.S., deer are hunted with trail hounds and running shots are the norm. Those Southeastern states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. They post themselves at clearings where the hounds will push them through so they can get a quick shot at them in full flight! They use both rifles and shot guns with buckshot, quick shots in clearings at running deer is the rule.

Short barreled fast pointing semi-automatic and pump action rifles with very low power, wide field-of-view scopes, are popular for quick action swinging on running deer.

For clean kills the proper leads are required with both weapons. (This information is needed by a lot of deer and larger big game hunters for wounded game and other hunting situations, --so fellow hunters, bear with me.)

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 Related Pages - Actual link addresses

Leading Running Game - Ballistics Frames Your cartridge's ballistics - Know the Bullet's Terminal Performance
http://www.udarrell.com/leading-running-game-rifle-frames.htm (Actual Addresses) 

http://www.udarrell.com/wisconsin_coyote_hunting.html

A Page Full of my Page Links
 http://www.udarrell.com/my_pages2.htm  

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Darrell Udelhoven - udarrell
Posted: 08/24/03 © 2003-06