Best 7mm-08 Rem loads for whitetail deer 27 of 27 7mm-08 Rem factory loads carry 1,000 ft·lb and expansion velocity for whitetail deer; the best reach 700 yd (Hornady Precision Hunter 150 gr ELD-X). Ranked, with the drop chart for each.
Load gr Max ethical yd MV fps 500 yd ft·lb Shoulder shot Hornady Precision Hunter 150 gr ELD-X 150 700 2,770 1,367 yes Barnes Harvest Collection 150 gr Sierra Tipped GameKing 150 650 2,725 1,264 behind the shoulder only Hornady Superformance 139 gr SST 139 650 2,950 1,291 behind the shoulder only Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range 150 gr AccuBond Long Range 150 650 2,750 1,299 yes Hornady American Whitetail TIPPED 139 gr SST 139 600 2,860 1,201 behind the shoulder only Norma 160 gr Tipstrike 160 600 2,690 1,224 behind the shoulder only Nosler Expansion Tip 140 gr E-Tip 140 600 2,850 1,206 yes Remington 140 gr Core-Lokt Tipped 140 600 2,860 1,210 behind the shoulder only Browning 140 gr Max Point Polymer Tip 140 550 2,800 1,147 behind the shoulder only Nosler 140 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting 140 550 2,825 1,173 behind the shoulder only Nosler Trophy Grade 140 gr AccuBond 140 550 2,825 1,173 yes Winchester Deer Season XP 140 gr Extreme Point 140 550 2,800 1,147 behind the shoulder only Federal 140 gr Trophy Bonded Tip 140 500 2,800 1,017 yes Nosler 120 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting 120 500 3,000 1,016 behind the shoulder only Remington Premier CuT 140 gr Copper Tipped 140 500 2,860 1,086 yes Winchester 140 gr Ballistic Silvertip 140 500 2,770 1,059 behind the shoulder only Barnes VOR-TX 120 gr TTSX BT 120 450 3,005 911 yes Federal 140 gr Barnes TSX 140 450 2,820 966 yes Federal 140 gr Fusion 140 450 2,850 980 yes Federal 150 gr Power-Shok JSP 150 450 2,650 923 behind the shoulder only Hornady American Whitetail 139 gr SP InterLock 139 450 2,840 970 behind the shoulder only Remington 140 gr Pointed Soft Point Core-Lokt 140 450 2,860 989 behind the shoulder only Federal 120 gr Fusion 120 400 3,000 803 yes Hornady Superformance 139 gr CX 139 400 2,910 1,123 yes Norma 150 gr Whitetail SP 150 400 2,756 832 behind the shoulder only Winchester 140 gr Power-Point 140 400 2,800 860 behind the shoulder only Hornady Custom Lite 120 gr SST 120 300 2,675 671 behind the shoulder only
The 1,000 ft·lb deer figure traces to Townsend Whelen and is the one everyone repeats; Hawks puts the floor nearer 800. An 8–10″ heart/lung zone. Legal: CO: 1,000 ft·lb at 100 yd · SD: 1,000 ft·lb at muzzle. Floor used: 1,000 ft·lb at impact plus the bullet's published expansion velocity. Orange = a target or varmint bullet (construction, not energy); red = never carries the energy. Sources: www.outdoorlife.com , www.petersenshunting.com , chuckhawks.com .
All 7mm-08 Rem loads
Figures are the maker's published BC and muzzle velocity in the maker's test barrel, solved with ZeroDope's point-mass engine at 59 °F, 29.92 inHg, sea level, 100 yd zero, 1.8″ sight height, 10 mph full-value wind. Your barrel, your chronograph and your conditions change them — the app corrects for all three, then you true it on steel. Terminal figures are energy floors from the sources on each animal, not a licence; legal minimums vary by state. © ZeroDope.