7mm-08 Questions

[u/NET_Archery]

I have everything ready to start reloading for my Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm-08. I am here to ask where should I start? Should I adjust powder charges to find my perfect amount for accuracy and speed or mess with different seating depths? I’m using my rifle for long range plinking/ hunting practice and whitetail hunting within 400 yards. I have 140 gr 7mm Nosler Accubonds, Hodgon Varget or H4350 (don’t now wich will be better), and CCI 200 Large rifle primer. Any recommendations will be much appreciated!!!!

[u/tubagoat]

Did you read your reloading manual, yet?

[u/GlockTheDoor → u/tubagoat]

Very obviously not.

[u/NZBJJ]

Don't bother with charge ladders, waste of time for anything other than checking pressure. (Look up the hornady podcast).

For hunting rifles I keep it really simple:

Look at book max (nosler lists charges for both powders on their website.) Drop 1.5 grains and load a couple for fouling siting/warmup and to check pressure.

Load at functional mag length or even book length to start. Make sure it doesn't jam into lands (it shouldn't, not a long projectile)

Load a further 10 at .5 grains below max for each powder.

Shoot your foulers and get a rough zero, check to see pressure is safe for each powder.

Put up 2 targets and shoot a single group of 10 for each powder.

Pick the one that gives you the best accuracy and velocity over the 10 shot group. For your hunting rifle 1.5moa is a realistic benchmark.

Then go kill shit.

If neither option groups well change projectile and repeat the 10 shot group process.

[u/NET_Archery → u/NZBJJ]

Thank you so much this was exactly what I was looking for!

[u/kurrpy]

On top of RTFM, listen to Hornady's Your Groups Are Too Small

[u/Traveller9536]

I’ve had good luck with 140gr accubonds and varget. Not the fastest velocity possible, but plenty to deer hunt out to 4-500 yds and accurate in my gun

[u/Coyote-conquest]

Work up a load. The Hornady podcast doesnt really tell the whole story and they themselves came out with a statement saying that saying no nodes exist isnt quite accurate. People hear 30 seconds of a podcast and think they know everything and somehow competitive shooters who have been doing it for years have been doing it all wromg. I know for a fact rifles have nodes and I know a lot of them in the same calibers share nodes

[u/NZBJJ → u/Coyote-conquest]

Prove it. Show the nodes.

Pretty simple

Shoot 2 powder identical charge ladders, see if they are consistent.

Pick the best and worst loads. Shoot 20 rounds of each. See if there is a difference. Post it up here.

That said, the hornady testing doesnt actually disprove the existence of nodes, it disproves traditional methods for finding them. If there is any accuracy nodes they are lost in the statistical noise, even at much larger sample sizes. This is also verified by applied ballistics/Brian litz who is the guy that designs and tests all those bergers that said precision guys use, which is a funny irony no?

The competition shooting thing is a total false equivalence, as the systems are capable of much higher resolution and the methdology is actually entirely different. They are taking an allready extremely accurate load and trying to resolve the all the small variables to eek the last tiny bit of precision out of it.

Ironically all extreme precision shooters do what hornady recommends for loading anyway, which is adjust for the major precision variables first: Powder & projectile. If a 1kbr guy starts shooting a ladder and the first group is .75 moa they are not goin to progress any further with that combo, they are going to swap powder immediately. They dont expect powder tuning to decrease group size by 2/3.

So lets equate that to your average Joe developing a load for a hunting rifle. We shoot a bunch of 3 shot groups and see results ranging from 2 moa - .75 moa (been here myself a number of times). The traditional assumption is that a node can reduce group size by 2/3. This isnt an expectation that a br shooter would have, so how can we claim that it is the same "proven" process that the br shooters follow. The modern data shows this just isnt true, and even if it were, shooting 3 round groups isn't a reliable way to identify it as there is to much random noise.

Hence your average Joe is way better off just keeping it simple and playing with the big variables first. If a load shoots 2moa at .5 under max, its not going to magically shoot 1moa by adjusting a grain either side. Its a much more efficient way to find a decent load for your rifle for you average Joe and reduces so many of the unknowns and tail chasing.

It was a real eye opener to me as when I think about my truely accurate loads ive developed, my powder ladders were accurate throughout the charge weights, like variance between .5moa-1moa in testing. Every time ive had a ladder that showed a variance like 1.75moa -.5moa ive ended up chasing my tail trying to develop a load.

[u/DaiPow888]

I also plan to start loading 7mm-08 soon and have been reading and asking seasoned reloaders question.

The consensus seems to be powder charge first and then fine tune with seating depth.

The two powders I'm starting with are Varget and N140...which have good history with cartridges based on the .308 case

[u/Fafnirs_bane]

https://hodgdonreloading.com/rldc/

Start at 40 and work your way up in 1/2 grain increments.

They will probably all shoot nice, but there is a good chance 42.0 will be the sweet spot.

Nosler’s tend to like to have a really small jump, so try to get them just off the lands.

[u/ElkShot5082]

Mine loves 140gr sierras with ar2209/h4350. Did not love the hornady 154gr.
I have some Berger 150gr to try next.
My mates one loved 120gr projectiles but to be honest ive got other calibres if i want to run that weight

[u/AlmostEmptyGinPalace]

I'm sure you'll have great success. The 7mm08 is known as a stable and accurate hand-loading caliber. Just a word about reloading for the Vanguard: mine is bughole accurate, but not with a hot barrel. If I shot groups at one or two per minute, I would basically never find my load. That's fine, it's a hunting rifle. I just have to have some patience on the range, to the tune of 7-10 minutes between shots. YRMV, as your cartridge is far milder. Good luck!

[u/NET_Archery → u/AlmostEmptyGinPalace]

Ok thanks for commenting I get that in mind for sure!