Best all purpose bullet for 7mm Rem Mag at close distances.

[TXF150]

Hello to all, newbie here.  I have read numerous posts and finally decided to join today.  

I have a 7mm Rem Mag and just love the gun.  I am looking for a good all around bullet for my type of hunting.  I mainly hunt TX whitetail and hogs.  
 
To make a long story short, the lease that I was on was a very open one with only a few groups of trees and dense brush on it.   Unless the deer came right up to you, you were faced with a minimum of a 175 yard shot, so i never felt like i was carrying to much gun with me.  I have shot several animals throught the heart/lung area and have none of them went further than 25 yrds after being shot.  The 150gr. Remington Core-Lokts that I have been using have come apart in the animals, and that concerns me.    
The lease that I am on now offers many more options as far a stand placement are concerned.  This year I have selected two sites and put my stands on.  They are now in pretty heavy cover with clear shooting lanes. On one stand I can take shots out to 150 yards and on the other only about 80 yards.  I am concerned that one; the 7mm may be to much at these distances and two if the bullet does stay in tact and only produces a small hole on both side of the animal, that I could possibly lose that animal as so much of the energy will never be used inside.  

Other than buying a smaller caliber rifle, does anyone have any suggestions as to the type/brand of bullet and the weight I should use?

Your thoughts and suggestions are appreceiated.

[Zachary]

First off WELCOME ABOARD!

As to answer your question, that's relatively easy...Federal Premium 160 grain Nosler Partition.  It withstands the higher velocity of a 7mag, especially at close distances, and has enough weight for use on hogs and deer.  Sure, you could go with a Trophy Bonded or Swift-A-Frame, but I would go with the partition at a minimum.

Zachary

[crow_feather]

There is also the speer mag tip designed for high velocity at close quarters - or something like that :?  

C F

[Lawdog]

Zachary's post says it all, including the Welcome.  Lawdog

[gunnut69]

I love the 7mmMag and have 3 at the moment.  I have shot deer sized game with the 7's a bunch and once again Zachary is right on. The Partition's nose section is soft enough to expand at longer ranges while the partition wall ensures that the bullet stays together.  In the 7mmMag the is no better bullet in my opinion than a 160 grain Partition.  And WELCOME!!

[MrYeats]

If you are not shooting that far and want knockdown power and are loading your own, I would think to slow your bullet down some since deer are not that hard to kill with a well placed shot. Perhaps a 165 gr round nose will be nice especially if you have to shoot through brush.
  slowing the bullet down will help keep it from coming apart in the animal.. Remember the idea is to get the bullet to mushroom nicely and stop inside the target.

[TXF150]

Thank you to everyone who responded.  Your answers have me really rethinking my original thought and that was to go to a lighter bullet, say the 139 or 140 grain.  I will take the advise of the experts and learn from that.  For my rational with the lighter bullet would be that since it is lighter and is carying less kinetic energy, thus would be able to decelerate faster and tranfer more energy within the body cavity once it hits the animal.  

Would someone please explain indepth why my theory is not the correct one?  I love to learn from real world experts.  Please do not take this as me not trusting or believing you, I just have a nack for learning as much as I can.

[MrYeats]

Understand that in perspective, a lighter bullet travelling faster than a larger, slower bullet develops more energy in certain circumstance. When it impacts an object, say a shoulder bone, its sudden impact will in fact tear it apart easier than a slow moving larger bullet which will smash the bone and keep moving, perhaps into vital organs where it will be mushroomed out and do the required damege.

[gunnut69]

A lot depends on the bullets sonstruction also.  A lighter bullet built as are the partitions would stay together and would penetrate quite a bit.  But at high IMPACT velocities found at closer ranges the damage done to the edible parts of an animal is horrific.  Plus the magnum case is at it's most efficient when pushing heavy bullets at high velocities.  Unfortunately the 175 grain bullets(where the various 7mmMags shine) tend to be built tougher for use again heavier game such as elk and there are expansion difficulties when used against lightly built whitetails..  In the 7mm the 160 weight is very close to perfect for the 7mmMag case.  As an example I once loaded a Hornaday 162 bullet for a favorite Ruger M77.  It loved the bullet and accuracy was fantastic.  That fall I shot a nice fat doe to fill a bonus tag.  The range about 75-80 yards and the shot was perfect just behind the onside front legs elbow..  The exit was amazing.  The size of a 303 bean can, with large amounts of lung tissue being quite literally blown from the deers chest.  Death was very quick although the deer did manage several yards.  I kept thinking, what would a shoulder have looked like after that hit..  The partitions are great bullets they nearly always exit and yet expand reliably at ranges too far to discuss as ethical.  There are other premium bullets but the Noslers are old tech and utterably reliable, plus they are the cheapest premium bullets available.

[MrYeats]

It is kind of neat in a way, that you are shooting a 7mm Mag. I am near completion  on my 280 Remington that I am building.
  I almost went with the 7mag and studied its ballistics alot and looked at the 270 and 280 as well.
   As I thought about the types of hunting that I will do in Texas, some in the brush country and some in the rocky Big Bend area for mule deer,possibly making very long shot..
  I went with the 280 because of its having very near 7mag velocities with a lot lower pressure. I dropped the 270 for the 7mm bullet.
  To compensate for some lacking qualities in the 280 round I decided to go with a 25 inch, .700 diameter barrel with a 1 in 9-1/2 twist.
   This will enable me to shoot farther, flatter, and easier on the shoulder and could maintain good velocities at long range.
   The 140 grain retains more energy at 350 yards and up  than the 150 or 165 grain bullets.
  In the brush, I would definitely go for shooting a slower bigger rounder tip to cut through some brush if neccessary. Sometimes the ole boys will stand behind bush at the edge of your clear shooting lane. If he won't come step out, and you have to take the shot, you'll want that big heavy slug.
   With your mag you may consider loading some lighter loads to keep from doing too much damageat close range.

[SeanD]

velocity is the enemy to bullet integrity.  Higher velocity results in a faster mushroom and/or fragmentation and less penetration.  Which is why most bullets perform better from the faster calibers at longer ranges.  The solution for close range work is to slow it down, use a heavier bullet (which also slows it down), or use a premium controlled expansion bullet.  

I agree with Zach, the partition is a good choice.  It has a very wide effective velocity range, and they work well with the higher velocity.  Energy transfer is a much debated subject, and i dont believe it to be a good measure of killing ability, but the partition will expand violently at high velocity, cause massive damage due to fragmentation of the nose, and still penetrate deeper than most all except maybe the barnes X type.  The partiton is the best combination of all the factors that make up superior bullet performance and sounds like the logical choice to me... and the 160gr is what id pick. :grin:

I have to add... i TOTALLY disagree about shooting through brush with any bullet round nose or not.  Brush can deflect all bullets, i dont believe at all the round nose are significantly less prone to bullet deflection.  You just cannot predict what will happen, or be sure of a clean ethical kill shooting through brush.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I guess I'm of the mind that you shoot the heaviest bullet available for your particular cartridge----that's if your rifle will shoot them well.

Betting a plain old 175gn Power Point or Core-Loct will get the job done in spades.

And NO----bullets won't plow through brush.

[Bubba Jack]

Take a look at the new Hornady Interbond. for the Hogs and the SST for the deer. Unbelievable performance, wicked!!!

[MrYeats]

I once shot an 8mm mauser through a 5inch tree. 170 gr round nose..

[gunnut69]

MrYeats- Round nose bullets are no more effective when shooting thru brush than is a spitzer.  The military ran tests during our little barmwarming bash in SEAsia to find a round that was more effective at 'shooting thru' the brush.  The best performerif I remember correctl was the 7x57 Mauser.  It's 175 grain bullet and quick twist rate allowed the bullets to recover quicker than other supposed brush buckers like the 35 Rem and the perenial favorite the 30-30.  Ain't physics wonderful..  I prefer to shoot thru those little holes in the brush, you know, the one with the deer in it..  By the way,  I love the 280.  Built my daughter a 280 one M700.. lovely rifle and she loves it.  Shoots it  just great.  Couldn't get the 140 Partition to shoot worth a hoot, load a 140 BallisticTip.  Loaded a bit light, about 7x57 levels.  She's not missed with that rifle and has only used a single round per deer.  Moral- not so much what you shoot but where you shoot.

[MrYeats]

I know that you are right about that, but I grew up in south Texas the fourth of four boys born to a family of rugged old men that hunted old style, before people read about ballistics and this and that. My grandpa used to take these great trips on horseback with groups of men up into Montana and hunt deer. elk ,bear, and rams. He used nothing but an 03a3 and dont believe he ever heard of a scope.Im talking in the 30s.
  My dad used to advise me of things like shooting the heavier 170 gr 3030 in brush. So I guess if I seem a little archaic, this may be why.
  I wish I could share some of the great old pictures that I have of granddad on these hunts.
  Can you imagine hunting bighorn with an old springfield '06 with open sights these days?
  Your are so right, its not so much what you shoot but where you shoot.

[Joel W.]

I would load the 162 grain Hornady and not give it a second thought.