7-30 Waters for Mule Deer?

[Longhornamus]

Hello all! I'm new here so please be patient. I am looking into getting a new rifle barrel for my contender that I can use for Coyotes / Bobcat, Whitetail and Mule Deer out to 200 yards -possibly further (). Anyway, with good shot placement would the 7-30 Waters fit the bill or would I have to move up to the .309 JDJ or the like? Any and all opinions welcome!

[DEACONLLB]

I have the 7-30 waters on a g2 frame and love it, shot two deer with it last season both dropped in their tracks, bullet went all the way through both shoulders. Having said that I think you would be a little light on power at anything over 200 yrds at 100 yrds you are at 1405 and at 200 you are down to 990 and at 300 you are down to 685 lbs of energy. If you are into long range shots I think you would be much better off with the 7mm08 at the 300 yrd range you have almost doubled the lbs of energy 1316 for same weight of bullet 120 grns get you a ballistics chart and do some comparing. If you keep the shots to 100 yrds or under the 7-30 will do the job. MTSW.

DEeaconllb

[Graybeard]

Yes the 7-30 is perfectly adequate to 200+ yards on deer mule or otherwise. On my one trip west for mule deer that turned out horribly bad I took a 7-30 and a .358 JDJ barrel. In my case both were 14" handgun barrels.

The plan was a combo mule deer and elk hunt that turned quickly into a mule deer only hunt when my truck broke down 150 miles short of our destination and then with no transportation on the ranch once there it became a mule deer only hunt and only within walking distance of the cabin we were staying in.

I did have one chance but not at a deer of the caliber I was looking for so I brought that tag home rather than the young buck which I left to grow older and likely wiser.

Even in a handgun length barrel I've always said I consider the 7-30 about a 225 yard round and from a rifle I'd not be afraid to push that to around 250 yards. Use good bullets and place the bullet where it belongs and it will take care of any mule deer you're likely to find. I've taken several white tail and exotic deer with it from a 14" barrel and with proper placement one shot kills always result.

[Longhornamus]

Thanks guys for your replies. I'm still new to the TC world although I was able to take two bucks at our lease this year -at very short range with my Contender in .44Mag. I am planning a Mule deer hunt this year and figured I'd try something with a little more range. Does anyone have any other calibers that I should be looking at? Keep in mind I've got the Contender...Thanks again!

[Graybeard]

The 6.5 JDJ is roughly the equal of tho some say slightly superior to the 7-30. The .257 JDJ one of my personal favorites is generally in the same league. The .309 JDJ clearly packs more whollap and a bit more range as it produces ballistics roughly equal to the .308 Win. but in a package safe in the Contender and G2.

SSK Industries also offers a couple of 7mm rounds that add another 150 fps or more to the 7-30 Waters for a bit more power and range tho admittedly they don't add all that much more say 25-50 yards depending on which you chose.

All are fully up to the task.

[sweetwyominghome]

It will work -- and work well, I might add.

Given a 23-24" barrel, you can easily achieve 2700 fps with 120 grain bullets and 2500 to nearly 2600 fps with 140 grainers (Hornady shows several powders reaching 2600 fps with 139 grainers).

Given a 139/140 grain bullet at a modest 2500 fps, you'll have close to 1200 ft./lbs of energy at 300 yards. (Deaconllb's figures must be for flat-tipped projectiles as they are a little on the low side...)

Even a 120 grainer at a factory-equivalent 2700 fps will give you around 1100 ft./lbs of remaining energy at 300 yards depending on the exact bullet used.

Thus, depending on your shooting skills, you indeed have a solid 250 yard deer-dropper.

[DEACONLLB]

I took my figures from gun digest and was for the 120 grn factory loads. As far as I know Federal is the only company loading the ammo and the bullets are the round nose type not pointed. Yes I think you could get more power and energy by working up a reload with a heavier pointed bullet.

Deaconllb

[Graybeard]

I am admittedly a bit conservative on the distances at which I'm willing to shoot game as compared to many others. I seem to recall several years ago one of our members here (Larry Sands I think it was) shot one or maybe it was two deer using his 10" 7-30 at distances out to near 400 yards. I've long since forgotten the details tho he did report it here as well as on other sites he posts to back at that time.

Now I'd never have attempted a shot at such range even with my 14" 7-30 and wouldn't have felt comfortable doing so even with a rifle barrel so chambered. That he had the photos of him and the deer is evidence it worked those times for him however.

Bottom line is don't under estimate the old 7-30 it's quite an effective deer killer. It's NOT a 7-08 which is my idea of an absolutely perfect deer hunting round but then it's not terribly far behind it either. I personally rate the 7-30 around 100 yards less in effective performance as compared to the 7-08. Heck I'd hesitate to shoot a deer at 400+ yards even with a 7-08 rifle but that's more an indication of my comfort level than the ability of the round to do the job.

[DEACONLLB]

I am with graybeard on the yardage I will not take a shot over 75 yards I just dont wont to wound a deer and then have it run off to die and me not be able to find it. I like my hunt to end at the firing of the first shot not begain, I think it was Elmer Keith who said that when ask why he prefered a large cal. rifle.
Now my 50 yr. old son killed a large buck at 250 yrds this year and that was checked with a range finder, he was using a 270 winchester mod. 70 now getting it to where he could drive his truck to pick it up is another story.

Deaconllb

[Gibbsfan]

shot a big mule deer buck 2 years ago with my 7-30 waters super 14 139 gr interbond  at 246 yrds my longest confirmed kill and a friend of mine wanted to shoot his whitetail deer with it and missed at 160 yrds but smoked it at 200yrds. Imo it is a fine deer round especially if you go with it in rifle form.

[hoghunting]

 I use a 14" Contender in 7-30, and with Hornady's 120 gr SP, I have taken deer and hogs almost to 200 yds. Some of the hogs have been very close to 300 lbs, and the Hornady has worked perfectly. The farthest any of the hogs have run after being hit has only been 30 yds.

[sweetwyominghome]

The 7mm Bullberry is basically a more efficient version of the 7-30 and comes within 50 to 75 fps of the Waters.

It is the 7mm International Rimmed with the unnecessarily long neck trimmed back to 1.75". I've been shooting a 20 1/8th barrel in this caliber for more than a dozen years now and have taken quite a bit of game with it. If there's a deer or hog inside 250 yards I can't kill with this little caliber, then I could not have killed it with anything larger or more powerful, either. I do not advocate long range shooting with ANY caliber, but with this round, I have no qualms taking a shot to 200 yards and will extend that another 50 or so under good conditions.

The round is not only efficient but easy on the brass as well. Some of my brass has seen at least 24 loadings and still features excellent neck tension and snug primer pockets.

Here are just a few of my 7mm Bullberry kills:























And here's an oldie of a kill with the 7mm IR:

[sweetwyominghome]

Even at longer distances, cartridges in the league of the 7-30 Waters (in this case, the 7mm Bullberry) shoot amply flat even for smaller targets, as this coyotes attests.

[Longhornamus]

Thanks guys for all of your responses. I decided to go in another direction and ordered the .375 JDJ. in the 23" barrel from Ed's. I figured it would take care of deer size and larger. I'm not sure of the max range of this cartridge, but will continue searching past posts. Thanks again!!!