7mm-08 Ballistics and Other Info

7mm-08 Remington:

The 7mm-08 Remington originated as a wildcat centerfire rifle cartridge and was standardized by Remington in 1980. It is the .308 Winchester brass necked down to a bullet diameter of .284″, and was factory loaded with 120 grain bullets at 3,000 feet per second and 140 grain bullets at 2,860 feet per second at the muzzle.

While the 7mm-08 Remington is closely connected with metallic silhouette shooting, it is a very good hunting cartridge for most north american big game up to and including elk size animals. It offers hunters, a flat trajectory, light recoil and sufficient power to knock down fairly large animals with the correct bullet sizes.

For hunting purposes this short rifle action cartridge is well suited for medium game at long range and will serve double duty for predator hunting as well.

For hunting in slightly heavy cover, ammunition selection can be critical, while the 120 grain to 140 grain bullets work well in open cleared areas the Norma 156 grain loading works very well in cover or slightly dangerous situations.

The Norma oryx bullet expands rapidly and penetrates deep at close range and the 7mm-08 Remington loading will deliver 1 ton of bullet energy at 100 yards which is enough to stop any animal in North America.

To achieve maximum accuracy from your 7mm-08 Remington rifle there are several things you need to do correctly that will help increase your rifles overall accuracy capabilities.

First: Properly mount your riflescope.
Second: Properly break-in your rifle barrel.
Third: Properly sight-in your rifle.

7mm-08 Ballistics:

These are down range trajectory charts for the 7mm-08 Remington cartridge with the scope mounted 1.8 inches above the bore center line plus if you were using these loads, their effective hunting bullet energy range with well placed shots on; Predators: Such As, Bobcat, Cougar And Coyote. Deer Size Game: Such As, Antelope, Blacktail Deer, Hogs, Javelina, Mule Deer And Whitetail Deer. Elk Size Game: Such As, Caribou, Black Bear, Sheep And Elk.
Good Predator Hunting Load: 7mm-08 Rem. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Nosler. Bullet weight: 120 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .417. Bullet muzzle velocity: 3,000 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,397 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 1 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 180 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 205 yards.
120 Grain Bullet Down Range	At 100 Yards	At 200 Yards	At 300 Yards	At 400 Yards	At 500 Yards
Trajectory in Inches:	+ 1.0	– 0.7	– 7.8	– 21.2	– 42.0
Energy in Foot Pounds:	2,049	1,743	1,474	1,239	1,034
Predator Effectiveness:	+	+	+	+	+
Good Deer Hunting Load: 7mm-08 Rem. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Hornady. Bullet weight: 139 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .486. Bullet muzzle velocity: 2,950 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,686 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 2 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 220 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 260 yards.
139 Grain Bullet Down Range	At 100 Yards	At 200 Yards	At 300 Yards	At 400 Yards	At 500 Yards
Trajectory in Inches:	+ 1.8	+ 0.8	– 5.4	– 17.7	– 37.1
Energy in Foot Pounds:	2,346	2,042	1,770	1,527	1,311
Deer Effectiveness	+	+	+	+	+
Good Elk Hunting Load: 7mm-08 Rem. rifle cartridge manufacturer: Hornady. Bullet weight: 139 Grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .486. Bullet muzzle velocity: 2,950 Feet Per Second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,686 Foot Pounds. Bullet trajectory is set at 3 inch mid-range rise. Rifle true zero is 255 Yards. Maximum point blank range is 290 yards.
139 Grain Bullet Down Range	At 100 Yards	At 200 Yards	At 300 Yards	At 400 Yards	At 500 Yards
Trajectory in Inches:	+ 2.6	+ 2.3	– 3.2	– 14.7	– 33.4
Energy in Foot Pounds:	2,346	2,042	1,770	1,527	1,311
Elk Effectiveness:	+	+	+	–	–

Rifle: Barrel Length – 24″. Bore Twist Rate – 1 in 9.5″. Bore Groove Diameter – .284″.
Cartridge: Bullet Diameter – .284″. Primer Size – Large Rifle. Primer Type – Standard. Case Neck Diameter – .315″. Case Shoulder Diameter – .454″. Case Base Diameter – .470″. Case Rim Diameter – .473″. Trimmed Case Length – 2.025″. Maximum Case Length – 2.035″. Maximum Overall Length – 2.800″.
7mm-08 Rem. Rifle Cartridge Manufacturer	Bullet Weight Grains	Bullet Ballistic Coefficient	Muzzle Velocity Fps.	Muzzle Energy Ft. lbs.	Recoil Energy Ft. lbs.
Nosler	120	.417	3,000	2,397	12.34
HSM	130	.395	2,869	2,377	12.90
Hornady	139	.486	2,950	2,686	14.35
HSM	140	.510	2,811	2,457	13.59
HSM	145	.327	2,706	2,358	13.54
Federal	150	.413	2,650	2,339	13.77
Norma	156	.330	2,725	2,573	14.81
HSM	160	.389	2,544	2,300	13.98
HSM	162	.514	2,534	2,310	14.14

To see more centerfire rifle cartridge ballistics, check out our chart with many more caliber offerings.