Reply With QuoteI’m shooting a 120 ballistic tip in mine. It exits some of the time but really wrecks the deer. They run about 40/50 yards with a lung/shoulder shot. Mines Out of a rifle @ 2760 fps. Hopefully Bobby chimes in as he’s shot a lot with that bullet.
I’m pondering what deer/elk bullet for 7-30 Waters. I don’t want to shoot monos. Just looking for good range like maybe out to 300yds on deer. I like something that mushrooms and exits.
So, help me pick a good one.
I’m shooting a 120 ballistic tip in mine. It exits some of the time but really wrecks the deer. They run about 40/50 yards with a lung/shoulder shot. Mines Out of a rifle @ 2760 fps. Hopefully Bobby chimes in as he’s shot a lot with that bullet.
I took a large mule deer at 325 yards and a couple cow elk around 150 yards with a 120 nosler BT. 14” factory 7-30
my dad (RIP) killed alot of deer with a 115gr Speer hp and IMR4895 in a 14" Contender.
Since the Hornady 120gr SSPs we're discontinued I've been using the Hornady 120 gr V-max in a 14 inch barrel. These will go thru a deers chest cavity even if hitting a rib on both sides. I always try avoiding hitting a shoulder with them unless it is a quartering shot where the bullet strikes in the opposite side shoulder. Then they are about 50/50 weather they exit or not. As rooterpig started these also produce a lot of bloodshot damage to the entrance side of a whitetail with short recovery distances.
I shoot the Hornady 139gr SSTs in my 7-08 rifle and usually can recovery more meat from a kill do to less bloodshot damage.
Mine is a factory carbine, so there's that, but it's only ever had the "Bobby T." load fired down it.
Nosler C-T 140 gr, 36.0 grs of W-748 and a Fed 210 primer.
Fireforming loads are 1 grain less (for me).
Any deer I've shot has been a "bang-flop", and I've always had an exit wound, even on a high shoulder hit.
Meant to add, meat damage is minimal.
12F, McGowen 6.5x284 1-8" twist, Nightforce 12-42x BR<br />BVSS, McGowen barrel, 22-250 1-9" twist, Nikon 6-18x<br />16 FHLSS Weather Warrior, Sinarms 257 Roberts, Pentax 3-9<br />Stevens 200, 223 bone-factory-stock, Nikon 3-9x<br />Scratch-built BVSS, LW 243 1-8" twist, Viper 6.5-20x50 mil-dot
I'd be looking for 120 grain Pro Hunters, if I had a Waters, especially for pistol length barrels. I shoot the 125 grain 30 cal PH in my 30-30 AI and it's perfect in terms of terminal ballistics. Always exits and always plenty of damage along the way but no explosive tendencies. I'm dealing with fairly light-bodied deer but if you were unsure of the 120, then 140 grain should do just about as well.
Another possibility is the 139 SPs from Hornady. They make a flat-base and boat tail version. I used the flat base 129 grainers in my 6.5 Bullberry and they were routinely dependable.
I've used both the 120 and 140 grain Ballistic Tips (and the equivalent C-T 140 grain Ballistic Silvertip) on quite a few animals and have always been pleased with performance, even on some rather large hogs. In a pistol-length barrel, I'd opt for the 120s, but if you keep the 140 above 1800 fps at impact, excellent terminal performance will be had. In the photo above, the bullet was launched at 2651 fps and was recovered after killing a large hog with a quartering shot. I don't have the info handy, but I want to say the range was around 155 yards.
While no bullet can guarantee an exit, both the 120 and 140 -- given broadside or minimally-quartering presentations -- have exited for me approximately 70 to 75 percent of the time...if not more.
Several years ago, I used the 140 grain BT at 2400 fps MV to take a buck at 230 yards. He was facing me at a slight angle. The bullet entered on the left side of the chest, passed through the vitals, the liver, the stomach, some of the intestines and then lodged itself in the right flank.
Shown here is the exit from a 120 grain BT that was launched at 2651 fps. The brute of a boar was taken square on the shoulder from 190 yards, and the bullet exited through the ribs.
These two Bullets were recovered from two deer. A single shoulder shot was the bullet on the left and a double shoulder shot on the right. 7x30 waters improved , 120 grain ballistic tip @2760. Not much of a blood trail from either…. But extremely accurate and only ran 40/50 yards.
The 7-30 Waters in a Super 14" Contender barrel was my first pistol in 1992 and I got 150 loaded rounds with it that were 140grn Nosler Ballistic Tips. I used them on some deer in one of the areas I hunt where I will get at the most 80 yards shooting area. I load now the Speer Hot Core 120 grn bullets or 120grn Single Shot Pistol bullets for deer and varmints. I have taken several large deer with them out to 150yd. I have taken two 150 lb. pigs in South TX with the Speer 120 grn bullets also. The Speer seem to perform just like the Nosler Pro Hunters or Hornady SSP bullets. I also load these same two bullets in my 7BR and took Antelope at around 225 yds.
300 yds is a pretty good poke for the 7-30 Waters in a pistol barrel but would be better in a rifle length barrel. I shot my 7-30 Waters pistol in Steel Silhouette matches for several years with Hornady or Sierra 140 gran bullets and they would take down the 200 meter Ram with authority with a mid level to high hit.
Mike
For years, the defacto hunting bullet for the Waters was the 120gr Nosler BT, followed closely by the Sierra 120gr Pro Hunters.
I have Vmax 120’s and Berger 140’s heading my way. Can’t wait to test.
Really only ever loaded the 120 Nosler Ballistic tip in the 7-30, as accuracy and small sample of dead deer said they worked fantastic.
If I had to develop a load now, I would look for some sort of non lead bullet at the very least as an alternative - its seems to be the way the world is going, and my intention is to remain living, shooting and hunting for quite a bit longer.
While I have yet to kill a deer with my 7-30 the 120 grain Nosler BT is giving great accuracy.
It's better to shoot for the moon and hit the fencepost than to shoot for the fencepost and hit the ground!
Add me to the list of 7-30 120gr BT fans, at least for deer/pigs.
We are still using ancient SSP bullets bought back in the 1990's. This is a good post to decide what to buy when we run out.
Bob R
See You at the Range
I use the primers for my shotgun, but they are also suitable for pistol use. The Winchester W209 Shotgun primers give exceptional results for blowback pistols and allow shotgun owners to get the most accurate results on targets from any range. To the best of my knowledge, they are designed to work with 7-30 water cartridges and have been tested and found to be the best choice in hunting. I ordered them here: https://midcitygunshop.com/product/209-primers/ . You can check out the Winchester W209 Shotgun primers and evaluate their capabilities for yourself.
Unfortunately, 7mm Nosler Ballistic Tips in 120 and 140 are non-existent.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks