Got the boy (or rather Santa) got him a 7mm08 for Christmas and was looking for some good loads to start out with. I do reload if that .makes it easier. Thanks

"The Boy" encompasses a pretty wide category.

A) Recoil, noise sensitive 60lb 7 year old

B) Recoil hardened, Feeds on muzzle blast 210lb 17 year old

Might want to be a bit more specific to get a reasonable answer

I apologize for not being more specific almost 13yrs old, and weighs 110lbs. Not sensitive to noise, or recoil. Looking for a starting point for whitetail loads, possibly Pennsylvania black bear loads.

I say see what the gun tells you and go from there.and see how the boy handle it also.

what brand/make is it? i have remington 700bdl (love it) and it shoots factory remington 140 grain core lokts like a dream. never shot many reloads out of it tho.

Here's what I load for mine. It's a Rem 700 SPS.

WLR primers
43.5 grains Varget
Hornady 139 grain BTSP
2.780" COL

Shoots this load very well. It is near max load so use with caution at first.
Hope it works as good for you. Nice all around caliber especially for youngsters.

Really like how my 7-08 shoots Barnes triple-X bullets for long distances.

I have been using this same load for 20 plus years in 3 different rifles, I now use the flat base and not the boat-tail

What else do you handload for? Id try whatever powders you had on hand first as long as they're suitable . If black bear are on the menu my first choice for a 7mm08 would be 140 grain bullets in a bonded, partitioned, or solid copper model. If you don't want to buy premium stuff, I'd move to a 150 grain bullet.

I shoot H4831 out of my 270 and IMR4831 out of my 7mm. So I have those two plus some other IMR powder I think some 4064 and some other odds and ends.

Both of mine shoot best with 46 grains of IMR4350 with 140 grain ballistic tips. They both shoot this load the best after trying many.

I have always used RL19 and Nosler 140 grain Ballistic tips for deer. Kill'ems dead. Sarge

Also try 120 grainers, will get the job done with less recoil.

https://www.speer-ammo.com/reloading/rifle?cartridge=7mm-08-remington



If you pick the 130 grain bullet option IMR4064 is the highest speed listed. I'd definitely want something like a partition or accubond in case you had a close range shot and a big animal.

4831's are pretty slow burning and wouldnt be ideal, but would work. You'd have more muzzle blast with them because the powder wouldnt be fully burnt before reaching the muzzle.

Varget n Hornady 139 or 154 sp, best I ever found.

My son has a Savage Axis youth. For a factory load the Hornady Whitetail 139gr has performed very well.

When my daughter started big game hunting we loaded up 42.5 grains of H4895 under a 120 grain ballistic tip in the 7-08.
Between my daughter and son I have seen them take several deer and 5 elk with this load.
We went with the 120 grain bullet to get a little less recoil and never changed as they grew.

I recommend 140 grain bullets and a ball powder. Varget does well for me. 120 grain will have less recoil and work as well. I use standard bullets like CoreLokt, Sierra, and Hornaday. They dont dissapoint.

I've had good results with the factory 140g Fusions in mine. I don't handload for that particular caliber but I've heard great things about the 120 NBT as mentioned above. It has a heavy jacket and supposedly performs exceptionally well on big game. It would also give less recoil than the 140s.

I would think the 4831 powders would be a bit too slow for your application.

Years ago I loaded 145gr Speer FB in my brothers 7mm-08. However, I have always used the Speer 130gr FB in my 7x57 (about 2900fps). This load works at less than 100yd out to 400yd on big game (bear, caribou, deer, antelope). If you can still find Hot Core bullets good, but the regular 130gr FB seem to work just as well. You will NOT get the same velocity from the 7mm-08, but should work fine if accuracy proves to be good. IMR4350 for powder, but I'm sure there are other good choices.

Don't own and never fired a 7mm08. I have killed deer elk bear and coyotes with my 270 though a few times. Near as I can tell they are ballistic and bullet size very similar. I shoot 130 grain sierra boat tails at deer. I have killed elk bear and coyotes with them also. On coyotes you will have a tear to sew up on the exit side no matter the bullet. Elk and bear I started loading 130 grain nosler partition. They penetrate a lot better. Never saw a need for pricier bullets to kill deer (mule deer or white tails).