I sized some 308 brass for my 7-08, this brass I want to use for testing different loads. My first victim is going to be the 150 grain Ballistic Tip. I already know the 140 grain Ballistic Tip makes a crunching sound when seated so I know the 150 will be even harder on the powder as it is seated. Instead of using IMR 4350 I am considering using IMR 4895 to open up some space or is it really anything to worry about. IMR 4350 shoots so well with the 140 Partiton and Ballistic Tip.

Varget. Gives you plenty of space and performs very well with heavier bullets in the 7-08.

That is one thing about IMR4350 in the 7mm-08 you will crunch some powder but the way it shoots I never worried about it. Varget is a faster burning powder that works and 4895 will use very simular amount of powder so less crunch than IMR4350

Yup. Temp stable too.

Got to try Varget someday but after I burn up most of the powders I have already! IMR4895 according to Hodgens data is up there with the rest of them as to speed with the 150's.

The only problem with a heavily compressed (safe) load is maintaining a consistent seating depth. The bullets you’ve mentioned aren’t typically that sensitive in regards to jump, so you might not even notice a change on paper. I would recommend a drop tube. It won’t gain you a lot of space, but every bit helps when you’re at max case fill.

The load he is using is a little below what I loaded in that round for years and never experienced bullet creap from the compressed load. Now go up about 1.5 grains (NOT RECOMENDED) and it will come into play.

Drop tube or just settle the powder with your vibrator tumbler cleaning some cases before seating the bullet or vibrate the case with an electric tooth brush and it will settle the powder enough to not have as much crunch.

Go to Varget or 4895 and it is not a compressed charge so no worries there but the OP has plenty of the selected powder so might as well burn itup in some accurate loads which it will produce

I just loaded 9 rounds 3 each 39.0 , 40.0 and 41.0 grains of IMR4895. Still a bit of crunch at an overall length of 2.810 but far less than it would have been with 4350. I used CCI 250 primers might have to run it again with standard primers.

Well the 39.0 grain load hits right on top of the 140 grain Partition load I settled on. Shot very well considering this was reformed from 308 brass and was the first shot out of a cold barrel 1 /14 inch group. The 40.0 grain load hit 1 1/2 inch higher and the three shots barely went over an inch. The 41.0 grain load made a 2 inch group. It is shocking how big a two inch group really is. Picking the 40.0 grain load. If primers are any indication these looked un stressed. Need to fireform all the 308 brass to my chamber, might as well use this load to do it. Actually pretty happy the 150 gr. Ballistic Tip will work just fine in this rifle.

I think you have found a good light weight hunting rifle

4350 likes to be compressed. You won't have any issues with it...as you have already discovered.

Drop tube

Very nice light weight rig. I think you are over thinking the powder. IMR 4350 has been one of the go to powders for 7-08 for a long time. It is also a powder that used to be favored for match grade accuracy by some competitors and is fairly consistent with regard to temperature stability. Out to 300 yards in a hunting rifle it will not be enough to notice if you work up a solid load.

Back when the 7mm-08 was introduced the gun rags had a little data in them and that is what I started with. IMR-4350 was their choice of powder and it was with the ones wild catting it before commercial introduction by Remington. I was told by a rile competitor that used it as a wildcat and talked me into buying it instead of the 308 I was planning on just get IMR-4350 and with 140gr Noslers or 145gr Speer Hot Core bullets just do not go above 48 grains of powder. These days I see 46 or 46.5 listed as max load in most manuals. I can say for certain 48 gr is a very full case with lots of crunch. The gun rag I had also listed 48gr as max load, without a drop tube it was tough fitting that much powder in the case. My load wound up filling up the case to the bottom of the neck after settling it down some. That load still works very well in tthe same 7mm-08 Remington 788.

I switched to Varget when it became available, initial data from Hodgdon showed over 150fps more velocity but they failed to include Varget data was from a 24 inch barrel while the rest of their 7mm-08 data was from an 18.5 inch barrel. Figured out pretty quickly after trying Varget that something was not quite right with that data when the Varget load at their listed max dropped 2 more inches at 300 yards than the load I had for the same bullet with IMR 4350.

Little history of the round and powders. IMR 4064 was another suggested powder back in the day as well. One thing abotu 4895, 4985 and 4064 the muzzle blast from a 18.5 inch barrel is not quite as sharp as with the 4350, the faster powders have a little less pressure at the muzzle

If I would have bought a model 7 years ago it would have been used for most of my hunting. I believed all the naysayers that put out stories of erratic accuracy from the skinny barrels the M7 Remingtons were outfitted with. Now to get Christmas out of the way and get some hunting done!

A bit about he Federal 308 brass I used. The necks come out .314 for the Fed and .310 for the Hornady brass after sizing, after firing the case necks measure .316, the cases average 168.4 grains for Hornady and the Federal brass is 184.0 grains. Fed cases end up being 2.025 long with the Hornady being 2.035 long. These are averaged 3 cases each. I was initially concerned the thick necks would cause problems but apparently there is enough room in the chamber to allow the thicker necks room to expand and let the bullet go. These Federal cases were initially fired in a Savage 99, which stretched them some and made reforming them to 7-08 a bit more of a project but it worked out fine.

Varget is the answer.

If you want more speed, buy a 7 mag.

I'm sure the IMR4895 is getting enough speed for me and accuracy is fine for the under 250 yard shooting I will be doing. I already have a 7MM RM I seldom shoot anymore. And a 280AI, this one I should run a few rounds through just for fun.

Never being satisfied I went to Cabelas in search of some recommended Big Game powder and came up empty so I took second best, some H414. Accuracy is excellent and recoil is more than the IMR 4895 loads, still haven't worn out the reformed Federal 308 cases but they are short on volume so I ordered 100 Winchester 7-08 cases also from Cabelas. These weigh without primer 154 grains. Thirty grains less than the Federals so should have a bit more capacity. I worked up to 46.0 grains of H414 in the Federal cases without compressing the charge much, Under the 145 gr. Speer BTSP, got fine accuracy and seemingly more speed. Might be able to stuff another couple grains of powder in for a measly 100 fps maybe. The good news is that I signed a lease and now have a place to hunt again. Near Woodson, nice place with plenty of hogs and some big deer on the game cams, 130-150 class bucks but big bodied deer.

Shoot the same load in 100°F and let us know what you learn.

Probably work up the load in 80 plus degrees. Book max is 47.0 grains. Probably won't go past that.

Kind of on topic kind of off...

Seems like IMR 4350 is a preferred powder for heavies in 7mm08. Im going to be loading up some 175's soon in my 7mm08 and have IMR 4350, H 4350, and a little H 4831. My plan was to start out with H 4350 as I have the most of it, but IMR 4350 will yield more velocity according to book data and I also have a good amount of it. The 4831 is an option but I don't have as much of it.

I have burned a lot of IMR-4350 in the 7mm-08 with 140 to 154gr bullets in the past and got good accuracy and velocity, I coule be wrong but with as full as the cases were with the that powder, I think the slower 4831 might be too slow but then with the 175s it might work fine. Get ready to crunch some powder and a bit more neck tension might be needed to keep the length from growing over time from the pressure of the compressed powder.

Pssst ^^^

IMR-4350 is not temperature stable, like H-4350 is. Watch that in summer shooting.

And a 162 gr, in a 7mm-08 case, atop H-Varget works terrific 12 months a year. I always know how it will fly, and is deadly on animals. It is probably the bullet most responsible for animals I have piled up. And it doesn't have to be coming out ultra fast to work. My MV is only 2640 fps, but it's always 2640 fps, due to the H-Varget.