# Bison Bullets



## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

A $413 charge says I'm going bison hunting this fall, and I'm starting my preparation. My rifle is a Browning 7mm Rem Mag, which I assume should be able to take down a bison, correct? I'm hoping it'll do the job, as I'd rather spend money on new optics than a rifle.

I'd like to create a good bison load for this rifle and I'm looking for input on bullet and powder selection. Right now I'm leaning towards a 175 gr. Nosler Partition, but I'm not a rifle expert, and could use some advice. Any thoughts?


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## mlob1one (Aug 29, 2014)

brisket said:


> A $413 charge says I'm going bison hunting this fall, and I'm starting my preparation. My rifle is a Browning 7mm Rem Mag, which I assume should be able to take down a bison, correct? I'm hoping it'll do the job, as I'd rather spend money on new optics than a rifle.
> 
> I'd like to create a good bison load for this rifle and I'm looking for input on bullet and powder selection. Right now I'm leaning towards a 175 gr. Nosler Partition, but I'm not a rifle expert, and could use some advice. Any thoughts?


Congrats on the draw! How many points to draw?

Good luck too with the bullet selection, I'm sure the 7mm mag is sufficient but I'm no help in that cartridge.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

mlob1one said:


> Congrats on the draw! How many points to draw?
> 
> Good luck too with the bullet selection, I'm sure the 7mm mag is sufficient but I'm no help in that cartridge.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk


Thanks! I drew with 13 points. I was caught off guard by this, as I wasn't expecting to draw for at least another decade.


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## mlob1one (Aug 29, 2014)

brisket said:


> Thanks! I drew with 13 points. I was caught off guard by this, as I wasn't expecting to draw for at least another decade.


It's better to be lucky than good sometimes.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Nosler Partition or a Barnes TSX.

Or a 45-70


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Congrats on the draw BTW! 8)


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

175gr Partition would be awesome on Bison IMO.



Bax* said:


> Nosler Partition or a Barnes TSX.
> 
> Or a 45-70


If I ever drew Bison, I'd use that as an excuse to buy a red pad Ruger #1 in 45-70.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

DallanC said:


> If I ever drew Bison, I'd use that as an excuse to buy a red pad Ruger #1 in 45-70.
> 
> -DallanC


If you can find one. I am still kicking my self for selling my Ruger #3 in 45-70.

On the bullet, do you reload or buying factory ammo?


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

Critter said:


> DallanC said:
> 
> 
> > If I ever drew Bison, I'd use that as an excuse to buy a red pad Ruger #1 in 45-70.
> ...


I'm a beginning reloader, so I'd like to try hand loading it. I haven't loaded for this caliber yet, though. I'm also open to factory.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

What bullet/powder combination does your rifle shoot the best? That's the one I'd go with.

My X-Bolt in 7mm shoots 160gr Accubonds over 61.0 grains of RL22 the best and it's well within published margins....https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/7mm-remington-magnum/

If Karl were here he'd tell you that unless you shoot a Bison with a 200gr bullet from a 338RUM you don't deserve the success you might achieve.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Factory premium bullets are going to cost you. You can reload the same bullet for a lot less. 

I would start by using the same grain bullet that you now shoot. If it is a 150 grain one then I would recommend the Barnes 150 grain TTSX. I know that some had problems with the X bullet and some with the plain TSX but the TTSX or tipped bullet is nice. This bullet is what I took to Africa and had no problems with one shot kills on all but one animal and that was my problem

If you are a Nosler fan then the 160 grain Partition would get my attention. 

I don't think that you could go wrong with either bullet. 

The big thing on a bison is for you to study their anatomy to see where internal things are at. That big hump throws a lot of shooters off. 

9 Years ago my brother in law used a factory Winchester 150 grain silvertip to take his bison, the same round that he used to use for elk.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

KineKilla said:


> What bullet/powder combination does your rifle shoot the best? That's the one I'd go with.
> 
> My X-Bolt in 7mm shoots 160gr Accubonds over 61.0 grains of RL22 the best and it's well within published margins....https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/7mm-remington-magnum/
> 
> If Karl were here he'd tell you that unless you shoot a Bison with a 200gr bullet from a 338RUM you don't deserve the success you might achieve.


Haha! I miss Karl...

Honestly, I don't know which bullet/powder combo works the best. I haven't rifle hunted in years (mostly archery and muzzy), and it's actually been several years since I've shot it. I've only run factory ammo through it, and it was the cheap Federal blue box stuff, 150gr. I plan to shoot a better bullet for this hunt and into the future.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

Critter said:


> Factory premium bullets are going to cost you. You can reload the same bullet for a lot less.
> 
> I would start by using the same grain bullet that you now shoot. If it is a 150 grain one then I would recommend the Barnes 150 grain TTSX. I know that some had problems with the X bullet and some with the plain TSX but the TTSX or tipped bullet is nice. This bullet is what I took to Africa and had no problems with one shot kills on all but one animal and that was my problem
> 
> ...


Any reason you'd choose the 160gr Partition over the 175gr for bison?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Swift A-Frame bullets would probably be better for big bison over a Partition... it has a harder lead in the nose and wont loose material as fast as a Partition will.

I've used Swift A-Frames on elk and they work well.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

brisket said:


> Any reason you'd choose the 160gr Partition over the 175gr for bison?


In my opinion the 175 is maxing out the 7mm and while you can find a heaver bullet there are not many of them out there.

As Dallan just mentioned the Swift A Frame is also a good bullet and one that a lot of African hunters like right along with the Barnes TTSX


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on drawing the tag. I have been on a couple different bison hunts - high fenced - and I believe your 7MM will be more than enough. My suggestion would be to stick with what load your gun likes and what load you feel most comfortable with, and take a good look at the bison kill zone to ensure that you don't aim too high.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

IF I ever draw a tag, I'll be taking one of these along.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

If you want to spend your time scouting instead of load developing, there are a number of "premium" loads that the factories put out for the 7mm. Barnes offers 140,150 and 160's and Federal loads some Partitions in 160 as well.

I haven't seen a lot of the premium loads on shelves, but I'm probably just not paying attention. They're definitely available online though.


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## mtnrunner260 (Feb 15, 2010)

My dad has harvested a cow and bull on the refuge hunt in Wyoming.
Both with 160 partitions from his 7mag. Great results both times with excellent shot placement.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

CPAjeff said:


> IF I ever draw a tag, I'll be taking one of these along.


 Heck yes! +1000

Who doesn't want to shoot a bison with a Sharps?!

Oh man, how great would it be to do that with a 45-90 or 45-110?!

On a side note, it'd be sweet to shoot one with a Dakota Model 10 too


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

It would just be nice to draw a tag and shoot one with any rifle. 

Perhaps next year.


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that any of the ammunition already mentioned will do the job just fine.

The Indians 200 years ago seemed to get it done just fine from what I hear with much more crude methods and weapons.

Congrats on the tag! hope you have a great hunt. :grin:

.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

sawsman said:


> The Indians 200 years ago seemed to get it done just fine from what I hear with much more crude methods and weapons.
> 
> Congrats on the tag! hope you have a great hunt. :grin:
> 
> .


Ya, but the DOW frowns upon running them off of a cliff now days. -O,-


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Critter said:


> Ya, but the DOW frowns upon running them off of a cliff now days. -O,-


:lol:

Dead is dead! ;-)


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Congrats on a very special tag!

- Take a look at a new offering on the block, Hammer Bullets. Specifically their Sledgehammer line up. Easy to get solid accurate loads out of and their customer service (most often Steve) is one of the best guys you will ever talk shooting stuff with! They have a 160gr Sledgehammer that im sure would work well for the task. Id suggest loading it just like any ol 160, start low for powder weight, work up one grain weight incrementally until you either start seeing signs of pressure or a group that settles down to your liking. After that either play with seating depth or hunt it. Ive had the best luck with my 30-26 Nosler pushing them (181gr Sledgehammers) fast printing just a tad over moa.

* If you so choose, may I suggest you make a call to Steve with your inquiry as he'll know best where to get you started. Tell him John in Utah with the 30-26 Nosler sent you, he'll know just who it is. lol

https://hammerbullets.com/shop/page/5/


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Hollow point hunting bullets? Interesting.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Looks a lot like the Barnes X and TSX bullet line.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

Critter said:


> In my opinion the 175 is maxing out the 7mm and while you can find a heaver bullet there are not many of them out there.


So what are the potential downfalls of maxing out a rifle with a heavy bullet?


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that you would sacrifice speed for the extra weight and possibly increase felt recoil as well. Your variety of projectiles may get slimmer as you move upwards in weight as well.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

When you get to the heaver bullets you'll start to shoot a higher arc from the rifle to the target and with a caliber such as the 7mm mag I prefer a flatter trajectory that a 150-160 grain bullet will provide over that of a 175 grain one.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Critter said:


> When you get to the heaver bullets you'll start to shoot a higher arc from the rifle to the target and with a caliber such as the 7mm mag I prefer a flatter trajectory that a 150-160 grain bullet will provide over that of a 175 grain one.


That is absolutely true... but, we are talking bison as the targets. The vitals are the size of a oven door vs the pie-plate of a deer :mrgreen:

The difference in trajectory wont matter all that much to a hunter sub 300 yards. You get much beyond that and the 175 will retain energy and have a better overall trajectory for the longer shots... but again, its bison.

Get close enough to smell them then blast them with a big old slow 450gr chunk of lead ;-)

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have been on a few hunts for the wary bison down in the Henries and while there are times that you can get close I have seen a lot of times that a 300 yard shot is the norm. Then once you spook them you better be ready for some longer shots because they don't stop running for quite a ways. 

I agree with the size of the vitals but there are way too many hunters that get thrown off by the huge hump on their back and usually shoot too high just clipping a lung which leads to a long tracking job.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I thought all you needed was one of these.....?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

This is my favorite thread.

.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

I bet Goob would recommend ditching the glass and spending the money on a bigger rifle with OPEN SIGHTS! -O\\__--O\\__--O\\__-


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

*bison are huge*



brisket said:


> A $413 charge says I'm going bison hunting this fall, and I'm starting my preparation. My rifle is a Browning 7mm Rem Mag, which I assume should be able to take down a bison, correct? I'm hoping it'll do the job, as I'd rather spend money on new optics than a rifle.
> 
> I'd like to create a good bison load for this rifle and I'm looking for input on bullet and powder selection. Right now I'm leaning towards a 175 gr. Nosler Partition, but I'm not a rifle expert, and could use some advice. Any thoughts?


Congratulations on drawing the bison tag. A 7mm Mag with a 175 gr Partition sounds good to me.

Good luck and keep us posted.

.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

LostLouisianian said:


> I bet Goob would recommend ditching the glass and spending the money on a bigger rifle with OPEN SIGHTS! -O\\__--O\\__--O\\__-




.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the input. Lots of good options here, and it sounds like either the partition, TTSX, or A-frame will get the job done. The A-frames seem to be harder to find, but they look awesome. 

Trying to decide if I should hand load or buy factory. I've been uncharacteristly busy this spring, hoping things will slow down and I can find the time. Either way, I need to get out shooting sooner than later.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

Tried out some 175gr Nosler Partitions today, decent groups with 60.5 gr of RL-22.


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## brisket (Mar 3, 2015)

I'm considering mentoring the tag to my son. Any thoughts on how a 7mm-08 will fare on a bison?

Tag arrived in the mail today, it's getting real.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

brisket said:


> I'm considering mentoring the tag to my son. Any thoughts on how a 7mm-08 will fare on a bison?
> 
> Tag arrived in the mail today, it's getting real.


That's cool that you are considering mentoring. I'd definitely consider the 7-08, but you'd want to keep your shots closer than 300 yds. or so depending on your son's skill level. Also, I think most rifles chambered for that round will do better with 160 gr. or lighter bullet. Still, I think a partition would be a good choice.


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