This is what I just love about this forum. A guy asks a simple, straightforward question, and even describes his rifle and yardage. It's a good question, because shooting an elk at over 300 yards with a .308 is pushing the envelope. The part I love is all the "extra" advice he gets, unrelated to his original question. Advice like dump your rifle and get a lighter one, or try to get closer for the shot. Advice on the kinds of bullets that will "work just fine" and cost less. Comments on someone's pet handloads when the guy clearly said he's looking for a factory load.
IMHO, if a guy is going to contemplate and be ready for shots at elk at over 300 yards with a .308 and bases his choice of ammo. on the cost (he isn't thankfully), he's barking up the wrong tree. Add up all the money you'll spend to go on an elk hunt, and save $20 or $30 on two boxes of ammo.?
Advice that proper bullet placement is key is always good, and as a matter of fact a .243 will do just fine when you punch both lungs. But at 400 yards, even the best marksmen will miss by a few inches now and then, hence the question about the "best" factory load (not bullet).
Personally, I would hunt elk with a 150 TSX any time, or better yet, a 168 for my style of hunting. But then again, I won't be shooting at over 300. If I hunted with a long-range rig and thought I might, the 150 TSX would not be my choice, based on the fact that a good 180 is a better long-range bullet and will retain much more wallop past 300 than a 150. Remember, we're talking elk at over 300 with a .308. And we're talking the "best" bullet, not what will work.
Now the other thing is, although I've never killed an elk with a TSX, the one knock I've heard fairly consistently is that at low velocities, they tend to not open up. Anyone who's killed an elk at long range with a TSX at similar velocities care to comment on that?
Last edited by smokepole; 08/20/07. Reason: forgot something
