Screw the rifle, use a Partition.
I elk hunted a 600 ac peice of ground one time, made the mistake of using Ballistic Tip.....
Casey may be close to the truth,as I know it.....No doubt Rosco is, too, but I have never tried to head-shoot an elk.
Thinking back, I can't recall a bull elk (never shot a cow) that took a step after a quartering-on hit into the ball joint of the leg/shoulder with a Nosler Partition,where the bullet then completely penetrated the rest of the chest cavity. Ditto for Bitterroots that gave similar results.
For that matter, I can't recall any animal that I have hit that way that went anywhere but "down" on the spot.That includes pretty close range, out to about 500 yards,about as far as I have killed a bull elk.
The last 6x6 I killed took a 160 Partition from a 7 RM broadside into the shoulder and collapsed on the spot.Another shot by a companion(big herd bull) took a 160 Partition through the shoulders broad side at close to 500 yards and was cut down, on the spot, mid bugle.Another at 300 yards caught a 165 from a 30/06 through the heart (no bone) and stood around for a second hit into the shoulder, quartering on, which immediately dropped him.
Of course both the Partition and the BBC have the muscle (construction) to dig deep after a hit into heavy bone and will make it into the vitals with bullet to spare and continue chopping up vitals on the way;and both will do this up close and at distance.
Since they are entering the vitals expanded from hitting that bone,(and especially the Bitterroot which shows greater frontal area than the Partition) they are also going to do a lot of damage as they enter the chest cavity. You get the dual effect of immobilizing from a hit to heavy bone,and destruction of vitals will kill before they get to their feet, if they can. Combination of rapid expansion on heavy bone and rapid expansion in vitals to make a mess. Depending on impact velocity, the BBC seems to make a bigger mess due to big frontal area.
OTOH, a bull hit with a 200 gr Partition from a 300 Weatherby,with a quartering away shot, was angled from the last ribs onside into the off side shoulder...the bullet made it alright,broke the off side leg,but that elk traveled a little ways and was gimping on three legs when I got a broadside finisher, which dropped him. Maybe the bullet was not as fully expanded through the vitals since it hit mostly soft stuff on the way.
This is cutting it all pretty fine but when it comes to bull elk and dropping them where they stand, I like a combination of breaking bone, and if possible,vitals with the same shot. I also like a bullet that will reliably break up that bone and still penetrate into the vitals on the way through.
Soft tissue hits all bets may be off....they may run, may drop, may stagger around and collapse.....who knows? I have never seen a bullet fully capable of 100% DRT's with heart lung hits....One thing for sure is that if you hit them around the edges,elk can be pretty tough.
