Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The 300 Wby Mag for elk- is there anything better?

It's not all that hard is it Bob?

I for one have a very good handle on it and have often said that most bullets will work most of the time - "most" being the operative word. My preference nevertheless is not just for premium bullets but for carefully selected bullets. There are a lot of what others would call "premium" bullets that I have actively chosen not to use based on their construction or demonstrated/expected/claimed performance, just as I choose not to use cup-and-core bullets when high velocity impacts might be encountered.

Like Bob, I don't give a fig what other people choose. He is absolutely correct when he says that once the bullet leaves the barrel the shooter becomes nothing more than an active observer but one that is responsible for the outcome.

As my younger brother says, if you go through life asking "What is the worst that could happen" and plan accordingly, you will save yourself a lot of grief and unpleasantness. And as Dad often said, "if you can't afford the gas you can't afford the car." My most expensive handloads use North Fork bullets, which I buy on sale to save a few bucks. Even with them the cost of my handloads is comparable to Remington Core-Lokt, Federal Power-Shok and Winchester Power-Point factory ammo and they are far less expensive than many factory 'premium' loads I consider no better or even much inferior to my handloads. OK, I could save about $0.70 per round using AccuBonds instead of North Fork bullets. In some cases that is what I choose to do, particularly for antelope. Even after several years of filling my antelope, deer and elk tags using AccuBonds (or partitions or whatever) I would only save enough money to buy a cheap glass of wine with my dinner out. Regardless, total ammunition costs don't amount to a even tiny fraction of my overall hunting costs and the potential savings are less still. If the premiums I use (North Fork SS and HP, Barnes TTSX, Nosler AB and Swift Sirocco-II) provide me with an additional level of comfort over cup-and-core technology - and they do - they are well worth the insignificant extra cost.

You say it is a big "if" that a bullet may fail to perform as intended ("properly" in Bob's terminology) yet I've personally seen enough evidence of what I consider failures on the part of cup-and-core bullets that I choose to plan for the worst and work for the best - and that planning most often includes not using cup-and-core bullets.

YMMV (And that's OK by me.)

No George it isn't...

Hardly worth the discussion.


Oh...BTW...in that scenario where the elk is running straight away in the timber on the last day and that's the only shot I have....I'm not shooting no matter what i have loaded. They have to give me a better crack than that.

Bingo!
As it pertains to being a successful elk hunter rifles and bullets are way down the chit that matters list.

And like Bob, you post the most long-winded rebuttals when someone else expresses a different point of view; what a coincidence.

Here's another coincidence--the two guys I've known who've killed the most animals and by the way, did it for a living, both shoot (or shot in one case) "target bullets."

But you guys do crack me up. If it really "didn't matter" to you, you wouldn't have extended this inane thread another few pages. And you can insert all the disclaimers you want, but it obviously does matter to both of you--when you go out of your way to post lengthy explanations of the superiority of your own choices you are unavoidably commenting on the choices of others. Especially when you're pointing out the negatives of the other choices, it becomes fairly transparent.

You just choose to go about it in a passive aggressive kind of way.

Bob, you're confusing accuracy with BC; accuracy is accuracy, regardless of the range.



Depends entirely on what your target is. Sometimes it's an elk's lungs broadside, sometimes it's not.

No I'm not. Thanks.

smoke pole I appreciate all the advice. I really do. Thanks again.

You're welcome Bob, you really are.

Anything else you need, just let me know.

They are just the easiest to pontificate on.

Bob -

While I agree if it is a first shot opportunity, and while I have passed on multiple such opportunities in the past, if the elk is wounded or thought to be wounded I'm taking the shot.

smokepole -

It really doesn't matter to me what other people do. I have no control over them and don't waste a second worrying about it.

On the other hand, when someone disparages my choices and claims I'm doing something "needlessly", I have no problem defending my choices and providing rational and logical reasons why I feel they are appropriate. If my posts are too long for your taste the only suggestion I have is that you ignore them.

When I go elk hunting I take a lot of equipment that rarely or never gets used. One could easily argue that the effort required to take that equipment (some of which gets carried on my back) is "needless", using the same rationale they use to decide the extra expense for the bullets I use is a "needless" expense and, in the case of North Fork that I am giving up downrange velocity "needlessly".

Most of the extra equipment I take, while rarely used, HAS been needed and at those times I was damn glad to have it. The claims that my choices result in "needless" this or that are prima facia evidence the person making those claims is somewhat akin to an idiot. Only I can decide what is "needless" or not for my purposes.

Why would I do that? Half the reason I come here is for good advice.

The other half is for entertainment.

The latest super bullet won't compensate for pumping them in the guts. As you are well aware.
The needless comments are spot on too.

I don't choose my bullets so I can "pump them in the guts" nor do I choose bullets that I've seen fail in the field.

And, for what it is worth, I'd be willing to bet I spent less per bullet for my stash of North Fork 7mm 140 grain HP bullets than you have spent for Ballistic Tips of any size.

Yeah, the 300 H&H. 😀

Do tell where you find NF bullets for less than 12.99/50.

Not NF bullets in general, just the 140g HP.


Free is always cheaper than not. Started out with a lot more but have these and some loaded 7mm RM and .280 Rem left. There's about 135 in the box.

Here's a better picture of those North Forks. I may have the world's only supply of 7mm 140g HP. (As opposed to the SS version.) With ~135 in the box and loaded 7mm RM and .280 Rem on the shelf, probably considerably more than a lifetime supply.



Not a 'brick' and since I got them for free, not very 'spendy' either.

Cool looking bullet......

Laffin...from the CF King of Ankle Biters no less.

Trust me...I could care less what anyone else uses...especially you.