Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Muzzleloaders barns 290 grain tmz on an elk shoulder

Anyone out there have any experience with a Barnes 290 TMZ on an elk shoulder bone? If so, how did it perform?

Don't know about that bullet,but my advise would be try to avoid the shoulder bone with a muzzleloader.

I agree with dvdegeorge, muzzleloader bullets and elk shoulders are not a good combination.I just aim for the middle of a bull's chest, there's a lot of leeway there since an elk's chest (and lungs) are huge!

There simply isn't enough energy in a ML projectile to reliably penetrate a bull's shoulder, especially beyond 100 yds. or so. A shot through the ribcage however will likely go all the way through and kill him deader than a doornail!

Much thanks, guys. I've personally lost two elk to shoulder bone shots with a ML, and that would be a perfect two for two. One with a ball being pushed by 80 grains, and one with a powerbelt pushed by 120 grains, so I couldn't agree with you more.

On the other hand, the most impressive one-shot crumpling of a bull that I've ever witnessed was a shoulder shot my buddy put on a monster 7 point from his 7mm Rem Mag. Same buddy, same gun, same range, same altitude, took three shots through the chest to anchor a little bit smaller six point the previous year. Possibly anecdotal, but I've since heard from a few other credible sources that a shoulder shot is the fastest way to anchor a bull. Maybe it's still gonna require pushing a pill 3,000 plus before it will work, though.

Anyway, it's been five years since my last ML hunt, so I'm just starting to research the capabilities of the latest and greatest technology. Could be that it'll all be advanced beyound the abilities of my old CVA anyway.

Apples to oranges, can't compare high velocity center fire rifles to muzzleloaders....words to live by be it bow ,rifle or muzzleloader, take out the lungs and they will die in short order.Find an accurate projectile and load for your muzzleloader and practice from field shooting positions.

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