Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 2012 Elk Load

A buddy and I are trying factory loads for our .30-06s with the intent of finding an elk load and another load for everything else (softer bullet) that shoots to the same POI, or very close.

So far these have shot acceptably (consistently an inch and a quarter or better when I do my part): Hornady Superformance 165 GMX, Winchester Accubond 180, Hornady Custom 165 BTSPIL, Hornady Custom 150 Interbond, Hornady Custom 150 SPIL and NOTHING has shot better than Hornady Custom 180 SPILs.

These haven't shot well at all: Hornady Superformance 180 SSTs, Nosler 150 Partitions.

Here are the next two elk load candidates; Nosler 168 E-Tips and Barnes Vor-Tx 180 TTSXs.





Plenty of options already to match deer and elk bullets at 165/8 or 180, but we are having fun and improving our shooting. We are going to try a Winchester or Federal 168 NBT load, 165 Hornady Superformance Interbonds and 168 Barnes Vor-Tx TTSXs and call it a day. We've had fun with this over the past 4-5 months. After we lock in our hunting loads it is time to start practicing for the Nov elk hunt.

Expat

It looks like your testing is working out well. I have used 180 Partitions for deer, elk, bear (whoops that was a 150) caribou since 1961.

My rifle does not like the Nosler 150 NPT load. Next winter/spring I may try Federal's 165 and 180 NPT loads. At some point I will get my garage squared away (been in the house a year) and will lay on a supply primers and H4350 and try several different 165/8 bullets.

Expat

Looks great!

I bet you're already planning on it, but when you find the loads you want to go with, don't forget to check at longer range to see if that POI which seems close at 100 yds doesn't actually drift apart to a big difference at 300. Best of luck!

I have always shot 180 Nosler Partitions in my 30.06 and have never had any accuracy problems. I love what the performance of that bullet.

I loaded up the same bullet for my 300 RUM and could not group the way I wanted. A buddy gave me a couple of the Barnes 168 TSX that he uses and I used RL22 and it worked like a charm.

Just another reason to own several guns and try them often with different loads.

My concern would be the best terminal performance over the tightest group. Elk have a big kill zone.

Wouldn't trust an SST on a bull elk shoulder....not at all.

When it comes to elk, bullet construction is the only thing that really matters.

Dime size groups don't mean chit if the bullet blows up.

You can't "over penetrate" a bull elk, they are big tough animals and they can die hard.

Just sayin.

I've been using 180 grain Hornady interlock for years. It's 180 grain flat base "spire" point----#3070. I reload my ammo. I use 56 grains of IMR 4350 in my 30/06. The 180 grain interloc is a good bullet at 30/06 velocities.

The 168gr. Etip looks like a winner to me.

Both of those loads pictured should work good enough. Not good enough to hit the dime but oh well....

bigbuckdown

I have only killed two elk with the 160 gr. TSX out of my STW. I was not happy with the performance. They are by far the most accurate bullet for my rifle. Sub 1/2 min groups. This year when I carry the STW it will be loaded with 175 Nosler PT. Not quite as accurate, but as I have said before and someone here already said, the kill zone on an elk is a "big" target.

A few years back I downed a 6X6 bull in CO area 3 with my 35 Whelen using a 225 grain Sierra over BL-C using a CCI 250 primer. Broke the off side shoulder and bullet was recovered under the skin.Upon closer inspection of the bullet the remaining lead core fell out of the jacked. Range was approximately 150 yards.

What were you not happy about?

E-tips got my nod...

I might use these plastic tipped bullets form Norma for my elk, but to each his own .....:

the best ive found for the old 721 is 58gr h4350 and 165 partition.accurate and good performance

You show off...:D

. Should work even though it is plastic tipped, I'd think.....

I can't decide.....

115 BT/120 PT in the Rob.

130 VLD/127 LRX in the 6.5x47....or

250 AB in the 9.3x62

oh wait....

I got a Utah spike elk hunt in early Oct. An regular elk hunt in W. Montana the 1st week of their season (I think 20 Oct) and if I draw a Utah cow tag late Dec/early Jan. Maybe I'll get to use all three

Alan