Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 6.5 or 30

Congrats! You almost did it yourself!

LMAO and congrats to you on your computer skills. They seem to be on par with your cognitive skills.

You seem to be saying that a simple cup and core bullet isn't good enough for elk, and that you need a "premium" or monometal bullet for more penetration?

If that's what gives you confidence, than by all means go with it. Just know that plenty of elk have been killed with simple cup and core bullets, without a hitch.

I am curious about the bullets you used on the bucks and bears though. Did you recover them, or did they pass through?

Hotcores? I've used them for many years and bagged plenty of deer and elk both with them in a 270 and 300 WSM. They're great bullets and highly reliable.

Take the 6.5 and go kill an elk while the rest pee off the bridge.

Personally I prefer fire hydrants. They get more responses.

I almost gagged when reading the responses. Especially this one. +100 on your response Smokepole.

I am not saying you need a premium. As I mentioned earlier I would have been perfectly happy with a 180btip.

I don't see the point in using a 165 speer (not a hot core. It's an old box and just says spitzer on it) that is soft and doesn't exit deer on an elk. The federal stuff is the cheap cup and core and one of those came unglued on a buck shoulder at 75 yards. No chance of me trying that on elk.

I did buy a box of vor-TX 150 ttsx today and you can turn the bullets in the necks with your fingers and the runout is laughable with my naked eye. So much for premium ammo. No returns on ammo. How convenient.

I have only recovered 2 monos. 3 if you count the muzzle loader barnes bullet. One a 100gr tsx from a 257 wby that penetrated front to back and 2 feet of spine also. No petals left on that one. Other was a 139gr gmx from a 7mm rm. Facing front leg bone, ribs, found in rear opposite ham muscle.

The [bleep] factory ammo tonight was the last straw for me. 127 lrx is what's going to be tested.

Sorry smoke pole. I should have read that better.
2 elk in 3 years s not a lot but it's some while using the Barnes bullet.
I just have hard time believing the bullet did not penetrate out the other Side at that close of a distance. 168 gr at 2650 MV, 100 yards and no bone. Ok. It is what it is.
Good luck this season.

Back to the original post-do you hand load? You must have a weird barrel if it won't shoot the Noslers. The first load that I made for a buddy's wsm shot the 200s into 3/4 inch at about 2850 fps. It is generally an easy caliber to load for, based on what I have read.

Have you tried the heavier 6.5 bullets? I am sure that your bullet will work, but personally, I would rather have the 140-class bullets in the 6.5 as a little more insurance for heavy bone.

Kman, shoot the LRXs and don't look back. My prognostication is, the bullet and headstamp will not be the reason you kill/don't kill an elk. Good luck, hope you have a good hunt.

Dre, no worries and good luck to you too. I'm heading out next Wednesday, opening day of the ML season is Saturday, gonna do a little fishing on the way up. Vacation time!!

I'll be shooting a 350-grain .50 caliber bullet at about 1550 MV. It's a bullet that a lot of guys on the internet will tell you is too soft for elk but it's the most accurate bullet I've found for my rifle and it has never failed me so that's what I shoot. That in a nutshell is my opinion of internet bullet advice. If you ask the guys who say it won't work how many elk they've shot with it, the answer is always zero. People who actually shoot elk with 'em like Saddlesore, don't seem to have those same problems. Go figure.

Good luck next week and have fun.
BTW, you can add me to the list of ML shooters who use that same defective bullet.

Good, make sure and post some pics. Bull tag this year?

Yes but late rifle, and early cow rifle. No ML tag this year.

Well, good luck. I have a cow tag, hoping to tag out early, put the meat on ice, and then do some serious fishing.

That's one thing I like about the ML season, the fishing's still good.

I'm mocking you you dumbphhuck. SO I'll pass on explaining that to you. As you simply wouldn't understand.

You'll pass on explaining it to me, as you're explaining it to me.

Can you explain that to me?

I wouldn't have any reservations using the 6.5 with the LRX. I have a 243 that shoots the 80 gr TTSX at 3415 fps that I'd take to the mountains in a heart beat. I have gotten over 26" of penetration at 100 yards when shooting milk jugs filled with water.

I recently purchased a 300 WSM and my gunsmith says I should look at the 165/168 gr bullets. Therefore, the 150 TTSX up to the 168 TSX will be the first I look at. I think your rifle is already telling you that it likely likes the lighter bullet weights.

I have zero issues with the mono metals loosing their petals either. I recently collected my first two 180 gr TSX bullets out of my 300 Win Mag at 3100 fps.

The first was a common reedbuck at roughly 100 yards shot middle of his back, splitting him in two while traveling down the spine coming to rest against the hide on his neck. The bullet lost all four of the petals and he dropped like a rock as imagined.

The second was a blesbok at 326 yards shot hard quartering towards, hit on point of shoulder, found against the hide after exiting his right rear hindquarter. That bullet travelled roughly four foot completely thru the animal and almost exited. The bullet only had one petal left.

Take the 6.5 and don't look back if you can't find a load for the 300 WSM.

Good luck!

I have killed lots of elk, none with a 6.5, nor will I. Your best load with a 180 or 200 gr in your 300 is far better for elk. Good luck, remember MOA is not necessary unless you are a long ways out there.

I've killed two elk with my 260 and 120 TTSXs. Not huge bulls but neither took a step.

~350 yards



~230 yards


I will admit to feeling a little under gunned sometimes but this setup hasn't let me down.