Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk Bullet Advice

Was invited on my first elk hunt with a friend for this coming year.

Of my rifles, he said bring my 300WM, so that decision is made.

He said 300 - 500 yards is the most common range, followed by up very close.

So, the question for those with experience is what bullet would you recommend for a 300WM with 24" 1:10 twist?

I have 185 and 210 Bergers hybrids on hand, as well as 175 and 190 SMK's.

Advice appreciated.

Thanks.

This should be a fun thread...

I'll vote 180 Nosler Partition or 200 gr Nosler Partition from the 300 Win Mag; mostly because that's what I've used successfully at those distances on a number of bulls from the 300 magnums. My longest kills have been in the 500 yard vicinity.

And either one will manage the close range shots as well.

They aren't the only bullets I have used on elk but performance has been consistently good with the Partition.

180 Nosler accubond or 180 ballistic tip which happens to shoot really well in every 300 I have owned. I have not killed elk with either one, but mule deer tells us the ballistic tip 180 is plenty stout

I've shot all my elk with a 300 H&H loaded with 180 TTSX's and had great results, but as Bob said the partiton is another solid choice.

Don't overlook the Sierra Gameking. They are very accurate and kill just as dead as the rest.

I even heard a rumor once of a 180 gameking taking down a large Shiras moose.

Sorry to tell you but those are poor selections for elk. The BT isn't made for larger game and Nosler says so on their website. I've killed 4 or 5 elk with the AB and will never use them again. I've had 2 separate and they always mangle the meat.
Partitions are the way to go.

I have been using the 200 AB in both the .300 WSM and .300 Win Mag. I have yet to recover one, not even the one that penetrated about 4-5 ft of a really big bull before exiting.

The bullets you have on hand are not the best choice for elk. They are sleek accurate paper punchers and Ok deer bullets but not stout enough for close elk encounters. Any of the bonded, partition, or monometal bullets would be a better choice, 180 grains and up.

Rock Chuck,

The 180 Ballistic Tip was changed a few years ago and now has a VERY heavy jacket, comprising about 2/3 of the bullet's weight. This is the same construction Nosler came up with for the 200-grain .338 Ballistic Tip almost 25 years ago, and as a result terminal performance is very similar to a Partition.

I know this both from killing numerous animals with the 200-grain .338 Ballistic Tip, including some much larger than deer, and from taking a few with the 180 .30 since the redesign. Almost all blow right on through, but one recovered bullet I recall was a 200 .338 that went lengthwise through a 450-pound gemsbok, entering the right shoulder and ending up under the hide of the left ham. Nosler beefed up the jacket of the 180 .30 because so many people insisted on shooting game bigger than deer with the 180 BT, and it works quite well on elk, as do some other Ballistic Tips.

A great many people have also used 180 and 200-grain .30 caliber AccuBonds on elk with zero problems. There were a few made very early on that, due to one person on the assembly line, weren't bonded sufficiently. That was quickly corrected, and not many made it out of the factory.

But that was a long time ago, and despite using a lot of AccuBonds and watching hunting partners use them, in calibers from .270 up to .375, I have yet to see one separate. The list of animals is a long one, including not only elk but moose, grizzly and larger African game including zebra, kudu, gemsbok, waterbuck, blue wildebeest and a bull eland at least twice the size of a typical 6-point elk. The eland just happened to be taken with a .300 Winchester Magnum. Without looking at my hunting notes I can't recall whether the AccuBond was a 180 or 200, but it doesn't really matter.

Obviously I don't know whether your particular AccuBonds were some of the very few defective bullets that left the factory, but suspect they probably were. I also can appreciate how personal experience affects opinions, but the vast preponderance of evidence is AccuBonds do work very much like Partitions, which is why so many people who've killed a lot more big game (not deer) than you have with them continue to use AccuBonds on not only elk but even bigger game.

The Ballistic Tip isn't made for larger game.





P

I am a Barnes TSX/TTSX man. BUT Nosler Partitions if they shoot in your rifle are never a bad choice.

I've watched a lot of immediate one shot kills with these hunting Bergers on various LR hunting shows but I'm not convinced that its tough enough for an elk.

I am a big fan of partitions. In 30 caliber, the 180 is good but the 200 is better. I've used the 200 gr accubond also and it work fine, but I just can't get passed the partition. Good luck whatever you choose.

I'd load some 200gr Partitions, or 200gr Accubonds in your 300 and commence to filling some arks!

From Nosler's web site:
Sure, they'll kill an elk with the right shot but with a marginal one or a heavy bone hit, they can fail. That's why Nosler makes heavier constructed bullets for heavier constructed animals.

My bullet for elk, moose, etc in my 300WM are my 180gr Accubond reloads.

I woul dsay anything from 165-200 would be great, be it Accubonds, TTSX's, or what ever shoots best in your rifle.

You are basing your advice in information that changed many years ago. Read Mule Deer's post back on page 1.

Elk are harder to find, than to kill.

Lots of bullets in the 180-200 range are going to work.. Bergers, barnes, noslers.. Get a load working, check your equipment, start practicing and getting in shape.

And make sure to have fun!

The 168ttsx is like the hammer of Thor on elk fromy 300 wby!

180 Nosler Partition Have not had one let me down yet.

I have loaded them for 7mag 30-06 338 win mag and all smoked elk.

Last year I ended up having to use my deer rifle LONG STORY 257 Roberts AI 120 grain Nosler Partitions did the trick on a really big cow.