Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Amax and elk

I want posters on here to know that they can post the results of their successful hunts, including the details on the bullets they used and the performance of those bullets without getting a ration on you-know-what for their efforts.

It's useful and good information, thanks ribka.





Yes, you are confused. The thread is not about what you personally would or would not do, it's about ribka's results.

Which were very good by the way, and nothing you've said changes that.

If you want to express your opinions about what you would or would not do, it's probably best to start your own thread. Or at least try to avoid putting your own spin on his and implying that he said things he didn't.

SLM: I would consider a 150-200 yard, slightly "quartering to" shot a good shot with a nosler partition. And we don't all always shoot Minute of angle in the field. I have had a better bullet save me when my aim wasn't quite as true as it should have been. For a true sharpshooter with a "good shot", he might as well take a 22-250 out shooting a 55 gr soft lead bullet for an elk. They will be just as dead.

I'd be curious to hear about all the AMax failures, especially with elk and 162's.

I dislike head on or heavy quartering to shots and generally would not take them regardless of bullet or caliber. But that is just me

I guess all elk hunters should limit shots to 100 yds or less and be required to shoot at least a 338-378 weatherby

I'm a big boy not immune to criticism. i expected mostly negative input and some ( not a lot) of positive input when i decided to post. I posted this because after hunting over 40 years I felt like I needed to examine what I felt were possible misconceptions regarding bullets and larger game like elk.For years I always considered a big magnum was necessary to kill elk and big mule and whitetail deer.
I like to shoot a lot with my hunting rifles. Shooting a light weight magnum was becoming less enjoyable for range sessions.I discovered the 6.5's a few years ago and enjoy shooting them, their history and reloading for them. I found I could shoot regularly and quite accurately.After noticing the effectiveness on deer with amax's I thought about using them on a cow hunt. I knew where the cows came out each morning and knew I could set up before light for a relatively easy shot. (BTW I have shot 3 cow elk here in WA with unjacketed muzzle loader bullets. The law just changed recently allowing jacketed bullets. Yes I killed 2 of the three cow elk easily with solid lead heavy buffalo bullets. The third cow taken with Ml unjacket bullets was shot with unjacketed lighter powerbelt bullets. I did not like their performance so stopped using them)

Anyway cow came out into sage as expected and story over.

Me too.

Hornady spent a pile of money developing and testing the Amax. They determined it to be an excellent target bullet but decided it was deficient for hunting porposes. After all they spent on it, if it was a good hunting bullet, they surely would have said so to increase sales. But, they didn't. They specifically said it's too fragile for hunting so don't use it.
So, a few gun writers who weren't in on the testing write about it so that negates all of Hornady's testing.

I wonder how many recommendations would be more accurate if they said "I shot 3 elk with this bullet and found 1 of them so it's a great bullet."

I've also used to work for a meat processor, processing game during hunting season. I've seen a lot of the shot up game that doesn't get posted about on internet forums.

Rock Chuck,

The image I posted about the A-Max is from Hornady's own manual...

208gr Amax, one shot kill at 550 yards. Bullet broke both shoulders, and left a golf ball size exit. The bull hit the ground and never moved.

From a .308 Winchester of all things. I'd say use it......when I make a statement about something, I've either used it myself, or seen it used.

Who wants to bet that there are fewer lost animals with Amax than any other bullet?

This is a silly statement.

I killed a very big mule deer one time with a 7-.300 Weatherby firing 175 Nosler Partitions at 3,150 feet per second. The buck was maybe 100 yards away broadside. The bullet hit about 3" above and behind the heart. The buck ran off about 300 yards. If it had been in the woods I would have lost it by the direction I watched it run in the sage. It took off one way about fifty yards then cut back maybe seventy yards and then straight away. The entrance hole was about 2 1/2" diameter. The exit hole was about half that size strait in line with the other side.

I killed a medium blacktail with a 7STW firing 120TTSX at 3,600. The heart was totally gone. I expected a drop at the shot. The buck ran in a straight line at least 100 yards. Fortunately, because I was in the woods, by then I was able to track a little better.

I would not hesitate to expect an AMax will work just as effectively as either of the two bullets above.

The reason Hornady changed the hunting bullet recommendation in the literature isn't because the AMAX doesn't work very well in the role/use.

Now Pat there you go using actual field experience again. You know that will never fly at the Campfire

Speculation and opinion only here

I shot a 180 pound whitetail this season with a 105 amax out of a 6br. I was Very impressed with bullet performance also the caliber.

You'd have a point if they didn't also manufacture and market "premium" bullets that cost more.

Why should they promote their inexpensive "target" bullets for hunting use when they have a whole slew of people like you convinced that you need a more expensive bullet with a bonded jacket, monomental construction, or a partition to hunt big game?

If you want to talk about animals that have been shot with an Amax and not recovered, have at it. How many have you shot and not recovered?

How many were shot with the Amax?

I can honestly say that out of dozens of elk I've shot over the years, I've never failed to recover one. You can say BS all you want to but that's the hard truth. I've never used a bullet not recommended for the job by a manufacturer and I've never taken a questionable shot. I've used a lot of Speer Hotcores and found that they've been good ones although in the last couple of years, I've found that their accuracy has dropped.

So what? How is that relevant to this discussion?

Good thread. I’ve been researching possible loads for a 7x57 and looking at different possible loads the 162 AMax being one of those. Its good to see some actual field results with this bullet.

My good friend shot this bull at 500 yards with a 140gr Amax from a 260. Dropped on impact and never moved...