Not sure where I come down on this ft lb of energy issue. But I think a little science and civility goes a long way in this discourse. In my opinion, a couple of hundred fps above the advertised or claimed expansion velocity of a bullet might be a good place to start when choosing an elk load. Perhaps a load that’s good for 200 yards might not be adequate for 600 yards. A very light bullet at high velocity might dance around a bit in mountain winds and not provide adequate penetration at long range. YMMV, Happy Trails
This seems logical to me. Steering a bit away from the energy debate, assuming you have a well-constructed bullet impacting at well-above the minimum expansion velocity, how much bullet mass would you think starts to get a bit too low for comfort? I've seen 85gr .243 bullets work wonders on deer, but would you all be comfortable with that on an elk hunt? If not, how much mass would it take to make you feel comfortable? And by comfortable, I mean that you're getting ready to pull the trigger with the sight on a front shoulder, are you kind of wishing you had a bit heavier of a bullet to launch, assuming the velocity is sufficient? At what weight of bullet would that thought not even pop into your head? Again, assume that the presentation is such that you gotta break bone.
