When I started hunting the only centerfire rifle that I had was a .30-06. Living in NW Colorado, I used it for everything from prairie dogs to elk. I loaded 125 gr bullets for the prairie dogs, 150 gr Hornady FB spire point Cup & core bullets for deer, and 180 gr Sierra FB spire point c&c bullets for elk. Those kept my freezer full of deer, antelope, and elk meat for about 10 years. That was 50 years ago.

Now I have a safe full of rifles, I find a bullet that each rifle likes, then match the rifle to the game animal. This system works fine when I'm hunting here at home in Montana where I'm usually just hunting one species of animal on each trip. My favorite elk rifle now is my .300 Weatherby shooting 180 gr Barnes TTSX bullets, but, in reality, the elk that I killed with my .30-06 and 180 or 150 gr cup and core bullets 50 years ago were just as dead as the elk that I kill now with my .300 Wby and Barnes bullets.

In the late '70s I built a .257 Ackley for my primary deer and antelope rifle. One of the first bullets that I tried in that rifle were Sierra 117 gr GameKing cup and core FB bullets. I've tried other bullets in in, but I usually come back to the 117 gr Sierras. Over the years, I shot almost all of my deer and antelope with that rifle and bullet, and have also shot several Bighorn rams, a Dall ram, and my 2nd best 6x6 bull elk with them. All one shot kills!

For the most part, bullet placement is much more important that bullet diameter or bullet construction.

My first guided and "high dollar" hunt was for a Dall ram where I also killed a Mountain caribou and a Wolverine...all one shot kills with my .257 Ackley and 117 gr Sierra Gameking cup & core bullets.
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

SAVE 200 ELK, KILL A WOLF

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