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I disagree

Same here Ted. Taking a shot at an animal running away,unless it is already badly wounded is poor judgement at best. My success rate is in the very high 95+%. I have killed elk with a 30-30,44 mag, 50 cal muzzle loader, .308, 45-70 and most with a 30-06.Only a few with a 7mmMag. None with the Texas heart shot. The only ones that didn't fall over right away was due to poor bullet placement on my part and that was darn few.

Same here Ted. Taking a shot at an animal running away,unless it is already badly wounded is poor judgement at best. My success rate is in the very high 95+%. I have killed elk with a 30-30,44 mag, 50 cal muzzle loader, .308, 45-70 and most with a 30-06.Only a few with a 7mmMag. None with the Texas heart shot. The only ones that didn't fall over right away was due to poor bullet placement on my part and that was darn few. In addition all except two in the last few years were killed with cup and core bullets except the ML which was pure lead

I personally wouldn't take a shot at one running away either, I have an issue taking a shot at one looking in my direction but if we were to take a poll and everyone was being honest I bet the majority would say they have taken the shot. Big bulls make people do unethical things. And when u spook one at of the brush and he's running away from you at 100yrds you will take the shot. So a magnum will help cover those unethical moments your having. If you hunt in mountainous terrain extreme "shot angles" are the norm so a magnum will help. Big bulls require big bullets in mountainous terrain and where long shots are the norm. You will be well equipped with a magnum. To totally disagree with this statement is a lack of common Sense.

I've never used the 150 grain TTSX on anything let alone bull elk. But, I have killed a bunch of nice bulls over the past 30 years or so. My experience suggests your bullet will be just fine out of your .308. Contrary to what many think elk are not all that hard to kill. But, like almost any game animal if you shoot him around the edges you'll have a rodeo on your hands regardless of what you shot it with. Wounded elk can change zip codes on you. However, to say big magnums are required to cleanly kill elk doesn't fit with what I've seen. It comes down to good bullets and good shot placement with little regard for raw horse power.

I must be in the minority then because I have never taken that shot. Ethics is a thing hunters practice when no one else is around to see them. I have been around this forum for 15+ years and have read a lot of post from a lot of guys. From those post I don't think the majority would take that shot. Of course from some of the threads from the younger generation on here, nothing is a big surprise anymore.

There is nothing wrong with putting the safety back on when a bull or cow has out smarted a hunter, which is exactly what happens if you a hunter sees the butt of the elk running away. That is common sense, not lack of it.

Elk, big or small are not hard to kill. However, having patience to wait and put the bullet in the right place to do so seems to be a task many have trouble doing so. In the realm of 400-700 yards,magnums do come into play quiet handily . At those distances putting the bullet in the right place should be an easy a task if the shooter is up to it as the elk are not normally aware of the hunter.

Years ago I did fall for the idea and carried a 7mag for 2-3 years. In my younger days,I thought it would kill and elk with any shot presentation. One long tracking job convinced me otherwise

Get a quality bullet, practice with a good load, A LOT, put the bullet in the proper place and let the work of getting your elk out begin. Elk have been taken (both legally and illegally) with probably every caliber from .22 - .5 or larger. They aren't bullet-proof, despite what some would have you think. Won't comment on taking an un-wounded game animal from behind, that's an ethical question on THAT hunter in THAT moment can decide. I, personally have taken elk with a bow, a .50 muzzle loader, 25-06, 264 WM, 30-06, 300 WM, 300 Wby Mag and 308. Most were with the 30-06 or the bow.
I had an uncle that took nearly all of his elk with a 256 Newton (think down-loaded 264 WM) in a Newton rifle. My Dad took his last elk at age 80 with a 30-06. Their Dad took his elk with a 30 Winchester (aka 30-30). To the best of my knowledge, all of the elk those three men took were with common, store-bought (or in my uncle's case, reloaded with) cup and core bullets. The 'magic' of each of them was that they had practiced enough to know where their rifles hit and then proceeded to take animals with one well placed shot.

I disagree with your thoughts on magnums

At sub 300 yards a mag is not killing the biggest bull elk any better

You haven't hunted elk much, have you?

Most of my shots at elk have been full broadsides at stationary elk under 300 yards. My longest, at 487 yards, was standing broadside. None have been running, one (my first, back in the early 80's) was walking slowly and broadside at about 100 yards. Most of the time the longer the range the longer you can wait for a broadside. The longest I've waited was from about 11:30 to sundown when i got a 350 yard shot, again on a broadside.

Using rifle you can shoot well is way more important than the cartridge you use. Daughter #1 will be using a .308 Win this year with 130g TTSX at 3045fps at the muzzle. I'm not the least bit worried that it isn't a big magnum as she shoots it very well.

Nothing wrong with that bullet as long as you realize its strengths and weaknesess. Great bullet for elk as long as you have enough velocity for it to expand. Im going to guess that your minimum expansion velocity is around 2,000 fps. Keep your targets within the range where your minimum velocity doesn't drop below that and you're good (guessing 400 yds) or so. I've killed 2 pickup loads of elk with a 30-06 (I used 180's but those were different times) and KNOW you'll be fine with those bullets at sub 400 yards. I've also killed 4 or 5 with a 338 Win using 225's and 250's and haven't seen a noticible difference .

You'll be fine, it's probably just not a 600 yard elk bullet. (Unless its already wounded)

Have fun!

Good for you my friend. You stick with what works best for you.

Well I found a load for my 300 wsm last week. No go on the 200 eldX I was shooting in factory loads. Got a 168 ttsx running 3250 on 67 grs RL17. That'll be my primary now. Take the 308 for backup.

Helenaman: I would opt for the wonderful performing, reliable and accurate Nosler 165 grain Partitions!
Best of luck to you with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

168 TTSX in 30 cal is my favorite elk bullet.

I think my 308 is good to go. 178 ELDX.

The best factory load I have used was for my wifes 300-win mag. It was Federal Premium ammo loaded with 180-grain Nosler Partition bullets.

We've killed a bunch with the 150 gr TTSX out of a 30-06. you'll be just fine.

How can that be? Al three shots missed the bullseye.

There was some earlier mention about shooting an elk facing or running away - which is little different in terms of impact velocity than simply standing and facing away - and whether such shots are ethical. Some say 'yea', some say 'nay'.

My own thoughts are it depends on the situation. The difference between a facing elk and one that is facing away is mostly in the distance the bullet has to travel and the material it has to travel through to reach the vitals. In either case, I don't really like them because of the mess a bullet will do passing through the entrails. My preference is a broadside or quartering shot for that reason and I've found that patience will generally allow such shots.

If an elk is running straight away the shot may be easy but I've let several elk and deer go because that shot was all they offered. If the animal may be wounded I'd rather risk the shot than let the animal die an ugly death. The only facing away shot I've intentionally attempted was from an elevated height where I had a clear shot through the spine and angling for the vitals of a bull standing at about 100 yards.

Everyone has to decide for themselves but the difficultly of a shot on running game is often grossly underestimated when it comes to intended vs actual point of impact. Elk have top end running speeds of about 45mph. At that speed they are traveling abut 31fps and a typical elk load (.470 B.C. bullet doing 2900fps at the muzzle) will require a lead of about 3.5 feet at 100 yards and 7 feet at 200. Even an elk walking at 4mph needs a 16" lead at 200 yards.

One other thing people should consider is whether the ammo they are using is adequate for a facing away shot. The first elk I shot was at about 100-110 yards, broadside. My 7mm RM put a 162g Hornady BTSP, chosen for its B.C. more than other factors, centered a near side rib and missed or barely nicked a far side rib. Retained weight was under 48%. Since then I've used more sturdy bullets including Speer Grand Slam, North Fork SS, Barnes MRX and Nosler AccuBond. Those that I have recovered have been few and those encountered a lot more bone or, in one case, penetrated the full length of the animal less an inch or so. Except to stop a possibly wounded elk, I would not attempt a rear shot with anything less than a heavyweight cup-and core bullet.

YMMV

TTSX very plenty.

Shoot'em threw the slats, just about and decent controlled expansion bullet will work.

I even used a 7mm 150 Btip on a bull elk, Shot him twice, because he was headed wobbly legged after the first shot threw lungs/heart, Second shot angled from last rib to bust far shoulder blade, for the very steep hill he just climbed..... I did not wont to pack his furry carcas back up it. He tipped over just before the "cliff'

Focus on shot placement.