Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 300WM 150 TTSX on elk?

For deer the 130gr TSX is deadly & this side of 400yds it excels. Plus reduced recoil & super quick time of flight. When larger game like elk are encountered the 150 TSX/TTSX will give complete penetration even thru bone. . Will penetrate two elk side by side. There is still the perception by some about what a certain cal bullet should should weight for specific game. The copper mono's have changed this dramatically. The Barnes 150gr TSX/TTSX has a BC similar to a 165gr C&C bullets.. My 6.5's put elk down decisively with Barnes 120gr TSX/TTSX. So a 30 cal with the 150gr TSX/TTSX Barnes should be Godzilla capable. Nosler partition is an excellent bullet, but the copper mono's far exceed it's capability to penetrate when heavy game with heavy bone is the target. To me the copper mono's inspire total confidence.

Yep, 50 years ago when I didn't have the benefits of internet knowledge, I just loaded Hornady 150 grain Spire Point and Sierra 180 grain GameKing bullets in my .30-06 and didn't have any problems putting an elk in my freezer every year.

Another year while I was on a solo DIY sheep hunt in one of Montana's Unlimited sheep tag areas, I didn't hesitate in putting a 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet from my .257 Ackley behind the shoulder of what turned out to be one of my best 6x6 bull elk for an almost instant DRT kill.

I used Norma brass, cci 250, and I think 73g of superformance with a 150 ttsx from my 300 wsm to shoot diagonally through a moose at 547 yds.

The load clocked just under 3400 fps and shot my best group ever with it. Group looked very much like 1 bullet hole you had to look very close to tell it was 3.

I usually shy away from ball powders in hunting rifles but superformance is awesome with 150s in a 300 wsm. It will break 3400 fps with great accuracy.

Bb

Barnes 180 gr ttsx in 3006. 347 yards , 1 shot. Dropped where he stood.
I'm sold on ttsx.

Its been 20yrs since I used a 300WM extensively, so this was my experience...The Ballistic Tip ( mid 90s) was still soft then, and I started out with the 180. It really "tore up" a dainty antelope doe ( 347 steps) and a mule deer 3x3 ( 75yds) I went straight to the 180 XBT ( pre TSX for you Millennials :)) and it solved the problem! I later tried a 300 RUM ( had to make brass from Lazzeroni cases, no RUM s were available then, too early.) I also tried some "boutique", hand made 150 "bonded" ballistic tipped looking, moly coated bullets. I had those puppies screaming! ha It shot flat, yes sir, but I ended up shooting another muley about 60yds away. Wow! What a mess. I went back to the 300WM and when I had an opportunity to shoot Hill Country deer, I bought some Federal Blue Box (said on the box they were Sierra 150 Pro Hunters) figured they would open up quick in those small deer. They acted like Partitions! So, I learned that, in my limited experience, in a magnum anything, if I didn't want a mess on game, I shot Barnes or Partitions. Some Sierra Pro Hunters on smaller game, I'm OK with. Since I love to handload/experiment with loads, I always try to find a reduced velocity "deer load" in any magnum. Sometimes I get lucky, most of the time I don't! This 300 Mesa likes the Hornady 150 SST about 2750fps, solid 1" for 3 shots but "in my same zero". I'm not one of those that change loads on a hunt. I set out with what I want to use on that animal or location. I won't change my "main load zero", so any reduced load/or heavy bullet load has to shoot to same zero. Lots of fun for me anyhow, ha.

After seeing what has happened to 3 different deer shot with a .223 Rem and 55gr TTSX, I would have no problem what so ever shooting nearly anything with a 150gr TTSX.

Hey Tzone...I killed an 80 pound shoat around 70yds with a 50gr XLC from a CZ 527/221 fireball rifle! Made a 50 caliber hole all the way through, one and done, ha! They work in .22 caliber coyote killers!

My kids have been hammering deer with the .223/55gr combo now for a few years. no way you could get more damage from a bigger caliber.

There was a fellow posting around here on some forum, may have been here, that used the heavy 75-80 Match bullets in his 223 for his kids. They had shot some mule deer and he took pictures of the damage. Wow! I was amazed and I am not easily "amazed". lol. My Marine SIL said even as far back as 2002, his first tour of the sandbox, their SgtMajor had procured them BlackHills 9mm HP and the 77gr OTM of some kind. Pure death and destruction he said...but Force Recon guys can shoot...very accurate and very fast, ha. I know this isn't 150TTSX, but hey, as the OP, I can "visit"....most Texans use or have used very small caliber rifles....the deer are close, for one thing and small. Plus, its fun to play with different ammo!