Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 3006 150 core lokt

I don't know what some people are trying to prove but to my way of thinking with hunting game, we owe the animal the very best we can manage in trying to kill him cleanly, quickly and humanly as possible. Ethically to me hitting an animal and not finding it in a timely manner or leaving it to die a horrible death just doesn't cut it. Out past 300-400 yards there's a lot that can go wrong with a shot. The main thing is wind. Even if you use a range finder and have your hold over down to a T, wind can blow a bullet off target at 500 yards as far as a foot, putting the bullet into the not immediately lethal zone of the guts. That's why I limit my range for shots. It's not my inability to do everything the long range boys do. I could do all that if I wanted too. But I don't do it because at anything much over 400 yards, and then it can be iffy, a shot is a crap shoot. And also, shooting game in the next zip code is no longer hunting.

Call me old fashion, but I think in this day and time that Ethics is becoming old fashion.

LOL, my 300 mag is still packing 2350+ fps at 500 yards.

I too screw around with all manner of cartridges and bullets. However the '06 hunting rifle I had built 21 years ago was intended to only launch a 180 gr. Partition hand load and that's what it still does today.

My reasoning was I never wanted to be on the last day of an expensive hunt and not being able to take the only shot angle offered.

Ha... I’m sure Gunner. I don’t wanna shoot anything at 500 but I feel a whole lot more comfortable after a summers prep out to 700. I always hope for a fur burning shot up close but elk get a vote too!

Using CL's I'd go with 180 grain in an '06.

With the huge amount of factory 06 ammo out there, I'd be trying something else personally. Lot of the ones mentioned in this thread would get a chance since you have all spring and summer to work on it.

Same camp with You buddy, but yes, and especially in your case, as you have farther to travel than I, we have to be prepared for the shot we get.

I’ve tracked elk where bullet performance wasn’t great & prefer tracking them shorter distances. If you must shoot150’s go with a tougher bullet than the CL,my preference is a Barnes TTSX in that weight. I’m pushing them about 3,000 FPS in my grandsons rifle. Went lighter to keep recoil manageable and found a fast accurate load using superformane powder so stuck with them even though he is 6’2 & 250 lbs these days.

Elk hunting is too hard & expensive on the whole to cheap out on the bullets. If you plan to kill one best to be ready for less than perfect angles. Factory ammunition is expensive with premium bullets - practice often with the cheap stuff, know the adjustment to your zero for high priced hunting loads & only shoot a box every 4 years for hunting if you kill one or two elk per year. The extra $5 a year will be the best money you ever spent.

Here you go.


Hope for the best,
prepare for the worst!



These guys hunting with the lightest possible rounds....

Heck, a guy claims to have killed two elephant with a 22.... so...

I have seen a few rodeos. (1, 140 corelocks in a 7 mag on elk)
Have killed a number of deer that weren't hit where I shot 'em!
Sometimes, that wasn't even my fault!
But, use something a bit bigger than minimum.
And choose bullets to quickly kill.
On deer, soft ones.
On elk, it's been Partitions.

Up your odds, add weight,
or try better bullets.