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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125 |
My Grandad asked me years ago to load him a box of those new Barnes TSX bullets for his 30-06. He’d read in some magazines that they were just the ticket for elk and wanted to try them out. He was about 78 years old at the time so I bought a box of 168s and loaded him some up. But at the same time I had to chuckle a little, he’s always shot 165 boat tail factory stuff, first some old WW load, then Federal red box, then Winchester Ballistic silver tips. None of them are especially tough bullets, but all but one elk I ever saw him shoot died of a broken neck. The one he chest shot was a 2 year old heifer and close to 350-400 yards when he was 77. Probably doesn’t matter too much what you use if you can put it in the right spot every time. I was 17 going on my first deer hunt with my saved and bought first rifle, a M70 7 Rem. Up till that point I’d used 140 Partitions and H870 and stuff just flopped. Well, I’d read that a moose Bullet should be heavier. Used those stupid original Barnes X’s and it was the worst thing i did. Made solid shots but those things were just too hard. Had it been the little magical 140 PT stuff would’ve been much easier. I shot my first and biggest bull to date with one of the old smooth sided X bullets out of my 30/06, 180 over IMR4350. I poked him through the ribs as he stood on a nearly vertical canyon wall from 402 yards. He did the HiHo Silver gig, took one step forward behind a juniper and just stood there offering no shot, seemed like an eternity before he folded up and rolled down the mountain. I was just a teenager and loaded with a Hodgdon manual blindly believing what it claimed for speed. My gun shot best with the starting load and having never heard of a chronograph I figured 2700 was fast enough. Used that load for years and piled up a boxcar’s worth of dead stuff. Got the opportunity to run some over a chrono one day and was surprised to see they averaged 2488! I had been using a long action 300 Savage and didn’t even know it. That’s funny stuff buddy. Same for me and the 7 Mag. I think Speer said 3200 with 81-82 grains of H 870, but i still don’t know what it made for speed. Long time gone. Beretzs, do you remember if that was for the depredation hunt on Bosque Del Apache and unit 18.
2 years ago they had some hunts down there and killed some great bulls. A 380 bull was killed off the refuge. It was some thing like that SLM. I honestly can’t remember but I’d pass out with a 380 bull Boy that’s the shiits Scotty, probably never get that chance again
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 18,895
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 18,895 |
Ya, you should have went.😀 Beretzs, do you remember if that was for the depredation hunt on Bosque Del Apache and unit 18.
2 years ago they had some hunts down there and killed some great bulls. A 380 bull was killed off the refuge. It was some thing like that SLM. I honestly can’t remember but I’d pass out with a 380 bull
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,262
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,262 |
Ya, you should have went.😀 Beretzs, do you remember if that was for the depredation hunt on Bosque Del Apache and unit 18.
2 years ago they had some hunts down there and killed some great bulls. A 380 bull was killed off the refuge. It was some thing like that SLM. I honestly can’t remember but I’d pass out with a 380 bull JERKS. you two are going on report!
Last edited by beretzs; 01/07/21.
Semper Fi
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125 |
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142 |
I still have never had a rocky mountain bull elk tag that wasn't a general tag. The Alaskan Rosie was a draw, and I've got plenty of extra cow tags in Wyoming and Montana, but never a rocky bull draw tag . NM, and especially 16B can suck my ballz.
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,481
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,481 |
Ok, so you’ve never killed an elk (even though you post constantly on the elk forum loudly) have done a guided hunt in AK and posted the two dead critters from that trip ad infinitum.
Got it...
Hunted AK many times. Give me an example of "loudness" posting, please. Killed bigger stuff than you ever have on multiple occasions. But if I like Y bullet I'm a loser because you think W bullet is enough.
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,859
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,859 |
You ever killed anything this big? Ok, so you’ve never killed an elk (even though you post constantly on the elk forum loudly) have done a guided hunt in AK and posted the two dead critters from that trip ad infinitum. Got it... Obfuscate: intransitive verb : to be evasive, unclear, or confusing https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obfuscate
"He is far from Stupid"
”person, who happens to have an above-average level of intelligence”
– DocRocket (In reference to ElkSlayer91)
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 330
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 330 |
BLUF: No, you dont need a premium...but it's not going to hurt either. Heres my post from a thread about Nosler Ballistic Tips. Its relevant here since we are talking elk if you want to read through it. Mushroomed bullet is the same bullet in both pics and is not related to either hunt. It's a 175g Win factory 7mmRM taken from an elk i shot at 350 yds in the late 80s. "Sometimes bullets just dont behave the way we think they should. 1991 I shot a bull elk with a 30-40 at 50yds head on center mass in the neck/throat with a 220g Hornady. I found the almost complete jacket (no lead) stuck in a heart valve. Bull died though. Cant remember the year but i shot a bull elk muzzleloading and found the complete rear end of a 7mm Partition against the hide; center chest. (that was a true Whisky Tango Foxtrot over) Another year muzzleloading i found a BT bullet jacket (weighed 52g, cant tell the caliber) in a ball of gristle under the spine of a bull elk. 2018 i shot a bull elk with a 165g Hornady BTSP at 175 yds with a 308 Win. When we got to the tracks (lots of show) there were two single drops of blood 15 yards past where i shot it. 50 yards past that, the bull laid down and left a silver dollar sized spot of blood. Then, not one drop of blood in the 500 YARDS we followed that bull which my cousin finished at 30 yards. My bullet hit right at the back rib and angled up to between the 4th and 5th rib. Yes, a little far back but I hit the liver and the lung on the left side. I found a 23g piece of lead in the off side hide; no jacket. Had there not been snow i would have sworn for the rest of my life that i somehow missed that bull which, would have died. Sometimes bullets just don't behave the we would like. The common thread in my experiences, all are bull elk. Yes, elk die easy...but they can make bullets work awfully hard and leave people talking."
Last edited by Centennial; 01/08/21.
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 22,734
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 22,734 |
Personally, I have taken 20 elk including 4 bulls. Considering other campmates I have witnessed or heard details of over 50 additional elk. To the OP's question, in a word, no. Placement is more important than a premium bullet. But a premium is never a liability. But I have seen too many elk hung in the meat shed via a cup and core bullet too. Shoot the bullet that is accurate, don't shoot beyond your confidence distance, and place the reticle in the right spot.
My home is the "sanctuary residence" for my firearms.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17,137
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17,137 |
It’s harder to find them than it is to kill them. That's a fact.
Randy NRA Patriot Life Benefactor
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 762
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 762 |
WHY NOT, obviously they are effective. I have only seen one elk shot with a cup and core bullet, and it did not go well. The next 150+ were/have been shot with premium bullets. Again why not???
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 220
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 220 |
Hel f a lot f elk were killed before premium bullets, so needed. No. However, elk hunting is an expensive proposition so premium bullets are cheap. Get the good bullet and you won’t be sorry
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Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 58
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 58 |
What’s the consensus here? no
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142 |
WHY NOT, obviously they are effective. I have only seen one elk shot with a cup and core bullet, and it did not go well. The next 150+ were/have been shot with premium bullets. Again why not??? You've seen 150+ rifle shot elk (I presume you're a guide) but only one was shot with a standard C&C bullet? All those clients through all those years and only one was what I would consider a "normal" hunter, and not a rifle/bullet looney hunter? Am I reading your post correctly?
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125 |
WHY NOT, obviously they are effective. I have only seen one elk shot with a cup and core bullet, and it did not go well. The next 150+ were/have been shot with premium bullets. Again why not??? You've seen 150+ rifle shot elk (I presume you're a guide) but only one was shot with a standard C&C bullet? All those clients through all those years and only one was what I would consider a "normal" hunter, and not a rifle/bullet looney hunter? Am I reading your post correctly? I know, right?? Haha Finally got one to bite😂😂👍
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,142 |
WHY NOT, obviously they are effective. I have only seen one elk shot with a cup and core bullet, and it did not go well. The next 150+ were/have been shot with premium bullets. Again why not??? You've seen 150+ rifle shot elk (I presume you're a guide) but only one was shot with a standard C&C bullet? All those clients through all those years and only one was what I would consider a "normal" hunter, and not a rifle/bullet looney hunter? Am I reading your post correctly? I know, right?? Haha Finally got one to bite😂😂👍 Either that or he finally got someone to bite on his baited post... That someone being me
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 21,125 |
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,709
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 7,709 |
Do you really need a sharp broadhead 2 hunt elk?
Asking for a friend.
"Shoot low sheriff, I think he's riding a shetland!" B. Wills
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,292
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,292 |
When I started elk hunting I used a 30-06 and the 150 gr. Speer flat based spritzer Hotcor, one shot apiece on three elk in a row. All were broadside in the ribs around center right behind the shoulder. All three bullets were either in the far ribs or against the hide. My also young at the time hunting partners were using mostly 150 grain Remington or Winchester factory loads, the cheap stuff. We tried to pick our shots and did well generally. My 4th elk was a pretty nice 6 point and I made the mistake of leading him just a bit too much and hit him in the shoulder, the bullet did get through it but the wound channel was narrow and this elk went a long way before going down. Thank God for snow. And the fact we got a snow machine right next to him. Got pretty cold cleaning him after dark. I switched to 180 gr. Speer Hotcors for a couple of elk making every effort to not hit a shoulder and even making a neck hit which dropped it. I shot another elk in the shoulder in thick timber south of Bondurant. This bullet ended up looking like a 30 caliber wadcutter under the hide on the far side. Another pretty long tracking job and we found this one had crawled up under some willows and chopping that away was a real lesson in hard work. After that I used Partitions on elk in both my 30-06 and a 270. What do you know I started getting some exits. So do you have to use premium bullets no you don't. I will use them on elk if I can every time. I went on to play with 300 Win mag, 7MM Rem mag and a 338 Win mag. I used Hornady 175 gr. interlocks on one elk, a 250 gr. Sierra Gameking on another which turned out to be the most epic elk recovery of my life and rest assured I could not get that done at this stage of life. I used a 200 gr. Partion out of the 300 Win Mag and guess what? Text book hit just behind the shoulder, out the far side and elk went 30 yards downhill. We were able to back the truck up to the hill and after we cleaned him easily slid his big arse into the truck! Perfect bullet performance. I went back to using my 30-06 and shot my 20th elk with it in 2017. Odd thing I used the 270 occasionally and every elk shot with it went down quickly and with no drama. 150 gr. Partitions after I switched from 150 gr. Speer Hotcors but both bullets worked really well. Maybe the 270 was just a lucky rifle.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,843
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,843 |
Do you really need a sharp broadhead 2 hunt elk?
Asking for a friend. Actually no..... you simply “need” the new 6.5 pena-more arrows! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 02/15/21.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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