Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Breaking Elk shoulders

Used the Norma 143 grain BondStrike for the first time on 2 cow elk this season. No drama, & no bullet recovery, as usual.

Going to build up a pile of the 180 grain version and use the .30-06 next season.

Happy Camper.

And partitions do that differently than other bullets?

Better than cup and core.

Sir,
Your 338-06 gives up maybe a hundred yards to the 338wm with that bullet. Meaning you have no need to worry from the muzzle out to 350 or so, maybe further. I’ve only killed two elk past 350. Plenty at less.

Here's an example of Partition performance on the heaviest part of an elk shoulder.

Killed this one in 2002, in obviously thick stuff. The shot was about 75 yards, the bull angling toward me, and the "open" shot was at the big joint of the left shoulder. Was using a .300 Winchester Magnum with the 200-grain Partition loaded to around 3000 fps. The bullet not only busted the joint, but exited at the left rear of the ribcage.

First bull elk I killed was a quartering shot with a 270 Win 140 gr accubond at about 200 yds, angled toward the front of the opposite shoulder. To my surprise, the nice 6x6 was dead on his feet, didn't take a step while the herd headed back up the mountain but wobbled for a few seconds so I put a second one into his lungs but it was probably not needed. The last one was a similar sized 6x6 about the same distance, shot was the mirror and I put a 225 gr. partition from my 35 Whelen in about the same spot, angled toward the front of the opposite shoulder. He took a few steps more but essentially the same result. Polar opposite bullets, at least in mind but both performed about the same. Reinforced in my mind that good placement is more important than caliber.

I understand the idea of not getting optimal shots and have taken my share of non-broadside shots in thick stuff with success, just seems if there is any other option, a shoulder would be the last shot to take.

Mr Knight
Lest I’m misunderstood, the 250 Partition would be a better bet than the 275 Speer in your 338-06.
It gives you more range certainly and has a higher likelihood of perfect performance on elk. We have lots of evidence saying that is true.

What I can’t say is that there is something wrong about using the 275 Speer at 2400 + muzzle velocity on elk. I have no evidence of that to be true.
Best regards to you sir,
F01

I used the 275 Speer a bit back when I found a few boxes of them for darned near nothin. I used RL22 and got 2675 from them.

I can’t remember but, I believe I found this bullet in the 7th jug, maybe the 8th. I was quite surprised.











I still have a few hundred left. Might need to load some more up and give it a run this fall. I wouldn’t sweat that bullet on shoulders at about about any speed under 2800 FPS impact myself.

Looks like the only one I ever recovered. 212 grains and shattered 4 vertebrae and top of scapulas. Under hide on far side. 426 yards on my biggest bull.
The butcher said “that is the most bone broken on an elk I have ever seen.” He had butchered many hundred over 20plus years.
All the rest were full penetration and gone.

Hey I appreciate it all Chief! ha I found a box of Nosler 210PTs to go with my Speer 200HC and a bunch of the old Nosler 200 Ballistic Tips. I passed on the rebore, and my smith found a place with Savage barrels ( 3 mo wait or so) anyhow, I should be able to get it finished out at 26", then I can experiment, ha. Lots easier to cut off than try to get somewhere with a 22" barrel. I might end up at that length, but at least I'll know by then what a longer barrel can do for me/accuracy wise too, right? Meantime I can play around with its original '06 and some 200-220s and see how it does. If it does "halfway wonderful", I'll leave it alone and pick up a nicer/newer Savage donor. This old rifle had been rode hard and literally put up wet, getting a major overhaul, not what you call a "pride of ownership" rifle per se.

Actually, even Elmer didn't like the 275 in it's later years, sometimes lamenting how it had changed from "the old, heavy jacket version." He mentioned this more than once in his published writing.

I have never seen that. I don’t have any Elmer books anymore. I had a library friend we shared books. Wher might I find that?
F01

Fury01,

Believe it's in either Hell, I Was There! or in the 2-volume set of his Guns & Ammo columns.

Might look myself, if I find it will let you know. But it definitely pissed him off....

John

I did not shoot, but witnessed the results of two brothers shooting elk with 175g Sierra BTSP in their 7 Mags at 2900. Penetration and bone busting was impressive with the afore mentioned load. We had to quarter them up, packed them out on Mules.

In Gun Notes Volume II February 1971, Elmer writes in relation to the .338 OKH: 'We have the fine 250-grain Nosler, the 275-grain Speer - my favorite - and the excellent 300-grain softnose Winchester bullets." and "The 250-grain Nosler opens its points more and shows greater expansion than does the 275-grain Speer, and the 300-grain Winchester always expands, hold together, and penetrates deep. For long-range work, I prefer the Nosler and the 275-grain Speer, but for close range heavy game in timber I prefer the 300-grain Winchester round-nose soft point. The Nosler may blow off its soft-point, but the base half always carries on for deep penetration at close range, while the Speer 275-grain expands some at about all ranges but does not blow or fragment and, of course, opens smaller holes through deer-sized game than the more explosive tip of the Nosler." pages 3,4.

I have heard that 175 Sierra is an excellent bullet. I have shot it a bunch out of the Mashburn but never on elk, but enough guys I trust have and I'd give it a whirl. It is an accurate bullet though!

Thanks John. I’d appreciate it. All of mine were bought in the early 1980’s. I still have a box I think though no longer have a 338.
Best regards,
F01

Without the valuable input of MIKEWERNER, this thread is useless.

Holy smokes.. That was good GH! Well played!

Another thread going to $#!+ in 3..2..1...