Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk bullets - calmly

Hornady knows exactly what eldm's do in tissue versus various barriers. They specifically test them. From their LE website "is specifically designed to meet FBI protocol and provide superior external ballistics when compared to standard 308 WIN offerings. The 147 gr. ELD Match bullet with Heat Shield tip delivers excellent terminal performance"

6.5 creed 147 ELDM TAP

Click on that link, scroll down and click on "gelatin". You will see test results with calibrated 10% ballistic gel and various mediums (heavy clothing, wallboard, plywood, auto glass). If you think that bullet won't kill an elk, you are completely misguided. The 308win 168gr eldm is impressive as well, but almost most impressive is the tiny 6mm arc with a 106gr eldm. Look at its results.....

With you. Went on my first elk hunt last year at 50yo. No elk but had a big time and we did get a muley. Have a muley tag this year but will apply for more elk tags in the future for sure.

That said, I had along my 30-06 with factory 180gr interlocks. Felt confident as my last group while dialing in (rock solid on a bench) was 1"....... at 200yds. That Tikka shoots!

That said, I see that Speer offers a 200gr HotCor. This strikes me as a pretty good all-purpose elk bullet at say 2650FPS or so and they are cheap to boot.

Am I on the right track? Not married to this or any other bullet so give me the truth, ugly or not.

I'd say so, practicing with affordable ammo you can effectively shoot and will perform as needed trumps spending money on overpriced ammo that you can't afford to practice with everytime.mb

After having killed somewhere around 20 species of big game with Barnes TSX or ttsx from springbok to eland in size and many many deer I’ve never seen an animal act as if it weren’t hit or fail to react from the shot. That’s perplexing. Maybe a bad lot of early bullets? I have only recovered a few. They ALL expanded and looked picture perfect. One did break all four petals off but it hit a large zebra stallion’s shoulder at nearly 2900fps impact velocity. I’ve also shot a lot of animals with cup and core, partitions, accubonds, gold dots (fusions) and Berger vld’s ( hunting and target) and eldm’s. On a broadside shot on elk I’d use any of the above and really wouldn’t care which one I had. But if it’s a strong angling shot give me a tougher bullet. Last time I hunted elk ( unsuccessfully) I had a 300win mag shooting 230 Berger OTM and I would have taken about any reasonable shot. But that’s a lot of bullet IMO.
Back to the TSX’s. Watched my cousin shoot a whitetail doe at nearly 200 yards broadside with a 30/06 w168tsx at a leisurely 2675fps muzzle velocity. She dropped instantly. I said “you musta shoulder shot her”. But it was a rear lung shot. I don’t remember the internal damage but I was shocked at how quickly it killed her.

I have killed elk, all bulls, with the 210 gr Partition and 185 gr TSX via 338-06, the 260 gr Partition via 375 H&H, the 225 gr TSX via 35 Whelen and the 140 gr TSX via 270 Win. I observed zero difference in performance.

The TTSX has worked faithfully for me over the years as did the TSX a couple times before. Several of my hunting partners switched to the TTSX after several tracking rodeos after observing I had none.

I can't be 100% certain, but I have probably killed more elk than75% of the posters here. Bulls and cows. Probably less than a dozen with partitions. Anywhere from 10 yards to 400 +yards. No super duper mono has ever passed thru any of my rifles. All cup and core. I have 1/2 pint jar almost full with bullet failures that I dug out of dead critters. Most with a 30-06. 180 gr to 220 gr Sierras.

My longest tracking job was when I drank the magnum Kool aid and thought a 7 mag could do more than non mags..

It is not what you hit them with, but where.

I've killed north of 20 bulls and north of 30 elk total. I used to be in the camp of "penetration" at all costs. First Nosler partitions....then Winchester Fail-Safes...then Barnes bullets.

I've come 180 degrees on this topic the last decade or so. Give me a bullet that breaks ups and causes the most cardiovascular damage possible. Don't care about two holes and tracking anymore. I like to see them wobble about 10 yards and fall over...which is what i generally get with ELD-Xs, Tipped Match Kings, Bergers, and the like.

The more frangible bullets also generally get better accuracy...and definitely get better wind-bucking abilities.

My choice in chamberings has also evolved. I used to hunt with .300 Weatherby's and Winchesters exclusively. I prefer much less gun these days as they generally weigh less, that always kick less, and they cost much less to practice with.

Last year I killed my first bull with an 88 grain ELD-M from my 22-250 and the second with my .280ai and a 162 ELD-X. Saw very little difference honestly.

Just one guy's thoughts and worth what you paid for them.

Dave

This post nailed it

I remember the exceptionally well done write up of that hunt.

Honest question, do you have confidence in these "softer" bullets to break heavy shoulder bones and complete the job?

I ask as a new to elk hunting guy knowing my opportunities will be few.

OGB,

Thanks for the kind words. While I am not the definitive word on this topic, I am indeed confident in the "softer" bullets smashing bones...especially when "heavy-for-caliber" approach is used. You're probably not getting two holes in that situation, but I'm confident in them getting through one side of bones and into the lungs/heart which is all that matters. My experience the last few years tells me that the "soft" bullets of today are tougher than the "soft" bullets I started with 35 years ago. Just a hunch and not one that I can prove.

The 88s in the 22-250 made me a bit nervous for sure, but I hit bones on the deer and the bull with it last year and things worked out okay. Neither made it more than 30 yards. I won't be making a habit of the 22-250, even with the 88s because a quartering-to shot through the front shoulder joint of a bull would probably be asking a bit too much. Step up to a heavy-for-caliber 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30 cal though and I'd not sweat any of the frangible bullets in a "heavy" bullet.

The most for the least is the 143 ELD-X imho. Great BC, good accuracy, inexpensive, frangible enough to wreck the soft parts of a chest cavity but still tough enough to punch through one side of any NA animal walking. I'm not a 6.5 Creedmoor guy myself, but it's hard to argue the effectiveness of that chambering pushing a 143.

Dave

Interlock. Blows apart and penetrates. They don't look fancy, I get it, but most bullets on the market look like Tarzan and perform like Jane. That's my 1 cent.

Yes - I shot my first elk with a 338 Win and 225 gr Hornady Interlock. 125 yds broadside - 1st shot was tight behind the shoulder. He hunched up at the shot and I knew he was dead on his feet. He just stood there on the edge of a steep drainage I didn't want to pack him out of. 2nd shot was intentionally on the point of the shoulder and he dropped immediately.

After breaking the shoulder, the 225 Hornady deflected up through the neck and stopped under the hide close to the offside ear. It weighs 129.4 gr and expanded right to the Interlock ring.

I've killed over 2 dozen elk (not a lot) with my 270 Win shooting 150g Partitions at 3000 fps. Worked flawlessly from 15 yards to past 400 yards. My last elk was taken at 225 yards with a 570g TSX at 2300 fps from my 500 Jeffery. Needless to say it worked too.

Dayummm. Every one I recover is about 30 percent intact. Offside is always blood shot trauma. Love that bullet

Not going to lie, not a fan of 22 cal Match bullets on elk. But if it works for you. More power To you. Sh*t happens and I think the elk deserve little more oomph.

I’m also not impressed with the pic of interlock as it lost 45% of its weight. Seems little excessive.
Carry on

I have generally been a fan of moderate cartridges used at moderate range, firing heavy for caliber bullets for elk. Of the 30 elk I've taken so far, most have been with .308 win/180gr., and .35 Whelen / 250 grain. A few with cartridges as large as .375 H&H and .450-400 3" Nitro Express, and as small as .270 and 7mm. I like two holes with a big permanent wound channel, and little fragmentation. My preferred bullets are the Norma Oryx, Speer Grand Slam, And Barnes TTSX. Lately my preferred cartridge is 9.3x62 or 9.3x74R with the traditional 285 Gr. bullet. It doesn't seem to matter as much what style of those big bullets I use, they just work. Full penetration in a straight line with an exit, and plenty of scrambled elk in-between. Quick consistent kills regardless of angle or big bones in the way. And actually not much meat damage. That's a nice combination.

I don’t disagree regarding the 88s on elk..which I said. It was my only other “backup” gun in camp, and a scope issue on my son’s rifle forced the issue. I gave him my .280ai and took the 22-250 thinking I wouldn’t see anything based on where I was going (mostly a glassing spot). Of course a rag horn proved me wrong on that front. The bullet did great though, slipped just behind the shoulder. Even punched a rib as I recall.

My experience is that bullets that come apart seem to make things sick right now….assuming they make it into the vitals anyway…which isn’t difficult to do 99 percent of the time.

Ymmv.

Dave

You undersell yourself brother. Been reading your posts for a lot of years. There are a few guys I pay attention to when they speak/type - you are one of them. Thanks for weighing in.