Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting elk bullets

Yep, handloading the 280 AI is where its at.
Mine loves the 160 gr AB at 3000 fps.

JD338

Yep, that's a sweet spot in my gun too, although I have to stop after one shot to get one-hole "groups" like yours......

Mr. Atkinson,

Agreed about the .338; that right there is an elk rifle. Mine is set up with the 225 Accubond though <g>.

I'm under no illusions that it's the ultimate penetrator with that bullet, just to be clear. Sounds like you have your elk (and the shots they give you) pretty well figured out!

Jeff, were I carrying a 338 for elk this year it wouldn't be stoked with Accubonds... go over to the backpack forum and read SU35's experience with the 200 AB on a Mule Deer. Allen Day and others have posted similar problems. For me, where there's smoke there's usually fire. When I used the 338 WM I loaded the 210 Partition and never had a problem, including sticking one right in the keister of a good sized bull at fifty yards in the timber... I wouldn't take that shot with an Accubond.

For elk hunting I like a "hard" bullet like the TTSX or Partition... that's not to say they're needed 95% of the time. They aren't. But it's that nagging 5%...

+1. Actually shooting elk is a real ongoing education that hasn't even begun yet for some making bullet recommendations here!

Dear Later Dave, your first mistake is - THINKING! Hell yes use that 280. I use a 7/08 (not AI) and have taken mule deer out to 500yds with one shot kills every time. But then again I have done that with a 30/06, and a 300win. The trick is have a gun that shoots where you are looking! If you can't hit it 100% of the time, you can't kill it. And as someone that has (forgive me Lord) too many guns, I can tell you that what shoots in one might not shoot in the other. Example, I have a set of twins, both 7/08, both on the same custom action, same barrels, trigger, stocks, scopes, ..... both build by the same gunsmith. Both shoot in the low .3's. One shoots the Barnes TSX 140gr with H414, the other one shoots Hornaday interbonds over WW760. Both shoot right at 3050fps MV. If I go to my whitetail load - 120 TSX both guns shoot the same load into the same hole. Go figure? Now you have to remember, both these guns are built by the same smith using the same reamers and everything. Oh and by the way, my dies for these two guns are also custom dies using the same reamer as was used to chamber the barrels. TAKING TIME TO BREATHE - Ok, so my point is, START RELOADING DAMN IT! You are never going to get exactly what you want with off the shelf ammo. Although factory fodder has greatly improved, it will never meet you expections like home made. As for the bullets every one else shoots, I am happy for them; but if it does not shoot or perfrom in YOUR gun what good is it? And it would be a real shame to find all that out while you are staring down a nice 6x6.

Rant off

Doug

....and about November we may well hear: "Well, I know I was high on the (fill in the blank) bullet, but now that I've actually shot an elk with it, it didn't work as well as I had guessed it would."

+1

Jayco