Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Minimum sectional density for elk?

I read a long time ago that a big game bullet should have a S.d. of at least .250. So I've used bullets with at least that.

Does bullet construction make s.d. not matter anymore?

One writer posted here that he has used the 150 Horn 308 flat base on elk. That is 225. Is it close enough, or is that bullet made with a heavier jacket than other 150s?

Are some of you guys also hunting elk with bullets with a lower S.D?

I like to practice a lot, and can't afford to do it with premium bullets. So I'm better off with the heavy for caliber, right. That's what I've heard, and it is what I've found successful, I'm just wondering if it necessary.

I'm thinking about his because of the 100 grain 6.5 Horn, SP. It would kick really light in the 260 I have for my kids, I'm just wondering if it an elk bullet. (I've been using the 120 Speers, but they are almost gone. My rifle didn't like the 129 Horn. as well. I thought about the 120 Ballistic tip. I've heard that is more stout than other B.T.s, but at $34 a hundred versus $21 for the Horn, for lots of shooting, if the 100 is good bullet, I might try that.)

What has been your experience with bullets with a S.D that low on elk? (.200?)

Its been my experience that if you last saw the crosshairs over the vitals when the sear broke, you're going to have work to do.

I shot a big fat cow with a 140 Partition out of a 260 before. It died... 140 Hot-Cors do a pretty good job of duplicating them for practice/utility

From the way Hornady describes it I wouldn't call it an elk bullet.

http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5mm-.264-100-gr-SP/

Mathman, I hadn't see that the bullet is made for "explosive expahsion" That rules it out.

Dan, I know the 140 has a better S.D., but I want to keep recoil as low as I can. (My kids are 10, 8, and 5 now.) They're all kind of skinny. The 10 year old would be fine with the kick, and I guess the others will be when they get older.

The other thing I worry about with the 140s is that I can't get them going very fast from the rifle's 16.5 inch barrel. (About 2550.) I can get the 120s going about 2750. I think they make a 100 grain Partition. I wonder if I could find something that flew the same for our practice on milk jugs and balloons, and then I could just save the expensive bullets for hunting. Is the 100 grain bullet an elk bullet, or does it still have too low of a S>D?

I have a buddy, who between his hunting and his wife's, has taken over 20 elk with a 243, so I know a 338 isn't required. They use 105 (?) grain Sierras. He says he has kept all of the shots under 200 yards and broadside. They have NEVER lost an elk with that rifle. That bullet has a S>D of about .250.

My first elk was with a 30-30. (Two shots at about 30 feet and a finisher. Then one with a 300 Win, the rest with a 270. With 140 Horn it dropped four right now at over 300 yards. (Another went about 20 yards.) But I sold my 270s...

This 260 with the 120 Speers took four animals last year. An impala and blesbuk, then a black wildebeast that I shot at 288 yards. It ran in a big circle then tipped. It penetrated well and performed well.That is the exact thing my brother's did (30-06) and my uncle's (270 WSM). My Kudu took a few, but I think that was me, not the bullet. (First through the hump at 350, the second cut the back of the neck at 400, the third, also at 400, hit close to the first and broke the spine.) I wish the weren't stopping production on those Hot-cors.

Nosler does make a 100-grain 6.5mm Partition, and Barnes now makes a 100-grain Tipped TSX 6.5. Either would work fine on elk.

Nosler Also makes a 100-grain 6.5 Ballistic Tip, and Hornady makes a 95-grain 6.5 V-Max. Either would provide some cheaper practice, especially on varmints, and the Ballistic Tip would be a decent deer bullet as well.

I don't know what range your kids are limited to, but at moderate distances I bet the trajectory differences between the different 100 grain spitzers won't amount to much.

Round balls..

It looks like the 100 grain Partition and the Horn SP line up almost exactly the same. Since the Partition is an elk bullet even with that low of S>D., when these Speers run out (I have less than two boxes left), I'll see if I can get both the Nosler and the Horn to shoot in my rifle. Hopefully to the same POI!

Thanks for the help.

Milton,

I've heard similar (.230 or so for CXP2 game, .280 or so for CXP3 game). I do believe premium bullets change the rules. The bullet you are asking about is not one of them however. From the link mathman provided:

"Explosive expansion, even at low velocities."

Does that sound like a bullet you want to use on a touch critter, such as an elk?

I think you are asking too much of a single bullet.

1) Cheap
2) Light kicker for your kids .260
3) Usable on CXP3 game (elk)

If you don't want to do what Dan suggested (hunt with a premium, practice with a cheap cup & core) then I would go heavy for caliber. My first choice would be the 140 grain Hornady SP.

Nevermind. I see I was a bit slow in responding...

There is no minimal SD for Elk in the real world...A good bullet putt in the right spot always prevails...

Jayco

Bullet construction counts for a LOT, and is the primary consideration in most cases.

I think a higher Sd provides for a more consistent performance on critters. Of course, that may be as much a velocity play as the weight of the bullet itself.

Having said that, I've been killing elk with a 243 and 100gr Partitions for the last 6-7 years.

If you're going to be running a 338WM, bullet selection is less critical than say, a 270W.

You can kill elk with a 100gr 6.5 jacketed bullet, but you'll have less chance of drama if using a 140 gr PT.........



Casey

I tried that bullet in a 6.5 x 55 on culls in Australia. I would not recommend it for elk sized game. It is in my opinion, a varmint bullet. The 129 or 140 grain Hornady bullets are better suited to your task,

JW

100 grain bullet??? Use the TTSX for hunting.
Use the Hornady for practice.

Disclaimer I'm not a gunwriter nor have I EVER owned a .264

This topic has been discussed and explained in great detail here ad nauseum.

In my opinion and experience, bullet SD is a lot like engine displacement. And as they say, "There's no replacement for displacement." Bullets with higher SD (i.e. heavier for caliber) tend to have higher BC, penetrate deeper, deflect less in the wind, and retain velocity at longer ranges than bullets of lower SD AND LIKE CONSTRUCTION. It may be true that we can get away with using bullets of slightly lower SD when using bullets of tougher construction, but SD is still SD, and that will not change. Tougher bullets penetrate deeper because they don't expand as much. If you shoot bullets that expand widely, then you need more SD (weight and momentum) to get penetration. Almost any bullet will penetrate enough to kill game shot in the ribcage while standing broadside. But if you plan to place the bullet on the shoulder, or if you plan to shoot at animals standing at a quartering-to angle, or any other situation that requires deeper penetration than the broadside ribcage shot, then you should consider bullets of higher SD. The SD of my current 7mm deer bullet is 0.31. I am slowly working into trying tougher bullets of lower SD, and so far have been successful on a number of occasions. The key is to use the right bullet for the application. In other words, "Use enough bullet."

100 grain TTSX is your huckleberry for elk out of the slow/short 260

This is the problem. Not everyone has the chance at enough elk to be able to turn down shots that aren't perfect. Sometimes a bullet has to pass through a lot more tissue and/or bone than we would like. This is when when SD and bullet contruction come into play. IMO a softer bullet needs more of it to do its job while a tougher bullet can get away with less SD.

I know of a spike bull killed with a 22 LR; shot in the head. Ranchers use it to kill cattle with head shots, but it is still not what most people would choose for an elk. Or, deer.

I never shoot $2 dollar bullets for target shooting, you don't have to or should. A 120 gr Speer SP out of you 260 would be fine, then load some 120 Barnes X's for you hunt and not sweat it. The main thing in big game hunting is finding the critter first, then shooting well enough to put the bullet in the right spot, then being physically able enough to pack said elk out. Seeing how only 20% of the hunters even tag out on Elk in any given season, Finding an elk to shoot is the problem, not so much with what.

Or you could use a TSX/TTSX & not worry about it.

You know Sierra makes a 120 Pro Hunter right? You can use that for practice or deer sized game, and switch to the 120 TTSX for elk. I suspect at slower velocities, that 120 Sierra wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to shoot an elk with either.
Also, that 120 Speer should be replaced with a 120 Deep Curl when it gets dropped. And, Speer hasn't dropped it yet, so you could stock up now and be good until a Deep Curl arrives.