Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting are those premium bullets really necessary

A few guys here don't seem to believe or care that lead remains in their food or harms non-target species, and they claim copper is a conspiracy to eliminate hunting. Not likely. Copper just makes sense - it works great for hunters and satisfies non-hunters concerned with human health and unintended harm to wildlife.

Non-lead bullets and shot are the wave of the future and I look forward to the day when lead is no longer used in ammunition for field use.

It pains me to criticize a bullet with such a loyal following and incredible effectivness but I couldn't disagree with you more. Once (if) lead bullets are banned, the hippies will find a reason to ban copper bullets. I promise.

No different than banning bear baiting. They did that in Colorado, then they moved on and got the spring season eliminated. You can't give them an inch.

I agree with the above two posts,and would take it just one step further and say there is no good reason not combine the good placement with the qualities of a well constructed bullet.
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We can argue until the cows come home about whether the reliable penetration, weight retention,consistent expansion,etc of a Premium game bullet are "worth it" or not,but I fail to see when these things ever became handicaps and I would rather have them and not need them, than need them and not have them, if you get my drift.

A few guys here don't seem to believe or care that lead remains in their food or harms non-target species, and they claim copper is a conspiracy to eliminate hunting. Not likely. Copper just makes sense - it works great for hunters and satisfies non-hunters

Not all "premiums" are the same. In some situations, a more frangible bullet will give quicker kills than a "harder" premium.

At the end of the day, elk only need a bullet to punch through the lungs... most any bullet will do that.

I tend to like Partition's because they have a relatively frangible front half that grenades in the lungs, yet retain a wadcutter shape to punch through and out.

But that's the nitpickings of a rifle nut.

Saddlesore's Sierra Game King's are likely a nearly perfect elk bullet. Ditto Dober's NBT's.

...I started shooting Barnes copper solids because I got tired of feeding lead fragments from weak bullets (core lokt) to my family, nor do I want to leave lead waste in the field to be eaten by scavengers...

yeah I know this is highly controversial,but in most applications I feel the standard bullets do an excellent job, if properly selected for the application, and a great deal of the answer will depend on the game and caliber and conditions under which the bullets are used, what you expect the bullet to do and if your using what might be called a remotely adequate caliber and cartridge for the game and conditions and ranges where your hunting.
most of us have very limited hunting time and using the best bullet you can afford makes sense when your spending thou$and$ on a hunt and bullets are a MINIMAL almost insignificant percentage of the cost.
yet having dressed out probably more game than many guys over the last 40 plus years,Id have to point out that I see very few bullet failures in the field, and darn few if any are occurring in bullets over 180 grains or over 30 caliber if the bullets left the rifle at under 3000fps, and the main consideration was a rather pragmatic,
"did the deer or elk etc die from a well placed shot"
yeah Ive used a 300 wby on elk in the past with 165 grain bullets and had bullets almost vaporize on impact the elk dropped within 10 feet, is that a true bullet failure?
Ive used a 117 grain premium bullet from a 257 wby on mule deer that seemed to have knocked them silly, but the bullet obviously failed to fully expand and exited,leaving a small path of destruction internally, the deer dropped instantly but was still trying to get up when I reached it,is that a true bullet failure?
most of my elk and deer have been killed with 250 grain speer or hornady .338, .358 bullets or speer or hornady 270-300 grain bullets a few to remington 405 grain not one failed to kill.
Ive loaded 150 grain 277 cal and 200 grain 30 caliber speer bullets for decades for guys in our elk camp, Ive yet to see a well hit deer or elk shrug one off or had a hunter in our camp say he hit game and had a long trailing job, unless it was his shot placement that was the cause , and I don,t remember anyone shooting and not recovering game

The bullet is the cheapest part of the hunt. When you can upgrade that part, and hedge your bets, for literal pennies, why wouldn't you?

A lot of people,say there is extensive evidence that lead in gut piles kills birds, but have trouible citing exact studies and ones that do not have an agenda to push

I took a backup rifle on a hunt one time because the bullets were $20 cheaper. I had to hold off shooting a real nice buck because I wasn't confident that with my backup rifle. The shot would have been a no brainer with my main gun.