Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 154 gr Hornady on elk ?

Would be interested in any first hand experience obtained with the 154 gr (or 139 gr) Horn SP on elk. Wife and I are either going to NM or CO this year and she's set with 120 gr TTSX, but I'm looking at the 154 Horn outta my 284 win. MV will be around 2900 fps. I appreciate your input.
Thanks,
bludog

Will work fine(have not taken elk but caribou,bear and deer) but why not load some 140gr TSX's or even the 120grs TSX your wife is shooting if your concerned?

Good question - may do that, or my go with the 150 gr Nos PT. Just looking for experience with this bullet - have heard some very good things on it. If it proves to be a shooter in the gun, then I'll give it serious consideration - it's seems to be a little tougher than the avg. C&C and it has the exact same SD as a 180 gr 30 cal.

I guess I understand the question if you already have a good accurate load worked up but if starting from ground zero it wouldn't be my 1st choice I'd roll with TSX

George has made some good suggestions and as far as the 154 SP Hornady... you won't be handicapped one bit with it either...

I've not shot an elk with it but I have used it and the 139-grainer on big mule deer and one bighorn sheep. But, leading up to using it, I did quite a bit of penetration and expansion testing of numerous bullets using soaked newsprint with a hard outer shell. The Hornady did perform well in comparison to other cup and core bullets -- though I wouldn't say it was the best. So, if it is an accurate round for you, I think it will do fine if properly placed. I would not be real comfortable with it should you hit too far forward and straight into the shoulder. I might consider practicing with it but using an Interbond.

The 154 gr Hornady will do its part if you do your. I wouldn't hesitate to use this bullet for Elk if my rifle shot them well. Elk aren't bullet proof like some would like to make you think

I shoot a 284 built on a long action rem 700, so that I can use longer bullets seated out. The bullet that I use is the 162gr Hornady BT at about 2900 fps and it has done well on Elk. If I could get the 154 gr bullet to shoot well, I would use that too. It is a good C&C bullet. I loaded two boxes of 154 hornadys in a 7mm saum for a neighbor to take to Alaska a few years ago. He killed a dall sheep and a mountain Grizzly that trip. They seem to work. Daryl.

I appreciate everyone's input and opinions, keep them coming, just wondering if there is anyone on the Campfire that has actually fired a 154 Horn at an elk and what happened.

Daryl,

Thanks for the response - you responded before I had updated the screen. What velocity was your neighbor running with the 154's?

bludog

Around 2900 fps too. The rifle is a Rem mod 7 with a 22 inch barrel. I would have no worries with that bullet, but I wouldn't push it any faster. There is no perfect bullet for elk. I have killed many elk with a all kinds of cup and core bullets. Do a lot of shooting this year before your hunt, so you have confidence in your rifle. Get your rifle dialed in on the bench and then practice on hunting setups ect. sitting , prone, sticks, or off your pack. Trigger time will pay off for your hunt. Good luck, Daryl.

Loaded the 154 Hornady over 50 grns of IMR4350, R-P case's, and Fed 210 primer's in my wife's ruger in 280 Rem a few year's ago. She shot a nice little raghorn 5x6 at about 225 yard's. Worked like a charm.

I've used the 154 gr almost exclusively in a 7x57 I had. Wonderful bullet. I also tried 139 gr bullet's in that rifle and they shot and killed well. The 154 gr was more accurate so it got the call. I found that Hornadys are tuffer than most cup and core bullet's.

I'm courious. The guy getting 2900fps with the 162 gr bullet, sounds awful hot to me. How are ypou doing that?

2900fps is what I loaded the 154's in my 7mm Rem Mag

Yep, My wife Karen killed ten or twelve elk with the 154 Hornady SP Interlocked. She used a 7Mag and it was a one-shot killer every time.

Steve

Don, My 284 win is built on a long action mod 700 with a long throat to seat the bullets out. The rifle also has a 25" barrel. I am also using RL 17 powder, which is perfect for the short mags and 284. Google long action 284 win and see what you find. Daryl.

A 7x57 loaded with 49 grains H4350 under the 154 grain @ 2800 fps was my back up rifle to a Model 70 Alaskan .338 mag. on several elk and moose hunts. The Model 70 was put out of commission by a big old Roman nose, red roan horse whacking a tree.

The 7x57 brought down a Montana bull 5x6 elk that was standing broadside in a deadfall at about 30 paces. At the shot the elk jumped a couple of downed trees and crashed. The Hornday broke a rib going in and going out. Lungs were mush.

Days later in Idaho the 7x57 took a 5x5 elk at the edge of a meadow. Elk was quartering away from me at a higher elevation than me at 240 paces. Hit the heart and lung and exited without hiting any bone. Elk was recovered at 87 paces.

Put a new stock on the M70, sold it, took the 7x57 elk hunting the next fall loaded with 160 grain Nosler Partition. Sorry.

Wayne

Witnessed my brother dump a bull moose at 300 yards with one through the shoulders out of a 7 Rem Mag. Bull dropped at the shot, thrashed about for a few seconds, never moved from the spot. Bull came to rest against the skin on the far side, centred through both shoulder blades.

How about the 154 Hornady Interlock used on a full-grown Asian water buffalo bull??? Not an elk, but a considerably larger, heavier and more vital critter.

A few years ago, I whacked a water buffalo at about fifty yards. He was broadside and I shot him through both carotid arteries. I experienced complete penetration of the neck, including the two-inch++ thick hide on both sides.

From my position, the bull just fell in the knee-deep snow and disappeared from view. All I could see was the incredibly white snow and a RED FOUNTAIN OF BLOOD gushing waaay up into the air at ever pumping of his heart.

Then, the fountain shortened, and shortened a little more and then stopped.

I knew the shot would be short, so I down-loaded the 154-grain Hornady bullets to 2,800 fps. I could not have asked for a better buffalo killer.

Steve

My wifes 7x57 laid out a couple of elk stone cold dead using the 154 interloc, also a couple of long range shots on different muledeer made for plenty of deer jerky and sausage. Never did recover one of those bullets.