Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 165 grain Nosler Partition, .30 cal., on Elk, Your thoughts?

Not a big fan of Partitions anymore. I've hand loaded them in in various weights up to 250 gr. with varying results. On my only guided hunt ever many years ago, the guide called them "trackers", because they had to track a lot of elk shot with them. I think your limiting factor will be a shoulder shot. I'd rather have a heavier bullet for that reason, particularly if it's the only shot you have. I shoulder shot an elk at 75 yards with a 338 with a 210 gr partition and it did not break through the shoulder. The second shot did drop it like a rock through the spine. It really is up to the shot and shooter, but if you are off just a little, give me that 180 gr. in a 30-06 any day.
I do love their old "solid base" (discontinued) bullet for shooting deer. Best shots of my life were with that bullet.

I'd like to see the elk shoulder that could stop a 210 .338 Partition.

Have broken the big joint on a good-sized 6x6's shoulder with a 200-grain Partition from a .300 Winchester Magnum--and the bullet exited the rear of the ribcage. The range was 75 yards.

Horse poop smelling strong here.

Sign me up for that too!

Add me to the signature line!

Maybe if the bullet drilled a tree trunk on the way!

I think he was smoking something...I'd like to see that one...Sign me up too.....

Smelt more like BS to me.....I've shot thru elk shoulders with my 250 gr. sierra gamekings out of my 338 win mag. The 210 partition is a MUCH stronger pill....

Me too!

Me three.

I've broken the shoulder on an Arizona elk, a 9' B&C grizzly, and a 60" Alaska moose with the 210 gr Partition. If there is a more reliable bullet for BIG North American biggame, I haven't seen it.

Don't doubt you saw what you saw....but bullets can at times deflect and take a screwy course through game animals,which might be what happened in the case you witnessed.

In general I've seen the 210 Partition do some great work on elk and black bear,so long as it was placed properly...and I've killed a pretty fair number of elk with 160 gr 7mm,180 and 200 gr 30 caliber bullets and some have been shoulder shot.

Certainly more than enough to know that if you have to do a lot of tracking to find an elk hit properly with a Partition, one of two things is absolutely true: He wasn't hit properly....or he wasn't hit at all.

Point is an example of one can't lead to many reliable conclusions.

It's somewhat humorous to me that some people think they have rediscovered the wheel and found some little known fault with a design that has been used successfully on every major BG species worldwide since the 40's...like they now have discovered something no one else has in the preceeding 60+ years....usually this is based on an example of "one" on their (likely) only elk hunt.

You do read some funny stuff on the Internet...

Shot at 75-100 yards with a .338 RUM 210 NP at a starting velocity of 3200,high shoulder shot as can be seen by the hole in shoulder.

Dropped in tracks and went through other shoulder also.

About 25 years ago, I shot a bull through both shoulders with the .210 grain Nosler Partition shot from a .338 Win Mag, from about 200 yards. The bullet exited, so I have no idea what it looked like. The bull, after taking one of these through the lungs, was about to follow a few cows into a steep ravine...hence the shoulder shot to stop him.

I hear alot of gack about Partitions that frankly is not born out by my experience with them. They have been superbly reliable in my humble hunting career.

regarding the 210 NP comment I often wonder if it's a matter of too much speed and not enough momentum. to wit, i would consider the 200 NP for elk; great aerodynamics and a ton of momentum.

elkhunternm,

with an elk' physiology, did that shot break the spine or just what happened there?

elkhunternm: Bet that one didn't need much tracking...


bluefish: Penetration with Partitions is pretty much due to design,construction,jacket thickness,as much as SD.While the 210 is shorter than other 338 Partitions,it's a tough bullet and will handle elk bones at high velocity,like 3150-3200 fps MV.I have seen it used in the 340 Weatherby by a companion quite a bit.

I recall one bull at 250 yards or so that took one on the point of the shoulder...he was erased...one of those DRT's we all like to see.

That is just stupid! Yeah those Nosler Partitions are junk, jou should go to Walmart and buy some Coreloks. The .338 just bounces off elk, whatever.....

Bob,

I've read what you wrote before as the argument for the 210 NP as the beau ideal in the 338-06 since it's lower (compared to the win mag) velocities combined with it's fairly tough construction create a deeper penetrating bullet. However, I was wondering aloud if hitting big bones can perhaps cause such a bullet to not act as one may hope.

I'm going to start working up a load in the next week or so for the 260 AB in my 375 and see if I can make a do-all NA load with a sight in distance of 200 yards. Plenty of power lines around here I can experiment on once I'm loaded up.

bluefish all I can say is it has penetrated fine on anything I've seen it used on,including busting up the pelvis on another bull elk....that's the biggest animal I have seen it used on.

Would it fail to penetrate anything larger? I don't know...

bob,

for no good reason that 338-06 in a M70 platform with a 24 or 25" barrel in an Echols Legend strikes me as a darned good setup for Western elk/muley hunting. lots of pokey and all in a package weighing what a standard 06 would weigh. what's not to like there, huh? curious if say a 225 AB may be a better flyer for a general elk rig?