Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Bullet brand/type you use for elk....

Between me and family/friends we have used a variety of bullets and calibers on elk over the years, Hornady, Speer, win/rem/fed factory stuffs.

The core-lokt factory ammo seems to have a long, loyal use for the ones who don't roll there own I have noticed. But generally with that group, It is what was ever on sale in the caliber/weight of bullet they wanted, and the elk and other game fills alot of pick-ups every fall from that group.

Myself, I shoot handloads 99% of the time anymore and have settled on Noslers Partition for the most part for elk in my rifles.

So, whats yer usual elk bullet prescription.....

I have had great luck with Noslers Partition perfect performance have about a dozen of them I have recovered over the years and all perfect mushroom.
Did catch a sale on some Accubonds so will give them ago.

Got my "lifetime" stash of original Jack Carter manufacture Trophy Bonded Bearclaws. They have performed flawlessly for years and I see no need for change.

However, if my lifetime supply dwindles out, I'll switch to a Partition or a North Fork, and not miss a beat.

This year I'm trying 180 gr. Speer Deep Curls. Hopefully I'll report the results after elk season.

I remeber, when I was a kid way to young to hunt my family had late, unit 1 rifle bull tags here in Az.

I remember looking over my dads box of bullets and seeing several different colors. I was like looking in a crayon box! I know now there were ballistic tips, partitions, and Sierras in the box. Luckily, my dad shot his bull with the Sierras or Partions, and didnt grab those 130 BT's.

But, the only rifle tag we have had in recent years is my brothers Jr's only cow tag where he used my 257 wby and the 100 TTSX with PERFECT results. bullet hits elk, elk hits ground, bullet is probably still in flight somewhere!

Have used Serria HPBT, Nosler BTBT, Nosler Accubond, Hornady Interlock, Serria Spitzer, Speer, but my favorite is the Nosler Part. with the Accubond second.

I have killed more elk with Partitions than anything else, but I have also used the Swift A-frame, Scirocco, Scirocco II and the TTSX. However, the last five bulls have all been taken with AccuBonds.

Hornady SPs,Sierra Prohunters, have partitions but have not used them. Maybe this year on a Zumwalt cow hunt I'll give them a try.

Rock Chuck, somewhere I seem to remember being told deep curl bullets and Federals fusion ammo line are the same bullets. Although weights vary, the assembly of the bullet is the same.

A fella I know shot a rag horn bull a few years back with the fusion 150 gr 7mm rem mag load. It totally jellied heart/lungs with a threw the slats broadside shot and gone with complete penetration.

As far as the range was, 'close' is what he said.

I killed my first bull 47 years ago with a .30-40 Krag that I borrowed from my Uncle and shot whatever factory bullets that he gave me with the rifle.

I then got my own and first centerfire rifle, a .30-06 and killed my next 8 elk with either 150 gr Hornady or 180 gr Sierra handloaded bullets.

Another bull fell to a Bear 2 blade broadhead from a Herter's recurve bow that I used in the '70s.

The year after I moved to SW Montana I was hunting rams in one of Montana's unlimited sheep units north of Yellowstone Park and I couldn't resist a big chocolate antlered, ivory tipped 6x6 and dropped him in his tracks with a 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullet from my .257 Ackley.

My next 21 elk were killed with 180 gr Nosler Partitions from my .30 Gibbs.

I then put a cow elk in my freezer with a 150 gr Nosler Accubond from my 7mm Rem mag, and the last bull that I shot was with a 168 gr Barnes TSX bullet from my .300 Weatherby.

This elk season I'll be carrying my .300 Weatherby loaded with 168 gr TTSX handloads.

After about 40 years of elk hunting, I've found that whatever bullet I'm shooting from whatever caliber rifle I'm hunting with, if I put that bullet just behind an elk's shoulder and into his heart/lungs, I'll have a dead elk on the ground.

Shot a so-so bull last week with a 160 Nos. Partition out of a 280AI, he'll be spending the winter in my freezer. If I knew how to post photos I'd show him off, but as I said he's not big just good eating.

buffybr,

Have found pretty much the same thing. My wife and I have hunted elk with Barnes TSX's, Hornady Interlocks, Speer Grand Slams, Trophy Bonded Bear Claws (from originals to the present plastic-tipped, nickel-plated, grooved version), and Nosler Ballistic Tip, Partition and E-Tips bullets. I also killed a big red stag about the size of a typical 5-point elk with a Berger VLD from a .30-06. If any went in the right spot, the animal was down pretty quickly. Have also taken one bull with a Zwickey Delta broadhead, but lost a cow shot with a "premium" bullet that wasn't as premium as advertised on an angling shot. 90% of it is shot placement.

I've not taken very many, but all six of my elk have fallen to a 7mm rem mag loaded with 160 Nosler Accubonds.

This year, we will try my 325 wsm loaded with 200 grain accubonds. Son will be using his 7-08 loaded with 140 Accubonds.

I have shot most of my elk with Speer Grand slams, followed by Hornady SP,IL bullets, Nosler partitions, then a bunch of other misc. stuff. I like either heavy for caliber or strongly constructed bullets for elk, just in case the bullet is not placed perfectly. I have seen the shoulder socket joint of a fairly small elk stop a 150 gr. .308 cup and core bullet on a couple different occasions.

I normally hand load my ammo but I've been unable to find the powder I use for the rifle I'm taking elk hunting this year. I found some reasonably priced, 286 grain Norma Oryx for my 9.3x62 and will be trying factory loads this year. I've read mixed reviews but, most think it is a decent round for elk, moose and other large NA game.

My favorite is a 235 grain Speer .375 over IMR 4530 - CCI LRP at 2,850 fps from either my Ruger #1 or .375 H&H Mauser. Deadly, flat shooting, and cheap. I just loaded 300 rounds and that will have to be my life time supply - out of powder - out of CCI primers, but IA still have 100 bullets.


Terrys

OOPS - I forgot to tell you that Mule Deer will tell you that a .30-06 is also a good caliber/rifle combination. Don't believe him - those little bullets just bounce off!


Terry

As buffybr and mule deer have stated, shot placement trumps bullet build, I fully concur.... I just tend to use partitions. A few examples are....

Like the 150 gr power point 70ish yards from an uncles good ol' 06' not make it threw a mature cow elk shoulder joint socket as well... Next shot made it to the off side hide with nothing heavier than a rib to pierce. Pic perfect mushroom.

Same bullet from a 300 win mag factory load from another hunting pardners rifle into the slats of another mature cow right at 100 yds turned its self and the heart/lungs into unrecognizable objects. Demise was very quick of both elk and bullet.

A 200 gr horn spire point @3000fps from a life long friends 338 win hit a LARGE 6x6 bull close to 200 yards in the 'elbow' joint. The bull kicked one hind leg at the shot and just vanished into the thick ocean spray bushes. We found the bull very dead about 60 yards down in small draw from where it was shot with not so much as a drop of blood to be had. Upon dismantling said bull, the very bottom of the bullet jacket was found in the opposite side lower leg meat.

Bullet failure well.... These animals were killed and did fill a freezer. Only due to a quick second shot the one elk would have led us on a marry chase to who knows were with no guarantee of filling the freezer. Kinda hard to call it failure when that happens. Even harder if an animal is lost.... Was it shot placement or bullet issues.

Sometimes things go right, Its when things go left when you think things are all "right" and good.

Seen many mulies and elk taken with 6mm to 375s and every kill its the same story -

hearts with holes drain and quit working, lungs do not seal and re-inflate, just tend to use a heavy weight for caliber with a decent BC, the real work begins.