Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 308 win or 7mm RM

LMAO!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Now how many times do I have to tell you, you need to use preme bullets on those PD's and get full penetration and retention....grins


Mark D

And you lived to tell about it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I was charged by a wounded Nutria earlier this summer.

Terrifying experience, let me tell you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I had broken its shoulder with my first shot when it came at me. As it charged up the bank of the ditch, I could see the fire in its eyes.

I resisted the urge to "cut and run" instead I "stayed the couse."

The integrity of this ditchbank and--by extension--the entire free world, hung in the balance.

I raised my rifle, and realized he was too close, so I shot from the hip. As my knees shook, I held my ground and fired repeatedly into the charging rodent.

Nine rounds later, the Nurtia was dead, and I was fully alive.

As I walked away, I looked up to the heavens, and said: "God Bless Bill Ruger, and his 10/22"

BMT

BMT �

If we�re going to compare different bullets...

.308� 180g
2740fps = Federal Vital-Shok, Partition, Load 308G
2698fps = Nosler 5th, any bullet
2660fps = Hodgdon Annual Manual 2004, Speer SP
2620fps = Winchester Silvertip and Power Point
2620fps = Remington Core-Lokt Ultra and Core-Lokt SP and PSP
2620fps = Federal Vital-Shok, Partition, Load 308E
2620fps = Federal Vital-Shok, Barnes MRX, Load 308W
2620fps = Federal Power-Shok, Soft Point, Load 308B
2614fps = Barnes #3, X
2613fps = Speer #12, any bullet
2550fps = Lyman 48th, Ballistic Tip
2500fps = Hornady 6th, any bullet


175g 7mm Rem Mag
2970fps = Nosler 5th, any bullet
2954fps = Speer #12, any bullet
2910fps = Lyman 48th, Speer Grand Slam
2900fps = Hornady 6th, any bullet
2860fps = Winchester Silvertip
2860fps � Remington Core-Lokt PSP
2826fps = Barnes #3, X
2800fps = Hodgdon Annual Manual 2004, Partition
2780fps = Federal Vital-Shok, Trophy Bonded

Its pretty clear from these numbers that the 7mm Rem Mag has a fairly significant advantage in velocity, although the Federal 308G load is a potent .308 round.

That said, and as a long time (25 years) 7mm Rem Mag elk hunter, I have to admit there I have never taken a shot I couldn�t have taken with a properly loaded .308 Win. Now that I have a .308 Win (why did I wait so long???), my hunting loads are 168g TSX and 165g North Forks in the mid-2600�s and I can�t wait to try them. Certainly not screamers but more than enough to pop clay pigeons at 300 yards.

Given reasonably accurate rifles, I agree - the hunter really is 90% of the equation. If the rifle fits, use it!

S'what-Im-sayin' . . . . . . <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Good Shooting,

BMT

wouldn't a 168 or 150 tsx be a better choice than a 180 in the 308.

With the premium bullets out there now, I think 168 or 150 would suffice.

Dude, I am astill seeing your "old" Avatar.

And, yeah, a 150 grain TSX at 2900 FPS is my Elk Load.

BMT

My post, and the choice of bullet weights considered, was in response to another about 180g bullets. If you read my post closel;y you'll see I use 165g North Fork and 168g TSX.

I would go with the 308 308 caliber vs 284 I think the 308 is a better elk rnd.Pokes a bigger hole in them

If you are using solids yes,with expanding bullets,which are a legal requirement in most locations,not necessarily.The size of the wound channel is more related to how the bullet expands.

Well I need to do some soul searching. All I've ever used on elk is cup and core bullets, Speer and mostly Hornadys. I've also managed to kill them with a 6.5x06, 7x57, 7mmrem mag and 308win. The only thing in common in each case was that with a well placed and well selected bullet, all were just as dead! 140gr 6.5 Hornady spire point, 154gr .284 Hornady RN, 160gr .284 Speer hot core and 165gr .308 Hornady spire point. I have had no complaints from shot elk!

DonFischer�

Not picking on you nor am I saying your choice of bullets won�t work � but I do want to explain my rationale for using something better.

My first elk went down in the early 80�s to a broadside shot from my 7mm Rem Mag. The load was Hornady 162g BTSPs at around 2950-3000fps. The bullet hit a rib dead center, cratered the back side, passed through and came to rest under the hide on the off side. I don�t recall any damage to the ribs on the far side - it may have nicked one but it certainly didn�t go through one. In short, the challenge to the bullet�s integrity was relatively low, yet the bullet lost over 50% of its original weight. It left me with little confidence that the bullet would penetrate deeply enough if the angle was bad, say on a wounded and fleeing elk.

The next year I switched to Speer Grand Slam 160g bullets and didn�t recover a bullet for 20 years. When I did it was from a 5x5 bull and had destroyed both shoulder joints and some intervening bones. Retained weight was 71%, or about 2.4x what the Hornady bullet retained (113.7g vs. 47.7g) Although the Grand Slams had always performed well, I decided there were better bullets available that would retain still more weight (read �penetrate deeper if needed�). Nosler 160g Partitions loaded by Federal had always been my backup loads, but I figured if I was going to switch I might as well get the best.

After some testing on water jugs, steel plate and live game, I ended up with the North Fork, A-Frame and TSX bullets. The North Forks get used in the 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Win , .300 Win Mag and .45-70; the A-Frames in the .257 Roberts (no North Fork available); and the TSX bullets get loaded for everything except the .45-70.

These days I work hard to place the first shot but don�t worry about what happens if I fail � I have confidence the bullets I use will penetrate to the vitals from almost any � if not any � angle.

For elk under 250 yards, I'd prefer the 308 with 180's. It wouldn't matter if it was in grizzly country or not. I like a lighter, faster handling gun for close range.

Bullet placement is the most important. Shoot what your shoulder can stand!