Is there any major disadvantage to using 150 grain bullets for elk hunting. It seems the .308 users like them but the consensus is that 165 and 180 grains are the Holy Grail for the odd6. Seeing is that they are closely related is there a disadvantage?

What type of bullet? Nosler Partition? Sierra Match? VLD? In general terms, I'd go with 180's. You'll appreciate the extra weight if you smack a shoulder blade, less than broadside shot angle, etc.

Best of luck!

155 Scenars work well on elk out of .308s.

I don't have personal experience with 155 Scenars out of a 30-06 on elk, but I don't see why they would not be effective with the extra velocity provided with the -06.

My wife and a few friends all killed their elk 2 seasons ago with Winchester 150 Gr Power Points. I was very pleased and surprised at how well they worked on elk. Breaking major bone (upper leg) on 2 elk of the 4 elk killed with them, 2 bullets didn't exit, but the recovered bullets weigh 134 and 129 grains each.
That's as good as a Nosler partition.

The heavier 180s in the tougher bullets penetrate better. In the trees an exit wound is a BIG benefit leaving a blood trail to follow. I am usually a fanatic about my rifle loads giving me exits on elk. But with that said, I still have to praise how well the standard WW 150 gr worked and how accurate they are I get sub MOA out of my 308 with them.
Bullet weight is a bit less important then bullet construction.

In my experience my daughters 257 Roberts with 115 Barnes TSX bullets out penetrates 180 grain Sierra 30 cals in 30-06, and 300 magnums. The holes are not as big around with the 257, but they go clear through, and the Sierras don't about half the time.

I have never seen a Burger get through an elk yet regardless of caliber, rifle cambering or bullet weight.

Bullet toughness is what you want to look at first and then weight.

My son killed a huge cow elk with a 308 and a 150 grain partition.

Bang flop.

It's more about bullets than weight within reason.

I shoot the 155 Secnars now, and wouldn't hesitate to shoot an elk with my 308 and that bullet over Varget.

I think there's a decided disadvantage from 300 yards and longer...

example: Looking at the ballistics of a 150 grain partition traveling at 2900fps, compared to a 200 grain partition at 2650fps tells you that the 200 grain handles long range with more energy delivered by about 25%, and will penetrate much more because of the sectional density.

No reason to shoot the small pill in my mind.

FWIW, here's a quote from Dogzapper, a guy with one or 2 elk under his belt...



FC

If memory serves, the first elk killed with the then-new 308 Winchester back in the 1950s was killed with a 150 grain Winchester factory load. Today's premium 150 grain bullets would be even better. That said, I would use a 165-168 grain premium bullet in a 30-06 or 308 for game as large as elk. The one elk I shot with a 30 caliber rifle took a 180 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw out of a 300 Weatherby Magnum. It worked just fine.

I use 180 grain bullets. No reason to fix what isn't broken.

For longer ranges, compare the impact velocity and energy from a 180 gr bullet and a 150 gr bullet. Even more so a 200 gr bullet.

I prefer a heavy for caliber bullet,as I know they will hold up at short ranges that elk are normally killed a. Of course that does not apply to most mono bullets and partitions as such.

I'm one of the stupid ones though,I like the 220 gr RN in the.06, when I know I am in for 300 +yard shots, I defer to the 180 gr partitions

Several years ago, I loaded up some Barnes 150 gr. TSX bullets for my son's '06. They went over the chronograph at 2950 fps, and sub-MOA accuracy, out of his older Savage bolt action.

On his cow elk hunt, he took a large cow at 250 yards, which ran 40 yards and dropped. Bullet was a pass-thru. Couldn't ask for better performance from a bullet from the '06, IMO.

The 150 grainers offer less recoil than the heavier 165 and 180 bullets, which can be a real advantage for recoil-sensitive shooters.

Almost any bullet will kill elk ( or moose) if they are shot broadside through the forward ribs. Things get more interesting when the shot is not so perfect.
I've twice seen 150 grain cup and core .308" bullets stopped dead by the humerus/ scapula joint when elk were angling 45° towards the hunter and were shot at the point of the shoulder at moderate range. Both those elk would have escaped and would have been lost if they hadn't been shot again while they hobbled off. One was a small calf.

I have never seen a more substantial bullet of more weight stopped dead in a similar manner, a dozen other elk and moose shot with .308/180's or other heavier / larger bullets placed similarly were quickly killed when the bullet continued through that hard bone and into the vitals. However, no bullet is a sure thing.

One bull I shot at the point of the shoulder with a .375 H&H and 260gr. NP ran off as if nothing much happened. Another quick shot to the spine dropped him. That first big, strong bullet entered the point of the shoulder, broke the joint, pulverized the scapula, and exited out the same side without ever penetrating the chest cavity. Improbable, but true.

I'd hunt elk with a .308/150 cup and core bullet if that's all I had available, but I greatly prefer something heavier and stronger.


the bull that deflected the 260 gr. NP...



and the calf that stopped the 150 grain ...

No there really isn't any problem with a 150 in the 06.
I prefer 165's in both the 06 and 308, altho there is a lot to be said for a 180 out of a 308 when hunting timber. Makes a person get a better understanding why the 30-40 Krag had such a following back in the day.

For twenty years I used 150 grain cup & core 30-06 bullets and killed a bunch of elk. But one day it took three shots in the chest at close range to drop a cow elk. She just stood there while I pumped rounds into her lungs. She was so close that I could see the hair raise and the muscles twitch each time a bullet hit her. That's not the kind of performance that I wanted so I switched to 30-06, 180 grain Nosler Partitions. That was twenty years ago and there have been no problems with that bullet.

KC

If I make this purchase i would not use cup and core bullets due to the bullet weight. I would be using something more substantial.

More substantial than what? I've never recovered a 165 gr Hornady interloc from an elk hit broadside at 250 yds and under yet, and the very few from over 250 yds was usually a lump under the hide on the far side..
"premium" bullets are all well and good but cup and core bullets were putting elk in the freezer for decades before "premiums" were invented.

I use 200 grain NPs in a 300 win mag for everything just about.

That said my daughter has now killed two elk with a .308 and 150 cup and core federals.

She broke both of this bulls front legs last November. He turned 180 degrees after the first hit. When I went to quarter him I could flop both front legs almost straight up without any cutting. He went about 40-50 yards but it was mostly stumbling/falling down a pretty steep hill. Shot distance around 240 yards.

Not a huge sample size for sure. But it's there.



I've shown this photo a couple times. The first time just to brag and now a couple times to show what some "inferior" guns and loads can do. Ok, I'm bragging now too.

For good reason.

So far I've dropped three elk with a .30-06. Two were with a 165g North Fork SS, one with a 150g Nosler AB. All three dropped at the shot.

As a matter of preference, my vote goes for the heavier 165g bullet.

This is my choice as well.

I've had that happen, too. I'm betting that on the 1st shot, she went into shock. When the blood pressure drops fast, the NCS pretty much freezes up and they just stand there oblivious to everything until the rest of the system fails. It's not the size or type of bullet. It's where it hits that does it. It's a sure killer but it fools you. It would take a trauma team to keep one alive at that point.

What about the 150 monos moving at 3k-ish MV?

I shot a good sized cow at about 100 yards last year with a 150gr TTSX out of an -06 (Barnes factory loading), advertised at just shy of 3k MV. Slight quartering away shot, complete pass through. Took out the back shoulder on it's way out. She went about 40 yards and death rolled down the hillside.

To the OP,

Type of bullet matters more than weight. If you go 150 (which is heavier than the bullets I used on my most recent two bulls) go Partition or Accubond. Elk aren't armor plated. Practice shooting and shoot them in the lungs, you'll have a dead elk.



P

This would certainly be my choice if I were to use a 150 grain bullet from a 30 caliber rifle on elk.

A 165gr Nosler Partition at 2800fps out of '06 is about as deadly a combination as can be found. In a lot of years of hunting I never had a failure or a chase with that combination.

Still learning about bullet construction, what is a core-lok from Remington? Is that the remington version of a accubond or partition?

If memory serves its core is locked with the cannelure ring. So no the partition has a divided jacket with a lead heal and lead point and the accuboom is a cup and core type design with the core glued in.

I shoot 168 TTSX.
here is how I look at it.
06 has enough powder for 165/8 and 180s.
308 win stay with 150,
300 win mag 180+

The OP wants another rifle. He's got a 270 already, the step up to 30-06 isn't that much. If he wants more I'd say step up to the 300WM. You can always sell it if you decide it's too much. You don't tell us much about your hunting experience, and shooting experience. If you have a friend with a 300WM borrow it and shoot it. Sometimes need has nothing to do with it. I just like certain cartridges that I consider classics. I also tend to like the heavy for caliber bullets they come in. Simple as that. Get what you want. Go hunt and have fun.

The element of the Kinetic energy formula that is fixed is the bullet weight so the more mass the bullet has the less it depends on speed to retain the power to do damage to the animal. In addition the Ballistic coefficient is usually better in a 180 than in a 150 grain bullet in 30 caliber so physics favors the heavier projectile at all ranges.

In more practical terms heavy bullets pushed pretty hard knock the heck out of stuff and give you greater margin for error. I use a 300 Weatherby to push 180 grain TTSX bullets fast so I get the best performance at longer ranges on elk but they work well at close range too. No substitute for hitting the vitals but use the heaviest bullet that shoots well is almost always good advice.

I've put a few elk in the freezer with the basic Remington 165 gr CoreLokt. I use the same bullet in my 30-06 and my son's 308. The only reason I would change is the current availability problem - fortunately, we're fairly well stocked.
I don't recall an elk making it much over ~60 yards after being hit.

Thanks,
Good info

Shootsaswede: Based on my experience I would suggest/recommend using the wonderful Nosler 165 grain Partition while Elk Hunting with a 30/06 Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

When I was guiding elk hunters I always insisted on, heavy for caliber, premium bullets like Nosler partition or Swift A-frames. Having shot 37 elk myself and having seen nearly 100 shot. I gutted and skinned most of that 100 so I have experience with bullet holes in elk. Now that I have age to go with experience I am not sure those heavy premium bullets were necessary for most elk shot these days. Of the last 11 elk I have shot and at least 3/4's of the elk I guided were all shot with the elk standing broadside through the lungs. About any bullets of any weight will put an elk down with a broadside lung shot. Where the lightweight cup and core bullets come up lacking is when that elk is angling away, running straight away, or quartering towards you. Of the 37 elk I shot, 31 was with Nosler Partitions. I am now not too afraid to shoot a lighter bullet of less than premium construction. I once guided a client on a bison shoot. He shot a large bison with a 300 Win Mag using 180 grain Winchester PowerPoints. The shot was through the lungs and into the off shoulder. The range was 50 yards so impact was violent yet the bullet came out picture perfect and could have been in an advertisement. I was impressed with what I had shunned for decades.

I have not Hunted Elk as much as some Hunters here on the Fire but I know what works for me... use 165-Nosler Partition or 165gr hornady Interloc. The few Elk hit W/said load fell over dead or walked off a few feet then fell over.Bullets never recovered,meat for the freezer was...HOOAHHH !!! Never used the newer bullets but will try the TTsx in my T3lite-06 this year to see how they group...ScottyO...

Problems with group with NP (none of my guns like them particularly well, but acceptable), and with the Interlock? Either is a good bullet.

I have come to prefer C&C myself - they will do anything a premium will if placement is right, under nearly all conditions a hunter should be taking a shot at. The only argument I've accepted is that apparently one can "eat right up to the hole" with a Barnes, but a few ounces of lost meat isn't a real concern to me either, most cases.

Why are you looking to change what appears to be acceptable?

I'm rather simplistic myself- subscribing to the KISS principle. No need to mess with success.

For the most part it's a very ordinary cup and core bullet riding on the coattails of older generations of bullets having the same name.

^^^^ definitely true. Especially the ROUND NOSE 30-06 180 gr. The 220 gr is always a round nose and It's a true, great core-lokt as well. My Zim pH Buddy's go to round for the "cheap stuff".

150 gr. will give you a flatter trajectory, and is plenty of weight.

150 gr. Nosler Partition IMR 4350 (3000 ft/sec)

Sight your gun in with a 300 yard zero (3.9 high at 100yds)

100 – +3.9
200 – +4.9
300 – 0.0
350 – (-4.7)
400 – (-11.2)
450 – (-19.7)
500 – (-30.4)

** Below aiming points for mature bull. **

Out to 350 put the cross hairs in the boiler room right behind the shoulder, in the center of the body, and you’ll have meat in the freezer.

400, put it on his spine, and let it drop into the boiler room.

450 – at a quarter of a mile (440 yds.) put it 6 inches above the back and let it drop into the boiler room.

500 – put the cross hairs half the body thickness above the back and let it drop in the boiler room.

Just take a good range finder.

I killed my first elk at 375 yds. with 140 Nosler Partition in the boiler room broadside.

Been killing them the last 20 years with 150 gr. Partitions, and all of my group shoot the same thing, 150 gr. Partitions in 7mm Rem Mags. We’re only 300 ft/sec. above the ‘06 at 3300 muzzle.

I just bought a Winchester pre-64 Featherweight in ‘06 and will be building a load for it with 150 gr Partitions for this year, and will probably hunt it with open sights using the above advice on shot placement, after checking it at the range. Going from a 10 lb. rifle to a 6 lb rifle will be nice.

Bullet Placement. Bullet Placement. Bullet Placement…and a good quality flat shooting bullet in the boiler room will put meat in the freezer.

Don’t rush the shot, he’ll eventually turn and move to a good angle for you. (Famous last words)

Overall, some of the most accurate loads I have ever shot were using the 150gn Partition in a .30/06. It has been a very good bullet for me in .30 cal.

The guidelines I suggest for a bullet for elk.

Minimum caliber 6.5 mm

Cup and core:

S.D. Greater than .25
Foot pounds energy at impact. Greater than twice weight of the animal.

Monolithic
S.D. Greater than .2
Feet per second at impact greater than 1850 fps

.
Personal experience, advice from buddies, the web sight of Terminal ballistic research and debate here at the campfire has helped me with these suggestions.

Go with a 165-168 gr Barnes TTSX and there will be no worry about bullet performance. A 150 gr TTSX is ok, too. I have taken mule deer and elk with 150 gr Barnes out of a 7mm Weatherby and 168 Barnes TTSX out of a .300 Weatherby. Never had to track a one of them.

+1

We've been taking game with the TTSX since they came out and the MRX before that. Most animals have dropped straight down, none have gone more than a few steps. Confidence in them is high enough that I recommended a 130g @ 3045fps for Daughter #1 and her .308 Win. She will be using it for elk and antelope again this year. If she shoots an elk I doubt we'll recover the bullet as we haven't recovered one yet.

Well, of the 7 elk I've taken, only one was with the 06. Bullet was the 165 gr. Nosler Accubond, the hit at about 100 yards. Velocity 2880 MV. Bullet hit at the short ribs and ended up (I think) in the left lung which was mostly Jello. Elk ran about 30 yards and collapsed.
The rifle was a custom on an FN Mauser with a 1 in 12" twist Douglas barrel. Neve could get decent accuracy with 180 gr.spitzers although round nose shot fairly decent groups. Went to the 165 gr. ABs and the rifle and I were happy. I went with the slower twist as I was shooting a lot of cast bullets back then.
Normally my go to rifle for elk is my .35 Whelen pushing a 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS MV. Of the 5 elk taken, two were DRT and the other 3 hit so hard they were unable to get back up to run off. I did take one elk about 9 years ago using a .300 Win, Mag. and 200 gr. Speer Hot Cores at almost 2900 FPS. The elk dropped like a rock, the hit at 530 yards laser measured.
I'm thinking if I take the 06 again for elk this year, I'll try the 165 gr. Partitions loaded up to about the same speed as the ABs. Probably bring the .35 as back up.
Paul B.

Kind of like the 180's myself. I like 2 holes, one in and one out. Last fall this one took 2 180gr Hornady Interlocks. First one would have done the trick but he was still standing there, so I gave him another.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/76vtfb5.jpg?1[/img]

I like 180's in the '06. JJHack has seen a lot more game taken in NA and Africa than most other posters here and thinks the 165 is the cat's meow. He might know something...

I've been using 150's exclusively here on the open tundra for caribou the last 5 years, taking caribou out to 433 yards with good effect. And one moose at 30 yards. I started with Corelokts and they worked fine, then I went to Hornady Superperformance SST's for a flatter trajectory at range (6 inches higher, 3 inches right of the Corelokts at 300 yards). Just for grins, I'll try some GMX monos this year- tho nothing more than C&C is needed. The two years (2010-2012) prior to the 150s, I used an '06 and 180s and a .260 with 140s, respectively. Corelokts both, were effective to 400 yards on caribou.

That same .260 gun/load did just fine on a cow elk at 150 in Colorado a few years back, so I would not worry about a 150 gr '06 load, but personally? I'd use a165 or 180 on elk or moose, by preference.

I've taken maybe 10 moose with the '06, I think all with 180 C&C.

Pick a load that is accurate in your rifle. Then go hunting.

Most of the time it won't matter if the bullet weighs 150g, 165g or 180g. You might hunt a lifetime using them all and never see a difference.

Agreed.

But, the older I get.....tend to choose heavy for caliber.

Perhaps it's linked to my body getting heavier for caliber.

In my experience with elk hunting and killing, I have seen many killed with 30 calibers. In fact probably 1/2 of all the elk I have seen killed in the last 42 years were killed with 30s and the other half with every other caliber combined.
What I have seen in all those kills is that most times 150 grain 30 caliber bullets will not exit an elk. If I were to guess at the percentage, I'd say about 80% of the 150gr 30 cals I have seen hit elk were still in them when I gutted or butchered them. The very best of them, those that retain 80% or more of their original weight will some times exit.
Bullet weight is one factor, but frontal area of the expanded bullet is another, and retained weight is the 3rd factor. A 33 things come together in a complex equation, but to strip all the boring details away and just address the bottom line, what you want is a good hole that exits the elk to leave a good blood trail and to drop it's blood pressure as quickly as you can.
150 grain 270s almost always exit elk. Why? Because they have a thicker jacket in comparison to their overall diameter and because they open up to a maximum of about .53" where a 30 cal will open up to a maximum of about .60" So the one that is a bit smaller is going to push out less mass in front of it, meaning it goes a bit deeper. It's hole is a bit thinner too. The other factor is that the more any bullet tries to turn into a disk instead of a mushroom or a ball, the more it tents to come apart and loose weight.

So in a nut shell, if i were to recommend a 30-06 or 308 factory load with elk, and that load must use a 150 grain bullet my 1st choise is going to be Winchester white-box with Federal Premium being a close 2nd is loaded with Nosler Partition bullets.
why?
Because I have seen super good accuracy from WW White box, and the bullets I have recovered have all weight between 125 and 132 grains. please note that I have recovered some however, so that factor is the reason I would recommend a 165 or a 180 grain bullet before any 150 grain 30 cal. The 165s get out of the elk nearly every time and so do the good 180s
Stay away from Sierras or Burgers. I know I have NEVER seen a Burger work to my satisfaction on an elk from any gun at any distance in any caliber in any weight. I have seen a few Sierras do OK, but none are as good as standard Winchester Power Points or Remington Core Lokt. The Federal"Power Shok ammo is not very good either. Bullets come apart far too much to please me on elk.
If factory ammo is the only choice and 150 grain is the only option for some reason look hard at WW White Box, Federal Premium with 150 gr Nosler Partitions. Any good bonded bullet from any maker will be good, and Swift ammo (if you have lost of money to spend) Also any ammo loaded with Barnes X bullets will give you exits in many cases.

But the easy way around the issue is to use a good 180, 200 or 220 grain.

Look out your window....the torches, pitchforks, drones, and balloon launchers are coming.

I use 150 monos for elk in my .30-06. I would also use 150 Partitions or Accubonds. If I recall correctly, Steve Timm likes 150 Interlocks for elk.

Why would you want to use a 150 when a 165 or 180 will do everything the 150 will do, but more of it?

If recoil is an issue I understand, but it's tough to beat a good 165 at 2,900 from an 06'. Ditto a 180 at 2,800.

I wouldn't intentionally use a 150, but having said that, also wouldn't be worried about killing an elk if that's what I had.