.25cal Elk Bullets

[bigngreen]

Nape, how many elk have you killed? Not trying to yank on ya it would just be good to know. I started out shooting elk with a 250-3000, did not have good results till I learned how to kill elk with bigger guns, now I wouldn't hesitate to tip an elk with one but there is a lot of elk killing between learning and knowing.

 

[Nape.270]

Well as you have probably guessed I have never killed an elk so any input on that would be grate to.

 

[cfvickers]

I have never killed an elk either, but hunted for them once, they are huge and I was half a mile down an extremely steep ravine when I had the chance to squeeze off on one. Had no horse, just a four wheeler and decided that was a haul I was unprepared for, so I suggest you be physically and mentally prepared for the sometimes daunting task of getting one out. I had always been told the same thing, and was in good physical condition but when I saw one I was shocked at the size. I hunted a different area for the rest of the trip where I saw more elk, but did not get a reasonable shot due to brush and thickets where I saw them. The bulls will blast through the middle of tree tops and not stop or jump, they just tear them down, and you can hear them coming from a mile away. As far as shot placement goes, from my understanding, shot placement is everything on an elk when shooting anything less than a howitzer. It is my belief that if you fire one well placed bullet of strong composition then you can kill an elk with your .257. but be ready to fire more. Just make sure you choose a stout bullet. the accubond, interbond, GMX, partitions, and X bullets of whatever variety should be sufficient for penetration and proper expansion. I would however TRY to avoid a direct shoulder shot. If you want to shoot cheaper bullets you would need a bigger gun. When I went, I carried a .300 win mag with 190 gr. Interlocks, and a 6.5x55 with 130 grain TSX for places where the shots would be a little closer and more hiking with my gun was necessary. I put a 400 yard limit on the 300 and a 250 yard limit on the 6.5x55, just as a guideline. 400 because I was not positive of my ability beyond that and 250 for the small gun because I wanted to make sure I had well above minimum energy at the point of impact. Be disciplined with your shot and you should be ok. if you are someone that sees a critter and just starts firing rounds down range without thinking then you would do well to practice a lot on both your shooting and your ranging capability. you won't always have time to use a range finder.

 

[bigngreen]

I would go with the Accubond or Partition. I have had to many Barnes bullets turn on elk bone to shoot them with much confidence. You won't have any problem if you can hit what you aim at, just don't aim at the heavy leg and shoulder bones, don't croud the shoulder and if it needs another one let'em hold another one. Don't try to shoulder hit them unless your in a spot where you can hit them again, I've seen the shoulder shot fail to many times to make it worth taking, even with larger cals. Some are good at the shoulder shot, I am not and know it so I don't take it!
You see all the pictures of an elk with a big red 20 inch kill zone, don't by into that, they have a kill zone the size of a paper plate from the tip of the leg bone to just under the shoulder blade you can put a paper plate there and if you put it there it's dead 100% of the time and you'll be a pro. Hit higher you spine, hit lower you get the bottom of the heart, hit back you catch the back of the lungs and if you hit forward you catch the front of the lungs and arteries and hopefully stay of the dang leg bone, if you hit the leg bone shoot it again cause it ain't dead.

The number one elk killing tip I have ever got is, shoot them up hill of the truck

 

[cfvickers]

The number one elk killing tip I have ever got is, shoot them up hill of the truck

And everybody said "Amen!"

 

[Buffalobob]

Nape, I have killed several elk with my 257 Roy. By far the best bullets for the job
are Nosler's 110 gr. Accubond and the 115 and 120 grain Partitions. Whichever one shoots the best for you will do you a fine job. With proper bullet placement you wont have any problems at all. Good luck, and God Bless

Jim

The voice of experience! When you need to be sure you should use a partition.

Your twist is a little slow and might not stabilize them but the Wildcat 130 grain bullets worked fine for me in a 1-8 twist barrel.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f86/return-manti-48309/index3.html

 

[RT2506]

You can't go wrong with a Nosler partition for most any game. They have been doing the job on game for ages.

The only Accubond bullet I have used on game is the 130 .264 in my 264 Win mag. It is THE do it all bullet as far as I am concerned in this rifle.

As for Speer bullets the only one I would suggest for elk would be the 120 Grand Slam. I have never killed an elk but I have taken deer with the 120 Grand Slam out of a 25-06 and found that it is a really tough bullet. Really too tough for the average size white tail deer. Even at a close range of 50 yards with a MV of 3000 fps I shot a big buck in the chest and on cutting up the meat I found the bullet in the ham just under the hide after it had shattered the ball joint. The bullet was a text book mushroom and weight was 87 grs. If I had to hunt elk with my 25-06 that would be the bullet I would use because it shoots so well in my rifle. I would put one in the lungs first.

 

[learning]

I have a 257 lazzeroni and I have not shot any elk with that rifle but I have shot six bison with it. I shot five of them with 100 grain partitions going 3820 fps as long as you pay attention to shot placement you will be fine. The sixth buffalo I shot with it I was shooting a 100 grain ballistic tip going 3780 fps and shot a 2 year old bull at 380 yards. It worked just as well as when I shot one with a 458 lott at 70 yards. Just make sure you pay attention to shot placement.

 

[tnshooter111]

100 gr barnes tsx is the only way to go with the 257 wby for bigger game. Have seen what this bullet does to Nilgai in south texas and its great. They are high priced but do the job.

 

[winmag]

Hey Nape 270,
I was just skimming thru the ''classified adds'' here on L/R/H and noticed that a member that goes by TRB&B (I think I got that right, might be trg&b?) anyhow, he has a bunch of Accubonds, and Partitions for sale. May be a good way to do load development for less $. At least you could try a couple different quality bullets with out having to pay for a whole box of each.
Just noticed it so I figured Id pass it along.

 

[Nape.270]

Thank you every one for your input.

I have some 110grAB's and I think I will get some 120grNP's and if can't get those to shoot then I will get some ttsx's.

I read this on midway usa's reviews about the 120gr NP's it made me laff.

Chet Collins of Isabel, SDDate posted: 11/10/2009

I have used this bullet in my Ruger No.1 25-06 with Hodgdon 4831 on Elk at 300 yards with phenomenial accuracy, at every angle and an ammount of torque that could knock a truck over. Nosler partitions are steel "I" beams bonded with dense lead and will pulverize any elk bone or throw a coyote 6 feet in the air

 

[cfvickers]

if it wont shoot an accubond it wont shoot! Well Maybe that isn't completely true. I have an Encore 25-06and that is the only thing it will group better than an inch with, and it groups five that you can cover with a dime at 100 yards. The only other thing I have found that it likes is Fusion. it will put those in as tight a group. Haven't tried partitions.

 

[Troutslayer2]

Having guided a lot of elk hunting and shooting plenty of them myself I have concerns that any bullet in .257 WBY is going to be enough. Not to start some kind of ethical ****ing match, I am aware that they have been killed by spears, arrows and the like, but... I have seen elk lost. I lost one myself with what I thought was a perfect shot from a .30 cal bullet. They are hard to kill, and trying to knock them down with a 100 grain bullet doesn't pay them the respect they deserve. If you are going on a guided hunt I would be surprised if the outfitter would let you shoot a .25, and I would be suspicious of any outfitter who didn't have a problem with that. They can cover great distances after being hit in the boiler room. Sometimes when you find them you're amazed that they went more than a step with the kind of damage you've inflicted. Just something to think about.

 

[Varminator 911]

+1 Troutslayer

I used a 25-06 many years ago when I was a poor college student. Only center fire I had. It was hand loaded with a 120 Hornady very similar to the Speer bullet originally refered to. The whole hunt I was worried about that bullet blowing up. Didn't have to worry, no elk.

Now days I'd rather have a 338 with a really good bullet.