Bullet for elk hunting.

[antleredacres]

My son ran a 166 Hammer out of a 300 WM at 75yds this morning. Worked perfect, liquid lungs.

Do the 137 HH as Steve suggested and enjoy the elk steaks.

 

[LVJ76]

Bergers VLD Hunting or Classic Hunters will work. Sierra Gamekings and Gamechangers will also work, and so will the Hornady SST, Interlock and ELD-X. I would avoid bonded bullets.

I have seen all of these in 30 cal here and there, in the last couple of months.

All of these have been used by one member or another here. Shot placement is what matters. Grab what you can find and try them out.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I've heard of hammer bullets but I'm not really familiar with them. How is the performance at 1950 fps? How low do they expand reliably? Thanks for your help I appreciate it.

We test everything down to 1800 fps for full expansion and shedding of the nose.

 

[Hard rock]

My son ran a 166 Hammer out of a 300 WM at 75yds this morning. Worked perfect, liquid lungs.

NorthRiverGuide in case you don't know , Rocky MtnMt is Steve owner of Hammer bullets , his bullets are well known on this forum . Small company with a good reputation and his advice might be what your looking for . His bullets are readily available , any questions can be answered on this forum, good luck

 

[FEENIX]

Unfortunately trying to get what I normally use is hard. I've mainly been using core lokts but trying to get them is hard. I know of some but they are trying to charge a ridiculous amount. I used Barnes for a bit but wasn't very impressed. A good bull elk is on my bucket list. So finding a good bullet especially one I can get so I can shoot and practice is important. It seems like some of the smaller companies are the ones who actually have bullets in stock. I also like helping small businesses grow so I figured it would be best to go that direction. I'm open to any good bullet lead core or copper lead free. I just want something I can get and performs well. Thanks for your help.

As you can see, you will get inundated with recommendations. That is why I suggested sticking with what you already know works for you and what you can get at your end. I am a long-time Nosler Partition user before transitioning to Nosler Accubond/LRAB. But now, the Berger is my go-to bullet for almost all my hunting. You are hunting in a no bullet restriction hunt area, but you might restrict yourself to small business bullet manufacturers for your bucket list hunt. I commend you for supporting small businesses as I do in my home state as much as possible. Good luck with your bullet choice and hunt.

Here's another:

For lead:
- https://www.alcobullets.com/product-category/precision-308-caliber-bullets/

For lead-free, in addition to what is already mentioned:
-https://badlandsprecision.com/product/308-175gr-bulldozer-2/
- https://patriotvalleyarms.com/flm-30cal-178gr-cayuga-hunting-bullets-50-ct/

 

[NorthRiverGuide]

NorthRiverGuide in case you don't know , Rocky MtnMt is Steve owner of Hammer bullets , his bullets are well known on this forum . Small company with a good reputation and his advice might be what your looking for . His bullets are readily available , any questions can be answered on this forum, good luck

I didn't know that he was the owner I appreciate you letting me know. I'll have to look through the forum at his stuff. Is there any pictures of performance on game available? Thanks for your help.

 

[NorthRiverGuide]

Not sure what twist you're running, but our 135gr Afterburner will be good all the way down to a 1:12" twist and would be great on elk out of the 308 Win. From a terminal performance standpoint, that should cover you for ranges out to 700 yards or so.

Afterburner .308" - 135 gr | APEX OUTDOORS

.308" Caliber, 1:12.9" Min Twist Rate, 135 Grain, Afterburner, 50 Count

www.apex-outdoors.com

FAQs | APEX OUTDOORS

Check out our frequently asked questions for Apex Outdoors' line of bullets.

www.apex-outdoors.com

It's a custom rifle Rem 700 action trued and blueprinted. Bartlien 24" match hand lapped barrel 1/10 twist.

 

[NorthRiverGuide]

As you can see, you will get inundated with recommendations. That is why I suggested sticking with what you already know works for you and what you can get at your end. I am a long-time Nosler Partition user before transitioning to Nosler Accubond/LRAB. But now, the Berger is my go-to bullet for almost all my hunting. You are hunting in a no bullet restriction hunt area, but you might restrict yourself to small business bullet manufacturers for your bucket list hunt. I commend you for supporting small businesses as I do in my home state as much as possible. Good luck with your bullet choice and hunt.

Here's another:

For lead:
- https://www.alcobullets.com/product-category/precision-308-caliber-bullets/

For lead-free, in addition to what is already mentioned:
-https://badlandsprecision.com/product/308-175gr-bulldozer-2/
- https://patriotvalleyarms.com/flm-30cal-178gr-cayuga-hunting-bullets-50-ct/

I've used a lot of bullets over the years sierra, Hornady, etc. Some I liked some I didn't. I've killed elk before when I was younger a teenager. I've never got anything worth a shoulder mount. Buddy is going to hunt his spot in Idaho and invited me.

 

[FEENIX]

I've used a lot of bullets over the years sierra, Hornady, etc. Some I liked some I didn't. I've killed elk before when I was younger a teenager. I've never got anything worth a shoulder mount. Buddy is going to hunt his spot in Idaho and invited me.

Excellent! Ask and trust your buddy's recommendation. Again, good luck on your hunt.

ADDED:

If you have a .25 or .28 cal, https://blackholebullets.com/see-products is another small business company from your buddy's home state of ID.

 

[mcdil]

I've used a lot of bullets over the years sierra, Hornady, etc. Some I liked some I didn't. I've killed elk before when I was younger a teenager. I've never got anything worth a shoulder mount. Buddy is going to hunt his spot in Idaho and invited me.

Nice! In that case any of our current 30 cal offerings would be good options. The other two are the 144gr and 153gr. If it were me, personally, I'd probably still stick with the 135gr for all around best performance out of the 308 Win, but you wouldn't be wrong going with any of the three.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I didn't know that he was the owner I appreciate you letting me know. I'll have to look through the forum at his stuff. Is there any pictures of performance on game available? Thanks for your help.

This should keep you busy for a while.

Official Hammer bullets Terminal Performance (picture heavy)

Let’s try to keep Discussion to a minimum in this. Details-animal, distance, caliber/cartridge, bullet and weight. Animal weight if you know it. I’ll kick it off, Water buffalo, 60 yards-full broad side 300AX Hammer hunter 181@3490fps Dressed without the hide, head and guts 902lbs.

www.longrangehunting.com

 

[Chadp82]

I have seen the results of the copper bullets, hammer, Barnes, etc. Also the bonded, partitions, interlock, scirocco, and others.

Pick a premium style hunting bullet and develop a load that shoots well. Get beyond 100 yds. I have seen grouping fall apart after 100, but in my experience if you get a shooter at 200+, it's usually good to go but know the drop and your capability as far as you are willing to shoot.

For elk, I would look to 500 yds at the bench. If you can go further at your range, do it. Then determine your comfort level in the field vs. bench.

That said, know where you are hunting. I have been in elk country where you can't see 50 yds, and other places where you can see miles. Your hunting style dictates a lot.

 

[NorthRiverGuide]

This should keep you busy for a while.

Official Hammer bullets Terminal Performance (picture heavy)

Let’s try to keep Discussion to a minimum in this. Details-animal, distance, caliber/cartridge, bullet and weight. Animal weight if you know it. I’ll kick it off, Water buffalo, 60 yards-full broad side 300AX Hammer hunter 181@3490fps Dressed without the hide, head and guts 902lbs.

www.longrangehunting.com

Thank you sir I'll dive in and look at those.

 

[NorthRiverGuide]

I have seen the results of the copper bullets, hammer, Barnes, etc. Also the bonded, partitions, interlock, scirocco, and others.

Pick a premium style hunting bullet and develop a load that shoots well. Get beyond 100 yds. I have seen grouping fall apart after 100, but in my experience if you get a shooter at 200+, it's usually good to go but know the drop and your capability as far as you are willing to shoot.

For elk, I would look to 500 yds at the bench. If you can go further at your range, do it. Then determine your comfort level in the field vs. bench.

That said, know where you are hunting. I have been in elk country where you can't see 50 yds, and other places where you can see miles. Your hunting style dictates a lot.

I shoot out to a mile pretty often with some of my rifles. Running several different bullets SMK for years, Hornady amax, Hornady eld match, and Berger vld's. Very comfortable with my abilities out to 1200 yards with multiple cartridges and rifles. Had some less then ideal results hunting with some bullets. SST I didn't like the terminal performance especially as the velocity dropped. Barnes I wasn't very impressed with either. This area hunting is very steep and not a lot of concealment. Occasionally they get close shots but most are in the 500 yard range. I used to have a big collection of bullets and options to use. Unfortunately in my last move the movers "lost" stole a box with most of my bullets. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get them back. I have a few that was with the rest of the reloading gear. I could hunt with the match bullets I shoot at long range. However I'm keeping those for shooting competition. So now trying to find bullets which is getting better but still not great. Figured I would look at small companies. There's been a few popping up and I've heard some good reports. So why not try new bullets and support small business at the same time.