Elk bullet?

[Canhunter35]

Well...not trying to start a p/&$ match, but I was a hard core believer in the Hornady Interlocks, until I started pushing them a little faster. With the increased velocity (at close range), the Bullets opened very rapidly and shed 35 or so % weight ...resulting in minimal penetration. The deal breaker was...a spike bull elk, shot at <100 yards, behind the shoulder ( hide,one rib, lung material), bullet did not exit. This from a 270 grain .375 cal.

A friend of mine ( and several others) shot a lot of mule deer does (additional permits) with Randy Brooks testing the then new, Barnes X Bullet (using a 6mm Rem). As I recall....close to 30, one shot kills, and only one bullet recovered.

With this knowledge, I wanted to test in my 375 AI. Developed a load...270 grainers @ 2900. Following elk season, had an opportunity for a "Texas Heartshot" at just under 100 yrds....an ideal way to test bullet performance.

The bullet entered just left of the circular target, shattered the pelvis, continued thru intestines, liver, diaphragm, left lung, exited in left leg pocket (armpit), re-entered upper leg, and was recovered beneath hide on off side of foreleg. This is three (3) hide penetrations, heavy bone (pelvis), and full-lenghted the elk. Bullet recovered had broken off one petal, and weighed 257 grains.

This was the bullet performance I wanted for my AI. I have used Barnes Bullets ever since...and they've only gotten better with continued development. memtb

IMO interlocks r for shooting rabbits lol

 

[mtmuley]

Shot a couple bulls with Interlocks in .06. Very dead. And they are way bigger than rabbits. mtmuley

IMO interlocks r for shooting rabbits lol

 

[LoneTraveler]

If you already shooting Jacket-Core bullets it should be easier to go with the Nosler Partition, Unless you have custom steep twist barrels. My 300 WSM shoots 180 Gr. Jacket-Core Bullets great. I tried to work up a load with Hornady GMX 165 Gr. and Nosler E-Tip 168 gr. Neither shot well in my rifle, The twist in this rifle would not stabilize these longer bullets, 2" to 3" Groups at 100 yds.. After lots of testing and burning powder went back to 180 gr. Nosler Partition and Hunting.

 

[Canhunter35]

Shot a couple bulls with Interlocks in .06. Very dead. And they are way bigger than rabbits. mtmuley

Yeah I've a mule deer and a few whitetail with them back in the day, but I feel there's better options now. I had some 100gr interlocks for my 257, never shot a deer cause I was worried about surface blow up. They cut coyotes in half!

 

[Fivewaymetal]

Hey guys,
I have my 1st elk hunt scheduled for next fall and I'm starting to look into bullets. Right now, the plan is to use a 7mm rem mag and 30-06 (one for dad and one for me). The guide is saying most shots will be under 200yds. Im liking what I read about the Barnes TTSX penentration and running a lighter bullet than traditional lead core. Of course the partition is good. Shooting the eld-x in 2 of my other rifles has been 50/50. One shoots them well, the other not so much.
Thanks for any info!
Scooter

far greater than the perfect bullet is the placement of the projectile. learn the anatomy of your animal and wait for the best shot, don't hurry to pull the trigger. for me the most important factor is to do my best to select a bullet that will NOT pass through the animal. I want every bit of energy to dissipate inside the animal....not waste any by going through it. all too often I hear results of the bullet going through the animals and sometimes loosing it because the bullet just did not expel all available energy inside doing maximum amount of damage. I shoot 243 270 06's 8mm rem mag and choose the caliber to the animal as well as the bullet to the animals. let me explain...I have had quicker kills on animals when the bullet has NOT passed through the animal. wound cavity or size is generally larger if ALL the bullets energy is expelled inside the animal. the tougher the animal the tougher the bullet needs to be. My 243 is my go to rifle. it has great bullet selection and more importantly it is the easiest to shoot due to it's reduced recoil which means better accuracy generally speaking. use this as an example of how well you or most anybody can shoot......you simply won't find the long distance shooter's using much more than 6.5x284 because of management of the rifles recoil. you still have to use common sense however if you are wanting to break down a dangerous bear through the shoulders or a goat that can eat about as much led as you can feed it.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Energy dump is campfire lore. A bullet kills by tearing tissue. Whether a bullet passes through or not is a function of bullet construction vs impact vel. A bullet that enters an animal and sheds enough weight to not pass through has outward initial wounding and as it slows to a stop the wound becomes progressively smaller to the point that it stops where it no longer creates any damage. A bullet that properly deforms and continues through an animal creates a wound channel all the way along it's path. The function of tissue damage is a factor of diaplacing that tissue to the point that it loses its elasticity and can not come back to it's orriginal form. Thus causing rapid blood loss resulting in the central nervous system failure. Sometimes we witness drt kills with lung shots. This is due to a rise in the animals blood pressure when the bullet impacts the vitals of the animal that causes the animal to have a stroke. This is just luck of the impact hitting at the right moment in the heartbeat of the animal when the animals blood pressure is ar its peak and the added pressure from the bullet causes the blood vessels in the brain to burst.

The problem with a bullet that is designed to shed all of it's weight and creat a large initial wound, is it can happen too soon depending on impact vel and not create enough damage to the off side of the animal. Bullets do not have little sensors in them so the can tell how far they have penetrated and at just the right moment explode. Simply not possible. There is no magic.

So the choice, simplified, is a large initial wound that proportionally gets smaller as the bullet slows down or a bullet that creats a proper shape on impact and creates a wound channel all the way though the animal.

One last thing. You can throw a brick with more energy than a bullet. I don't see many people hunting with bricks.

Steve

 

[memtb]

Steve, a "big 10-4". The deeper, farther the penetration.....even with a poorly placed shot, significantly increases the likelihood of destroying vital tissue and/or bone structure! memtb

 

[coop2564]

I would use a bonded bullet like accubond or the barnes for your stated ranges and conditions.

 

[Dr. Vette]

The guide is saying most shots will be under 200yds.
Scooter

Famous words that are frequently not correct. We even heard them in preparation for this past year's hunt.

I've heard the same thing from guides we've used, and so far we have 151, 35, 450, 300 and 320 yard kills on elk, in that order. It pays to be prepared to shoot a lot farther than the 200 yards they quote you.

This year Dad's at 320 was in a stiff 20+ mph wind. Adjusted for elevation, then for wind, and he shot it through the heart with a 150gr TTSX from his 7mm Wby. Only through practice could we try that one with confidence.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Hey guys,
I have my 1st elk hunt scheduled for next fall and I'm starting to look into bullets. Right now, the plan is to use a 7mm rem mag and 30-06 (one for dad and one for me). The guide is saying most shots will be under 200yds. Im liking what I read about the Barnes TTSX penentration and running a lighter bullet than traditional lead core. Of course the partition is good. Shooting the eld-x in 2 of my other rifles has been 50/50. One shoots them well, the other not so much.
Thanks for any info!
Scooter

I did not read any of this post other than your seeking info on a bullet for elk out to or beyond 200 yards possibly. IMO, hands down it's the 160-175 Nosler partition for the 7. The 165-180 partitions for the 30 cal. Many good bullets fit this requirement but none ant better than the Nosler Partition for these ranges. Good luck on that hunt.

 

[scooterf79]

I'll definitely be prepared for longer shots, my local range goes to 400 so I'll hopefully be prepared for at least that far.
I think full penentration would be best on elk and that's what I'd like to have.
Sounds good Dr Vette....where were you hunting?
Scooter

 

[Dr. Vette]

Sounds good Dr Vette....where were you hunting?
Scooter

First 2 were MT through outfitter 1, third was MT through outfitter 2, last 2 were CO this year with outfitter 3.

We have a location where we can practice out to 500 yards, and another out to 340. We can choose based on wind direction and the firearm we happen to be using.

 

[HARPERC]

...The guide is saying most shots will be under 200yds....

A lot of factors go into this number, the biggest being client comfort range.
Not every guide can list "good spotter" on his resume.
Neither of which is good or bad, just the way it is. Meaning establish your own priorities, and limits. Have fun!

 

[memtb]

I did that once on a running "Jack" (Texas "heart-shot") at about 40 yards. 270 grain, Hornady SP, at about 2900 fps. The rabbit "came from un-together"! memtb

IMO interlocks r for shooting rabbits lol