• If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here

ELK bullets, am I missing something?

A buddy took a 6.5 PRC I made him to Africa a couple weeks ago. He was shooting factory Hornady ELD-X and took a large Kudu at 330 yards. He got 9 animals in total and none had an exit. None went more than 30 yards. I'd say if that 6.5 bullet reliably killed that many African animals the .308 is fine on elk.
 
To speak to your title, yes, no and maybe. How about that? Rifle is shooting great, sweet!! Your success with the accubond is the easy button.

No real world news on the 200 grain eld-x and not a berger fan. Just me.

I sold almost all "other" bullets I had except the nosler partitions which are very seldom the wrong answer.

Shooting Hammers now across the board. May be the only thing your "missing"

Best of luck this year!
What do you suggest for Hammers in the 7mm REM Mag? I've never shot them. Thanks in advance.
 
Gosh Vann, I would defer to Steve the owner at Hammer, GL taylor or Butterbean here for that. Actually would choose the bullet type based on your twist and powders you have available. There are two threads here for the Absolute hammers and the hammer hunters respectively that have data for the 7 rem mag.

Pm if you want, Now back to the original post. Lets find some real world data for JM.
 
I shot my first elk on our 2017 Colorado elk hunt. It was a bull at 310 yards using a TC Encore Prohunter 300 win mag with factory Hornady precision hunter 200 gr ammo.

He was standing quartering away from me. First shot he stumbled and fell tried to get up but couldn't so I shot him again…the night prior the guide said keep shooting until they arnt moving so I did which was completely unnecessary, I believe the first shot he would have expired but didn't want to see him suffer. None of my hits were pass throughs but the bullet did its job. We didn't gut it, only quartered so no idea what the bullet looked like.

This November we are going to Montana and I'll be shooting the same round for elk/deer. This time however I'll be using reloads. 200 gr with 77 grains of H1000 powder 215m primers…moving 2950ish FPS. I expect similar results if given a shot.
 
I used a 308 Norma Mag for years, with 165 gr Accubonds or Ballistic tip @ 3300 fps, and never had a problem with bring down a elk out to 400yds or so. Taken them either from side to side or from hide end to front. Very little in blood shot either. I now use a 338WM w/200gr Accubonds @ 3230fps. I have felt for year that the 338 caliber does a better job in opening up an elk or creating a large wound channel. I have seen a lot of elk taken by 338's and was impress with the caliber. So I have a second one being built with a 26" barrel. Longer range I feel that ha heaver bullet is needed to create the fpe to do the job. Those rounds will get you out there to easy 600 yds with fpe to do the job.
 
UPDATE, MEDIA TEST RESULT
so my highly scientific media approach consisted of the following. 5 milk jugs duct taped together filled with water. With a 1/8 thick leather piece to simulate the hide. At 100 yards impact velocity was 2669 with 3164 ft lbs of energy. Perfect entrance with a split first jug showing approximate 1.5 inch tore exit hole jugs 2 and 3 completely oblitorated, jug 4 exploded onside face and a nickel sized exit out the back right corner. After a short angular diagnoses i walked 15 feet and picked this up.

16312240867876582390222752517992.jpg
 
A buddy took a 6.5 PRC I made him to Africa a couple weeks ago. He was shooting factory Hornady ELD-X and took a large Kudu at 330 yards. He got 9 animals in total and none had an exit. None went more than 30 yards. I'd say if that 6.5 bullet reliably killed that many African animals the .308 is fine on elk.
We just shot 18 Antelope including an Eland with a 6.5 PRC shooting the Berger 156 EOL 2 weeks ago. All single shot Berger flops except the Eland. The longest shot, which really was 2 shots, was on the Eland at 500 yards, right shoulder then left shoulder. We did shoot the Eland a third time with the PH's 375 because his head was up but he was bedded when we reached him. The biggest surprised was a Hartmann's Zebra mare that literally dropped in her tracks at 235 yards. She was easily as big as a bull elk. I don't think a 200gr ELDX will have an issue killing any elk.
 
Complete jacket seperation , jacket weight is 69.1 grs. It appears upset and energy dump started about 4 - 5 inches and continued an additional 11 to 13 inches (each jug is 5.5) before the jacket exited alone at a total of 18 inches of penetration. So what does this mean? In my assumption if I stay off the shoulder I should be fine. But the ELD-X i feel will seperate and possibly not make it to both lungs IF i encounter heavy bone. And i believe it takes a double lung to put them down within a trackable distance with only an entrance hole. But to be fair my favorite 180 AB was caught in the 4 jug with considerably less hydrostatic damage to jugs 2 and 3. Pretty much a 2 inch hole thru and thru.
Weighing 112.7 grain
16312251338991983404014822096314.jpg
 
I'll agree with availability at times but whos proven track record?
Fair question. A proven track record would be a mutiple experience data collection from a reliable unbiased source. I am certainly not saying that does not exisit or someone in particular does not fit that description. Only that i have not read those threads, such as with the 215 hybrid. If they exist please point them out. I always say knowledged not shared is knowledge lost.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Recent Posts

Top