Killing Elk out to 1000 yards with a 300 WM

[Tiny Tim]

Great story @trhall. Glad you recovered it and congratulations. That's a hunt you likely won't forget.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Of course it is, without a recovery ill never know exactly what those bullets did.
I did however see both impacts in my scope as did my spotter, I asked him where I hit before I told him what I saw.
The bull went down Hard and rolled 100 yards before getting back up and walking off.
I told this story to a guy at Gunwerks and he said they've seen bulls take a shot right in the lungs and go for days after weak expansion.
I don't care who believes me, this is what happened
I'm still sick about it

If he dropped at the shot then got up and kept going, I'd bet on a high shot. A meat shot just below the spine. Enough shock to drop them, but no vitals to kill them. I like the 215 Berger but I did see one pencil hole through a cow. Luckily it was a heart shot and she went less than 100yds still. All most of us use is Bergers, but they don't drop elk with a good shot usually. A heart or lung shot with a Berger is typically a 50 yd run and they fall over. When I see one drop, its hit high enough to shock the spine.
I have heard reports on bullet failures from customers literally on every bullet on the market. I think is just very hard to make a bullet work from point blank to 1000yds.

 

[snox801]

Alex I think is right. Hard to make a Bullet to do both well. I think we are getting closer though with hammer and cutting edge. Easily opened front for low speed but solid shank to leave a hole. I'm always amazed nosle never redid the partition with a better bc design.

 

[Salar600]

If he dropped at the shot then got up and kept going, I'd bet on a high shot. A meat shot just below the spine. Enough shock to drop them, but no vitals to kill them.

100% with Alex, high shot. To me, most likely just over the spine.
It creates a knock-out, not much blood and the animal doesn't die.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

Just got back late last night from a cow elk hunt. I've been shooting the Berger 215 Hybrid in my 300 WMs for the last 10 or 11 years with great success. I live in the west and hunt deer, elk and antelope. I've seen several posts lately about killing elk at 1000 yards with a 300WM. I've posted a few replies that in my opinion one could do no better for that application than the 215 Berger. While I have never killed an animal at that range I have killed many elk and antelope at ranges well beyond 500 yards with said 300 WM and 215 Berger. I've never not had a complete pass through on an elk, but all my kills with this system have been broadside shots. I am a crease shooter and don't intentionally shoot the shoulders.
2 days ago I shot a very large cow elk at 859 yards, my longest kill yet. The elk came over a very sharp ridge line across a wide canyon from me as I was hiking up the ridge. They had been pushed over and there were several other hunters on down below me in the same canyon I was in. They held up at the top and were making their mind up where to go. Anyone whose been in this situation knows seconds count as they are going to figure out which direction they want to go quickly. I ran up to the top of the ridge, threw off my pack, flopped down in the snow and started getting the rifle setup. My buddy came up beside me and was kind enough to start getting a range for me. There was no wind other than some slight thermal under 5 mph. The elk had made up there mind by now and were traversing the ridge to head back over into a really nasty canyon. There was a very big cow in the back of the herd that I focused on as I always look to find one on the edge to be sure I don't hit 2. First shot was a few inches back, yet still in front of the diaphragm but towards the back of the lungs. She soaked it up and started walking as the rest of the herd picked up the pace. After about 30 yards she stopped and I rolled another one in, this time in the crease and right through the center of the far shoulder. This dumped her and she slid down the steep snow covered hillside until finally getting hung up with her neck jammed under a log.
Unfortunately I did not take any pictures. It took us almost 4 hours to get around the canyon and over to the elk which was on a very nasty, super steep hillside with about 8 inches of powder that made it really hard to hike. It was about dark and we were exhausted facing a big job and a 2 mile hike out after that so I opted not to pull out the camera. Both exits were golf ball size, even the one that went through the center of the off shoulder. Impact velocity was right at 2100 with 2127 fp of energy. The first shot was a killer as it looked like a tractor with a broken hydraulic line had traversed that 30 yards through the snow when she was walking. I've been taught since I was a boy some 40 years ago that when it comes to elk you keep shooting until they're down.
I reiterate my opinion that when it comes to killing elk out to 1000 yards with a 300WM you can't do much better than a 215 Berger. It's one of the best bullets you can shoot in that cartridge bc wise and still have sufficient velocity. The high bc gives you more margin in the one area you need it, the wind to help you place that bullet where you want it. You also have a tremendous amount of retained energy when it gets there.
Everyone has an opinion and it doesn't necessarily make any right or wrong. My experiences over the last decade killing big game with a 300 WM and a Berger 215 give me the utmost confidence in that combo. I'd like to thank Broz as he's the one that convinced me to shoot them and he was right.

for me the 215 Berger is my only bullet for my 300wm I have shot it from the year they put it out and have had nothing walk away from the first round hit. we have taken 10 moose with it not just me but my rifle and buds I let shoot it on long range moose none under 500 and out to 875 yards. boos out to 1170 yards and many black bears along with a few grizz, it is just a flat out killing bullet when put were it needs to go

 

[Wolf76]

I agree with the 215 Berger for 1000+ in a 300 WM. Maybe the heavier Berger's would be worth looking at.

I'll add that for this long distance, something like a big 33 magnum would really start to show why it's a better choice. The 300 gr berger launched at a modest 2800 had some tremendous benefits ballistically and terminally.

 

[crashlanding]

Great story! Late season elk hunting is flat out fun

 

[Doug Crowe]

Interestingly, I've learned a bunch about this, this past year. Including, that a large caliber or heavy grain round isn't needed if one uses a monolithic, solid copper bullet because it doesn't break up. I recently bought a 6.5 Sherman SS with quite impressive ballistics, and still supersonic out to 2,000 yards. I've seen exit wounds on moose at 500 yards and elk taken at 1200 yards. It's worth checking out ........

 

[CoachChris]

I killed a cow this season at 689yds with a crease shot with 215 Hybrid out of the 300WM.
It's a hard to beat combo

 

[Wedgy]

100% with Alex, high shot. To me, most likely just over the spine.
It creates a knock-out, not much blood and the animal doesn't die.

No, he means just below the spine in the void with no vitals. Many don't like the high shoulder for this reason and often is not a fatal shot even though it drops elk in a dramatic fashion they are still very alive when you get there an hour or three later.

 

[mmsports]

That's a great reference!!

 

[Mike Matteson]

That would be my thinking a little far back. It would be very hard to tell at that range. I have tracked animals all day and got close, but able to get a shot off to finish the animal. They were somebody else animals, except for one. I've seen where elk seal up and stop bleeding. I had friend started in from other side of a canyon and we were going to meet up. He came a blood trail, and followed it to where he was able to shot that elk that somebody else had shot the day before. That was twice in two days were able to retrieved two elk. We had cow tags in the group, so they didn't go to waste. Dam I hate lost game!!!! I will spend the time to track it down if possible, and no matter who shot it. That how I feel about wounded game. I fI make a poor shot, I turn it over and over again in my head, on what I did and didn't do.

 

[Mike Matteson]

No, he means just below the spine in the void with no vitals. Many don't like the high shoulder for this reason and often is not a fatal shot even though it drops elk in a dramatic fashion they are still very alive when you get there an hour or three later.View attachment 235362

The crease is like a magnet to me. It give me a vertical line to shot at. I go for it every time. If the animal is moving away or coming at me, I know where that heart is at, and get line on it to shot. People should steady this pictures to know where to stop at. I have had people tell me that shot there elk right in the heart and lost them. The elks, I have shot in the heart drop in their tracks. I moved on to a 338 Win Mag because of what I have seen with people that use them wound channel in the elk. I feel it dose a better job of opening up the elk.

 

[Wedgy]

This was from Cody's 883 yard shot from a .338 NM with a 275 grain bulldozer that hit the bull in the neck at over 2,100 fps and only penetrated 12" of elk despite having ~2,678 ft/lbs of energy, tough to explain but strange things happen. One of those "I wouldn't believe if I hadn't seen it" things.

" It entered center body for elevation, penetrated the entrance side of the neck just outside the thoracic cavity, hit the bottom of the vertebrae, then turned up and to the left, and was found under the back strap against the off side of the spine. Total penetrating was 12", maximum, half the neck, then up and to the left a little"

Post #76
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