Heavy for caliber nosler partition bullets or barnes ttsx have always worked for me. I tried the nbt years ago. Worked good on deer, but failed on a 275 lb hog. Had to give him the shot behind the ear
VLD bullets vs Elk shoulder bone
- Thread starter MTLIVIN
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WildRose
Well-Known Member
This is exactly why I won't shoot them at game. In larger/heavier caliber loads the loss of over half the bullet's weight may not make a whole lot of difference but that kind of loss in smaller high velocity rounds leads to a lot of wounded game running off and suffering.215 Hybrid @ 3100fps mv at 432 yards on a bull elk. Broke both shoulders and shattered a vertebra. Worked just fine. Stopped under the offside hide. Not all results are typical. Some better than others. Use enough bullet. A 6.5 140 is marginal.on elk in my personal opinion. Especially if you hit a leg bone. Tough to beat proper shot placement. Even with a big magnum, but especially with a lighter caliber and bullet weight.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
NBT's running over 2850fps are flying bombs. Never saw one exit the rib cage even on a decent sized WT Buck.
You're right about the nbt. Tapered heel bullets (boattail) have a problem with spitting their cores when impacting.
Hope this new generation of shooters has better luck with them than i had. .
Hope this new generation of shooters has better luck with them than i had. .
WildRose
Well-Known Member
The trouble is that they perform exactly as designed. They were never made for shooting anything other than light bodied game, varmints, and predators.
Even on big hogs if you could get it into the chest cavity they'd turn everything into jello but I saw more than one boar run 300-500yds or more after being fatally hit with one and still be able to fight when we and/or the dogs got to them.
Yeah, the 7mm 120 grain NBT out of a 7mm08 at 3,000 fps doesn't exit a deer. Said no one, ever....
WildRose
Well-Known Member
I'd love to know how you get an impact velocity of 3k without sticking it up a deer's hind end?
I was referring to muzzle velocity not impact velocity
shooter7
Well-Known Member
My brother shot an antelope in Wyoming last week with the 215 hybrid. Muzzle velocity was about 2980. The only bone it contacted was a rib. It did not exit.
I love shooting bergers because they are quite often the most accurate bullet I test. But I have grown to like the terminal performance of Barnes and accubonds better. I like to blow holes all the way thru things.
I love shooting bergers because they are quite often the most accurate bullet I test. But I have grown to like the terminal performance of Barnes and accubonds better. I like to blow holes all the way thru things.
cjuve
Well-Known Member
I think I will stick to the VLD type bullets but make sure the placement is correct, ie don't shoot them in the elbow..... I don't think elbow shots are the most leathel when it comes elk no matter what bullet is used.
Who shoots an elk in the elbow and expects to collect it? I don't care what your shooting, 50 BMG included, elbow shots aren't going to have a good ending. VLD bullets will defeat an elk shoulder blade, or a rib, or a vertebrae, which is the only type of bones you should be hitting if you expect to collect your animal.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
The elbow and just above puts it through the heart or at the heart/lung junction.
Pretty safe shot as you're likely to get the lower lobes of the lungs at the same time.
Yes, if you are shooting uphill or at close range. If the bullet is on it's way down it's too risky.
xsn10s
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I haven't shot an elk yet but after I think I'm going to go double lung from now on on all game. My 45-70 for walking in the woods and a 178gr-210gr in my 06 until I decide I need something bigger. I love eating the heart, and I don't want to ruin the shoulder. This is after decades of talking to people who have been there, done that. And hearing both sides of the argument.
