Elk ammo?

[Outdoor Junkie]

Hello all,

Just wanted to get elk hunters take on this. I hunt pretty much everything with my favorite rifle, which is a 300 wsm and I use the Winchester 150 grain Ballistic silver tip since my rifle really likes it (consistently 3 shots in a 2-3" circle at 300 yards off a rest).

I'm heading out for cow elk over New Year's weekend and I wanted to get the elk hunters take on two questions:

1.) Do you think I should bump up the 180 grain version of this or should a well placed 150 grain be just fine?

2.) Do the non-ballistic tip rounds (i.e. the federal premium) seem to have the long range accuracy of the ballistic tips? I really started with this ammo when I bought the gun and my rifle hunting experience is limited to this rifle over the last 6 years, so I wanted to get the take of the elk hunters out there. I grew up in shotgun territory in Wisconsin.

Thanks for the input!

 

[FishN4Eyes]

The 150's will be fine.

If your gun shoots them well and you can put them where they need to be I wouldn't worry in the least.

Plenty of elk have succumbed to a lesser bullet and the 150's pack plenty of punch.

Personally, I shoot the 180 gr. XP-3's out of my .300 WSM but that is just my personal choice and wouldn't hesitate to use the 150's if that was what I was shooting.

 

[MThuntr]

I would personally bump up to 180grains. The 150grain bullets are moving pretty quick. While I think they would do just fine on the killing part I think they may be a little tough on the meat. I'm a fan of Nosler's bullets (both Accubonds and Partitions) as well as Hornady Interbonds. In my experience, the "tip" does little for accuracy within reasonable range.

 

[kansasdad]

Like real estate, most of it comes down to location, location, location. Put it to the vitals, with enough energy in the bullet (not lobbed from 2 miles down the road) equals lethal wound, dead elk.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Long range accuracy is relative based on your shooting skills. You're shooting minute of elk here, so the difference between a ballistic tip and a traditional bullet is very minimal. I personally don't like the ballistic tip styles for hunting elk because of the meat damage they can do. I hate trimming bloodshot meat.

I load my wife's 30-06 with a light load of Barnes 150 grain TSX bullets and we've yet to have one bounce off of an elk.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Thanks for the feedback on the ballistic versus regular tips. I didn't know that they were tougher on the meat or that they don't really help accuracy much... I really learn a lot from you guys, so thank you for the feedback.

I'm going to stick with the 150 grains and see what happens.

 

[streamer]

they should be fine

 

[Foxtrot1]

I switch to accubonds for larger game. They are tougher, penetrate better, and shoot the same in my rifles as ballistic tips. I recovered one from a big bodied bull elk 2 yrs ago. It clipped both shoulder blades and ribs on both sides. It penetrated diagonally on a quartering away shot. It was under the skin on the far side. The bullet retained 68% of its weight in a text book mushroom. That is the only one I've ever recovered.

 

[belly-deep]

I'd say a 150 Ballistic Tip is a little light for elk at 300 WSM velocities. If you want to stick with 150's, try Barnes TTSX or TSX. They are usually pretty accurate.

Otherwise, go to a heavier bullet cuz chit happens with elk.

 

[awapiti]

I shoot a 300wsm as well. The 180 grain accubonds are my choice over the ballistic silvertips for the same reasons stated above.

 

[Magicman]

Two 165 gr. 30-06 Nosler Accubonds that made quartering shots through my bull this year,

 

[PeteE]

I use 180 accubonds in in 300 WSM. I use Double Taps

 

[Carrion Carrier]

Just took a bull with 165 gr copper TSX and they are bad medicine on elk. I really like not having to worry about lead in the meat (I have two children under 3 y.o.).

That said, I've killed more than a few elk with 150 gr. soft points and they all went down hard. Last year, I put three 150 grain core-lokts through a bulls lungs and he just stood there looking confused. At least for a minute.

Shot placement is the key. I've found that lighter loads reduce my flinching and that makes me a more effective hunter.

 

[canvsbk]

Accubond.

 

[konasage]

Those 150's are fine.

 

[Ghostrider]

why mess with sometin that works. I shoot accubonds on my 300 ultra. But if your rifle shoots those shell and your happy with the results. then stick with them. put the bullet in the correct place and your bull wont take another step.

 

[Outdoor Junkie]

Hey guys,

It's interesting how different everyone's view is on this. I thought I would get a concensus on one direction or the other, but it looks split with the majority leaning toward the 180 grain or 165 grain accubonds or TSX. I love the 150 ballistic tips for deer (white tail and mule deer), but I don't want the critters to suffer more than neccessary. I'll pick up some 180 grain accubonds and see what how they do at the range!

Thanks for all the great feedback!

 

[HSi-ESi]

It can be tough to decide on bullets - especially on an internet forum. There isn't a single solution / post that can give you exactly what you are looking for - so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

I used to shoot a .308 Win (Browning BLR-81, 150 grain Nosler Partitions in front of 50.1 grains of Win 760). I've shot most of my elk with this gun (12+, I think). This included cows/bulls, different ranges (10 yards to 330 yards). I had one instance where I shot cow at about 10 yards. She was the lead cow, one of the biggest bodied cows I've taken. Shot through the heart, she ran uphill 1.5 miles. I found her the next day (no blood trail until the last 1/4 mile). The bullet lodged in the off shoulder and the lack of an exit wound hampered the blood trail (I believe). The entry wound was behind the shoulder, so I was surprised that the off-shoulder bone was enough to stop the bullet even at point-blank range. All of the other elk I've shot with that gun were 1 shot kills.

The .308 didn't like 180 grains of any type - so I've since switched over to a .300 Win Mag (Tikka T3, 180 grain Nosler Partition in front of 73 grains of 4831) in order to get exit wounds. I've now taken 4 elk with that gun (and a few deer). It has worked very well on all of the elk. Only 1 required a followup shot, but that was my own fault.

All of this being said - 150 grain bullets of good construction will do the job - provided you do your job on placing the bullet where it needs to go. 180 grain will do the same - maybe a bit more effective than the 150 - provided you and your gun like to shoot it.

Since my .308 didn't shoot it well - and I wanted to bump up in bullet weight, I got a new gun that could accommodate it. But I made sure that I could shoot the new gun/load just as well as the old one. And I still use the .308 on deer (plus I love to carry it).

I've also shot 2 elk with my Dad's .270 Win (the standard 130 grain). That's when I was younger and liked lighter recoil.

Each hunting situation has been different for me. So I go in confident with the gun shooting accurately, and am always prepared for follow-up shots if need be (as much as the situation will allow).

Good Luck!