Best .30 bullet for elk??

[TooTaxed]

I plan to hunt large Canadian elk this November...reloading .30-06 and 300 Win Mag, expecting the shots to be approximately 150 to 200 yds.

Two questions:

How do these bullets compare: Nosler Partition Protected Point, Barnes Triple Shock, Swift Scirrocco. Any clear superiority among them? I assume all are adequate...

Is 180-gr sufficient, or should I consider another weight?

Any favorite loads?

 

[surjimmy]

I would go with the 180gr. in the 300 winn mag, but that's just me.

 

[Bigfoot]

Any clear superiority among them?

Not really. Whichever one shoots best will do the job. You could drop the weights to 165 but with the 06 and 300 WM why bother.

I'd keep them all 180s or above except for the TSX which can be dropped to 165 or 168 gr. Possibly even 150 but with your cartridges, again why bother.

The 180 Partition in the 06 is the classic elk getter combination. The bullet hasn't changed and neither have elk, it should be the gold standard here if it shoots well.

If your ranges stretch out then try out the 200 gr Accubond also. It'll work on smaller/larger game at close/far ranges. In the 300 it's a real goodin.

Try Midways site for more bullet reviews. http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/Bro...1&categoryString=652***19785***9016***7243***

 

[matrem]

I have no doubt that any bullet you've mentioned in either caliber will work great. As Bigfoot said..Whichever shoots best from your rifle,whether 165 or 180 will "bring it home" if you hit where you need to.
With what little experience I have with them,my bet is that the Swifts could easily be the most accurate.

 

[Jim Watson]

Friend of mine kills his with 200 gr Sierra Game King. Sierra's hunting bullets have the reputation of being fragile. But his elk are dead, so they must be more fragile than the bullets, eh?

 

[Dan the Man]

I am a big fan of Remington's Premium Aframe in .300 win mag.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/premier_a-Frame.asp

I have had excellent results with this load in ranges from 15 to 270 yards on animals including moose, waterbuck, greater kudu, leopard, gemsbok, and black bear. It hits hard, penetrates well, and retains its weight.

Regards
--Dan

 

[skinewmexico]

I'd swap the Scirrocco for an A-Frame.

 

[Larry E]

A friend who hunted elk and moose with a .300 Win Mag used 180 and 200 gr Nosler Partitions with no complaints, but any of the bullets you listed will do the job if the bullet is put in the right place.

 

[RonE]

I believe all of the bullets you mention will work just fine. I personally like the Nosler Pratition 180 gr loaded to 3,100 fps. I have killed several elk with such a load with head, neck, sholder and spine shots. Ranges varied from 20 feet to 350 yards. Although I don't have personal experience beyond the 180 gr Nosler Partition, I cannot imagine a better bullet for elk and large mule deer.

 

[Moose458]

They are all good choices. Bullet placment is more important as all top quality bullets will do the job. Personnally I've taken Elk, Moose, and Bison with the 300 Win Mag, and Barnes 180 gr X bullets. There penetration is awesome and they retain almost all thier weight. The bullets I recovered still weighed 178 -179 grs. But whatever you use will work.

 

[Tarvis]

I hear partitions are good; personally I'd use the Barnes TSX 180 gr X bullet. I'm not sure how they perform on meat and bone, but shooting one through a 5/8" piece of plywood and they are fully expanded and lose 15-20 grains of weight. Maybe 15% or less broke into 5 pieces (main center piece and the 4 prongs that peel back) but then again this was on plywood.

 

[sam700]

If you are anticipating a longer shot, I'd use the same weight bullet as you use for deer, but in a premium bullet. If you use 165 grain then I'd go with the 165 grain TSX. That way you can have roughly the same trajectory. Obviously you'd have to verify that at the range.

On the other hand, if you're anticipating a 100 yardish shot I'd say trajectory isn't as important, so a heavier bullet wouldn't throw things off too much.

 

[db_tanker]

loaded up 100 rounds of 300 Win Mag for my brother.

180 gr. Hornady Interbonds.


They worked like a charm.


The great thing about reloading nowadays is that you can go out, and pick darn near any hunting bullet and you can be sure to get what your looking for.

Nosler, Barnes, Speer, Hornady, Sierra, Swift, Winchester...I know I missed a few but those are my favorites...at least, those are what I have on my BENCH. And those will bring home the meat, to be sure.

Do your own research, go to each manufacturers website, and take what everyone here has to say as real-world experience counts.

Lastly, you could also ask a friend or two if they could "donate" 3-5 rounds and load 'em up to see how they shoot...best game-killing round in the world won't be worth a darn if it don't shoot right out of your rifle!

That is, of course, the fun of reloading...find that perfect load.

D