Bay sailor
Member
All,
I plan to use my Sako 06 for elk in WY this fall...my first elk hunt. Have shot many white tails with 150 gr. and never had any problems but this
past season I shot a nine point buck with a Hornady 150 interlock spbt at 80 yards and broke the left shoulder and caught one lung but did not penetrate the animal. Deer ran 80 yards and dropped under my stand.
Because of this experience I e-mailed Hornady re their thoughts on a good load for elk out to 300 plus yards and they suggested 165 or 180gr interbond or GMX bullets. I did some more research and believe interbond will give me the expansion and penetration needed versus the GMX (less expansion with a tad more penetration).
I worked up some loads for the 165 interbond with IMR 4350 1) with 55.8 gr. ~ 2800 GPS and 2) with 57 gr. ~ 2900 (supposedly the max load).
The Sako shot 1" or smaller groups @ 100 yes with the 150 gr. interlocks but it shot 4" groups @ 100 with load 1 and maybe 7" with load 2. At 200 yards it shot 7 " with 1 and 10" with #2. I plan to work up some lighter loads with 4350 to try to find one that shoots better but don't want to compromise GPS too much because of the increased ranges for elk.
Your shared experiences and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also should I try some 180's with loads 1 and 2 before working up more 165's.
BY THE WAY: I was in the high 20's with at least 12-15 mph wind coming right at me when I was checking out the above loads so that could have made some difference.
Many Thanks,
Don
I plan to use my Sako 06 for elk in WY this fall...my first elk hunt. Have shot many white tails with 150 gr. and never had any problems but this
past season I shot a nine point buck with a Hornady 150 interlock spbt at 80 yards and broke the left shoulder and caught one lung but did not penetrate the animal. Deer ran 80 yards and dropped under my stand.
Because of this experience I e-mailed Hornady re their thoughts on a good load for elk out to 300 plus yards and they suggested 165 or 180gr interbond or GMX bullets. I did some more research and believe interbond will give me the expansion and penetration needed versus the GMX (less expansion with a tad more penetration).
I worked up some loads for the 165 interbond with IMR 4350 1) with 55.8 gr. ~ 2800 GPS and 2) with 57 gr. ~ 2900 (supposedly the max load).
The Sako shot 1" or smaller groups @ 100 yes with the 150 gr. interlocks but it shot 4" groups @ 100 with load 1 and maybe 7" with load 2. At 200 yards it shot 7 " with 1 and 10" with #2. I plan to work up some lighter loads with 4350 to try to find one that shoots better but don't want to compromise GPS too much because of the increased ranges for elk.
Your shared experiences and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also should I try some 180's with loads 1 and 2 before working up more 165's.
BY THE WAY: I was in the high 20's with at least 12-15 mph wind coming right at me when I was checking out the above loads so that could have made some difference.
Many Thanks,
Don
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