energy requirements

[peppy1hunting]

Hey can anyone tell me what the minimum ft/lbs of energy required to harvest elk humanely- Trying to come up with long distance elk loads but would like feed back so I can determine maximum distances to realistic take elk- Thanks

[firstcoueswas80]

i like atleast 1000 for deer, maybe 1300+ for elk? just pullin numbers off the top of my head

[meichele]

Energy is a subjective term and subject. 5000 FPE wont do you a bit of good if you are using full metal jacket bullets. The game will run a LONG way with a minimal blood trail before expiring. What you need to concider is a good bullet that will A: hold up under high velocity impacts and B: expand on low velocity impacts. Bullets such as the ACCUBOND open at lower velocities and stay together on the close up shots. The damage done is more important than pure energy. Energy may be needed for penetrating VERY large game such as moose, but more important is bullet performance. Yes I understand that bullet performance and energy can be related. For example and AMAX bullet that will generate 4500 foot pounds is going to desintegrate upon impact and a FMJ will blow through a moose whether it is delivering 500 or 5000 foot pounds. The point here is match the bullet to the critter and range and let the bullet do the work. Arrows seldom deliver more than 70 FPE at the handle let alone on impact and yet arrows with proper heads cleanly and quickly kill game. Bullets can do the same. If you are looking for a 600 yard elk bullet I would suggest tying the accubond. It truly is a miracle bullet for game this side of 1/2 mile.

[peppy1hunting]

have been using 160tsx and had good results- been considering 168 berger vld. Bergers probably don't hold up quite as good as the barnes but might give better accuracy at longer ranges- would be interested in seeing what ft/lbs of energy each of these would require to preform well.

[meichele]

If its the 7mm you are using, try the 160 Accubonds. You wont be dissapointed in accuracy, wound effects and decent BC's. The LR accuacy is also outstanding. I do admit that I dont know what kind of distance you talking about.

Info needed:

Bullet diameter, bullet weight, velocity, and your maximum range for an elk shot.

[wapiti13]

bullelk, Most number you see in the mags is 1200 for deer,1500-2000 for elk. AS stated before, shot placement and penetration is what kills, not energy. I try to stay near these numbers, but have successfully fudged with a good shot angle! Especially, with the new premium bullets, rules don't apply as much as a few years ago. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[peppy1hunting]

I guess that's what I'm asking. If the shot placement were good. I was just wondering how far you could extend the shot distance to get a good humane kill vs poor penetration and poor bullet performance. So you're saying to keep energy at about 1500 ftlbs to get reliable performance. Sounds like I should look into the Acubond also. Thanks for the feedback.