What type of bullet did you use on your last elk?

300 grain Berger 2750 fps, 611 yards right be behind the shoulder, he took 3 rolls down the hill and that was it.

.45 Cal 250 grain Hornady SST in a .50 caliber sabot. In line muzzle loader. Chronographed muzzle velocity of 1850 FPS. 70 yard shot giving a 1630 FPS impact velocity with 1480 ft lb energy. Double lung full pass through, ran 30 yards and dropped.
Son's elk previous season. 7 mm 162 gr Hornady interlock. 2720 FPS muzzle velocity. 550 yard impact, ballistic app says 1898 FPS and 1296 ft lb at impact. High shoulder shot broke scapula just above the humeral joint, recovered core of bullet behind the off shoulder just under the hide. Ran down steep hillside 100 yards or so.

28 Nosler
26" Shilen Barrel
Baby Beast Brake 4 Port
Barnes 175gr Extreme Hunter
3150 out of the Muzzle
Reloader 33
Nosler brass

Elk was 6x6 scored 350 B&C
Took two shots moving away from me
Sagged hard on first shot. I thought he was going down. But he didn't.
Second shot he was trotting away from me.
Elk went about 50 Yds total and collapsed
Did not recover the bullet

Barnes 168 TTSX at 3067 fps in a 300wm. Very happy with the results at 440 yards.

180 Berger hunting vld being pushed 3105 out of an STW. One shot drop. High shoulder shot by my 13 year old son at 938 yards. 4x4 bull elk.

2018 - 309yds. Quartering to with me higher. Took her where the neck attaches, left side, exited the right shoulder. Never took a step but went 75ish yards...slid down a very steep hill, only stopped due to a tree.
2017 - 250yds. Broadside, hit a few inches high. Took the lungs high, top half nothing left, bottom were intact. Same slope as 2018, she ran a few hundred yds, mostly due to momentum. Once the cavity filled with blood, she was spraying it everywhere.
All were shot with 180gr AB with muzzle vel. 3080fps.
Last dozen or so elk were shot with the same bullet/vel setup. 2017 was the first one I've ever had go more then 10yds with the AB. Before that was shooting the same combo but with the BT. I had one bull just inside 50yds and hit a rib broadside. He stood there looking at me for 2-3 seconds, started coughing blood. I had to put 2 more shots into him. The next one was into the front shoulder/bone to try and drop him. The last was into the neck to finish him once I got over there. The BT just didn't penetrate real well at that close of a distance, just blew up. Prior to that I had taken several elk between 350-550yds with the BT and no issues.

338 Win Mag shooting 250 grain partitions @ 2600fps. Absolute elk hammer! This rifle seems to really like the 250 accubonds (.25 MOA @ 100 yards) which I hope to use next season but the accuracy node is slower than I would prefer at the moment (2400ish). Either way though, I prefer the bonded/tough bullets on elk unless I know it will be a long range (500 yard plus) shot. In that case I bring the 300 RUM shooting 212 ELD-X or VLDs.

Golovkin said:

Pick the bullet that most correlates to a choice.

Also if you have a chance, tell us the muzzle velocity, and how did it do? Also note the impact velocity and range if you can.

Thanks for providing this info. As a long time elk hunter i'm trying to look outside my box and see what others are doing.

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I have been killing elk for 40 years. 1 with a 270, 1 with a 338 mag, 5 or 6 with a 300 WM & the rest have all been with a 25-06 & 100 grain bullets. When I get serious about killing something I always grab my old 25-06. Oh, by the way, in 1992 I put a bison in B&C with a 25-06 & 100 grainers!
Thanks, Kirk

225 YDS Berger VLD 7MM 168gr 2800FPS. Lucky to get three perfect broadside shots, each bullet penciling through leaving an exit hole no bigger than the entrance hole. He ran about 50 yds and piled up and I gave up on using that bullet for hunting elk.

Mine: Berger 7mm 180 grain at about 3000 fps. 315 yard shot bull didnt take a step.

Wife: 140 grain berger 6.5. 300 yards 2940 fps bull took 1 step fell over dead.

A 50 cal Thompson center encore muzzleloader using the Barnes 290 TMZ, Velocity at muzzle 2050fps. Cow elk at 212yds. Impact velocity 1535.
Bullet went through both wind bags and was recovered under the hide on the far side. Elk went 40 yds and collapsed.

Troutslayer2 said:

225 YDS Berger VLD 7MM 168gr 2800FPS. Lucky to get three perfect broadside shots, each bullet penciling through leaving an exit hole no bigger than the entrance hole. He ran about 50 yds and piled up and I gave up on using that bullet for hunting elk.

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Not trying to talk you out of switching but, one thing with the VLDs that I strongly recommend when used for hunting is to use a small drill bit and ensure the tips are open all the way. I check all of mine loaded for hunting purposes and find ~20% per box that are at least partially closed off. It's very likely that if they're penciling through, that's why.

28 Nosler
Berger 180 gr. VLD 80.2 gr Retumbo @ 3126 MV
415 yds. Impact vol Apx. 2650
DRT. Entered just behind right shoulder, double lungs, and broke opposite side shoulder. Couldn't have asked for more....

28 Nosler....Took out both lungs at 200 yds.Speed was 3065 at muzzle.195 grain Berger put 2" holes through both lungs!! I was happy with that!