Best Hammer for Elk

[kmarsh1966]

Personally I would go too the 123 gr absolute and squeeze another 150 fps out of it , that will really make the Swede shine ,. I would expect 3100 fps plus with the 123 absolute , you also might consider the 131 gr hammer if the Swede has a 1-7.5 twist , that bullet will out perform any 140 plus weight bullet in the 6.5 cal , 300 yds and in you have all you need and then some.

I am running my 123 Absolutes at 3140 out of a Creedmoor. you can get them going that fast, but they do recoil more than a typical 6.5 Creed. Great bullets, that punch way above weightclass. Largest I have take is a Wildebeest at 130 on the point of the shoulder. One and done.

 

[mcerick]

Best for this situation I should say.
My Wife drew an Arkansas Elk tag. Her favorite rifle is a 6.5x55 in a Swedish Mauser and her other rifle is a Ruger 6.5 CM.
She prefers the Swede, She has harvested 2 Elk in the past, both with the 140 grain Nos. Part. which is very lethal.
She likes the low recoil and with the 6.5, I told her it is fine to 300 yds for Elk, that's as far as she wants to shoot anyway.
I have some 143 ELDX, 139 Scenar, 140 Gold Dot and 130 gr. Accubonds to load, so not hurting.
But the 140 Nos Part is nearly impossible to buy, the ones I saw were pricey, if I go pricey I may as well try Hammer bullets.

So, with the self imposed limit of 300 yds, most likely less than that, for those here who have actually used Hammers for Elk, which hammer would you use? I believe her Swede to have a 1-7.5 twist and the backup CM to be a 1-8.
My leanings right now is the 124 HH but what say you?

I used 156 gr. Berger EOL's in my 6.5 MPR in S. Africa last month on Zebra (350 yards) Eland (280 yards) Bushbuck (245 yards) Kudu (90 yards) and Impala (180 yards) Each animal was 1 shot kill with the exception of the Eland which went down but needed a finishing shot. The Eland weighed at least 1,200 pounds according to my PH.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Or a high fence enclosure. All fair chase.

No high fence there. Az. or N.M. no such thing. She kicked but.

 

[mdmiller]

Great looking BULL!!!

 

[dogz]

IMO, having see more than a few 127's pumped into elk and then watching my daughter one shot kill elk after elk with the 124 HH, they are not in the same class for terminal performance.

bigngreen-------when you get a minute could you expound on this a skosh bit? I ordered a new Lilja 7.5 twist for my 84M on Friday. Hope to have it up and running for late elk, coyotes and best of all woluffs... Would love to ruin a wolf's day via a Montana Hammer

 

[dogz]

This is a buddy of mine's daughter with her bull from last year taken with a 6.5 CM. It is not the first one that has fallen with that rifle either.

View attachment 376002

"DWD" (darn well done)

 

[bigngreen]

bigngreen-------when you get a minute could you expound on this a skosh bit? I ordered a new Lilja 7.5 twist for my 84M on Friday. Hope to have it up and running for late elk, coyotes and best of all woluffs... Would love to ruin a wolf's day via a Montana Hammer

Sure, once a bullet touches fur it's all about the wound channel and putting down an animal clean. I'm a huge fan of hitting them behind the shoulder mid way up giving us the largest kill area and the animal dieing from massive blood loss and tipping over in a very short time, that yeilds a dead elk where they tip over every time. One buddy tried the 127 Barnes and we killed a few elk with them with the standard behind the shoulder meat shot, same placement for every bullet test, narrow wound channels and we had to hit them a couple times with one cow making it just over 800 yards before catching a 215 Berger. Same shoots with the 124 Hammer yeild excellent trauma to the lungs and blood vessels with a golf ball ish size exit and one shot down 100% of the time so far. All animals hit inside 400 yards with a Creed. The ranch manager who we were shooting with won't allow Barnes to be used anymore if that says anything.
Pictures says it all, big lead cow, typical exit at 300 yards, instantly could see the hit was good, 124 Hammer with an easy load clocking 2920 fps balancing recoil and performance.

 

[Shootin4fun]

Hmmm I wonder if with Barnes the .264 is less effective than .277. The kills I've made with a 270 / 130 Barnes resulted in devastating wound channel an quarter size exit wounds. All DRTs. Neck shot, broadside heart shot, quartering ribs through shoulder blade on one hog which just pulverized everything including bone in the channel. But I only have a sample of 4 all under 300.
Anyway it sounds like a large enough sample amongst hunters here to reach some conclusions. But tossing my inventory if Barnes and starting load development right now would be very costly in terms of both money and time so for now I'll stick with what I have. Maybe when I run out. Thanks for the experienced info bigngreen.

 

[Litehiker]

If her Mauser is the ORIGINAL Swedish Mauser it is not rated for modern high power cartridges. Know, surprising.

The 6.5 CM in a Hornady Precision Hunter 143 or 147 weight ELD-X bullet will do nicely under 500 yards.

 

[Nomosendero]

If her Mauser is the ORIGINAL Swedish Mauser it is not rated for modern high power cartridges. Know, surprising.

The 6.5 CM in a Hornady Precision Hunter 143 or 147 weight ELD-X bullet will do nicely under 500 yards.

Yep, that's why even thou the Swede has more case capacity I load it and her CM backup to the same velocity. That Swede has been her favorite rifle for 35 years, she has taken several animals with each rifle, and we have noticed the headstamp doesn't affect the wound channels.

 

[WYO300RUM]

Sure, once a bullet touches fur it's all about the wound channel and putting down an animal clean. I'm a huge fan of hitting them behind the shoulder mid way up giving us the largest kill area and the animal dieing from massive blood loss and tipping over in a very short time, that yeilds a dead elk where they tip over every time. One buddy tried the 127 Barnes and we killed a few elk with them with the standard behind the shoulder meat shot, same placement for every bullet test, narrow wound channels and we had to hit them a couple times with one cow making it just over 800 yards before catching a 215 Berger. Same shoots with the 124 Hammer yeild excellent trauma to the lungs and blood vessels with a golf ball ish size exit and one shot down 100% of the time so far. All animals hit inside 400 yards with a Creed. The ranch manager who we were shooting with won't allow Barnes to be used anymore if that says anything.
Pictures says it all, big lead cow, typical exit at 300 yards, instantly could see the hit was good, 124 Hammer with an easy load clocking 2920 fps balancing recoil and performance.

View attachment 376531

Looks like a shoulder/ lung shot. Bright red blood. Where I always aim on elk. Drops them every time. Deer and lope I try not to hit shoulder .

 

[bigngreen]

Looks like a shoulder/ lung shot. Bright red blood. Where I always aim on elk. Drops them every time. Deer and lope I try not to hit shoulder .

Ya, she's dialed in on shot placement, she's 100% kill rate since she was 10 yrs so not going to argue with it!!
If I plotted all of her shots on game I'm betting they would make only a couple inch group, she definitely hunts for the shot!!
Her boyfriend gives her crap about her Creed, he got a pic of that cow titled "Shot placement, some of us don't need a 300" laughed my butt off.

 

[Bravo 4]

My Wife drew an Arkansas Elk tag.

Congratulations on the tag, my buddies and I have been putting in since we were teens. If you want some help (or a tag along) hit me up with a PM.
I do have a small amount (15) of 129 Absolutes you can try if you want. They are .08" longer than the 123 Absolute & .063" longer than the 124 HH, and require a 7.5" twist.

 

[Nomosendero]

Congratulations on the tag, my buddies and I have been putting in since we were teens. If you want some help (or a tag along) hit me up with a PM.
I do have a small amount (15) of 129 Absolutes you can try if you want. They are .08" longer than the 123 Absolute & .063" longer than the 124 HH, and require a 7.5" twist.

Ye, I have applied since the program started and have not been drawn yet. This is her second draw. She drew the first one at the festival in 2017, an either sex tag. That year the hunt was 1st week of October, it was 90 degrees with a full Moon. She did not give up and a young Bull stepped out in an opening from the river bottom 10 minutes before shooting light would end on the last day of the season. The 140 Nos Part. busted both shoulders he lunged forward to a dirt bath.