Experience's with 7mm bullets on Elk

[venatic]

I am looking for feedback/opinions from folks who have had the opportunity to take Elk in the 400-600 yard range with the 7mm SAUM/7mm Rem Mag velocity range.
I am looking at this point for a bullet that is tough enough to consistently exit on broadside shoulder shots if one exists. So far 140gr VLD and 168gr Classic Hunter Berger's have not been doing the job. Better results with the Sierra GK but still not quite satisfied.

I want to try the LR Accubonds but they are hard to locate around here. They may or may not be what I am looking for. I may look to the Nosler Partition or maybe Barnes although I have never gotten stellar accuracy from either which is why I have looked elsewhere to this point.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

No actual experience myself...but lots of research indicates the 160 grain Nosler Accubond is up to the task.

If it were me...I'd look into the 160 Accubond, 168 Accubond LR, and 160 Partition....any of those should do the deed.

 

[roninflag]

i shot some bulls with a 175 btsp sierra 7mm m.ag few exited. none were more than 250 yards. if you want one to go through. monometal,-barnes. or a tipped trophy bonded bear claw, maybe. maybe the 175 lrab.

 

[Marble]

My experience with the 7mm and elk is with my gun, Browning A bolt, 7mm, 26" barrel and I shoot 150 siroccos. The bullet would sometimes go through and through at 400-550 yards, but not always. It mushroomed well, held together and was flat shooting. I never had one fall apart in an animal, nor did it make a lot of damage. I've loaded it for three 7mm and one short mag. All liked max charges or slightly higher of RL-22 and were 2/3-1 MOA. I seated the bullet .0010-.0020 off the lands.

The other 7mm was a 7STW. He shot a custom Rem 700, 28" Shilen barrel IMR 7828 and a 160 Accubond. He killed several Elk in the 600-800 range using Kentucky windage. Sniper training in Vietnam and 35 years of hunting Elk made him a killer.

 

[g0rd0]

I have shot 1 moose just under 200 yards with the 160 grn Barnes triple shock in the chest trough both lungs out the other side. It did not hit any major bone just ribs on both sides. He staggered about 15 feet and dropped 7MM rem mag

 

[gillettehunter]

The LR AB is probably not going to exit. I have not used it on game, but there have been several threads on them in the last year or so. Fairly soft like a Berger. Likely the regular AB in a 160 is what you'r going to want to try for longer range hunting. The Barnes will also exit. Had good luck with them on elk in the past at closer ranges. Bruce

 

[PowellSixO]

I shot a bull in 2013 with the 7mm and load in my signature, and he was DRT! It was exactly 400 yards, and he didn't take another step. Boom, whack, thud. Game over . My buddy was so impressed with the performance, he loaded some 168 gr vlds up in a .308 for his wifes elk hunt this year. She got a broadside shot at 200 yards and once again, boom, whack, thud. DRT . No exit on either bull.

 

[upacreek]

I have hunted elk for the last 25 years and tried different bullets. I have always shot a 7RM except 2 years when accuracy with that gun wasnt up to my standard. I used my 7WSM those years.
I have shot "Fail safe"s with drt results on 2. 162SST's on 3 with DRT results. 160 Sierra HPBT on at least 6, DRT (one never stood up out of its bed). Years ago shot 2 with nosler balistic tips, one DRT and the other was a running shot. Took 30 yards to collapse. All of my animals except the running one was shot just behind the shoulder in the crease. Mid body gives some room for error. I have never until this year had a bullet pass through an elk. This year I killed a very large bodied bull at 438yrds with a berger 180. MV roughly 2960. The bull never moved. Crumpled up and kicked a couple times then expired. Lungs and vitals were jello. Exit wound was small and only knew about it due to the 6" round pool of blood under the animal while feild dressing.
I have tracked 6 bulls for my brother and dad which were shot with acubonds, and partitions. These were also in 30 caliber. The worst was dads elk 15 years ago while I watched him plug 5 grand slams into a spike at 100 yards. The elk kept walking slowly until it colapsed. 3 were pass throughs.
May I ask why you want to shoot a shoulder at that range? And why you want to have the bullet pass through?
I come from the school of thought that if 100% of the energy is absorbed in the animal than its the best that can be delivered. I also like fragmenting bullets that make a larger wound channel. The last bull my brother had a pass through was tracked for over a mile with zero blood. Infact a chunk of lung was plugging the exit hole the size of my index finger. It stuck out 2".
This is my experience, so its just my opinion.

 

[jf239]

Two bulls, one last year at 608, this year at 560. Both drt, with 168gr vlds out of a 7mm rem mag. In my opinion this is a mean elk pill

 

[skyfish25]

I think you are asking a lot for a 7mm to go through both shoulders of an elk. I shoot 162gr SST/ SAUM and it won't do it. I usually try and get a double lung shot. It sounds like your trying to immobilize, not kill the animal. I've found that with a double lung shot with a bullet that opens fast and keeps enough mass to go through both lungs the animals rarely run. It seems to knock them senseless momentarily(maybe knock wind out?) without having to use a spine shot.

To do what your trying I would think only Speer grand slam or woodleigh bullets could have a chance. Maybe a Barnes, but I would think it would open up too much to get through.

 

[jf239]

My opinion, but I prefer a bullet that will expel ALL of it K.E. inside the wound channel. Archers rely on double lung hits, therefore they shoot trying to avoid hitting a shoulder. Just think of the damage done by a bullet that spent all of its energy and didn't just blow through and waste energy blowing through the opposite shoulder.
If double lung is what we are after then I can attest that at 600yrds with the 168gr vld placed just behind the shoulder is devastating. Everything, lungs, heart, ect. Was soup and my bullet didn't need to go through one shoulder let alone two.

 

[lloydsmale]

kind of refreshing to read a post from someone that actually kills animals and like me has realized that all the wiz bang premium bullets don't buy you a thing. A good old cup and core bullet placed in the right spot still kills animals faster then anything and kills them just as well as they did 30 years ago. I don't hunt elk, mostly its deer and I laugh at guys that claim you need a barnes x or a nos partition or a bonded bullet to kill. If they actually killed as much as typed theyd find out for themselves.

I have hunted elk for the last 25 years and tried different bullets. I have always shot a 7RM except 2 years when accuracy with that gun wasnt up to my standard. I used my 7WSM those years.
I have shot "Fail safe"s with drt results on 2. 162SST's on 3 with DRT results. 160 Sierra HPBT on at least 6, DRT (one never stood up out of its bed). Years ago shot 2 with nosler balistic tips, one DRT and the other was a running shot. Took 30 yards to collapse. All of my animals except the running one was shot just behind the shoulder in the crease. Mid body gives some room for error. I have never until this year had a bullet pass through an elk. This year I killed a very large bodied bull at 438yrds with a berger 180. MV roughly 2960. The bull never moved. Crumpled up and kicked a couple times then expired. Lungs and vitals were jello. Exit wound was small and only knew about it due to the 6" round pool of blood under the animal while feild dressing.
I have tracked 6 bulls for my brother and dad which were shot with acubonds, and partitions. These were also in 30 caliber. The worst was dads elk 15 years ago while I watched him plug 5 grand slams into a spike at 100 yards. The elk kept walking slowly until it colapsed. 3 were pass throughs.
May I ask why you want to shoot a shoulder at that range? And why you want to have the bullet pass through?
I come from the school of thought that if 100% of the energy is absorbed in the animal than its the best that can be delivered. I also like fragmenting bullets that make a larger wound channel. The last bull my brother had a pass through was tracked for over a mile with zero blood. Infact a chunk of lung was plugging the exit hole the size of my index finger. It stuck out 2".
This is my experience, so its just my opinion.

 

[pods8]

Perhaps give the Barnes 145gr LRX a look, as with all long ogive bullets you need to play with seating depth to get them to work. I shoot that in a 7-08 factory rifle ~1/2MOA. I plan to try working up that bullet in the 280AI I'm having built as well.

Haven't shot any elk with it but I wouldn't hesitate to (within the 7-08 range limitations). The bullet opened easily on antelope for initial expansion and obviously passed through (not saying a ton) for a solid would channel without being explosive. If you're shooting spines that seems like a good match in my book.

Hunting partner had a low shot on an elk with a 30cal 168gr barnes TTSX, blew through the lower leg, sliced the brisket wide open (skimmed the sternum) and blew through the offside lower leg as well. Dropped down and was ended with a follow up shot more on the mark. Unfortunate he had a poor shot but the point of the story was the TTSX and LRX bullets are a tough one when it needs to be yet open up fairly well. However if you're a rear lung shooter it might not be the best fit, esp. on Elk due to their large lungs, you'd want something that fragments out into the cavity more to get more than just the rear lungs I would think.

 

[pods8]

I laugh at guys that claim you need a barnes x or a nos partition or a bonded bullet to kill. If they actually killed as much as typed theyd find out for themselves.

Barnes is a preference over need in my book, so far I've liked their performance over cup/core bullets, that is all. They expand solidly yet punch through bone as needed and don't scatter lead all over (weight that last point acording to your preference only, I realize lots of folks don't care and that's fine too). Other than rear lung shooting I don't see too much downside (other than cost!) to them. I don't need a 100% energy dump if the bullet just cut a channel through the heart or spine, etc. and an exit would is another spot for blood to exit if there is tracking involved (often a larger cut in the hide vs the pencil hole of the entrance).

Again preference only, I shot sierra gamekings prior.