Help me select a bullet for open country Elk

[willyqbc]

200 lrx handloaded to 2800fps will serve you well. I have taken a moose with the 200 lrx out of an '06 at 468yds. MV was only 2600 and change. Bullet hit the thick bone at the bottom of the shoulder blade....sheared that bone right off, carried straight through and sheared off the offside bone in the same place as well....everything in between....jello. Barnes reccomends 1600fps impact velocity for the 200 LRX, so if we say 1700fps to give it some wiggle room, your 300 pushing it 2800 fps should give you an effective range out to 700 yds give or take. The heaviest bone will not be a problem....even at 700 yds. Good luck!

Chris

 

[PhilSchmidt]

This season?

And you're just now starting load workup? Interesting approach. 450 yards under field conditions can be a long poke. I've only taken a couple of elk, and none past 340 yards. The 165 gr Ballistic Tip from my 30-06 did a fine job on that one. Earlier 6x6 bull was from a 175 gr Nosler Partition/7mm Rem mag. Don't dismiss the Partition - probably not the best long range bullet, but dang, it's a killer.

I dunno... musing here. But best of luck on your hunt, and enjoy the heck out of it. I hope you get some of those delicious backstraps.

Regards, Guy

The hunt is in 2020. I am not concerned about the distance, in fact I am very comfortable with 600 yard or beyond shots if wind is not bad and I know the distance. I shoot F class, long range varmint steel and LOTS of 300 to 400 yard ground squirrels. I won't take a LR shot unless my rifle is a half MOA shooter or better.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!!

 

[the hunter]

190gr Nosler ABLR shoots .5 moa in my .300wm. It has done good on deer with 2 inch exit holes in the side.

 

[Jud96]

208gr ELD Match, 200.20x Berger, or 215gr Berger. All of those will perform at 400+ yards. Should get 2600 with the 06 and 2900+ with the .300WM. For powder, I think H4831sc, RL23, and RL26 would work well in both cartridges. Get some Lapua brass for the .30-06 and ADG for the .300 and you'll be good to go!

 

[Guy M]

The hunt is in 2020. I am not concerned about the distance, in fact I am very comfortable with 600 yard or beyond shots if wind is not bad and I know the distance. I shoot F class, long range varmint steel and LOTS of 300 to 400 yard ground squirrels. I won't take a LR shot unless my rifle is a half MOA shooter or better.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!!

Whew! I was afraid you were headed out this year with a brand new load.

Ya, I've done a fair bit of long-range shooting... And still find that 400 - 500 yards can be a surprisingly difficult shot in the field with updrafts, winds that are hard to dope, odd angles, animals that refuse to stand absolutely still... All that stuff comes into play.

With your shooting experience, I suspect all that will be dealt with appropriately.

Best of luck on your hunt! Regards, Guy

 

[Richard Teague]

Circumstances have to be near perfect for me to shoot past 450 yards and pretty good for that! Wind is a lot tougher to figure than drop.

 

[trhall]

We will be hunting open plains Elk in East Wyoming. I have not hunted there but my buddy who has been there several times says the shots are always 450 yards and beyond. I will be taking my 300 WinMag as well as a 30.06 for backup. I have not reloaded for these cartridges in the past and for simplicity sake would prefer to inventory just one weight bullet for both cartridges but not opposed to getting two types if it makes more sense.

Does it make sense to go with a 180 grain slug for both? I am interested in bullets that will stay together if they hit bone as well as a good BC.

Thanks for your inputs.

Phil

For killing elk with a 300 win mag you can't do any better than a 215 grain Berger Hybrid OTM. Berger is now selling that in a loaded cartridge if you don't reload.

 

[trhall]

The Berger twist rate calculator says long bullets like the 212 Hornady ELDX will not be stabilized in my 30-06 10.25 twist rate barrel so I will go with a bullet in the 180 gr range. The Win Mag will be throwing 210 to 220 grainers.

I'm skeptical about the ELDX line when it comes to consistent match quality accuracy. What about Berger Hunting bullets performance on big animals? My experience is limited to target and varmint bullets so I need some guidance here. Terminal performance and repeatable accuracy are the performance criteria.

Thanks again in advance!

Many, many elk and other critters one shot kills with 215 Berger Hybrid OTMs out of 300 win mags. Check out my threads or Broz. You just can't beat a 215 gr Berger Hybrid for killing elk from 100 - 1000 yards.