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

[Schnyd112]

180 accubond from a 300 winmag, 2900 FPS at the muzzle. Shot(s) were 375 yards, slightly quartering towards but almost full broadside. First shot was while he was walking, could hear solid impact and he stopped and looked at me. After the third shot I could see blood dripping. Just as I was centering up for the 6th shot he fell over dead.

I recovered 2 bullets, his lungs were mush, big hemotoma on the heart but I only broke one rib and never hit a shoulder. I had 3 shots within an inch, one hit rib, the other two were on either side of it. One a rib further back and one was in line with the 3 but a few inches lower. I held just above his elbow, with a dope for 375. I probably didn't need to shoot him more than once but I wasn't going to let him get away.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I've killed elk with most of the common bullet designs except solid copper bullets. My first was 165 Partitions out of a 308 Baer. A spike took 4 rounds of that load going 3350fps. So I built a bigger gun, a 358STA. I shot 5 elk with that rifle and 250 Hornady bullets before switching to the same case necked up to .375. Shot 5 or 6 more with Sierra 250's and Winchester 270gr Fail Safe's out of the .375-358STA to 650yds. Shot a couple with 350 Speer Magtips out of my 416 Rem mag (the furthest was 350yds). Then I got heavy into muzzleloaders and shot probably 15 with Powerbelts and saboted SST's. Back into rifles I shot 2 with 210 Matrix VLD bullets out of a 30-8mm mag (the furthest was 400yds), 3 with a 6.5-300wm and 140 Amax's (the furthest was 200yds), 2 with 140 Bergers out of a 6.5x47 (100-200yds), 1 with a 7-300wm using 162 Amax's (533yds), 1 with a 7STW and 180gr JLK's, 4 with a 300wm and 215 Bergers (out to 1081yds) , and 5 with a 300wsm and 215 Bergers (out to 600yds). If I can get them to shoot well I'm going to switch it up from the 215 Bergers I've used for the last several years and try the ELD-M's.

 

[BEEMAN]

IdahoCTD that's a lot of elk. How did the 215 Berger compare to all the other bullets? Which bullet gave you the best results? I'm currently using the 215. But we don't have the opportunity to shoot many elk here.

 

[IdahoCTD]

The 162 Amax's lacked penetration but the 140 Amax's out of my 6.5-300wm did about as good as 215 Bergers in the .30's. The furthest any animal has gone is about 70yds when using any of the VLD's. On average they go further when shot with Bergers then Amax's. I like the Bergers except when shooting cows in a herd and they run off. So I'm going to try 208 Amax's in my short barreled 300wsm this year and 225 ELD-M's in one of my bigger .30's to see how they compare.

 

[Golovkin]

Could not find an exit wound, and I did not recover the bullet (internals were a giant glob of goo).

You still gotta dig for it

Sounded like a pickup going through a wooden garage door.

Great description! Hope you've never actually had to hear that...

My last elk was taken at 764 yds with a 338 Rum shooting a 250 Berger OTM. 3020 fps. I have also taken several African plains game animals with this rifle shooting the 250 SMk.

What was the powder and load on those 250's?

 

[Laelkhunter]

You still gotta dig for it

It was getting dark fast, and we had a long way to go to get him out of there. I didn't want to spend the night on top of the Mountain. I really would have loved to recover that bullet though.

 

[35 Whelen]

I've killed elk with most of the common bullet designs except solid copper bullets. My first was 165 Partitions out of a 308 Baer. A spike took 4 rounds of that load going 3350fps. So I built a bigger gun, a 358STA. I shot 5 elk with that rifle and 250 Hornady bullets before switching to the same case necked up to .375. Shot 5 or 6 more with Sierra 250's and Winchester 270gr Fail Safe's out of the .358-358STA to 650yds. Shot a couple with 350 Speer Magtips out of my 416 Rem mag (the furthest was 350yds). Then I got heavy into muzzleloaders and shot probably 15 with Powerbelts and saboted SST's. Back into rifles I shot 2 with 210 Matrix VLD bullets out of a 30-8mm mag (the furthest was 400yds), 3 with a 6.5-300wm and 140 Amax's (the furthest was 200yds), 2 with 140 Bergers out of a 6.5x47 (100-200yds), 1 with a 7-300wm using 162 Amax's (533yds), 1 with a 7STW and 180gr JLK's, 4 with a 300wm and 215 Bergers (out to 1081yds) , and 5 with a 300wsm and 215 Bergers (out to 600yds). If I can get them to shoot well I'm going to switch it up from the 215 Bergers I've used for the last several years and try the ELD-M's.

What rifle/bullet do you like the best? I'd like to get or build a 358STA.

 

[wysako]

My son shot this cow at 650yrds using a 300 bee with 180TTSX, 1st shot was right square through the shoulder 2nd demolished the neck, both were pass through. I want to gripe about the meat waste from the shots but dead is dead I guess lol.

 

[IdahoCTD]

What rifle/bullet do you like the best? I'd like to get or build a 358STA.

There is really no replacement for displacement. The big calibers are flat hard on elk but they are also hard on shoulders. The VLD type bullets make smaller calibers act like bigger calibers with non VLD bullets. I like .30 magnums and VLD type bullets. The .30's are just nicer to shoot a lot then the 338's and in general they kill better than the smaller calibers. I really think the Amax's/ELD-M's will do better than Bergers from my experience using them in smaller calibers and that is why I intend to give them a whirl this year. My dad has crushed 3 cows in the last couple years with his 6.5 Creedmoor and 147 ELD-M's. Like straight down and barely kicking type crush. I should have at least 3 elk tags again this year to test them out and if I get lucky I might have 4 plus a AK hunt for moose and maybe deer/caribou and anything else I can get drawn for.

 

[mpayne]

200 yards one shot never found the bullet

 

[280remington]

Remington 7MM Express. 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip.

 

[moosie]

210 partition custom mauser 98 338-06 26" hart. 2740 fps at the muzzle. 275 yards quartering 4x5. Double lung shot. Ran 30 yards and fell over. Found the bullet in the hide on the other side. Zero meat damage. Beautiful!

 

[graywolf]

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

What kinds of .25 bullets?