Elk & Scirocco bullets

[300Winnie]

Who likes (doesn't like) the Swift Scirocco bullet for elk? Specifically the 180 grain .308 version and the 150 grain .284 version. I have some experience with them but want to see what others thoughts, experiences and opinions are.

 

[Craig]

I shot a 5X6 bull at 340 yards with a 180 grain Swift Scirocco Last year. I shoot a .300 ultra mag. The bullet worked good. After the shot the bull just stood there for about 15 secounds then fell over dead. I shot a nice mule deer in Montana last year at 40 yards and the deer never moved and fell over dead.

I have shot two deer and a elk with the 180 grain swift Scirocco bullets and have not had a pass through shot on a animal yet. But all three animals have died within 10 yards of were they were shot. So I like the bullet and will keep using them.

 

[Buckrub]

I too have used the 180gr. outta my .300RUM, but only on deer.
Got total pass through, but, smashed'em on impact!!! Good wound
channel. I think the 180 is a little heavy for deer, but, should
be ideal for elk. They also group real well, too!!!

 

[muzz]

Havent had a chance to put one thru an elk yet but heard guys like them for elk. I killed a nice 4 point muley with 165 grain scirocco and flattened him. didnt pass through and when recovered expanded well and held the weight also. I would suggest a scirocco.

 

[bullwidgeon]

I seen a couple of bulls get hammered with the 150 grainers out of 7mm Rem magnums. One was killed at 300 yards and the bullet was recovered on the offside shoulder right under the skin. Perfect mushroom and good weight retention. It broke both shoulders on the bull as he was in his bed. The other one went right through the neck/backbone of a bull as it was running away out of the junipers after being jumped. The bullet was not recovered but the bull flopped like it got hit by a freight train. that was at around 50 yards. I would say excellent elk bullet, allthough a little expensive. I have seen a few coues deer get smacked with them at long range but a coues deer does not really require a solid heavy bullet and there was complete pass throughs so I cant really say how they did other than that the deer were dead, what else could you ask for I guess.

Bret M.

 

[Triple_BB]

Peterson's Hunting magazine has a good article in the current issue specifically about various 180 grain bonded bullets...

 

[300Winnie]

By chance did Jamison write it? There was an article in the June issue of Shooting Times as well.

 

[muzz]

The sciroccos arent expensive, there around 45 dollars for 100 bullets, the other good bullets are around 23 to 28 dollars for 50 bullets. So for the money you are getting a good deal for a great bullet.

 

[300Winnie]

Now for my experiences:

I have two experiences with the Swift Scirocco, both vastly different.

The first was a cow elk at a guessed 250-300 yards. She was standing mostly facing me. At the shot she folded up like nobody's business and flopped on the ground. The shot had entered the neck, broke the spine (thus the dramatic ending)continued on through the front shoulder finally lodging under the skin on the backside of the leg. Great penetration and great terminal performance.

The second was another cow elk at a laser range finder verified distance of 608 yards. She was standing broadside and at the shot showed no sign of being hit. She walked into the timber 30 yards and piled up. This shot hit her in front of the second rib, took out the liver (and whatever else is in that path)and was lodged just under the hide behind the off shoulder.

Both of these animals were shot with 180 grain Sciroccos out of a .300 Winchester Magnum. Muzzle velocity average around 3160 fps. No mild load.

Here is where it gets interesting. The first bullet weighed 174 grains. But did not mushroom at all. The bullet looked like the tip had been cut off with a pair of wire dikes, slightly bending the tip. You can see the riflings from stem to stern on it. Why it did that? See my theory below, but who knows. Just didn't like it so I switched to 200 grain Accubonds the next year (2003).

2003. My gun jams (operator error). My father-in-law still shooting Sciroccos lets me use his gun. I draw a bead, fire and when we recover that bullet it also weighs 174 grains, but is a picture perfect mushroom right out of Swifts adds. I compared the bullet to the bullet they show impacting at 2300 fps and it is identical. That should have been about the impact velocity.

My opinions on the bullet. I don't like the fact that 50% didn't work as designed, whatever the reason may be. However, after a great deal of thought on the matter I have come to the conclusion that the first bullet hit a small branch just before impact that tipped the bullet off center. As a result, the bullet went in off center and did not have the nose collapse inward to begin expansion. Basically the bullet tumbled at that point. If my theory is correct that is some serious penetration from a "tumbler".

I could not have asked any more out of the second bullet.

I have comtemplated the use of accubonds instead, but after a lot of thought I think the scirocco is at least as good if not better than the accubonds. Swift just does not have the reputation Nosler does.

 

[Triple_BB]

>By chance did Jamison write it?
> There was an article
>in the June issue of
>Shooting Times as well.


That'd be so...

 

[muzz]

A shot on an Elk at 608 yards? Holly hell man. My rifles shoot very well but I wouldnt have taken a shot at that distance. That is just to far in alot of folks books. I dont want to start a pissing match but good god Batman. I dont know the circumstances of the hunt or if there was 30 other people after the same cow and the shot just had to be taken in order to fill the freezer but was it possible to get closer?

 

[antlerrick]

Holy Batshit Batman, Really, Why a shot that long? Are cow elk that hard to find? A lot of people would have seen the cow walk off anc figure they had missed, rather than walk the 600 yds to check it out. At least you had the ethics to follow up your shot, and I commend you on that... I just don't feel comfortable shooting at that range, even though I know some people are accurate at that range. Just like shooting a bow at 60+ yds, I know it can be done accurately, but why take a chance like that???
a*r

A bad day hunting is better than a Good Day at Work!!

 

[300Winnie]

muzz, antlerrick,

First of all let me say that I am not really excited about telling you and the rest of the forum about taking a 608 yard shot, but for purposes of describing bullet performance I figured no sugar coating would be best.

Now, let me give you some of the circumstances of the hunt. My father-in-law leaves our normal watch point a bit before my brother-in-law and myself because he has had heart problems and we thought we would give him a head start. I end up watching a buck through the spotting scope (deer season has just closed) and he got further ahead of us than I thought. We were working our way up to him, maybe 30 or 40 yards below him and I hear his gun go off and the distinct thump of a hit. We pick up the pace a little bit to try to get into any left over action and when we get there most of the elk (roughly 75 head) have made it to the safety of the timber. Kind of disgusted with myself for not being there I sit down and start to look the county over for signs of elk. To mine and everybody elses surprise there is a cow standing out on a steep, talus slope looking at us broadside...no there is no way of getting closer and it is across a big saddle on the other side. I have the range finder in my fanny pack (lot of good it does there) and I figure I don't have much time. Withouth knowing the distance (I never dreamed it was that far away) I held what seemed to be slightly over the back and squeezed off the shot. Other details that are pertinent is that is was a blue bird morning with no discernable wind so I did not "dope" for windage, just lined the horizontals up with the front shoulder and fired. At the shot she just walked into the timber.

This timber patch was such that unless she turned and went straight down she couldn't get out without us seeing her. We started the waiting game of about 20 minutes. During this time I dug out the range finder and put it on the tree next to where she was standing and Holy #$#$@ Batman and all that other stuff you guys said. I couldn't believe it read 608 yards, so I tried it again and again. No change.

By now I am thinking there is no way I hit that elk, but we never saw her come out and I have a promise to myself and the game I hunt to always check for signs of a hit if I am going to pull the trigger. My brother-in-law is lots younger and more energetic than I am so I volunteered him to go over and start looking and I would "cover" the area in case she came out wounded or he couldn't find the spot. After a while I hear him shout that he had found her dead. What a relief.

Now I have told you what happened and I am sure there are thoughts and opinions about this scenario that everyone would like to share (probably not to many on the positive side) but before I go let me say it is kind of fun to be able to say you made a killing 608 yard shot on an elk, but on the flipside of the coin I am not proud to say a took a shot at that range. I am just grateful that it turned out the way it did instead of the way it could have.

If nothing else, hope somebody that reads this learns something. I know I sure did.

 

[AndymanSavage]

good reply 300, alot of guys would've gotten defensive.
andy

 

[Pappabull]

You're right, good reply and great shot. I know, I was sitting there and watched the whole show.

Pappabull

 

[muzz]

I will give it to you I commend you also on following up on your shot. Alot of bubbas wouldnt have even looked. The shot was long and I am pretty sure not possitive but pretty sure I wouldnt have taken it but it does count alot on the circumstances. Your reply deserves a hand shake for not getting defensive, I realy thought we were going to get in a pissin match over this and that is not what I wanted to start. I was just amazed that you accualy confessed to the distance of the shot. Nice shot by the way, it is pretty cool to make a shot like that but ......

 

[300Winnie]

Thanks muzz, no offense taken. As stated before, it was a big surprise what the distance actually was but it will make for an interesting story around the campfire in future years of which I hope there are many with the men I hunt with.

As far as the type of country we hunt, many times (almost always) it is not possible to get very close because we usually spot the elk across canyons and set up to bump them off. We have shot a lot of elk in this area (after 2003 I believe the count was 22)since my father-in-law started hunting there in the mid 80's. Last year was the first time we took a range finder and it was interesting to see the actual distances of some of our shots. We have mostly shot elk between 300 and 500 yards with one or two inside of that and few outside of that, but that is pretty much the norm. The interesting thing about it is once they get a certain distance away it is very difficult to judge just how far it is.

For example I shot an elk a few years back across one of our favorite places which we have always guessed to be about 500 yards (which after measuring last year we were pretty close). Some other hunters in the area showed up just after I shot the animal and we got to talking and the subject of distance came up. My father-in-law asked the gentleman (I use that word very loosely in this instance)how far across it was to that elk. The man responded two maybe two hundred fifty yards. Just goes to show that in the hills distance is deceiving.

Thanks for your comments.

300Winnie