The Best Elk Bullet?

J

jmtigerfan

Guest
OK, we've discussed shot placement, and I'm convinced that behind the shoulder (the crease) is the best shot. But? What bullet do you find more effective on elk?

I did extensive research before the last two hunts, and I came to the conclusion that the Barnes TSX was the most effective bullet for elk. They are by no means cheap, but they are worth the money. Solid copper, almost 100% weight retention, and superior penetration make it the best bullet on the market. You will have no "bullet evaporation" as someone described in my earlier thread about shot placement.

I'm not a salesman for Barnes, but I'm sold!
 
I've shot elk with Failsafes, Core-lokts, and Partitions, and all performed great. I think the key is to find a quality bullet that shoots well from your gun and then practice with it so that when the moment of truth arrives, you've got the tools and confidence to close the deal. Scott

P.S. And I also aim for a mid-point directly behind the front leg, and I've only had one elk go farther than 30 yds. after the shot. It was a cow.
 
>I've shot elk with Failsafes, Core-lokts,
>and Partitions, and all performed
>great. I think the key
>is to find a quality
>bullet that shoots well from
>your gun and then practice
>with it so that when
>the moment of truth arrives,
>you've got the tools and
>confidence to close the deal.
>Scott
>
>P.S. And I also aim for
>a mid-point directly behind the
>front leg, and I've only
>had one elk go farther
>than 30 yds. after the
>shot. It was a cow.
>


You must have ice in your veins my man! Nice shootin!
 
Ive had good luck with nosler partitions and swift a-frames. I refuse to shoot powerpoints or other cheap bullets anymore
ismith
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There are many good bullets on the market these days, but I'll agree with you on the TSX. the more I use them the more I think they're the best bullet made.
 
For my peronal preference I shoot Nosler Partitions. I like the shocking of lead. I tried some of the old Barnes X bullets, and although they were very accurate, I was not at all pleased with the way they performed on game.
 
Never shot the TSX but I have 100 of them to load. They seem to be a the favorite any more. The Nosler accubond has worked great for me. Retains great and is very accurate. So far nothing has walked away from it.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-26-08 AT 09:56AM (MST)[p]The three most important things about a bullet's performance are expansion, penetration, and weight retention. Too much expansion and weight loss, less penetration. This is where the TSX and the Nosler Partition shine. "Controlled Expansion" is what they call it, and these two do it superbly. I especailly like the TSX because of the solid copper body and 99% + weight retention. This is also what gives it unsurpassed penetration. I don't think the Partion can match it's penetrating capability.

My $.02
 
The Accubonds are superb. I shot my bull this year with them. He was a huge bodied bull with some age on him. From 210 yards I put one right through the middle of his front shoulder, dead elk. I found the bullet lodged under the hide on the opposite side, perfect mushroom. These bullets have an excellent ballistic coeficient, are extremely accurate, and most of all deadly. Great controlled expansion and penetration. Shoot whatever you want but my 7mm and 270 will be throwing Accubonds for the next few seasons.
 
An Easton 460 FMJ, with blazers and a 3-Blade Rage Broadhead!


Timberline
 
I have only killed 2 elk with my rifle. Both shot with a 7mm Rem Mag. 150 gr. Nosler Partitions. I was extremely pleased with the results. Good luck on your choice!
 
The thing is everyone is going to recommend whatever they have used and been successful. Very few of us have had the chance to shoot an elk with everything out there. I saw one elk shot in the high shoulder with corelokts and drop dead in its tracks and I saw another elk get hit in almost the exact same spot with the same caliber and bullet and go 400 yards. Every situation is different. I don't think you can really say what bullet is the perfect bullet for every situation.

Two years ago I shot a mature bull at 407 yards with a cheap round out of my .280 in front of the shoulder as explained in the other thread. Cheap bullet because that was all that was available in town for a .280 after using all my noslers to resight in my rifle after a drop. I'd like to say that I hit him in front of the shoulder on purpose but it was just me not compensating for the wind in the heat of the moment. This shot put him on the ground dead before I even put my scope back down on him after the recoil.

My point: Shoot whatever has worked for you and what you are comfortable with.
 
Nosler Accubond. Way back when I was 13 years old (I'm 42 now) The Remington Core-Lokt was king. My dad bought my brother and I one box every season. 180 gr 30-06. That one box was used for checking zero, and all hunting of deer, elk and antelope, maybe a bear. Killed a lot of stuff. When I was older and bought my own, it was the Nosler Partition. Killed a lot of stuff. Still 30-06. I would bet, between those two bullets, more game has died than with the Accubond, Scirrocco, TSX, whatever bullet that has come around recently will ever kill. Right now the Accubond is my favorite. I've taken nearly 30 animals with it so far. It doesn't retain anywhere near 99% of its weight. Weight retension is not a big issue. The Partition retains 70% on average. The Accubond penetrates well. I have one recovered bullet from a bull at 560 yards. Another bull at 546 was a pass through. It retains 70 to 80% on average. The reason I use it is the cartridge I am using requires a stout bullet. There is not a "Best elk bullet" out there. Pick one, if it doesn't shoot, pick another one. mtmuley
 
I agree with Couesbitten.

I've never bought those high-end bullets, although I read and believe them to be just what they claim to be. I simply shoot too much in practice to be willing to afford the premium bullets.

I reload my .300 Wthby very hot and use accubonds. I've had extremely good luck. I've got my load down pat and almost everything falls in it's tracks. Those that don't are down for the count within less than 100 yards; deer, elk, bear and even coyotes and rockchucks (yeah, I know, but it's good practice).
 
I have to say that I love the Barnes bullets. I have had great results with them. This bullet was recovered just under the skin on the offside of a deer that was quartering hard at 350 yards. 99% weight retention, and good expansion. My Dad did have one petal break off a barnes bullet that he recovered from an Oryx in Africa, but the fact that he recovered the bullet tells you something. He made 4 one-shot kills, and 1 two-shot kill on African game with Barnes bullets and his PH was impressed. Placement is key, but why not use a good bullet too?

Dax

IMG_5239.jpg


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LAST EDITED ON Jan-27-08 AT 06:22PM (MST)[p]

I've recently switched to 225 grain Triple Shocks in my .338 and love the accuracy they give. For years, I shot Trophy Bonded Bearclaws and loved them, but decided to switch because the TSX's shoot tighter groups in my rifle.

I'm getting ready to try some loads using the new Barnes MRX in my .300 Ultra. I shot 200 grain Accubonds in it, as well as 200 grain Corelokts, and neither of them grouped very well. I'm going to try the MRX's in 180 & 165 to see which shoots better. I'm hoping the 180s will group well, but if not I'll try the 165s and see how they do.

I've shot nosler partitions for a lot of game and had no complaints at all with them and would use them again in a heartbeat in addition to the ones mentioned above.
 
Im a Barnes guy as well. Either TSX's or XLC's, I really like being able to drive the bullet 100fps or so faster than a conventional bullet. I usually hunt elk with my 7mm-08, so I like the additional velocity.
 
I think the lighter the caliber, the more critical the performance of the bullet. In my .338, I've taken elk with cheap Hornady 200 grain bullets. That said, most were taken with 210 Partitions or X-bullets. Nice to know a poor angle on a quality bull won't prevent you from taking the shot. Penetration, penetration, penetration!

I've mentioned before that using an aged lodgepole round as a backstop, I shot both Partitions and X-bullets into a target. X-bullets were a lil more accurate in that gun. For s##ts and giggles, I split the round. You could follow the individual bullet path. 210 gr Partitions averaged 11.5 inches penetration. X-bullets averaged 18+ inches and only one of 5 had a missing petal.

I had less exit holes with the Barnes but I think that huge expanded bullet has hard time exiting through the far side hide. Most were recovered just under the hide.
 
I will stick with partitions in my 300 and accubonds in my 7 rem mag. HEre is my experienceO:

I got a little excited about the new Barnes MRX, the Triple shock with a polymer tip, and hand-loaded them for my 7 mag (160 gr.) around 3000 fps. My rifle liked them and I couldn't wait for deer season. My first deer hunt was in Oregon blacktail hunting. I shot a nice buck at 250 yards, the buck slowly walked into a patch of thick, young timber. I made my way down to the where the buck entered the trees and found some blood immediately. I knew the shot was good and thought the buck would be dead. I could hear him breathing heavily (lung issues)inside the timber. The buck got up and was able to lose me in the thick timber/blackberries/ferns. I know the shot was in the chest cavity and solid. I couldn't figure it out, a blacktail isn't very big.

I called a friend that had issues with the Triple Shock in his 25-06...no expansion. He sent me a pic of a bullet he recovered in a big cow elk which could have been reloaded once again. He called Barnes and told him they don't have many issue like that described and to try the watermelon test. He set up two watermelons and got no expansion at all. They sent him another box of bullets which had the same melon results.

I tried the melon test and guess what.....You guessed it. ZERO expansion! I let Barnes know about it and they mentioned they hadn't had many problems like what I had described. I still have to believe Barnes is a very reliable company with super-good bullets but when you have a bad experience with a bullet, it is hard to put another one in your rifle. I loaded a 140 Accubond going 3250 and harvested 4 deer with the Accubond this year with excellent results..and the watermelon test, picture perfect.

We killed a cow elk Saturday with a 165 Accubond from a 30-06 with excellent results. The shot was high in the shoulder and the elk took a few steps and tipped over.

That is just my experience with Barnes and Nosler. Anybody else have these Barnes issues or did I really get a bad batch? If anyone shoots .284" 160 gr. MRX's and want to pay shipping, you can have them!!
 
Thats the same problem I had with the old X-bullets from barnes. I shot elk, mule deer, and whitetails with the 140gr. 270 bullet. Although I never lost game, had some long difficult blood trails. All were complete penetration, and exit holes were the same size as entrance holes. Shot 2 whitetail with a 100 gr .257 rob. loaded to about 3100 fps, with same results. Back to Nosler for me.
 
i had the same problems with the old x-bullets, this year i gave them another try with the mrx, awsome bullet! pronghorn, deer and 2 elk, 1 shot each, the pronghorn was through the lungs, went on about a 100 yard death run, fell over, about a 50 cent piece size exit hole but the lunges were mush on the inside! that is the same performance i got with the accubond lung shots the year before. its easy to blame a bullet on a muffed shot, if u would have hit that blacktail with a solid, and it was a good hit, its a dead buck, its as simple as that!
 
There is not a "Best elk bullet" out there. Pick one, if it doesn't shoot, pick another one. mtmuley

That about says it all. Pick a premium bullet from the nosler partition on up and shoot whatever shoots best out of your rifle. The "best" bullet won't kill cleanly unless it is accruate and has your confidence.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Well after a box of wine and much thought, Like its been said before. Pick whats most accurate in your rifle. I could kill an elk with a .22mag at 10 yards soooooooo what.Dont take knife to a gun fight, pick the best bullet for the situation your in. My choice is the 150gr partition, shoots great outa my rifle. But if it did'nt I would switch untill I found one that did and then that would be the best bullet ........for me.
 
For the last eight years I have shot nothing but "North Fork" bullets. I've been fortunate in that time frame of taking black bear, elk, moose, whitetail, mule deer and a bison. The construction of these bullets are along the lines of the trophy bonded bear claws. Their weight retention is great and performance superb. Anyone else use them? I highly recomend them.
 
txhunter58, Sometimes the best advice is the most obvious. Sometimes still that advice is overlooked. Thanks, mtmuley
 
I've killed two elk with the TSX and am very impressed. A cow and a Bull. The bull i shot was ranged at 430 yds, complete pass through both shooulders and did awesome damage inside totally evaporating the heart. very accurate in my gun too:)
 
My .300 Winnie prefers Federal Premiums with .200 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws...but the elk don't.

Grizzly Hunter
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-15-08 AT 06:54PM (MST)[p]In today's world of bullets, there are a lot that are more than capable of doing the job.? I have seen elk and deer drop at under 100 yards with Accubonds from my 300 RUM and my 338 RUM.? They work extremely well.? I'm not worried about their performance at greater ranges, velocity is less and their performance will increase at that point.? My Dad used my 300 on a 6 point bull at 540 yards, and it was dead before it hit the ground.? Entered the right shoulder, mid height, and continued to fully penetrate and exit the left shoulder.? Massive damage on the inside of that elk, but the bullet still went all the way through at 540 yards.? I was at first a bit nervous because of a 4x4 deer I shot at 180 yards with my 7mmstw.? 140 grain ballistic silvertip.? Needless to say, the deer died, but there was only 8-maybe 9 inches of penetration.? Quartering away and no dense bones were hit, the bullet simply came apart and that simply is not acceptable when pursuing large bull ELK, because they can pack the lead if you don't damage something vital....Since then, that STW has killed 4 elk with 160 grain Accubonds with no problems, other than I was never the shooter, simply the guy that said "use this".? I haven't used the 7 for anything other than coyotes since I got my ultra mags, but it is an awesome gun.? Long post, I agree Barnes are great, but I will stick with the Accubond...160-7mm.....180-.308....200 or 225 for the .338.? My $.02, okay maybe $.10 worth
 
As it has been said, the best elk bullet is the one your rifle shoots the best. My 300 WBY doesn't shoot the Barnes bullets as well as the Accubonds. I shoot everything with a 150grn Accubond. Shot placement rules at the end of the day, I think people get too hung up on the weight retention. IMO JB
 
There are many good bullets that will get the job done. I try to stay away from the cup and core bullets unless I'm shooting a heavy for caliber bullet. In my .338 Win I shoot the Nosler Accubond in the 225 grain weight. With my 300 Win. Mag. I shoot the 168 grain TSX at 3300 fps. With this extreme velocity, it's my belief you should use a premium bullet that groups well in your rifle.
 
I've taken alot more game with primative weapons than rifle, but I've learned there are alot of great bullets out there and between alot of the top of the line bullets I think you're splitting hairs as to which one is the best. If you decide to shoot another bullet, be sure you learn how it shoots and re-site the rifle in. They all don't shoot the same. My .02.
 
LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-08 AT 10:41PM (MST)[p]I'VE TRIED THEM ALL, IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT CALIBERS AT DIFFERENT RANGES. NON BETTER THAN THE BARNES TSX, IT IS ENGINEERED TO DO THE JOB EFFICIENTLY. SECOND SHOTS ARE NOT NEEDED, IF YOU PUT THE FIRST ONE IN THE RIGHT SPOT!
ANOTHER THING I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THEM IS DUE TO THE WEIGHT RETENTION, I CAN USE MUCH SMALLER CALIBER RIFLES ON LARGER GAME EFFECTIVLY.

tm
 
>LAST EDITED ON Apr-25-08
>AT 10:41 PM (MST)
>SECOND SHOTS ARE NOT NEEDED, IF YOU PUT THE
>FIRST ONE IN THE RIGHT SPOT!
>ANOTHER THING I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THEM IS DUE TO THE
>WEIGHT RETENTION, I CAN USE MUCH SMALLER CALIBER RIFLES ON
>LARGER GAME EFFECTIVLY.
>
>tm

This sounds like you just described a Nosler Partition or Accubond bullet. :)


Scott
 
I've had real good luck with Scirroccos. Killed a bull right at 500 yards last year, one shot and he didn't take a step. But the actual performance of the bullet was questionable. It did not expand and a I drove a rib into his lungs. I was lucky It went the way it did. No question, Barnes TSX consistently do the job and are clearly my favorite and all I will use for hunting in the future.

TM
 
IMHO no bullet is perfect because no two shots are the same. I'm not fond of the ultra-high weight rentention bullets simply because on closer shots they pass through a critter and exit with much of the energy they entered with (unless your a shoulder shooter, which I'm not). I've had fair to good success with these bullets. Bullets that expand too much have thier own problems and IMO should not be used for hunting.

I've settled on; over 2900 fps I use scirroccos or accubonds, under 2900 fps I use partitions. I'm done experimenting.

This is just what works for me. Your mileage may vary.
 

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