elk load

Hi guys I need some advice. My cousin drew a nm unit 15 muzz elk tag. He will be using my tc omega with nikon bdc 250 scope. I currently shoot 100 grain pyradex pellets and 250 grain tc shockwaves. what would be a good load for elk. never hunted elk with muzzle loader don't know where to begin with bullet size and powder. I do plan on switching to buck horn 209.

thanks
muliefanatic

90 to 100 gr of BH 209 and a barnes expander or spit fire in 290 or 300 gr would be a great place to start.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

100 grains of bh209 and a 290 grain Barnes TEZ has worked great for me. 3 elk with this load all 1 shot kills and all elk didn't go more than 15 yards. one shot at 155yards, one at 189 yards and one at 195 yards.

Thanks guys going try the 290 gr barns with 100 bh209.

Muliefanatic

If those won't shoot for you, you may want to try the 300 gr BONDED TC Shockwaves (if you haven't already). I've used them to kill about a dozen critters including elk, kudu, and orxy (all tough SOBs).

__________________________________
There are two kinds of people without
beards - boys and women. I am neither.

Shot this guy last fall with 1 shot using two 50gr pyrodex pellets and a 300gr Scorpion gold bullet from Harvester Muzzleloading. He fell within 10 yards. Most accurate bullet I have ever shot through my TC.
Good Luck!
-MS

I shoot the same load 100g pellets with tc shockwave out of a tc encore with the Nikon bdc scope. My muzzleloader killed three elk last year. A bull at 132 dropped in his tracks and two cows one at 100 and the other a little over 165 neither cow went far they had great internal performance recovered the bullet from my bull I'll try to post a pic of it tomorrow.

+1 for the Barnes TMZ bullets. They are extremely tough and expand exactly the same whether you shoot them through tissue or bone. I spine shot a bull at 89 yards several years ago with a 250 gr. TMZ and 2 777 Magnums, and he dumped in his tracks. The bullet went through the thickest portion of the bull's vertebrae, and lodged under the skin on the opposite side. After having passed through two inches of bone, it was still perfectly expanded and had retained all of its weight with the exception of the plastic tip.

There was an Outdoor Life test a few years ago that included the Shockwave, and they found that it was fragmenting badly and not retaining weight very well (about 75% weight retention, if I remember correctly), so I won't use Shockwaves. I know some people like Shockwaves, but having a bullet that retains its weight and does not fragment is what you need for elk and what you'll get from the Barnes. They are excellent bullets, and it is the only bullet I will shoot in my muzzleloader (until someone makes something better).