7MM08 Elk Ammo

[Username]

Hi all. My 10 year old son has a cow elk hunt this October. We currently have some Hornady American Whitetail 139 grain Interlock bullets in 7MM 08. I was wondering if this would be an acceptable round for cow elk? His max range would be 200 yards, although that would be unlikely. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[sambo3006]

I'd venture to say that a lot of cow elk have tipped over from a lot smaller bullets. The Hornady Interlock has been around for a long time and has an excellent performance record. Try to avoid hard quartering angles, as an elk stomach full of food can stop a bullet in a hurry. A broadside or slightly quartering away shot to the lungs=dead elk. Have a great time and be sure to post your results!

NRA Life Member

www.swanspointoutfitters.com

The critters have to win every time. I only have to win once.

 

[kzkammo]

I use Hornady AMAX 162 gr in the wife's gun. Shoots great.

 

[txhunter58]

Chances are you will be fine, but I have had some interlock bullets come apart on Texas whitetail in my 270, so I would personally be looking for a tougher bullet. Such as this:
http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloadi...=affiliate-_-Itwine-_-Avantlink-_-Custom+Link

txhunter58

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

 

[Salmon]

I also have had 180 Hornady come apart on two elk in the past. Killed them but pieces everywhere. Might look at something different if it were me.

 

[Elkchaser4570]

My son has taken several elk, mule deer and a big Shiras moose with his 7mm 08 using 140 grain Barnes TTSX, and 140 grain Accubonds. Both bullets have performed flawlessly and his Model 700 shoots both equally well.

 

[k22hornet]

I'd grab a box of 120gr Barnes TSX @3,000fps, and go kill an elk.

 

[Vanilla]

I just bought a 7mm-08 youth model last year in preparation for my daughter to come of age to hunt in the next few years. I haven't shot the Barnes TTSX in 120 grains yet, but if the gun shoots it well I might just put away my 30.06 and .338 and try it out on mule deer and a cow elk this year.

I've killed deer and elk in two different cartridges with TSX or TTSX. That bullet is awesome! And the factory Vor-TX ammo performs great. I'm not a handloader, and this is about as good of factory ammo as I've found.

 

[sagebrush]

The Interloc will work just fine. Unless of course you feel compelled to have your son kill his cow elk deader than just dead.


"You can fly a helicopter to the top of Everest and say you've been there. The problem with that is you were an a$$hole when you started and you're still an a$$hole when you get back.
Its the climb that makes you a different person". - Yvon Chouinard

 

[txhunter58]

I want a first time elk hunter to have a great experience and anything I can do to reduce the chance of a lost animal that is reasonable, I will do.

And, I have seen the interlock shatter when it encountered bone in a 150 lb whitetail, so please point out the flaws in my logic:

1) I would want a tougher bullet that what I have seen this bullet if I were hunting a bigger tougher animal

2) The poster is happy with the 139 gr bullet, so why would he want to drop the size? This hunt will be for an elk less than 200 yards, so trajectory is not an issue.

3) There are multiple choices for some tried and true tough bullets in this weight range (139/140) so I am going to see if they are accurate as well. (GMX, barnes, nosler accubond or partition, etc)

Yep, the interlock placed behind the shoulder through the lungs/heart area will do as well as any bullet on this planet. But too many variables on a youngster on his first elk hunt to have confidence this will happen.

txhunter58

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

 

[Username]

I appreciate all the responses so far. I was leaning toward the 140 gr. Nosler Accubond but they are a pain to find and I was avoiding having to shell out another $50 when we still have plenty of the Hornady's.

 

[txhunter58]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-24-15 AT 02:42PM (MST)[p]





This is a great site for finding ammo!

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/7mm-08-remington?ikw=nosler accubond

http://ammoseek.com/rifle-ammo/-140grains-?ikw=nosler partition

http://ammoseek.com/ammo/7mm-08-remington?ikw=gmx

At those prices, I would look at partitions or GMX. Any of those bullets would hold up better than the interlock. If he can handle the recoil of the increased powder of Hornady Superformance GMX, that would be a hard bullet to beat.

txhunter58

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

 

[txhunter58]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-24-15 AT 02:37PM (MST)[p]http://www.hornady.com/store/GMX

I will be shooting a 160 gr Accubond with my 7mm rem mag this fall. If they had the GMX in 160 gr, I would prob be using that

txhunter58

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