Elk hunting hand loads

[djones]

Going on my second rifle hunt for elk in Colorado. I am pretty new to reloading and I load 308 and 7mm rem mag. What are some good bullets and loads for elk in those calibers?

Thanks for the help!

David

 

[tenring]

Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition, or Accubond.

 

[djones]

I have read about trophy bonded bear claw or something like that. What is the vendor product name for those? I was just looking at speers grand slam for the 7mm but don't know if 160 or 175 grains would be best?

 

[djones]

Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition, or Accubond.

I will check those out. Know what bullet weight is best suited for elk?

 

[42769vette]

depending on the twist rates of your rifles

on the 7mm i would try the 160gr nosler partitions first.

on the 308 id try the 180 nosler partitions.

that said you really have to let your rifle pick the bullets it likes

 

[tenring]

Suggest spending some time on this forum lurking around, gobs of questions along the lines of your inquiry, and even more answers from folks who have BTDT. Go to the Elk Hunting thread.

24hourcampfire - Forums powered by UBB.threads™

 

[djones]

Thanks guys for the advice!

 

[Broom_jm]

I have read about trophy bonded bear claw or something like that. What is the vendor product name for those? I was just looking at speers grand slam for the 7mm but don't know if 160 or 175 grains would be best?

I've loaded up quite a few 160gr Grand Slam bullets in the 7RM. My dad took a couple elk with them, though I was never so fortunate. They work very well.

If you'd like, PM your address and I'll be glad to send you a couple dozen. If they group well, you would be hard pressed to find a bullet that is truly better for elk, although many others are just as good. Of the more traditional cup n' core designs, the GS is definitely one of the toughest.

Jason

 

[giovani]

140 to 150 grain in a 7 mm will do just fine and shoot a little flatter,those Elk are not armor plated.

 

[VinceU1]

140 to 150 grain in a 7 mm will do just fine and shoot a little flatter,those Elk are not armor plated.

No, but they are AWFULLY big! Having said that I've seen them taken with all kinds of stuff from a .270 through .340WTHBY. Try the Nosler Partitions first, they've got a good reputation for accuracy and penetration. Though I've not used a .308 for elk, in a 30-06 or 300WinMag, the 180gr Noslers work and work well.

 

[archy]

In my corner of Wyoming, folks don't say *howdy* during elk season; they ask *got your elk yet?* I'm not exaggerating by much.

I wouldn't use a 150-grain bullet in .308, my usual choice for whitetail, on elk- I know one fella had a failure to drop one with a 150 and makes a pretty good claim that it was the bullet rather than placement; when he finally tracked it down, it really was a prreet good boilerroom shot, through the lungs but not the heart. So I use 180s in .308, 200-grain with an 8x57mm. I don't shoot 7mm RemMag, so won't advise there, but generally favor a heavier bullet over lighter, given my druthers.

Conditions in your corner of Colorado may differ, but I'd not think it'd be by much. I've only taken three elk so can't be considered any sort of *expert.*

If you don't have anyy luck in Coloreado you're welcome to visit my place in Wyoming, my grandda's 1924 640-acre Homestead Act ranch tract. It's just across the SD state line from the Elk Mountain game preserve. Just a coincidence.

 

[Fixer]

Haven't been elk hunting, but shoot a remington 700 in 7mm Rem Mag and have great luck with the 168 grain Berger bullets. I have them loaded out to the lands and they shoot extremely tight groups.

 

[Hohn]

Heavier is best for long ranges because you need the bullet stability.

I'm partial to heavy loads, especially so for longer range. The 180gr Bergers are unreal in terms of flight stability and knock out power.

The longer the potential range, the more you should have a heavier bullet.

 

[johnwayne]

My friends and I have killed lots of elk and all of us have a pet rifle and load. One uses a 270 with the 150 Speer boat tail. Another uses a 30'06 with the Hornady 165gr flat base. I used a 30'06 with the Speer 180 gr boat tail for years until I unwittingly used some corrosive ammo one day and ruined the bore. I then went to a 308 Win. as I love the lighter weight and function of short actions. My 308 loves Varget which is temperature stable so that a near maximum load in the cold weather is safe in the summer.

With the 30'06 and the 180 Speer BT I had great luck. I noticed that the nicely mushroomed bullet usually weighed around 140 gr or so upon recovery so an interesting thought entered my mind. Why not try a 140 gr X bullet? With elk deep bullet penetration requires heavy bullets so that after they shed a little weight they still have enough left to get the job done. If the 140X retained its weight as advertised it should work well in theory plus have the advantage of a higher muzzle velocity and longer point blank range.

I am able to get 3000 fps out of that little 140X bullet from my 24" barrel using Varget which makes a nice flat trajectory, and in the field the results were spectacular. It pole axed the creatures. I killed four elk with it before I moved away from Montana. At close range the petals blew off but at that velocity the shank flattened and ripped a massive hole and the elk simply collapsed. At longer range the bullet retained nearly all of its weight and gave superb penetration. All four Elk were one shot kills. Where the bullets were recovered from the elk on antelope they penetrated completely and left gaping exit wounds. Death was near instant. I don't think that the 140gr X is made any more but a 150 would be just fine.

I have no experience with the 7 mag but a 120 gr X would be very flat shooting and would penetrate well because of its superior weight retention.

I love that 308 because it is light weight, has mild recoil, and it shoots that little X bullet with a flat trajectory. If I wanted more power, say because I hunted in grizzly bear country, I would go with a 358 Winchester. It would have a short action, would weigh even less than the 308 because of the larger hole in the barrel, and with a relatively light X bullet it would have a flat trajectory and blast an even bigger hole. Plus temperature stable Varget would be good too.

Note that I don't mention bullet energy. It only matters on the shooting end as blast and recoil. With large animals wound cavity diameter and length are most important. Ballistic coefficient doesn't matter much either with respect to X bullets. The higher velocity with the relatively light bullets sheds a little quicker due to the low BC but the range where it becomes an issue is further than you should be shooting anyway.

Russ

 

[257robertsimp]

175 sierra game kings in the 7mm.

 

[phatgemi]

In my corner of Wyoming, folks don't say *howdy* during elk season; they ask *got your elk yet?* I'm not exaggerating by much.

I wouldn't use a 150-grain bullet in .308, my usual choice for whitetail, on elk- I know one fella had a failure to drop one with a 150 and makes a pretty good claim that it was the bullet rather than placement; when he finally tracked it down, it really was a prreet good boilerroom shot, through the lungs but not the heart. So I use 180s in .308, 200-grain with an 8x57mm. I don't shoot 7mm RemMag, so won't advise there, but generally favor a heavier bullet over lighter, given my druthers.

Conditions in your corner of Colorado may differ, but I'd not think it'd be by much. I've only taken three elk so can't be considered any sort of *expert.*

If you don't have anyy luck in Coloreado you're welcome to visit my place in Wyoming, my grandda's 1924 640-acre Homestead Act ranch tract. It's just across the SD state line from the Elk Mountain game preserve. Just a coincidence.

Man you better watch out. You may have all kinds of company! Hoosier ur cousin????

 

[rhslover]

Try a 175gr nosler backed up with reloader 22 for the 7mm.

 

[Yeah]

I wouldn't shoot drag a mag anything after an elk, unless my only other option was a 308 Win.

But then again the 155 Scenar makes an interesting case. Not as interesting as a 162 AMax in a 7mm, but the belt could be a deal breaker.

As always, bullet weight is as pointless a consideration as energy.

 

[djones]

Try a 175gr nosler backed up with reloader 22 for the 7mm.

When you say Nosler are you talking about the Nosler Ballistic tip hunting bullets?

I have chosen RE22 for my first trial batch for the 7mm

 

[djones]

I wouldn't shoot drag a mag anything after an elk, unless my only other option was a 308 Win.

But then again the 155 Scenar makes an interesting case. Not as interesting as a 162 AMax in a 7mm, but the belt could be a deal breaker.

As always, bullet weight is as pointless a consideration as energy.

Hornady does not suggest Amax bullets for hunting. Have you had good luck with the Amax on game?