Bullet choices
- Thread starter powdergun
- Start date
lineofsight
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
Tried Speer, SST, Interlock, E-Tips, TSX and went with TSX. Based on their performance also dropped down a gr. increment from what was typical (to 150gr for .308 and 168 for .300 WSM). Found the SST and E-Tip very accurate but prefer the weight retention of the TSX over the SST and at the time was a better deal on the TSX than E-Tip. Based on field performance no reason to try any other.
Could be suggesting something you already know but could have a look at "Optimal Charge Weight" for load development (worked well when was without chrony) which may help sort out some accuracy issues.
Could be suggesting something you already know but could have a look at "Optimal Charge Weight" for load development (worked well when was without chrony) which may help sort out some accuracy issues.
I have been hunting for 40 some years. My go to bullets are barnes X and nosler partition, I have shot dozens of animals, Deer, Elk and Bear. Both these premium bullets work very very well. In a misguided effort to go to a longer range load, I built a 7mm rem mag on a L61R sako action.. In this I started useing 168 gr. Berger bullets loaded to 3025 ftps. I have now shot 1 Elk, 2 Mule bucks and a number of White tails, IF YOU HUNT FOR THE MEAT LIKE ME, BERGER BULLETS ARE JUNK, every one of them fragmented to the point of destoying large parts of each animal ( I know,I'm a slow learner ). I now feed my 7mm a diet of 160 gr Nosler Partitions and I'm very happy with the results....
I've only been hunting for about 30 years. I started with a Parker Hale C in 300 WinMag. I used Federal brand 180 gr whatever that was. They worked OK. Later I started handloading and tried Barnes 200 gr. X bullets. I don't remember anything about them, must not have been very good. Tried Hornady 190 gr. if I remember right. Shot a bull moose through and through. He did'nt seem to notice. eventually walked away and I finished him with a bullet in the back of the Brain. Next was 180 gr. Nosler BT. Wow, That really impressed me for years. Very accurate and Instant kills, literally blew them off their feet. Always shot them just behind the shoulder. I hear so many stories about meat damage when they shoot something in the shoulder. I don't know if that's by intent or by accident. Not a good thing to do I think. I never thought too much about never finding the bullets. Just busy I guess. Awhile ago I was reading somewhere here about the BT bullets fragmenting. Then I saw a utube clip about lead contamination in game meat. Pretty easy to find if your interested. That was enough for me to switch over to the Barnes 175 Gr. LRX. I just bought a RCBS bullet puller so now I've got some work to do. Something I need to do, is to find out how to measure the distance the bullet is to the lands. I have always just gone by OAL. Only thing that hasn't changed is my rifle and scope. Pretty good service I would say.
Funny you say that. I reloaded rifle for many years and got out of it about 12 years ago and sold off all my gear. Then about 2 years ago decided I would go at it again, bought new gear and was amazed at the new bullets out there so started to buy them and give them a try.
Well today guess what I am back to the same old Nosler partitions I used 30 years ago since like you I honestly could not find anything any better for my hunting requirements.
BERGERS BLOW UP. you can shoot a deer anywhere and you will be picking bullet fragments out of your meat...
It's been exactly 30 years and 3 months that I have been reloading Nosler bullets and can't say enough good things about them. One year I tried the Barnes TSX where it performed greatly on paper, however; not on deer..................entry/exit wounds were two tiny pinholes. The partition, accubond and ballistic tips are all great performers. The last three bucks I killed all dropped with one shot, 140 grain Nosler Accubonds from a 280 AI. For the biggest north american big game, I would recommend the partition.
Mighty Peace
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Land of the Mighty Peace
Me, I would take the Accubonds over the BST's anyday for big game, but thats me. I know BST's work but IMO, I think they are better suited for predator hunting.
Accubonds is all I use, and yes I have some reloads with the TSX's and TTSX's but after seeing the performance years ago (2004-AB's released) at the range and on big game, it the way I roll along with 8 of my buds from our moose camp party along with my bro & father inlaw.
Accubonds is all I use, and yes I have some reloads with the TSX's and TTSX's but after seeing the performance years ago (2004-AB's released) at the range and on big game, it the way I roll along with 8 of my buds from our moose camp party along with my bro & father inlaw.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
There is a big difference between bullets suitable for deer and those that work well for elk. It looks like the OP is searching for a bullet that kills elk quickly, like the deer he has been shooting. Prepare for disappointment!
I have personally killed about 15 elk in recent years, and have been present when another 50 or so were taken. Do not expect an elk to drop where it stands, regardless of caliber, bullet type or construction, unless the elk is hit in the spine or BOTH shoulders are broken. Exceptions do occur, but it is far less likely to get a "bang - flop" or "dead right there" with elk than any other critter that I have hunted. Deer seem to be susceptible to shock, elk are almost immune to it. So choosing a bullet that fragments on impact with maximum energy transfer just doesn't work for elk as well as it does on deer. The most reliable results on elk are controlled expansion designs that are heavy for caliber or mid weight monometal bullets. Bergers, Ballistic tips, etc will kill elk very well if slipped into the chest through the ribs, but problems develop far too often if the heavy bones get in the way.
A pet peeve of mine is those who constantly preach accuracy accuracy accuracy... so a little rant: how a bullet performs IN game as large as elk and moose is FAR more important than a half minute of angle difference in accuracy! Anybody disputing this is spending way too much time on a computer and the range and not enough time in the bush.
I have personally killed about 15 elk in recent years, and have been present when another 50 or so were taken. Do not expect an elk to drop where it stands, regardless of caliber, bullet type or construction, unless the elk is hit in the spine or BOTH shoulders are broken. Exceptions do occur, but it is far less likely to get a "bang - flop" or "dead right there" with elk than any other critter that I have hunted. Deer seem to be susceptible to shock, elk are almost immune to it. So choosing a bullet that fragments on impact with maximum energy transfer just doesn't work for elk as well as it does on deer. The most reliable results on elk are controlled expansion designs that are heavy for caliber or mid weight monometal bullets. Bergers, Ballistic tips, etc will kill elk very well if slipped into the chest through the ribs, but problems develop far too often if the heavy bones get in the way.
A pet peeve of mine is those who constantly preach accuracy accuracy accuracy... so a little rant: how a bullet performs IN game as large as elk and moose is FAR more important than a half minute of angle difference in accuracy! Anybody disputing this is spending way too much time on a computer and the range and not enough time in the bush.
Accuracy = confidence = success. OK, I haven't shot 15 elk in recent years. But I have shot the odd moose using a variety of bullets from cup and core to failsafes. And you know what? I've yet to recover a single bullet so I can't tell if one is better than the other. They all took out heart/lungs and all the animals all fell either right there or made it a few steps before collapsing. So I put forward that anybody claiming that a one particular bullet is better than the next for most hunting situations spends way to much time in front of the computer.
Accepted standard weight bullet for caliber placed accurately = dead animal.
Way back before I got into reloading I took a cow moose at >50yrds with a Cor-lok from a 300WM. The cow never took a single step. There was only an entrance hole, the lungs were one big mess of jelly. There was almost no wasted meat, certainly none around the non-existent exit hole. All that was left of the bullet was fragments. Did this bullet fail? In this case, you're right; a half minute doesn't matter. But what about a 300 yard shot? Once you get out to these distances cup and cores behave quite well as far as holding together for that picture perfect mushroom that seems so important to everyone. Is that half minute more important now? You bet.
Accepted standard weight bullet for caliber placed accurately = dead animal.Way back before I got into reloading I took a cow moose at >50yrds with a Cor-lok from a 300WM. The cow never took a single step. There was only an entrance hole, the lungs were one big mess of jelly. There was almost no wasted meat, certainly none around the non-existent exit hole. All that was left of the bullet was fragments. Did this bullet fail? In this case, you're right; a half minute doesn't matter. But what about a 300 yard shot? Once you get out to these distances cup and cores behave quite well as far as holding together for that picture perfect mushroom that seems so important to everyone. Is that half minute more important now? You bet.
The Ballistic tips really kill deer!!!!!I have killed several moose with Partitions but on a lung or chest shot they don't perform impressively. Nosler fixed that problem with Accubonds . Not to hard, not to soft, JUST RIGHT . They shoot good and the 140s will really whistle out of your 7mm Rem Mag
So many choices, and so little time to try them all... The only rule of thumb that i use consistently, is finding ammo that the gun likes. I don't have time to handload so Accuracy is first in my books. It might be less expensive soft points, SGKBT, Nosler partitions, or whatever. Cause the last thing I want to be concerned with is: "How does this damn thing shoot...!
Hornady Interbond. Good accuracy, expand well yet hold together enough for less than ideal angles on deer. In my rifle they have the exact same POI as the SST, so you can work up a load with the cheaper bullets and then transition over to the bonded for hunting. The only issue I can see is that the Interbonds and the SST look identical, so you have to be sure and keep them straight.
Well, I don't know what you were doing to feel Partitions do not perform impressively on lung/chest shots on moose??
I have shot over 40 moose with Nosler Partitions, [ and 20+ Elk]
Never failed to impress me!! I have not had any animal go over 75 yards after a lung shot with a Nosler Partition.
This with every chambering from the 6mm up to the 338 Win Mag.
Not knocking the Accubond, mind, I think it also is a great bullet, but the Partition is still the bullet that all others get compared to.
Regards, Eagleye.
Have no opportunity here to hunt moose or Elk so my experience on large game is limited with partitions. That being said I have taken 3 moose and one elk in other provines / states with partitions, two with a 280 and two with a 30-06 and agree with eagleye three were lucky if they made it even close to 75 yards and one moose was a bang flop.
Lots of experience with deer and partitions and deadly there also.
Lots of experience with deer and partitions and deadly there also.
