7mm-08 120 gr Ballistic Tip on Elk?

[kcm2]

I'm another who would suggest a stouter bullet. One of my hunting buddies used ballistic tips on elk in a 270 and quit after the first one. The Hornady Interlock would be a much better choice.

 

[jtevanMT]

So why increase recoil by upping bullet weight? Everyone shoots lower recoiling rifles better. Theres been some really good threads about kids rifles and calibers on here

Kids rifle manifesto

I've chimed in on so many different "what rifle for my age XX kid?" threads that I thought I'd try to consolidate my thoughts here. My oldest son is 14 now, started shooting centerfire rifles at 9. My younger kids started shooting centerfire rifles at between 5-7 yrs old. 5 kids shooting now...

rokslide.com

that have really good information if you can have an open mind and not be stuck on the idea that elk are armor plated.

Some more here specifically on the 120 nbt

Help me decide next steps for my 13 year old

Ok, long advice post so be forewarned. @Formidilosus I would especially like your input on this. My 13, almost 14 year old son has a somewhat cobbled together setup, a 7mm-08 Ruger American compact with a SFP 2-10x Minox ZX5. I handload 120 Ballistic Tips for it. He shoots it well enough, but...

rokslide.com

I agree that that the gun and recoil must be taken into account for a youth hunter. Recoil is influenced by barrel length, powder and bullet size. Not sure that a 140-150 gr bullet will have more recoil than a 120 gr out of the same rifle. Depends on the powder charge, barrel length, brake/suppressor, and resulting velocity out of the barrel.

In this thread, we are discussing a 7mm-08 with 18” barrel, suppressed. The recoil from a factory 140-150 gr load should be very doable for most 12 yo.

 

[Dark timber]

It’s a great bullet. I would use it with confidence. It has a thicker jacket than a normal ballistic tip. My daughter has killed a couple bucks with my handloads that are going 3050fps. Both were pass-throughs and quick deaths. The 140gr accubond is a great bullet as well.