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.

 

[freddyG]

Wouldn't the thin jacket work better at longer ranges with your scenario?

Not necessarily. Thin jackets sometimes splash at longer distances. With elk, you want penetration, which ballistic tips fail to provide.

My buddy is stubborn and uses them on elk, and it almost always ends up a rodeo. He is an excellent shot BTW. Those bullets are very unpredictable on elk, not to mention bloodshot meat city, when everything goes smooth.

 

[freddyG]

I don’t want to set her up for failure. In fact, I want to give her the best chance possible of being successful. That is why I started this thread asking for people to share their experiences and opinions so I can make the most informed decision on bullet selection.

Makes sense. I have, and would use 120 ttsx. At 3k fps, they have light recoil and will drop elk with no fuss, and very little meat waste.

Barnes also loads those in case you don’t reload.

 

[yak]

I use 140gr Sierra TGK personally for my kids. The TGK's have very good terminal performance and quality.

I personally would stay away from a ballistic tip, especially on the light side for the caliber for elk.

 

[davsco]

nosler's website:
Nosler’s Ballistic Tip® ammunition is optimized for maximum effectiveness on deer, antelope and hogs.

 

[TaperPin]

The 7mm 140gr Partition has a good reputation at all velocities - clear to 500 yards the slightly reduced BC won’t amount to enough to worry about. It’s pretty boring since it always works.

The 7mm-08 has been under appreciated - anything the 7 mag can do, the ‘08 can do 200 yards closer. I’ve always thought it fell victim to the reloading manuals that seemed to show it stuck between good powder burn rates, so many folks looked at it on paper and passed it over, me included. Now it’s one of my favorite little guns.