Bullet choice for Mountain Caribou

[sr80]

270wsm - 140 barnes tsx or 140 gr berger vld. Both shoot sub moa from my rifle. What would you use? Never hunted them before, sounds like they are fairly thinned skinned critters.

 

[Yellowknife]

Either will work. They aren't huge and they die easy. I've shot caribou with a whole variety of bullets, including Bergers at least once, and have yet to be able to tell a difference. Hit them in the vitals and it will be over in seconds. TSX might do less meat damage on a shoulder shot, and might be better in case of bear encounter... But that's splitting fine hairs.

 

[Gwoodak]

Berger's make Burger. My wife's Tikka 270 likes Hornady SST Super performance quite a bit. Seems to kill stuff a long ways off just fine. View attachment 38927

Nosler is a good one too. Caribou aren't hard to kill. But it's nice to have something beefy in case Mr. Grizz finds your scent and Berger's, while having a high BC, are relatively fragile once they hit bone.

 

[bearstalker]

I'd use the TSX personally.

 

[jeffpg]

I'd use the TSX personally.

Me too, just because of the bear possibility.

 

[sr80]

yah kinda leaning towards the solid, being that its bear country..

 

[KJH]

I have a little different take on bullets for Caribou... Anything you would use for a whitetail is good enough. Like hunting anything, bullet placement is most important.

I had a partner once who didn't have great placed shots (really bad) and even the inexpensive whitetail loads he was shooting did the trick. They are not hard to kill. Anything but surplus FMJs will be just fine. Normally follow-up shots are easy to come by with a rifle... If hit poorly they run a little ways and stop for a few seconds giving you ample foll-ups. That's just my experience.

Go with what you feel you can shoot best. Since it seems they are the same from an accuracy standpoint, I agree with the guys above and shoot the beefier TSX.

 

[hodgeman]

Caribou are large animals that are not particularly tough. I wouldn't use a TSX, I've seen a couple pencil through with minimal trauma.

I've had the best luck with bonded cup and cores, mostly Accubonds. I've also used Corlokts and a Speer Hot Cor....put it where it goes and it's all good.

 

[jwb300]

Use the TSX or another bonded bullet

 

[luke moffat]

Like KJH stated anything short of a FMJ will work just fine. Caribou are one of the easiest critters to tip over in my experience. I like bonded bullets just so I can use one load for everything up here, but any standard cup and core would work as well. Go with what you and your rifle shoot best.

 

[sr80]

great info , thanks guys. Hopefully ill have a picture of a caribou to share after my trip in early sept

 

[Rackmastr]

I shot a small bull last year with a 7SAUM and a 140gr TTSX. My buddy shot a big bull out of the same herd with a 7-08 and a 139 Hornady BTSP. Both worked great and handled the job well. I love the TSX and TTSX for a lot critters and is my 'go-to'

Out of the two I like the TSX

 

[sr80]

Well, i am back from my trip in northern BC for caribou. I took my 270wsm, shooting 140 gr berger VLD's. We stalked into 350 yards of a herd of bulls, and this one dropped in an instant with one shot. Very happy with this caribou. Packing back to the lake was another story but was well worth it!!

 

[North61]

I have taken many dozens of caribou and really like the bullet action of the Nosler Partition. It opens up fast even at long range and creates a lot of shock that not only take caribou down quickly but also penetrates well. The Accu-Bonds are also good and less effected by wind. The TSX don't shock well at long range and the frangible bullets like the Berger can fragment badly at short range.

 

[KJH]

sr80- Awesome animal. Nice hunt! The packing through the tundra ususally sucks but its a labor of love.Did you shoot it at 350yds?

Thanks for sharing your picture.

 

[sr80]

sr80- Awesome animal. Nice hunt! The packing through the tundra ususally sucks but its a labor of love.Did you shoot it at 350yds?

Thanks for sharing your picture.

thanks KJH, yes shot him at 350 yards. The tundra wasnt too bad..it was the 3000 ft drop in elevation to the lake that was the hardest part!