What's your favorite 30 cal bullet for Elk

[Rucker61]

I use 168 TTSX in both my .308 and .300 WSM, both Tikkas. They both shoot sub MOA with handloads.

 

[7stw]

I prefer a 180 gn barnes tsx outstanding accuracy and just kills really well. This bullet was recovered from a bull I shot at 397 yds. On the off side after driving through the heart and off side shoulder. Cleaned up it still weighed 179.5 gr. that's textbook perfect weight retention in my book.
I've shot elk deer coyotes and even a couple of prarie dogs and love the on game performance. I use them in every thing from .224" to .375" and every thing In between and they have never disappointed.

 

[TheJuice]

7stw. What was your cartridge, and what do you think your impact velocity was at 400yds? Do you think it would have expanded if it would not have hit the shoulder?

 

[AXEL]

I seldom would or have carried a .308 cal. rifle for hunts where Elk, are my main target as I prefer my various .338WM rifles loaded with 250NPs for such trips. I also favour my 9.3x62 rifles, loaded with 286 NPs over any of my thirty cal. rifles when hunting Elk; this is due both to the 6-pt. antler regs. in force here in much of BC and the typically densely forested habitat where our Elk hang out in hunting season.

When, I have used a thirty cal., I have loaded the 200 NP by choice and the 180 NP is my second choice; I tend to load all of my big game rifles with heavy for caliber NPs as I prefer to always use the most "Elk capable" loads in any of them given our over-lapping seasons.

For, just one choice, tho'. I load the 200 NP in my .308Norma, my .300H&H, my last of many .30-06s and have considered doing do for my .308Win. combo gun and also sts short Classic .308Win., a light custom piece I keep in my 4x4. I know there are more recent bullets out there, but, 47 years of loading NPs is a habit hard to break.....

 

[luke moffat]

but, 47 years of loading NPs is a habit hard to break.....

Thats cause they just flat work to the point they are boring.

No drama with coming apart or not penetrating, and they don't have a flashy polymer tip or anything. They just work plain and simple.

 

[TheJuice]

Thats cause they just flat work to the point they are boring.

No drama with coming apart or not penetrating, and they don't have a flashy polymer tip or anything. They just work plain and simple.

That's funny.
Might as well rename then Nosler Vanilla. Nothing exciting, but satisfies every time.

Happy Birthday by the way.

 

[aorams]

I'm having good luck with my 180gr. Nosler Accubonds out of my 300 win mag.

 

[7stw]

7stw. What was your cartridge, and what do you think your impact velocity was at 400yds? Do you think it would have expanded if it would not have hit the shoulder?

I don't know what it would be at 400 yards. My handloads chrony at 3111 fps it's the only one I've ever recovered in almost 10 years of using barnes bullets. But the other animals I've shot have all had massive wound channels and lots of trauma. With the exception of coyotes it's fairly easy on pelts unless it's a high shot. I push all mine as fast as I can safely and accurately do so. In my fav 7stw a 140 ttsx at 3380 is devastating to whitetails at close or long range. head shot at 185 yards. Here's one I shot with my 6.5-06 at 335 yards in the neck
Here's a coyote that was shot with a .300 win mag and the 180 tsx
Lastly here's a whitetails heart I shot at about 80 yards

 

[JG358]

I'm patrial to A-frames and Partitions.

 

[tstowater]

Frankly, the 180 Partitions have worked too well for me to look at changing. I have some A-frames and Barnes bullets just collecting dust until I change my mind. Performance on elk has been impressive.

 

[TheJuice]

Exactly what I was hoping for.
Thanks for narrowing it down for me. Looks like I will load some Partitions, TTSX, and AccuBonds. Best shooter wins.
Though some of the other bullets mentioned sounded to have great results, these 3 seem to be the most prevalent.
Thanks for all the great first-hand info.

 

[2rocky]

Thats cause they just flat work to the point they are boring.

No drama with coming apart or not penetrating, and they don't have a flashy polymer tip or anything. They just work plain and simple.

This plus 1000....

 

[HuntHarder]

185 Berger VLD is my go to big game round!!

 

[tenth1]

I have no idea how many elk and deer my '06 has killed with 165 gr. Sierra Game Kings. It was my dads before I acquired it and have no idea how many where shot. We always had meat on the table. Since the acquisition, it has put meat on the table consistently for over a decade.

If I can't get a gun to shoot Partitions, Accubonds, or TSX I try Game Kings. They are one of the most consistently accurate bullet designs made.

 

[goodgrouper]

Four in my family shoot 300 win mags. We all shoot the barnes 168 tsx at around 3100fps. Between the four of us we've killed 20 or so elk from 50 to 500 yards with it, always had amazing results.

 

[brushape]

There are some great deals on 30 ca partitions at shooters proshop right now

 

[hunting1]

180/200 NP or NAB depending on which shoots best for the 30-06/300WM. I use 168 NBT in my .308s and 125 NBT in my son's until he toughens up a little more for recoil. From coyotes to elk, stuff drops over and as said above SPS and military discount you can't go wrong.

 

[bobhunts]

Really good read here. I have tried the polymer tipped bullets a few times. From my own experience they only work at a long range meaning over 400 yards. At that range they do expand well but under that they just ruin a'lot of the meat we all want to eat. Shot a Pronghorn at 450 with Nosler Ballistic tip out of a .243 with perfect expansion finding the bullet inside the hide on the off-side! I will not use that bullet again and realize how far one caliber is capable of. I still like the bullet just not for the intended reason. I have some Swift A-frames to try and load in a .30 cal rifle and see what happens there. But I have had really good luck with the Barnes TSX bullets. They do what the pics of them show. I have spent about $400.00 at Nosler in the last two months and when it gets nice I am gonna see how I like the Accubonds and the Custom Competion bullets. I already know the latter is a paper puncher but I like doing it! There are a ton of good bullets out there and Swift is one of the most expensive ones I have bought. Anyone have experience using these? Another brand I have often looked at is Speer. Anyone having luck with these? They seem to be the only brand that is always in stock here. Bob.

 

[rayporter]

five speers, one from moose, four from elk. most elk shot with that 30-06 rifle were passthroughs and not recovered. it is a fairly light load. 180 grain grand slams. the far right bullet is an example of a complete fail.

the speers weigh from 139 gr to 158 gr. all but one are over 147 gr. the right bullet mikes .319 on the fat side and .290 on the narrow side and weighs 117 gr.
i have no idea of the manufacturer, or the original weight. my guess- it was a 150 gr 30 caliber

the elk it was recovered from was quite healthy and the wound was healed. the bullet was against the hide, right beside the one i shot the elk with. i cut both bullets out of the same cut in the hide. the killing bullet was a perfect lung shot. the failed bullet was over the lungs, too.

there was a rumor a few years ago speer was going to keep the hot core and forget the grandslam. i called speer and the guy told me that rumor was not true.
the hot core is probably just as good.

 

[Huntr]

My last 3 elk I killed via a 30-06 and 308 Win launching a 155gr. Lapua Scenar. Couldn't ask for better performance.