165g. vs. 180g. for elk?

I've seem elk taken with a 270 using a 150 gr. bullet. I think the bullet construction is more of a concern. Going with the 165 gr. bullet you will get a faster velocity and plenty of penetration. I would probably use a partition bullet or what I use is the 180 gr. Barn's X bullets in my 300 Win. Mag. With those bullets they recommend not to use the maximum weight bullet for your caliber. I also use 130 gr X Bullets in my 260 rem. and it has enough energy for elk out to 300 yards. Myself I wouldn't use the 260 rem. any further than 200 yards.
 
I would suggest using the 180 gr for elk. It has a flatter trajectory. I would also suggest an A frame or partition bullet for better penetration and weight retention. Barns X are also great bullets. Dont worry about going to big of bullet for deer. To small is a bigger problem . I use 150gr ballistic tips in my 30-06 for deer , but i also reload and like playing with the loads. I have shot both 150 and 180 gr bullets and didn't notice much of a drop at 100 yrds. If you are using factory loads , you could use 180 partitions for elk and 180 balistic tip for deer . The partition bullets will work quite well on deer also.
 
Depends on WHAT SPECIFIC BRAND AND MODEL of bullet you pick. It's just not as easy as it used to be. We have so many choices in bullets nowadays that you're really hurting yourself if you don't do a little research into what you're looking at.

Most likely, you could go into Wally-World and ask the dropout behind the counter for a "box of 30-06 SHELLS, 180 grains" and go out and kill an elk. Or 165s, or 150s... But it's always better to know what you're getting into.

good hunting.
 
Redrider, welcome to the board. I've used 160gr. nosler partitions for 30 years for deer, elk, bears ,moose, sheep and goats. I've used it because it works all the time. This bullet has always done what I wanted done, out to 300+ yds. I shoot a 7mm. rem mag.in a Ruger #1
Redfrog
 
Well
I would load up some 180 grainers in the best constructed bullets you can buy( handloades or factory stuff) and sight yer gun in there fella

As fas as using them for deer as well...
ya can't kill em to dead
 
You did not mention if it was for bull or cow elk, makes a lot of difference.
For cows the 165 will work great, for bulls I would opt for the 180 and in a well constructed bullet.
Nosler partitions are always a good choice, as are Speer Grand Slams.

The Barnes bullets in the X style will allow you to drop some in weight and still get good penetration.

All in all considering that you are also thinking of deer with the same bullet I would go with the Nosler.
For bull elk and deer the 180 partition and for cow elk and deer the 165.
 
Well now, it looks like the question was answer ok, except the response on the Speer Grand Slams. I know of fellow hunter here that shot a Bull elk three times using Grand Slams in his 300 Weatherby and never dropped the animal. The distance was 75 yrds, 2 shots behind the shoulder, one shot in the rear and the final kill shot in the neck with a Hornaday 180gr.

All the Grandslams blew up just under the skin and a Game Warden was there to witness what had happened also. High velocity not good for these.
 
I have hunted elk all of my life and guided for several years in Oregon's Hell's Canyon.

My guiding experience taught me a great deal. Huge cartridges and heavy bullets are needed. Indeed, either (or both) can be a hinderance.

You don't need a 300 Ultra and 200-grain bullets to kill an elk. All you need to do is place a reasonable bullet through the lungs at a reasonable range.

I finally ended up using a .30-'06 with 150-grain Hornady Interlokt bullets, though I found the 150-grain Nosler Balistic Tips worked as well.

In the last two years, I've killed a large 6X6 and a fair 5X6. One was killed with a 7-08 Ackley with 120-grain Ballistics and the other was killed with a .280 Ackley and 140 Ballistics. Both bulls were on the ground less than ten paces.

The key is bullet placement and not shooting further than you are comfortable.

I write for gun magazines and hunt pretty much all year (US, Canada, Africa).

SteveTimm
 
Hi Steve,

Getting paid for what you love to do anyways can't feel much like "work". :rolleyes: Thanks to all for your input on the subject. I will probably get some 180 Partitions and load 'em up and see how they group. Balistic Tips, Interlocks, GameKings, and so on, and so on, and so on................. I think I am hopeless. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Greenslide,

Yes, I've shot several coyotes with the 6-250. Does very well. Also shot a bunch of prairie dogs with it (overkill). Haven't been able to bring myself to hunt antelope or deer with it. Sure as heck the critter of a lifetime would show up and I'd be caught without a .280 Ackley in my hands.

The .260 Ackley article was in the July 2001 Varmint Hunter. Fabulous cartridge.

Lone Howl,

Thanks very much. I promise you honesty. Maybe all don't agree (I don't mince words), but the conclusions are gained from experience. Obviously, another hunter could have equal or more experience and have come to another conclusion. The key is to communicate and that makes us all better hunters.

Couldn't resist wading in on the 165 versus 180-grain discussion. As a gun writer, I know that a high percentage of these guys are total bozos. Most of them live in the east or the southeast and have never actually killed an elk. Yet they wade forth with opinions on huge cartridges and big bullets for elk.

Having killed a bunch of the critters, my opinion is that magnum cartridges are certainly not needed. Personally, I'd consider a 165 a tad heavy and would prefer the 150-grain bullet.

Hey guys, an elk is less than two feet thick at the lungs. Damned near any reasonable bullet will hole them completely. The greatest danger is a bullet that is too tough (the type the non-elk hunting writers profess that you need).

When I was guiding, the guide with the least seniority got the hunter that brought a 7Mag with 175-grain Partitions. The bullet goes in at .28 caliber and exits the elk (if lung hit) at maybe 30 caliber. The long, hard trail starts there, my friends.

If the hunter had the same 7Mag and 140 to 154-grain bullets, the lung-hit elk would go a maximum of 50 yards (with a big hole in the far side).

I used the 30-06 with 150-grain Hornadys in taking over 50 African animals. My eland weighed 2361 pounds. What the heck more do you need?

My favorite elk rifle, by the way, is the .280 Ackley with 140-grain Nosler Ballistics at 3150 fps. Kills the crap out of them.

Steve
 
Steve first I want to welcome you to our site.

I also want to shed a little light on the elk situation as I see it, perhaps the conditions are different in your country.

Where I live elk tags are hard to come by, and good broadside shots at a decent standing bull at under 300 yards are harder still.

The bullets you mention will kill like nothing else if the only thing of any size you must bust through is a rib.

The last two bulls I have taken have been at odd angles, one through the shoulder on a quartering too me shot, and the other through the hip, paunch, liver , lung and finally ending up behind the front shoulder.

These were both taken with a 7 mag shooting 175 grain Grand Slams .

The shot through the shoulder penetrated the shoulder joint and ended up in the opposite hind quarter.

Both bullets expanded to approx 50 cal in diameter and penetrated in excess of 3 feet allowing me to take out the vitals from those angles.

Neither bull made it more than 100 yards before it was down.

I must say I did not deliberately shoot the bull in the hip, he was quartering away from me and I pulled on his near flank area to put up through his chest, unfortunately I was also puffing rather hard from a run to get into position.

Perhaps it could be said I should have passed the shot, I had hunted for 7 days and this was the first bull I had seen and I had one day left to hunt.

For better or worse I opted to take him, I am glad I was using enough bullet to do the job in spite of my poor bullet placement.
I would not have attempted the shot with a more fragile bullet such as the ballistic tip.
I think we both know what the outcome of that would have been.

I sincerely want to welcome you to our site, I have been a fan of your writing for many years.
 
Welcome to the board Steve!

I live in Eastern Oregon and have hunted most of my life. I have used 165 and 180 gr nosler bullets on elk and deer with my 300 Win Mag, and when I hit them with 165 gr ballistic tips, the elk have went down in their tracks. I shot a bear in 2000 with my 300 Win Mag at 700 yds with 165 gr nosler ballistic tip reloads, and she went down with one shot through the lungs. Anyway, I will be using 165 gr bullets this coming fall for my Desolation rifle buck tag.

Later,
Doug /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I would use the 180 grain bullets my self. More weight will give you more energy, in general. you won't shoot much flatter with the lighter bullet any way. A 30'06 shooting good hand loads with good 180 grain bullets or some of the very fine factory loads out now is probably good for any animal that you will ever want to shoot from cats to deer to moose or big bear.
 
My Uncle AJ was a one gun hunter, killed more game than I ever will. I loaded for him in his later years. His favorite and last load was 180 Gr Sierra Gameking over IMR4350. His four last Elk were taken with this load all one shot kills. He said it was the best load he had ever used.
 
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