150 gr. for elk?
09-28-2005, 12:13 PM
#12
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 612
RE: 150 gr. for elk?
I use 165 grain, Winchester soft points, with great success on all of the above animals. 180 grain is tried and true, and 220 will certainly get the job done though may drop likea rock by comparison. The 150 grain will kill an elk. Make sure the bullet is designed to hold together when it hits a heavy leg bone. Shot placement.
09-28-2005, 07:40 PM
#13
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: durango Colorado USA
Posts: 567
RE: 150 gr. for elk?
I've used 180 grain Win PP on elk here in Colorado with no problems.My 30/06 does notgroup the 150 grain worth darn so I stick with 180's for everything. I would jump up to 180 grain if I were you-----try a box out & see if your rifle likes them. There only $15 a box at Wal-mart.
09-28-2005, 08:20 PM
#14
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
RE: 150 gr. for elk?
It's not the weight of the bullet that is the most important thing to consider. I look at bullet construction and let that decide which bullet weight I am going to use.
If the bullet is constructed so that it retains 100% of its initial weight then you can use light for caliber bullets to kill very large animals. There are two bullets that come to mind and they are the Barnes and failsafe. Either of these two bullets will be just fine for elk in 150 grain weights.
Some lead bullets such as the Trophy bonded bear claw and Swift A-frame are designed to shed very little weight when traveling through an animal so they penetrate as well or better than bullets of heavier weight but of lighter construction, such as your power points. In this case a 165 grain bullet in either of these will do well on elk.
With more conventional bullets such a power point, game king, nosler partition, core lokt, etc... Or even the new bonded core bullets like the accubond and interbond. I would choose to use a 180 grain bullet because they will shed a good ammount of their weight when traveling through bone and muscle. I add the partition to this list because the front core looses most or all of its weight leaving only the rear core to penetrate to the other side of the animal. I also added the accubond and interbond bullets here because while they retain a large ammount of their original weight they also are designed to expand into very large diameters which hinders penetration.
With todays bullets there is absolutely no reason at all to use a bullet weighing more than 180 grains in any 30 caliber rifle. If a 180 grain bullet won't get the job done then you need a .338.
I hope this helps you out some. And to answer your question dorectly i would not choose to use a 150 grain power point on elk out of a 30-06.
If the bullet is constructed so that it retains 100% of its initial weight then you can use light for caliber bullets to kill very large animals. There are two bullets that come to mind and they are the Barnes and failsafe. Either of these two bullets will be just fine for elk in 150 grain weights.
Some lead bullets such as the Trophy bonded bear claw and Swift A-frame are designed to shed very little weight when traveling through an animal so they penetrate as well or better than bullets of heavier weight but of lighter construction, such as your power points. In this case a 165 grain bullet in either of these will do well on elk.
With more conventional bullets such a power point, game king, nosler partition, core lokt, etc... Or even the new bonded core bullets like the accubond and interbond. I would choose to use a 180 grain bullet because they will shed a good ammount of their weight when traveling through bone and muscle. I add the partition to this list because the front core looses most or all of its weight leaving only the rear core to penetrate to the other side of the animal. I also added the accubond and interbond bullets here because while they retain a large ammount of their original weight they also are designed to expand into very large diameters which hinders penetration.
With todays bullets there is absolutely no reason at all to use a bullet weighing more than 180 grains in any 30 caliber rifle. If a 180 grain bullet won't get the job done then you need a .338.
I hope this helps you out some. And to answer your question dorectly i would not choose to use a 150 grain power point on elk out of a 30-06.
09-29-2005, 04:08 PM
#15
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 84
RE: 150 gr. for elk?
Gotta chime along with the others here. 150 gr is a bit on thelight side unless a good premium bullet is used or shot placement is perfect. Not that it won't drop them in their tracks, its just good to have a bit of insurance. The good 150 and 165 gr would be the Fail Safe or the Barnes X. Both would allow excellent performance from the lighter bullet weight.
I just feel that since you can't count on the elk to be in the right position for that dream shot, you kind of need to up the punch a bit.
My 30.06 is zeroed with 180 gr Accubond bullets. They will shed a bit of weight during penetration so starting with more weight is a good idea. They group around 3/4 inch at 100.
My primary elk gun is a 300 WM with 180 gr Barnes XBT bullets. They are my handloads and at 3000 fps, will group at 5/8" @ 200 if I do my part. If I had to use factory ammo, I would use the 180 gr Fail Safes. They perform great out of my 300 but atabout $1.75 a shot- you see why I reload.
I just feel that since you can't count on the elk to be in the right position for that dream shot, you kind of need to up the punch a bit.
My 30.06 is zeroed with 180 gr Accubond bullets. They will shed a bit of weight during penetration so starting with more weight is a good idea. They group around 3/4 inch at 100.
My primary elk gun is a 300 WM with 180 gr Barnes XBT bullets. They are my handloads and at 3000 fps, will group at 5/8" @ 200 if I do my part. If I had to use factory ammo, I would use the 180 gr Fail Safes. They perform great out of my 300 but atabout $1.75 a shot- you see why I reload.
09-30-2005, 08:38 PM
#16
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Utah
Posts: 80
RE: 150 gr. for elk?
A 150 grain bullet in a 30-06 will be plenty. I have harvested elk with this set up no problem myself, and my father has killed elk year after year with the same setup for over 30 years. My uncles have killed just as many elk using only a 270 winchester and 140 grain bullets. I know several people who have killed elk with no probelm using even smaller firearms (243's, 7mm-08's). Just make sure you shoot them in the right spot and it won't matter how big a bullet you use.
