ELKampMaster

180 gr. Partitions if you like the drift of the article you mention, plenty of damage on contact, yet the back half just keeps on going.

Barnes TSX goes in one side and out the other andlike a buzz saw in between. These have become my recent favorite, but the Nosler Partitions are absolutely great. Both are heart warming.

IMHO, with bullet selection,as withcartridge selection ---plan for (and allow for)the worst and thenstrive for the best --- now you have margins to help get the job done out in the real (non-internet) world when things don't go just right.

Alsatian

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't really looking to save money on ammunition by buying cheap bullets. My initial point, stimulated by the article I read, was that the tough premium bullets may have a downside when NOT hitting bone. This point wasn't much addressed (other than by EKM), but no matter. Clearly there is a strong concensus here that the premium bullets are the way to go. I've tried a Federal .30-06 load using 180 grain Nosler partitions, and my particular rifle didn't shoot well with them. I'm planning to try a couple of different loads this weekend -- Black Hills .30-06 Nosler Accubond and Remington .30-06 Core Lokt ULTRA. Hopefully one of these two loads will shoot well enough in my rifle.

While I don't remember the results with the Federal .30-06 using 180 grain Nosler, with my .25-06 I pretty consistently can get 1.25" five shot groups with Hornady Custom 117 Grain Boat Tail Soft Point, but with other commercial loads the best I can get may be 2.5" five shot groups. This taught me the value of trying different commercial loads to find what my rifles like. I may in the future take up handloading so I can tune loads to my rifles, but I am not set up to do this yet. As I understand this phenomenon, any given rifle may respond differently to the same commercial load, due to mechanical harmonics of the specific barrel/action/stock bedding combination.

I will definitely sight in my rifle before the trip. If possible I will try to check my zero at altitude. I'll be hunting over 10,500' while my home shooting range is probably less than 1,000' altitude. If this 10,000' altitude can substantially alter the ballistics of my selected cartridge I better check it.

Thanks for the responses and advice. I appreciate it.

Power

One of my buddies has been killing elk for years and years with his 30-06 and Remingtong 165g Core-Lok's (read:cheap). He's always been happy with them, just keep shots inside 200 yards and punch both lungs. He's never lost an elk and I'd say he's shot at least 15-20.

I, on the other hand, firmly believe in using a good bullet. I like the Accubond but haven't used it yet. I have taken 2 elk with Partitions and I liked them, but I like the polymer tip on the AB. If they'd put a PT on a partition I'd never have to try another bullet.

Folically Challenged

FWIW, I shot Accubonds, Fail Safes, Core Lokt Ultras, NP's, and A-Frames, all in180 grain, to see what my '06 liked. Turned out, it was NONEOF THE ABOVE. I couldn't get a group inside 3" at 100 yards with any of 'em.

I then stepped down to 168 grain Core Lokt Ultra's, & 165 grain Hornady Interbonds, and both were inside 1½", with the latter just barely over 1". Ideally, I'd have liked to have found a 180 grain load for this hunt, but for ME, the peace of mindof theimproved accuracymore than offset giving up 15 grains of weight. I've done a bit of research on the Interbonds, and I'm personally satisfied that they'll do the job.

I guess the toughest part for me was to decide "what's good enough", since there are plenty of people out there who'll slam whatever choice you make. Everyone seems to have a favorite pet load, but my rifle didn't seem to likea lotof them. I finally decided to just make a choice, then try to practice enough with that load to havemy bullet choice be the least of my worries.

I've shot nearly 10 boxes of the Hornadys since settling on that load, from sitting, kneeling, and offhand positions. I can get 80% + of my offhand shots into 10" at 100 yards, and 60% at 200 yards. With a steady, I'm batting nearly 100%. My plan is to burn at least another 10 boxes prior to leaving 10/1/06 for my hunt in BC.

Good luck on your hunt!

FC

txhunter58

Didn't read the article you are referring to, but I guess that I don'tagree with it. Pretty much all of the newer generation "premium" bullets will open up on the front 1/2 even if you don't hit bone, but have a more solid rear. Can't imagine thatyou will have a problem with ANY of the bullets mentioned. In other words, me thinks you thinks to much. With elk, I would always lean toward the "tough" side.

cherokee_outfitters

I agree with what the article authors said for the most part. It now has a new name called V Tunnel. Everyone is talking about it and have read about it in articles. We called it energy displacement. A bullet that is softer will make a bigger wound channel faster along with spreading out the damage quicker as it goes through the animal. Like a shock wave. The worst part for a softer bullet is trying to travel through the animal say from front to back. But not many of us shoot animals that way or really wouldn't expect our bullet to exit is rear end. Broadside soft bullets like a core-loktare 95% gonna exit the opposite side if you stay in the ribcage at moderate ranges.

Two bullets of different design. One soft say a core-lokt and one a fail-safe. Both have the same speed and vary slightly in foot lbs. of enegry. The elk is 250yds both bullets hit the same spot on the ribcage just above the heart and into the lungs. The fail safe bullet deposited 3/4's of its energy and exited the otherside. The core-lokt deposited all of its energy and stuck in the hide on the opposite side of it's entry.
Here's the forensic's of the two hits. The fail-safe did its job well and killed the animal leaving two holes for tracking incase of heavy timber or underbrush. The core-lokt did it's job to the max depositing all the ft lbs of energy and killed the animal also. Both bullets killed the elk and both bullets are good choices depending on the useage and shot placement. But the author is right.Soft bullets are not the best for bad angles or shooting through heavy bone. But one on one with the broadside ribcage they deposit all the ft lbs.

Most hunters need the reassurance that the bullet will make up the slack incase of a bad hit. This is sometimes true and sometimes not true depending on where the animal is hit. A quality bullet can't be beat then again neither can shot placement. I like a good stable bullet with medium hardness. My best all around is the Speer soft point boat tail. Bullets are like calibers we all are gonna argue which will do the job better. I'm waiting to see more elk hit with the newer designs before I pass judgement on them.Shooting water, sand, or silicon is not the same as an animal. Animals have layers and that makes alot of difference.

txhunter58

I don't think anyone would argue that the absolute best bullet/shot combo would be a realatively soft bullet slipped between two ribs broadside and through both lungs.Lungs are jello and the animal is dead within sight. Maybe some of the premium bullets are too tough some times, but that just makes the nosler even better through the years. It does have a very soft front and will open up. Luckily, the federal premiums with noslers shot well in my gun. However, I also had a guy hand load me some that are very accurate.

ShatoDavis

Well let me add my two cents:

NOSLER PARTITIONS.20+ years (combined)of killing big game....if it ain't broke, don't fix it.


Once used the nosler ballistic tips in my 280 on a whitey.....never again! complete bullet failure on a broadside, 50 yard shot. the bullet exploaded on impact taking out a section of ribs the size ofa dinner plate. No penetration. I had to track the deer for a 1/2 mile and finish it.

I've also used Sierra game kings on lighter game. But for anything say bigger than a whitey I shoot partitions exclusively.

stubblejumper

ROUND LEAD BALLS 100s of years of killing big game....if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Luckily everyone doesn't think like that.As a result of forward thinking,improvements are made.First breach loaders were invented,then cup and core jacketed bullets,then bullets such as the partition.And now we have bonded bullets and several other designs such as the tsx and the mrx and a variety of others that equal or surpass the performance of the nosler partition.

skeeter 7MM

I know agent that uses 150 NBT's on everything out of his 7mm rem mag, you couldn't convice him their is a better bullet. He has shot antelope to moose with the NBT.

Point is perspective, based on experience. Personally the Partition is the standard anything equal or exceeding gets my vote when big animals are on tap. When deer are the quarry, nobody can convince me the NBT isn't up to the task!!!! Too many deer have fallen in a variety of fashions to convince me otherwise with the BT. Then again our large deer species might just be of the weaker variety[&:]!