BeaverJack

Them failsafes do fine if the rifle likes 'em. I've seed many a rifle thet didn't group 'em at all. Noslers are the standard. I use 'em in my '06. Wish they'd make one in .348 caliber. Need one of them grass root jobs. All the M71 owners should unite an' protest the lack of a partition bullet in their favorite caliber! Juelga, juelga, juelga!

Wolf killer

Newboarhunter With the 7mm STW the 160-Nosler Partition is the bullet Layne Simpson uses for elk hunting. Layne uses the 140-grain bullets for the smaller game such as whitetail's, mule deer & caribou.
Layne invented the cartridge & IMHO he is a rifle & reolading god.

I personally shoot 140-grain Nosler Partitions in my rifle. I use this rifle for deer, antelope & every now and then I will take this rifle elk hunting. I prefer to have one load for one rifle. The reason I use the Partition is it will not blow up on a close range shot.

My go-to elk rifle is my 300-win mag loaded with 200-grain Partitions or Accubonds. I use this rifle & load for elk hunting because most of my shots are inside 100-yards.

If I did not already own a 300-win mag? I would load 160-grain Nosler Partitions for my 7mm STW & I would hunt everything with them.
Any premium bullet that shoots well out of your rifle will work fine on elk.

Good luck,

losthwy

Fail Safe- better bullet than the partition.

BeaverJack

I'm headin' into a yarn now, so y'all gotta bail out now if you ain't fond of stories.

Several year ago when these failsafes first started showin' up in camp, I took a batch of fellers out to check their zeros before headin' to the trailhead. One guy had a Ruger M77, a Remington 700, 4 boxes of failsafes. The rifles were both 7 mags, the Remington was borrowed from a friend who said he needed a higher power scope for elk hunting than the 6x settin' on his Ruger. The failsafes were what he shot in his Ruger back home. We proceeded to check groups with the Rembington at 200 yards, cause everbody should be on the paper by the time they git here. 200 yards also gives the guide a idear how good the feller is goin' to shoot with a rest. Well, the Remington shot nothing that could really be called a group, so we moved in to 100 yards. The other hunters were startin' to make cracks 'bout the guy's technique and ability to handle the mag, and whether the scope rings were bolted down good. After gettin' totally embarassed at 100 yards, the guy decides to try his Ruger. First group was under 1". I tolt the guy to leave the Remington at the ranch. He shot a cow at 80 yards. I'm sure she didn't notice his under-powered scope.

This story repeated itself several times after that. Some rifles jus' don't like failsafes. It ain't uncommon for rifles to have a bullet preference, but with failsafes, its even more frequent. They either like 'em, or they won't shoot 'em worth a hoot. Check how yer rifle likes the bullet. Its a fine acting bullet on game, but if you can't hit a barn with 'em, it ain't gonna work at all.

James B

The same thing goes for the Barnes X bullet. If your gun will shoot them you would be hard pressed to find a better bullet. However some guns won't shoot them. the Failsafe is the better bullet of the two for deep penetration. They are one tough bullet. The Partition has proven itself beyond doubt for many years.

brother hal

For the last 2 years, I have gone to CO for elk. I use a Model 70 Win, 300 WSM. My guide asked me what bullet I was using. When I told him Failsafes, he said they were not that dependable, but OK. The first year, I shot an elk at about 150 yards, using the Win 180 gr. Failsafe. One shot thru the lungs and that was it. So this year, I took the same rifle and ammo. I shot this elk at 244 yds, thru the front shoulder. Fell down, got up, and traveled about 90 yds before I could put two more shots into it. When I looked at the bullet path from the first shot, it went thru the right front shoulder, hit something, then went straight out the front of the neck. Almost no blood trail. Next year I am going back, and have already purchased some Fed Premiums with 180 gr. Partitions. Just my experiences.
Good Hunting,
Brother hal