.308 Elk Load Which Barnes Bullet?

dubllung4

dubllung4

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My dad just found out that he will finally be going on one of his dream hunts for elk this fall out west. This is something he has wanted to do his whole life so he is trying to get everything ready early. He has only taken one elk and that was here in Michigan.

He will be using a Ruger M77 in .308. I told him I would start working up a load for him now but I don't know which bullet to use. He has pretty much been a "Remington Green Box" guy his whole life and I want to make sure he has the highest quality bullet available if presented with a shot. Right now I am looking at either the TSX or the TTSX in 168 grains. Which would perform better? Is there another bullet I should consider? I am going to start with Varget, since I have plenty on hand, but I am open to opinions on other powders as well.

Thanks in advance
 
I've used the 168 TTSX in all my .308 caliber rifles. I've never had one take a step! Varget works well, but I had better performance with RL15.
 
Originally Posted By: punxsutawnI've used the 168 TTSX in all my .308 caliber rifles. I've never had one take a step! Varget works well, but I had better performance with RL15.

I think this is exactly where I'd be for the intended purpose...
 
Originally Posted By: punxsutawnI've used the 168 TTSX in all my .308 caliber rifles. I've never had one take a step! Varget works well, but I had better performance with RL15.
+1
 
Originally Posted By: 2lazy2POriginally Posted By: punxsutawnI've used the 168 TTSX in all my .308 caliber rifles. I've never had one take a step! Varget works well, but I had better performance with RL15.
+1
With any of the monolithic bullets speed is you friend. If your set on a barnes ttsx I would look to the 150 gr and push it as quick as accuracy and your rifle allows .
Also take note of the length of the 168 ttsx that bullet eats up some case capacity when seated to fit in most short action mag wells .( factory) .
Good luck with the elk!
 
I whacked an oryx (tougher than elk) with a 150 grain TTSX out of my .300 WSM and it performed admirably. Were I shooting a .308, I'd try the same bullet.
 
For the record, I'm not an elk hunter.

I would think that any X bullet 150-168 gr. over R-15 or Varget will work nicely IMO. I loaded some 168s for a bud who killed a nice 5x5 bull with them.

I use 150 gr. Accubonds in 1 of my 308s. I figured I'd run one at an elk if I ever had the chance. I'd not bother switching loads if that rifle got the call. But the TSX is the bullet I would recommend to others, just as I did my friend...

 
I'd use the 130gr Barnes, and push it fast. You should be able to get close to 3,200fps with it.

I use the 130gr TTSX out of my 270 at 3,100fps and have only recovered one Barnes out of an elk. Have not had to take a 2nd shot at an elk since 1992, which is the year I switched to Barnes. I love those bullets!
 
Forget the barnes they are garbage. I swore I would never use barnes again after the terrible performance I had on deer, but my wife got an elk tag and I thought I would try some in her 308. Her elk took 6 rounds to put it down, we did recover 3 bullets one of them measured .327, so not much expansion. They were 130gr TTSX. I would show you a picture if it wasn't such a pain in the [beeep] to download.
 
barnes001_zpse930d367.jpg
 
I've switched every caliber i own to tsx, ttsx. My last elk was with 150gr out of my 3006. Every animal I've hit only in the lungs has dropped like a grenade went off in its head. The only way to make the bullet perform better is if they field dressed for you.
 
I don't know where out west your going to hunt but most shots are 200 to 400 yds, and a .308 drops pretty quickly after 200yds. If it's a dream hunt you might consider a 7mm mag, 300 win mag or even a .338 ultra mag. You don't want to get a shot and not find it afterward. I shoot a 7mm mag and 175 grain Core Lokt, (I don't care for Barnes either) and I've never lost one yet and all were one shot kills. Go big is my advise.
 
Originally Posted By: MotoHunterI don't know where out west your going to hunt but most shots are 200 to 400 yds, and a .308 drops pretty quickly after 200yds. If it's a dream hunt you might consider a 7mm mag, 300 win mag or even a .338 ultra mag. You don't want to get a shot and not find it afterward. I shoot a 7mm mag and 175 grain Core Lokt, (I don't care for Barnes either) and I've never lost one yet and all were one shot kills. Go big is my advise.

A 308 Win w/ a max loaded 150 TTSX is within one inch in drop and windage, and 200 ft/lbs of a 7mm Rem Mag w/ a 175 Corelokt factory load to 400 yds. Negligible difference considering how these monometal bullets are changing the game of penetration and energy transfer. Esp. considering firsthand results posted here.

Big is never bad (unless you're recoil shy) for elk and such game - they can suck up some energy. May as well go 338 Ultra Mag right away.....??????
 
we shoot elk with a 243 here... SO, any 150+ gr bullet will work like a champ. Assuming he isn't trying to take a 1000yrd shot or something like that.
 
I too agree that bigger is better. I've not used a 243, but have used a 115 grain Barnes X out of a 257 Weatherby on two large cow elk through the ribs and neither went more than 50 yards. This certainly is not my go to rifle, but that bullet works on everything I've used. Like others, I've switched everything over to that bullet.
 
I've shot exactly 2 Elk...a huge cow and a regular sized 4x5 bull. The gun was a .308 Winchester model 88 stoked with my re-loads. The cow fell to a 165 gr Speer Grand Slam, I hit her twice first shot was too far back and the second was tucked up between the shoulder and ribs...both Grand Slams were recovered just under the skin on the far side and had good performance. The Bull took a Sierra 165 HPBT Game King through the lungs...he ran about 50 feet and fell nose first...dead. Again the bullet was under the skin on the far side...but it clipped a rib on its way out and was sheared off on one side.

Good bullets...but I have been playing with the Swift A-Frame and am getting better accuracy...not that the others were bad...they were in fact pretty darn good...but the Swifts are better.

I have never used the Barns offerings...but I read great things. Tell dad Good luck!
 
Bloodhound, did you happen to weigh the recovered bullets? Just curious. I was using a 220 Sierra GameKing in a 300 win mag. I did recover that bullet and found that it lost 45% of it's original weight. It had a text book mushroom and certainly did the job, but I was surprised it lost that much. This year, coincidentally, I used the same rifle with a 180 grain Barnes TTSX and actually recovered that bullet. It hit a rib going in, was deflected by the spine and lodged just through the opposite shoulder. Absolutely the first Barnes I ever recovered from any animal to date! I weighed the bullet and it only lost 2 grains! More to the point, the Barnes bullets really hold together in both magnum and non-mag rifles.
 
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