ELK BULLET

Can't speak to Elk but the cow Moose I took this year definately did not feel a pencil through moment. This was my first year using 168gr TTSX out of my 300 WSM....she took one step, a wobble, laid down and expired. Through the boiler, slightly quartering away the TTSX opened beautifully and I found it in the hide (opposite side) when dressing her. I will weigh it and post a pic when I get a chance. My only experience with the TTSX on big game but I am a believer so far and would have no problem using it on an Elk.

My hunting partner shot his moose with his 7 Mag, 160gr partition and it blew apart, lost a lot of meat. So I guess it is sort of a personal experience / preference thing.

I was going to use a 180gr Accubond but the 168gr Barnes just panned out as the more accurate choice.
 
Thanks for the reply,

Happy to hear you got your moose.I shot my Bull with the 300 Wby Mag..Mark V rifle, one shot with a 180gr Hornady BTSP. DRT. Here in Idaho we are only allowed one bull and one cow moose in a lifetime..unless we purchase a leftover non resident permit and pay the non resident fee.


I love Moose hunting, but the odds of getting drawn for a Cow are not very good, but I keep trying.I am going to give the TTX's a try for sure. last season I was trying to call in a Wolf and a very large Black Bear came within 30 yards of me, how do you think the TTX would work at that distance?

Thanks again for the reply, looking foreward to the pics.
 
" a very large Black Bear came within 30 yards of me, how do you think the TTX would work at that distance?"


It will work very well. It should have 100% weight retention.
 
i have killed many animals including moose, bear, elk, deer, sheep, goat, caribou, and pig. only once did i use a "premium" bullet. i have used sierra, speer, and hornady. last year i killed a record book bear with hornady bullets, performance was textbook.
 
I've shot a bunch of deer with a rifle. I elk hunt with archery tackle. I mainly use my 7mm RM altough bought and used a 25/06 on antelope last year. In my 7mm, I've used cup jacketed bullets and ballistic tips, but I've switched over to premium bullets over the past 10-15 years. I switched not because those other bullets didn't kill effeciently, but because they typically blow massive holes in animals, ruin capes and destroy tons of meat. In recent years I've used the swift scirroco, the nosler accubond and the Barnes ttsx's. All killed animals swiftly and reliably and none had blood shot meat larger than a chew can. A couple of years back, my brother shot a large mule deer buck through the shoulders with a hornady interlock. The front half of that animal was complete bloodshot.
 
silly me. after all these years of using non-premium bullets, i never realized i should have been spending twice as much on bullets. the animals didnt either.
 
Try a 140g ballistic tip out of a 7mm RM next time out deer hunting. If you want to save your cape, you'll need to take a rake. Amazing that folks will spend what they do to travel and hunt, but be fussy over an extra few bucks in bullets. To each is own I guess.
 
where on the animal are you shooting that the bullet hole matters? the heart and lungs are behind the shoulder, a shoulder mount uses the hide from the shoulder forward. a broadside shot shouldnt be in the cape. with a quartering shot it could be possible. i have 6 mounts that were taken with a rifle, it is not possible to tell where the bullets entered or exited, even on the lifesize mounts. as i stated in a previous post, i use non-premium bullets, i have had great performance with sierra, speer, and hornady. for an alaska trip i bought some nosler partitions many years ago. other than that i have never bought anything special in bullets, and have never regretted it.
in regards to actually choosing a bullet to hunt with, find one that is above all accurate, and shoot enough to be proficient.
 
I'm pretty sure I know where the vitals are, and not all shots are perfectly broadside. I shot a buck years ago with a 140g ballistic tip with my 7mm RM. Hit him behind the shoulder. Slight quartering away. Exit hole through the front of the shoulder/base of the neck on the off side. Hole big enough to put your fist through. Like I said in my first response though. Most of my complaint with cup jacketed bullets is the amount of bloodshot meat damage. Granted this may not be a big deal at lower velocities, but it is an issue with higher velocities. Saw a guy shoot an antelope this year with a sierra driven out of one of the 300 mags. Dang near cut the thing in two. You can stick with your sierra's, hornady's or any other cup jacketed bullets, but for me when hunting it'll be a bonded core, barnes or partition.
 
Where bullets tend to 'fail' is at very close range (maximum speeds), where they can fall apart and limit penetration, or at very long range, where there isn't sufficient speed/energy to cause expansion.

On smaller, lightly constructed big game, regular bullets work very well when pushed to normal speeds. Change the equation to elk and magnum velocities, and a regular bullet might not get the results you want.

"Amazing that folks will spend what they do to travel and hunt, but be fussy over an extra few bucks in bullets." This.

The bullet is the cheapest part of the hunt, and has the most important job to do. There is no other connection we have to that animal, except the bullet. Why not err on the side of caution and use the best bullets available?
 
I want to try the Barnes bullets in my 270 Wby Mag because they intrigue me, and yes im a sucker for in your face adverising. I do believe that out of respect for the animal I should use the best bullets available when Im out hunting, to insure quick,clean,kills.

I had no idea my post would generate such a response, and I'm grateful to all of you for your comments and advice. Hopefully this season I'll fill my Elk tag, and will be able to let you know how the bullet I settle on performs
 
While some may complain about price, I must simply ask, how many hunting bullets are you shooting in a years time. I relize that may be very different from one to another, but in reality I'd say for me it only takes 3-4 per year. 2 to check zero and 1-2 depending on if I get a bounus doe or not. Ok, you can check groupings, and sight in at all different ranges and all and shoot 40 rounds in the process. All that being said, what's the cost of a $30 dollar box of bullets (min 50ct) when the lower end of 20 loaded shells will cost at least $25 on up to....? Just my 2 cents.
 
While the accubond is considered a bonded premium bullet, I have had varied success with it. Sometimes the damage could have been a ballistic tip. In my opinion, the accubond simply prevents jacket-core separation; it does not improve weight retention significantly. It has been a very accurate bullet however.
 
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