Bullet weight, type, construction and effectiveness in putting down medium to large animals e.g. Deer and Elk
At range of say 300-400 yards.

Try 140 or 160 Barnes TSX or 127 gr Groove bullet.

160gr Nosler Partition or 175gr Trophy Bonded. I could list a dozen others with outstanding attributes. Buy a high quality bullet and you won't go wrong. To be fair, the 175gr Trophy Bonded killed with such predictability of accuracy and performance that they were almost boring.

I'm assuming you want this bullet for a 7mag of some kind. It's hard to beat the 160grNP on the size game you are talking about (IMHO). Flat shooting W/ good expansion & penetration. The 160grNAB may prove a slightly better bullet for the shots pushing 400yds because of the highr BC. If it's for a .280 or 7x57, etc. the Speer or Hrnady 160-162gr bullets will work fine. A lighter bullet will be a tiny bit flatter shooting but won't arrive w/ as much energy (for what ever that is worth).

deer honady 154 flat base
elk 160 nosler partation

I use the 175 Nosler Partiton in my 7 Mag. loaded to 3050 FPS IV @ 10' from the muzzle. However, it is undoubtedly heavier than necessary for deer, and maybe even for elk. But it does a good job on elk. I have never shot anything bigger than elk with this load, but suspect it would do well on moose and African plains game.

I use the same bullet in the 7X57mm Mauser cartridge loaded to 2720 FPS IV @ 10'.

7mm Rem Mag: 154 gr Hornady or 150 gr Nosler for deer, 150 or 160 gr Nosler Partition for elk, 175 gr Nosler Partition for moose.

7mm-08 Rem: 139 gr Hornady for deer, 150 gr Nosler Partion for elk!

I a kinda "work up one load for a rifle and use it on everything" sort of guy. For a 7mag I would use either a 160NP or Speer Grand Slam, whichever the rifle shot the best and for a .280, 7-08 or 7x57, I use either a 145 Speer Grand Slam or a 140NP, again depending on which the rifle shot best. Unless it was my only rifle, I wouldn't use a 7-08 nor a 7x57 for elk. If it were so, I'd load it up with the same bullets as a 7mag and get close. (please, no flames from the 7x57 and 7-08 worshipers, I like them too) I've had good success on whitetails using Hornady 139grainers and 150gr Rem core lokts. Where I live now is pretty thick and I hunt a lot using a model 7 in 7-08 and a Hornady 154gr RN'd bullet.
I have no knowledge -except for the hyperbola posted in these pages- of the x bullets and others. The ones I've listed have always performed well for me and I've seen no reason to change. One slight advantage to the Speer bullets is in every weight in which they make a Grand Slam, they make a standard bullet that is much less expensive. So I practice with the cheaper spread and shoot the premium bullets on game (after making sure my sights are correct).

My 7mm STW shoots the 160 grain North Fork with the best results. Next is the Barnes 160 grain XLC, and next is Nosler 160 grain Partition. The North Fork is by far most accurate and I would rate it as tough as the Barnes XLC. Good shooting.

Sierra 168 HPBT

Tracker,

At the ranges you speak of the 150 NBTs, 160 SBT, and 154 SSTs are great for both animals.

The bullet has slowed enough at that range that you will need a design that opens adequately. That "Bullet blows apart" BS only applies to very close ranges.

If you want high BCs and tough construction, the Interbonds would probably work the best.

I have taken a pile of animals w/ the NBTs and they have never failed me yet.

Good Luck!

Reloader