Shilen:



My 270 with the 140 gr Hornadies is strictly an antelope/deer gun. With 58 gr of RL22 it does 3075 fps and .3" or so at 100 yds from my Ruger #1B.

My elk guns are:



SAKO 75 300 RUM and 200 grain accubond at 3148 fps . Best group so far has been .675" at 300 yds. Also the 30 cal Groove 159 bullet at 3605 fps with RL 25.



WBY 378 WBY MAG MKV LAZERMARK. Still trying to reverify a couple of loads before I post results. So far I am getting .75" or less at 100 yds with the 270 gr Hornady at 3140 fps. Great bullet but not a premium, and I do feel a premium is warranted in this case! This by the way is why I posted this topic. I was considering Swifts/Northforks for my 378 WBY MAG but.... I just can not bring myself to do it, not with their cast bullet BC's. I just want everything I guess! Hopefully the 260 Accubonds, 270 gr Barnes TSX's or XLC's will work!

For me it matters because I elk hunt in very open country (relatives have open land where the elk move through in the winter). VERY close shots are 300 yards, and rarely that close. BC plays a BIG difference in wind drift which is more of an uncertainty than bullet drop. You can really practice with your rifle to determine bullet drop for ANY bullet at different ranges, but wind? Pretty tough to practice that one. Nice to have the high BCs for this, and BC is what matters for wind. Sure, guys say a heavy bullet is what bucks the wind, but this statement came to be because, for a certain caliber, the heavier the bullet (keeping bullet profile constant) has a higher BC. A berger 180 grain VLD in 30 cal is going to buck the wind MUCH better than a round nose 220 grain 30 cal bullet due to BC.

I think you have a good thing going with the accubonds in your RUM at a BC of .588. I'd stick with that and not worry about it. Of course, if you got the TSX to work, that would be good too. I have read from different people that the barnes are not great longrange bullets though due to lack of expansion at low speeds, but I can't speak from personal experience. The accubonds I feel would be a better long range bullet.

I did load the 260 gr Accubonds for my 378 WBY. I used 115gr of RL 25 and they yielded 3140 fps or so. Additionally 113 gr of H4831 did 3130 fps.

Either load will work for elk but I have to re-shoot them for group. Last time I was out I got the chrono results but a huge problem with the scope did not allow for group testing. If these Accubonds group in my 378 I am done!!!!

Shilen:

I am faced with the same dillema here in Wyoming. Not that I take them all the time but 400+++ yard shots are not uncommon!

When I was a kid in Noi Joisey, we had a saying that reflected what we felt about certain things in life...



"Don't mean shit...don't mean nuthin'"



And the BC value fully qualifies for that...

You're the only one who can decide how much it matters to you. Here's my suggestion:

Get some Northforks and some Accubonds loaded up. Set up 100 yds farther than you'd ever contemplate shooting an elk. Start shooting groups on a "blustery" day.

Don't choose the bullet that shoots the best group. Choose the bullet that doesn't shoot the worst group. There's quite a difference....