I thought some folks might find this helpful. The medium sized cow elk took these three 180 grn factory remmingtons to the chest. All were found against the hide on the opposide side. Fired from 150 yards. Weights of fired rounds weighed 130.5, 121.3 and 150. The elk didnt seem phased by first two shots, thats why i put out three. Blood filled up inside the chest cavity rather than on the ground.

yep,those elk can take a lot, I love core loks

Notice the premium performance. It makes you wonder why some guys think they get added performance for $40 a box ammo.

I have seen deer size critter take several deadly hits and not show much reaction until dropping dead.

That would certainly be what many would want from their bullets. However all the bleeding was internal. What would have happened if that cow had started running after the first shot? With one in the chest she likely would not have gone very far but with no blood trail to follow many hunters would give up pretty quick. Very few elk will stand there and let you put 3 rounds in their chest! I would prefer to use a bullet like the TSX, A-Frame or the Partition. They tend to penetrate deeper,exiting most times and it is that exit hole that lets most of the blood out. They may not have killed the animal any quicker than the Corelokt did but they would likely have left a blood trail. $40 is nothing for a box of ammo when you consider what you pay for licenses, travel, hotels, meals, guides. I am glad this hunt worked out and the elk was recovered.

Great pictures Brent - thanks for posting!

Too bad none were exits. Sometimes that happens. Good expansion & bullet integrity, though, which is where a person has to start. Penetration wasn't too bad either, ending up in the hide. I can understand how you'd prefer a bit more blood on the ground, though.

Thanks for the report!

friar

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The elk didnt seem phased by first two shots, thats why i put out three.

Yep, if an elk is still standing, I keep shooting.

Congrats.

quote:

Yep, if an elk is still standing, I keep shooting

If any animal is still standing I keep shooting.

Ammo is cheap compared to a lost animal and a ruined hunt.

As someone else said the famous last words of a trophy fee gone bad.

Don't shoot again you hit him hard the frist time.

quote:

Originally posted by snowman:
That would certainly be what many would want from their bullets. However all the bleeding was internal. What would have happened if that cow had started running after the first shot? With one in the chest she likely would not have gone very far but with no blood trail to follow many hunters would give up pretty quick. Very few elk will stand there and let you put 3 rounds in their chest! I would prefer to use a bullet like the TSX, A-Frame or the Partition. They tend to penetrate deeper,exiting most times and it is that exit hole that lets most of the blood out.

Bla, bla, bla. I could make just as good a case if not a better one for using my 35 Whelen with core-locks as opposed to a 30 cal monolithic. Bottom line is the man used a run of the mill lead core that did its job and now he has Elk meat in the freezer. To each his own.

Those mushrooms are perfect for causing a lot of tissue damage. A lesser wound might well have seen a wounded animal running off into the sticks.

Nice job BP and thanks for sharing. Enjoy the Elk steaks!

Your story is very similar to a friend's experience with a bull elk and 180 Nosler Partitions out of a .300 Winchester. Except that a couple of the shots did exit, the story was exactly the same. And it is almost identical to an elk I killed years ago with a .264 Win/140 Partitions. And if the bull I shot with a .338/225 Partitions hadn't been on the run when he was shot, he would have probably stood there for a couple of more shots. As it was, he went only 75 yards before piling up in a gully from the single high chest shot.

Neither your animal nor my friend's, nor any of mine was going more than 50-75 yards. And most elk I've seen shot in the throax act exactly the same. Pushing a poorly-expanding "premium" bullet out the other side won't put any more elk in the freezer, it will just make trailing them the extra hundred or two yards more exciting.

With those hits and damage done, an animal will typically start dripping blood from the nose/mouth if they start to move. Blood trail is a blood trail,doesnt have to come from an exit wound.

Good pics and thanks for sharing.