Hey guys,

I have been lucky enough to pull an Elk tag this year in unit 10 in AZ. I have been trying to work up a load with 165gr. Nosler bt's. I can't get them to group well. What other bullet would you guys recoment I try for this application.

Thanx,
Mark

Although thousands of elk have been succesfully hunted and killed no less than dead with run-of-the-mill cup and core bullets from not particularly powerful calibers, you might as well use a bullet that provides you a bit more margin of error when hunting such a large and regal game animal.

I load 180 grain Nosler Partitions for elk hunting (my son has killed bulls two years in a row with this combination.) It is as good a .30 caliber bullet as you can get. Alternatively, the newer 180 grain Accubond should be an excellent performer and will retain marginally more downrange energy due to its slick profile.

I wouldn't have a problem hunting elk with just about anyone's bullet in an '06, but I would suggest the 180 over the lighter ones.

180 grain Accubond.

I'm using the 168 TSX over a max load of RL19 with Federal 210 primers. It's a consistent 1/2" load in my rifle and performance has been nothing short of spectacular. I have actually recovered two bullets that passed, literally, stem to stern in whitetails. One was about 32" of penetration while the other was close to 36".

I've never hunted elk but think I would with this combination. It's the hammer of Thor on pigs.

LWD

All good choices and I would throw in the 180 grain A-frame. Simular performance to the Partition.

I consider the 165 minimum Elk weight, you would be better off with a 180.

Hey Mark,

Will pile on with the gang here. While the nosler 165 BT is a fine bullet..you would be better served with the AB's, partitions or TSX's.

I have had great results with 180gr TSX's over 59 gr RL 19 (yes..it does crunch a bit under seating...) Very accurate and hits hard.

Good luck with your Elk hunt and congrats...let us know how you did.

Cheers

quote:

Originally posted by Markhpb:

Hey guys, I have been lucky enough to pull an Elk tag this year in unit 10 in AZ.
Mark

Congrats, Mark. You should have also bought a Powerball ticket that day.


I have shot roughly a dozen elk (including two nice 6x6s in AZ Unit 7) with .30 Nosler Partition bullets, and they have never, in any way, failed me. Actually, I think ANY premium .30 big game bullet will work fine for elk, and if you limit your ranges and velocities to fit, so will almost any popular .30 cup & core hunting bullets.

What I would recommend to you is to also try both 180 gr. and 200 gr. Nosler Partitions. For the price, they are likely as good as you can get, and your rifle is pretty sure to like one of them with some powder/primer combo.

If you don't get MOA results with any of the Partitions don't worry about it. Using the most accurate load of the bunch, test to see how far away you can reliably keep your bullets in a 7" circle (within 3-1/2" of the dead center Point of Aim) and count on hunting 'til you get close enough to an elk to deliver a bullet within that parameter.

Where exactly do you plan to hunt in Unit 10 (I can't remember exactly where 10 is...is it straight north of Williams? If it is, PM me and I'll give you specific directions to some big bulls and LOTS of cows.)

200 gr. Nosler Partition.

quote:

Originally posted by Markhpb:
Hey guys,
I have been lucky enough to pull an Elk tag this year in unit 10 in AZ. I have been trying to work up a load with 165gr. Nosler bt's. I can't get them to group well. What other bullet would you guys recoment I try for this application.
Thanx,
Mark

ThAt's good, the 165grNBT would NOT be my first choice for an bull elk load. If you want to go 165gr try a Nosler partition or Accubond, Swift or Barnes. If you move upto 180gr, many of the std. cup/core bullets will work fine. You have a premium tag for a premium game animal. Don't miss an opportunity because you are scimping on bullet cost.

Mark, you have a return PM.

quote:

Originally posted by MyNameIsEarl:
All good choices and I would throw in the 180 grain A-frame. Simular performance to the Partition.

Actually I'd say quite a bit better performance as the A-Frame does not shed the lead from the front of the jacket like the Noslers do.

most 180 gr.cup and cores will do the job; Rem., Win, Hornady, Speer et all.Could be wrong! Maybe Elk have gotten tougher in the last 40 years??? roger

My 30-06 elk bullet is a 200 grain Sierra Game King. I do not think anyone can prove that any expensive premium bullet will out perform it. And unless a particular rifle just does not like them, then no premium bullet will outshoot them.

The premium bullets may, and I repeat may have an advantage in smaller calibers. But I do not think they have any advantage what so ever in a 30 caliber. Especially with the heavies.

Congratulations on the AZ tag. They can be a booger bear to draw. It took a frind of mine almost 10 years to draw his. But it sure paid off. Tom.

quote:

Posted by Mark: I have been trying to work up a load with 165gr. Nosler bt's. I can't get them to group well. What other bullet would you guys recoment I try for this application.

I do not recommend you take a Btip for elk, even though it would probably kill it with a lung shot. As others have mentioned, take a bullet that is better designed for these heavy animals. In terms of bullet weight, I'd argue that you nor any elk would ever know the difference b/w a 168 on up to a 220.

I wouldn't hesitate to use my 168 TTSX combo. But I think you will find that the .06/180 bullet is the most common combo for elk. I also like partitions, aframes, and grand slams.

quote:

Originally posted by LWD:
I'm using the 168 TSX over a max load of RL19 with Federal 210 primers. It's a consistent 1/2" load in my rifle and performance has been nothing short of spectacular.

Interesting. I just packed 20 rounds of 168 TTSX over 59.0 Re19/WW brass/Fed 210 match primers. Taking this and 2 other loads to BC with me for bears in my .06.

quote:

Posted by Kreyten:
I have had great results with 180gr TSX's over 59 gr RL 19 (yes..it does crunch a bit under seating...) Very accurate and hits hard.

I'll have to try this one too. My 180 Bullet going to BC is the Accubond over 55.5 Re19. I'm also taking some 185 VLDs over 47.0 Varget.

All 3 of my loads are about 1-1.5" high at 100 yards and about 1.5-2.0" low at 200. Pretty much same impact in terms of windage.

I am finding that Re19 is a very very good powder in the .06.

Is there a wrong 165-220 grain .30 cal hunting bullet for Elk ?.

If so I wasn't aware of it . I'm partial to Nosler and Sierra's myself usually in 180 200 grain projectiles .

What was a bad or typical grouping with the 165 Noslers ? , may I ask just curious .

I had a hunter tell me one time his gun wouldn't group well with a certain load . I asked if I might try his gun and load . I did and was able to hit an old beer can at about two hundred yards.

He proceeded to tell me his loads wouldn't group with in an inch off the bench ! ??. Well I was free handing it !!.

I gave it back to him he tried it and missed the can a foot low and right !.

I watched as he pulled ( Literally ) the trigger and the barrel as he fired the next round .

I politely told him it might just be bad loads and made an excuse to exit .

I understood the problem . This in NO way reflects on you !!.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Concur with Bartche and Dr. K.

Most any cup and core bullet of 165 - 220 grains will kill elk very dead. They have not gotten harder to kill nor has PETA managed to issue the body armor. In the '06 I have killed elk (I have killed 18 of them. No means a lot but it's a few anyways) with CoreLoks, Power Points, Nosler Partitions and Hornady Inner Locks. I have seen elk killed with a lot of other bullets in the '06. The only bullet" failures" ever noted were from poorly placed bullets. Not even a "premium" bullet would have done better in those cases. Of course premium bullets can work fine but many are made for the mondo magnums and don't perform well at '06 velocities.

I used Hornady 180 gr SPBTs for some years taking several elk without fail. Where I hunt shots can be as close as 20 yards or as far as you'd care to shoot. I shot a spike last year at 30 yards. the season before I shot one at 458 yards. Since I use '06s with 24" barrels I have gone to the 190 gr Hornady SPBT. At 2700 fps (I have tested my load on my M43 Oehler and the pressure is within SAAMI specs for the '06) the 190 SPBT gives excellent accuracy and retained energy at long range. I consider 500 yards as the max I will shoot at an elk under excellent conditions. I use a range finder and adjust for elevation. My hunting rifles are practiced with at long range all year long. I do not make it a habit to shoot at long range but will if the conditions are right and there is no way to get closer. If I am not confident of the shot I won't take it.

Anyways the Hornady 190 SPBT has proved very effective on elk from 30 yards to 458 yards. It is what I'll be hunting elk with this year.

Larry Gibson

My best elk bullet in the 30-06 has been the Hornady 190 BTSP Interlock in front of a max charge of RL-22. Nearly 2800 fps from a 24" bbl, groups well and kills convincingly.

While I am a 220 grain RN fan, the other day I took out the Model 70 06 and shot a couple of 180 grain RNs with a charge of 50 grains of IMR 4064...

The target was on a tree at about 200 meters, and was a good 8 to 9 inches in diameter...

not only were those 180 RNs accurate, but they also went thru that tree like butter, and really wreaked havoc with the wood around the exit hole...

Still hard to beat an 06 with a 220 RN or a 180 RN..

180 Accubond there really isn't a better bullet for this application.

200gr NP or Grand Slam

now that your head is spinning with choices most of the BT BULLETS and this goes all the way back to the Rem. bronze points where made for longer ranges.

I take a 06 along as a back up rifle on elk hunts and the only damn bullet the finkey SOB will shoot is a 165gr or 168gr TSX, that said find a bullet that won't brake the bank the the 165gr Nosler AB is a good choice or the 165gr Rem Core-lokt and another is the 165gr Sierra Game Kings, I personaly like the 165 over the bigger bullet but you aint going to notice that much difference over the 180, to me it's all about trigger time and where you put the first shot and you will get more trigger time with the above bullets then one's that cost almost $2 ea TSX -A-frames, Bear claws and I have yet to be charged by an elk.

Can you kill an elk with just a 30-06?



I second the Accubonds in either 180 or 200 gr.

180 grain Nosler Partition worked for me.

If these Elk get any tougher to kill my next chambering will be a Jongmans 729 .

Of course I'll need some one to carry the Dam rifle and an extra shoulder to put it against . Not Mine that's for sure !.

I'll use a 1048 grain solid copper loaded with 330 grains of H50BMG powder for some where around 2265 FPS with near 12K Ft. lb. energy if that don't do it . I'll be quietly exiting hunting !.

I've always wanted to know the secret of those who do it with a 257 Roberts and .270 's year after year , maybe they'll allow me to tag along so as to see for myself !?.

Shoot Straight know Your Target . ...

Another vote for 180 gr Nosler AB's

I'll be in unit 9 this year. My '06 is my backup rifle and I will be using 180 grain TSXs over 57.8 grains of IMR-4831. My rifle seems to like this load as it is very accurate and only slightly slower then Federal factory loads. The primary is going to be my 338-378 Wby also using TSXs at 225 grains. Partitions, Accubonds or TSXs in 180 grains will work very well. See which one your rifle likes and load em up.

Ken....

I've used 180gr Accubonds for elk in my Sako 300wm ,IMR 4831 & Fed LR Mag primer. Best group with my Sako Finnbear 30-06 was 5 165gr nosler solid bullets over 58gr of IMR 4831 in 7/16 inch.A friend uses 165gr Nosler Solid Base bullets over IMR 4831 in his Weatherby 300 mag for elk,bear & mule deer. I surveyed hunters in Little Hills campground in 1997 in CO learning the most popular cartridge was the 300wm,followed by 7mm mag 280,30-06,etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.K:
Is there a wrong 165-220 grain .30 cal hunting bullet for Elk ?.

If so I wasn't aware of it . I'm partial to Nosler and Sierra's myself usually in 180 200 grain projectiles .

What was a bad or typical grouping with the 165 Noslers ? , may I ask just curious .

I had a hunter tell me one time his gun wouldn't group well with a certain load . I asked if I might try his gun and load . I did and was able to hit an old beer can at about two hundred yards.

He proceeded to tell me his loads wouldn't group with in an inch off the bench ! ??. Well I was free handing it !!.

I gave it back to him he tried it and missed the can a foot low and right !.

I watched as he pulled ( Literally ) the trigger and the barrel as he fired the next round .

I politely told him it might just be bad loads and made an excuse to exit .

I understood the problem . This in NO way reflects on you !!.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

www.shootersproshop.com has some blem .308cal 180gr accubonds $12.95/50 & 7mm 160gr accubond blems

quote:

I've always wanted to know the secret of those who do it with a 257 Roberts and .270 's year after year , maybe they'll allow me to tag along so as to see for myself !?.

Psssst,

don't tell any of our resident experts in here...

but it is a little old forgotten art they use to call 'shot placement'......

quote:

Originally posted by seafire2:
While I am a 220 grain RN fan, the other day I took out the Model 70 06 and shot a couple of 180 grain RNs with a charge of 50 grains of IMR 4064...

The target was on a tree at about 200 meters, and was a good 8 to 9 inches in diameter...

not only were those 180 RNs accurate, but they also went thru that tree like butter, and really wreaked havoc with the wood around the exit hole...

Still hard to beat an 06 with a 220 RN or a 180 RN..

I met an exmarine force recon sniper hunting in CO in 1985 with a Ruger # 1 in 6mm but he was able to call his shots taking down running bull elk either with a neck or head shot.My apache guide at san carlos apache rez uses a 270 with 130gr bullets he buys at WallMart but he places his shots in the neck on bull elk.It's all about practise & shot placement.

If you really hunt and stalk you can get where you need to be to affectively use a Mod. 94 Win in 25-35. Oh My! roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
If you really hunt and stalk you can get where you need to be to affectively use a Mod. 94 Win in 25-35. Oh My! roger

Roger - You understand that many shooters today have no concept of what this term ("hunt & stalk") even refers to, don't you? Appears it may be too closely related to "physical effort", and that bad 4-letter word that ends with "k"...."work".......

30/06 is my most used Elk rifle for many years. Mine happens to shoot Sierra 180 SPBT's very well so thats primarily what I've used for years with incredible success. Longest shot 425 yards in one shoulder out the other with a exit wound larger than a golf ball and he dropped on the spot. This bullet has worked very well for me at about 2800 fps maybe a tad under that from 50 yards and beyond it works well. I've shot 2 bulls with the 180 grain Accubond, it did the job but I did not get exit wounds with either one. One of the recovered weighed 114 grains and the other weighed 80+ and was mostly the cup with most core missing (yes Accubond).
Just my experiences on the ground.
If it were me I would shoot a 180 grain bullet that your rifle shoots well and call it good.( = Dead Elk).
Have fun.

I don't shoot a 30-06 but I've killed over a dozen elk with a 270. None went further than 50 yards after being shot, most didn't move 10 yards. I've used 130g and 150g partitions, as well as 150g A-Frames in my 270. Shots varied from 20 yards to 300 yards, typically one or the other not much in between. Either a partition or A-Frame in 180g will be more than enough to do the job. I would be worried about a heavier bullet at longer range (300 yards and out) from a 30-06, a 200g sounds like just the ticket for a 300 mag though ...

Chuck

My "standard" .30-06 load is:
Bullet: Sierra 168 Grain Boat Tail Hollow Point
Powder: 56.6 grains of IMR-4350
Primer: Winchester 8-1/2
Case: Winchester
Firearm: Ruger 77R
Optics: Leupold 4.5x14AO
Velocity: 2,801 FPS @15' from muzzle
Accuracy: 5-shot, 200-yard groups <1.0"


If I am going to rough country (high winds or high altitudes):

Bullet: Nosler 180 Grain Partition
Powder: 55.0 grains of IMR-4350
Primer: Winchester 8-1/2
Case: Winchester
Firearm: Ruger 77R
Optics: Leupold 4.5x14AO
Velocity: 2,705 FPS @ 15' from muzzle
Accuracy: 5-shot, 200-yard groups < 1.0"

Glad to see you're still with us, Steve. roger

Thanks...

Steve, did I read that right? Nosler Partitions? I thought you only used Sierra's products.

Yeah, right. Great Grandpaw Pettibone went out every year and kilt his elk with a rock and a sharp stick. 'Course he spent the rest of the year training them to put their heads in a hog feeder full of corn.
If I was shooting an elk for meat off the back porch, I'd try a pop gun 'cause there's always tomorrow if things ain't perfect but if I was traveling half way acrost the USA (which is how I had to do my elk hunting), I'd for sure take a rifle that was up to the job and a bullet that was heavy enough to get to the heart of things under less than ideal circumstances.
"It ain't what you use, it's where you stick 'em" is a fine sounding philosophy, especially if you're wanting folks to think you're one Kewl Handed Luke but if you hunt enough, you'll find it doesn't always work in reality.

Although quite accurate, the 165-grain Nosler BT is NOT the kind of bullet I would depend upon to bag a trophy elk! It just ain't tough enough!

I would use a 180-grain, or better yet, 200-grain, Nosler Partition. I get excellent accuracy results with the 200-grainer in my .30/'06's, a .30/40 Krag, and 7.65X53mm Argentine Mauser. The Partition bullet may be somewhat dated, but it still reliably kills large, heavily-constructed game animals!!

Two of these shots were with a Sierra 200-grain, .308 bullet from a 7.65mm M1909 Argentine Mauser. The other three were 200-grain Nosler partitions, same powder charge.....