After much consideration and reading your experienced and informative replies I've decided to go with the Partition - either 180 or 200 gr whichever hand loads my rifle likes the most. Because it is said to be temp stable, I'll start with H4350 and go from there. Range work will begin later this week.

Thank you everyone, much obliged.

Cheers.

180 grain bullets and 56 grains of IMR 4350 works like a champ in a whole bunch of 30/06's that I've been around and loaded for.
Most all of the Elk I've killed and Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat and a pile of Antelope, Mule Deer and Hogs have all died with that load and a 180 grain Sierra bullet. I've never recovered one they have all done the deed and passed through from 30 yard shots to 450 yards.
Premium bullets are nice if your rifle shoots them well but at the speeds a 30/06 drives bullets the Sierra's have given me stellar performance.
Here is an example of accuracy of this load.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
180 grain bullets and 56 grains of IMR 4350 works like a champ in a whole bunch of 30/06's that I've been around and loaded for.
Most all of the Elk I've killed and Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat and a pile of Antelope, Mule Deer and Hogs have all died with that load and a 180 grain Sierra bullet. I've never recovered one they have all done the deed and passed through from 30 yard shots to 450 yards.
Premium bullets are nice if your rifle shoots them well but at the speeds a 30/06 drives bullets the Sierra's have given me stellar performance.
Here is an example of accuracy of this load.

.306" (Very good group!)

quote:

Originally posted by frankinthelaurels:
You can't go wrong with the Nosler Partition or Barnes X-bullet...need look no further !

Shoot both, whichever shoots best use it. I have killed a single elk with the 30-06. I used a 180 grain Barnes, no excitement. 1 shot 1 elk.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:

quote:

Originally posted by frankinthelaurels:
You can't go wrong with the Nosler Partition or Barnes X-bullet...need look no further !

Shoot both, whichever shoots best use it. I have killed a single elk with the 30-06. I used a 180 grain Barnes, no excitement. 1 shot 1 elk.

Within reason.

If the Barnes shoots a 1/2" group and the Partition shoots a 1/4" group; I would still choose the X-Bullet for a serious bull elk hunt.

1/2" is my standard for choice, everything after that is really concentrated on weight retention when going after moose/elk.

Personally, I would spend the $50.00 and go for the TTSX; the X-bullet is quite a bit inferior in comparison.

Partitions kill too. I've killed well over a dozen elk with 150g Partitions out of my 270. Either bullet will work

quote:

Originally posted by TASK1:
After much consideration and reading your experienced and informative replies I've decided to go with the Partition - either 180 or 200 gr whichever hand loads my rifle likes the most. Because it is said to be temp stable, I'll start with H4350 and go from there. Range work will begin later this week.

Thank you everyone, much obliged.

Cheers.

Uh... what cartridge?

Please see the OP.
30-06

you might try H414 in the 30-06 and get a bit more velocity and its accurate in both of my 30-06s..I quit using stick powder a few years back as it meters poorly..I also like RL-22.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
you might try H414 in the 30-06 and get a bit more velocity and its accurate in both of my 30-06s..I quit using stick powder a few years back as it meters poorly..I also like RL-22.

No stick with the Extreme Hogdon brand. You can save yourself up to 125fps differential difference in temperature extreme's; therefore losing 1.5"'s of trajectory at 300 yards. This data was compiled using 338 Winchester Magnum TTSX's; yet at 30-06 speeds so your gun with H414 can easily lose over an inch drop at 300 yards in the winter just because you didn't go the extra distance and make all your variable's as constant as possible.

Choose either H4350 or H4895 Extreme's for your powder.

quote:

Originally posted by TASK1:
Because it is said to be temp stable, I'll start with H4350 and go from there. Range work will begin later this week.

Thank you everyone, much obliged.

Cheers.

I just read this. Yes! go that route; H4350 is wonderful in the 30-06.

Corey,
you been reading too much magazine stuff! your getting anal on this stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Corey,
you been reading too much magazine stuff! your getting anal on this stuff.

No.

I have only read 1 magazine article on cold performance powders and that was in either "Handloader" or "Rifle" both published by Wolfe.

It had an article about the Australian company that supplies the Extreme powders for Hogdon.

I have bought only one rifle magazine in the last 4 years.

No, this information came from the other thread called; "338 Win. Mag. barrel length"

Corey

Just witnessed a DRT elk at approx. 150yds. Rifle/bullet combo was 308 w/ 165gr Sierra HPBT. Just saying.

I just go by what my chronographs tell me and most loading books..I can get more velocity with H414 in the 30-06 and the 7x57, hands down..I used 4350 for many years until I proved it would not get the velocity H414 got in my personal guns!! The next closest powder is WW-760..Ive about concluded the sticks are out, I have a lot of 4350 and 4831 even some of the good old 4831 that Jack O liked, on hand but just don't bother with it these days.

Yes overthinking things. 30-06 150 grain cup and core and you are good to go. Don't know if this will work on an elk--never shot one. Works on moose, caribou, pronghorns and whitetails from experience I know this to be true.

I believe the difference is only with elk, elk where I hunt tend to give one longer shots these days, 60 years ago the elk were not as smart as todays elk and that I guarantee..The elk today hang up until dark in the bottoms in swampy thick black timber that's near impossible to get to, and don't come out on the sage until after dark..or the move out across a canyon 400 to 500 yards or more and head to Montana from where I hunt in the Selway..Today Im more comfortable with my .338 Win.

60 plus years ago we just rode our horses until we jumped a bunch of elk, got off and shot them with 30-30s, 300 Savages, even 25-35s, and a little later most used a 30-06 or 270 at 100 to 200 yards with an ocassional shot across a canyon at 300 maybe..I' pretty sure Ive shot more elk with a 30-06 than any other caliber. They tend to take a couple of shots as a rule, and they make more tracks, and in Idaho that's downhill in steep country, thus my move to the 338 Win..Ive noticed a lot more .338s in the field with locals and ranchers in Idaho, MOntana and Wyoming in the last few years, more muzzle brakes also btw..the brakes seem to be more acceptable with locals than with gun nuts, even on TV I see more brakes.

I'm a little late to this thread, but since I have killed a few elk, I'll add my 2 cents to the discussion.

Like others have posted, I think the OP (like many others that post on these forums) was over thinking his bullets. In a later post, I see he decided to go with either 180 or 200 grain Partitions. I think that was a good decision.

I started hunting deer and elk in the late 60's when I lived in northwestern Colorado. That's also when I bought my first centerfire rifle. The old timers that I worked with told me to get a .270 Win or .30-06.

I chose the .30-06, and I shot 8 of my first 10 elk with that rifle shooting either 150 grain Hornady Spire Point or Sierra Spitzer bullets.

After I moved to Montana, a friend showed me a .30 Gibbs case, and I thought that it looked so cool that I had my .30-06 re-chambered to .30 Gibbs. My .30 Gibbs pushed the 180 grains bullets to 2990 fps, so I switched to 180 grain Partitions.

I then killed 21 of my next 23 elk with that combination. I'm not anal about recovering bullets from animals that I shoot, but if I find one, I'll keep it. Many of the 180 grain Partitions that I shot elk with stopped just under the hide on the far side of the elk. These bullets had opened up to the partition, and had retained about 61% of their original weight.

I have admired the .300 Weatherby cartridge and rifles for more than 50 years. A few years ago I finally bought one. It is now my dedicated elk rifle, and it fast became my favorite rifle, and I have used it on over a half dozen international and western US hunts.

So far, I have only killed 2 elk with my .300 Weatherby. One bull fell to a 168 grain Barnes TSX bullet and the other bull to a 168 grain TTSX bullet. Both were one shot DRT kills.

Of the two dozen animals that I've shot with the 168 grain TSX/TTSX bullets, I've only recovered 5 of the bullets. All had expanded to twice their original diameter, 3 had a 99% retained bullet weight, and two had broken one petal off but still had a 93% retained bullet weight.

I prefer the TSX/TTSX bullets over the Nosler Partitions. They are accurate in my rifle, and my experience with them is that a 168 grain TSX/TTSX bullet will have a 40-50% higher retained weight than a 180 grain Partition.

To all who said I am “over thinking” this: there’s a difference between “over thinking” and asking for your opinion. My questions were posed because there’s qualified, reliable knowledge and information posted on this forum,….just one reason why many of us come to AR for the “invaluable” field experience its members offer. Many of us don't live in the Western states and can't amass the field knowledge you've gained over the years. And why your opinion is sought because we're coming your way, usually at great expense and for precious few days.

The ensuing discussions / debates on AR don’t just entertain but shorten our learning curve, making us better, more responsible shooters and hunters.

I can’t speak for anyone here but the “preparation” phase of my hunts is something I greatly look forward to and very much enjoy. That includes coming here and asking questions which I will continue to do.

All of the opinions expressed in this thread have been very helpful and much appreciated.

Cheers

TASK1--My response of over thinking, was not a reflection of what you are doing, but was to make the point that a bullet of any sort into an animals vitals will do the job.

Understood. No offense taken. I appreciate the comment.

quote:

Originally posted by TASK1:

I can’t speak for anyone here but the “preparation” phase of my hunts is something I greatly look forward to and very much enjoy.


Cheers

+1

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
TASK1--My response of over thinking, was not a reflection of what you are doing, but was to make the point that a bullet of any sort into an animals vitals will do the job.

+1
I see this same question often on the various hunting forums. I probably had the same questions 50 years ago when I started elk hunting. But back then we didn't have the bullet and cartridge selection and technology that we have now, which probably made things simpler.

Most of the locals that I knew back then just went out with their .270 or .30-06 and a box of Winchester or Remington ammo and shot their deer and/or elk.

I also see a lot of responses to these questions that start like "I have never shot an elk, but I recommend..." So I started my response with a little of my elk hunting history.

quote:

Originally posted by TASK1:
I can’t speak for anyone here but the “preparation” phase of my hunts is something I greatly look forward to and very much enjoy.

Again, +1

I am a bit of a "gun nut" and an avid reloader. I have also restocked and/or customized most of my hunting firearms myself. I only hunt with my reloaded ammunition. Part of the gratification that I get from my hunts is using a rifle that I built, and with ammunition that I reloaded.

In preparation of my last African hunt, I shot somewhere between 200 to 300 rounds through my .300 Weatherby in almost weekly trips to the range in the year just before my hunt.

I am a strong believer that bullet placement is more important than bullet diameter or brand.

When I shoot at any animal larger than Deer my bullet will be either a Northfork, Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, or Swift A-Frame. The accuracy in my rifle being the deciding factor. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by phurley5:
When I shoot at any animal larger than Deer my bullet will be either a Northfork, Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, or Swift A-Frame. The accuracy in my rifle being the deciding factor. Good shooting.

Roger that!