Elk Load

[tipiguy]

My buddy is coming to Colorado for an Elk hunt this fall.  I planned to  load some 165 grain Nosler Partitions in 30-06 for him.  Is this a good elk round?  Would there be a better bullet ?  Thanks for any help.

tipiguy

[Sweetwater]

Yes.....I hunted with a licensed guide out of Colorado once - he was on holiday in Wyoming and we had mutual friends. All he wanted in his 30-06 was 165gr Nosler Partitions. On the other hand, my Dad will load nothing but 180gr Nosler Partitions at about 2500fps for his 30-06. Several deer and 4 elk says he's not wrong. It's given him confidence to do the job. Where is your confidence? Load that in which you have confidence. If your buddy is an experienced big game hunter and is handy with a 30-06, he should not have a problem with your choice - what is he used to? Give him a load he can be confident in, and your choice should work just fine.
My last Wyoming elk dropped from a cast bullet out of a 32Winchester Special, but I don't make a habit of it. Put the bullet where it needs to go with enough behind it, and they will go down.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Graybeard]

You don't say what the rifle is chambered to so it's kinda hard to offer advice really lacking that knowledge. We are assuming it's .308" bore based on the bullet weight you list but is a a .308 Winchester, .30-06 or some magnum belted or unbelted? The answer really does in my mind at least dictate the correct answer.

I'm not a high velocity kinda guy when it comes to big game. I prefer heavy for caliber not light for caliber bullets and the larger the game the more so this applies. Elk is pretty large in size and to me deserve a 180 in .30 caliber even from a .308 Winchester and from a magnum not less than a 200.

So my recommendation would be to choose the 180 PT if it's a .308 or .30-06 and if any magnum chambering the 200. If I was pretty sure based on terrain the shot would come at 250 or less I'd be really tempted to go with the 200 even with the non magnum rounds. Then too I'd also be tempted to go with a Whelen and 225s or 250s over either. Just the way I think.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

My dad uses a 165g bullet in his 06   Brother uses a 150g sierra in his .270 and i use a 150g bullet in my 30-30 "When i use the thing"  Elk load this year is a .54cal great plains flintlock muzzle loader shooting 110g goex 2f and a 224g patched round ball.

I think your bullet will be plenty.

[tipiguy]

Thank you.  It is a 30-06 Remington Mountain Rifle.  I will see if he wants to slide up to 180 grain partitions but it is reassuring that 165 would be adequate. 

Tipiguy

[coyotejoe]

Personally, I've never noticed elk being any harder to kill than deer, just harder to find. You may indeed want a bit more penetration on elk than is needed for deer but not all that much more, unless you favor the Texas heart shot. I've taken elk with the 30/30, .243 and .50 caliber round ball and all seemed to work just fine. I would think the 30/06 with any good 165 grain should be excellent.

[kiddekop]

The most popular elk rifle is the 30-06, next 300wm, then 7mm mag.I've hunted CO using a Sako Finnbear early '70 model 30- 06 with 165gr Sierra GameKings & Nosler 165gr Solid Base.When I bought a new Sako Finnsport in 300wm using 180gr Sierra GameKings,72gr of IMR 4831 & a Rem 9 1/2 LR Mag primer in Rem brass I used it  on  Mule Deer & always had elk tags but never the right sex.I hunted  in the Piceance & Little Hills area west of Meeker from 1984 thru 1999, at one time  it was the winter range of the largest migrating herd of mule deer in the world.I have a friend who hunted mule deer and elk in colorado with a Ruger #1 in 6mm but he took neck or head shots successfully on running elk.

[rex6666]

I have been sitting here waiting to see if the load worked or did you
decided not to hunt of what. It has been 7 months.