300 Win mag load for Elk

[lovethebigguns]

I'm going to Southern Colorado hunting Elk here in a couple of months. I'm taking my beloved Winchester Model 70, 300 Win Mag.
I've taken a fewgood sizedear with the 150 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip that I load with 79 grains of H4350 through this gun and it just devistated them. What do you think about this load on elk? I'm kinda wondering if this is the right bullet??
Thanks for the advise!!

[bob roberts]

I prefer 180gr bullets for elk in the 30 caliber, so I would find a good quality 180 that is accurate in my rifle and never look back. My300WSM showed a definite preference for180gr failsafes, and i took several elk with that load. If I were using it again this year, I would be shooting the same bullets.Some might like a 200 gr, and that's fine as well. As with all hunting, accuracy trumps bullet every time. I just like heavier bullets for elk. Others may differ.

[Vapodog]

I've used the 200 grain Swift A-Frame for animals that size both in western states and in Africa. While I shoot a .300 H&H it's reasonably the same as a win mag.....This has worked very well for me but 180 grain bullets would also do the job.

I wouldn't go lighter than 180 grain except for the monolithics and then 165 is as far as I'd recommend.

150 ballistic tips will do the job but if you don't get the shot you want and have to take a raking shot you'll wish you was shooting heavier bullets that penetrate deeper.

180 grain partitions seem to be the standard bullet for this job in .30 caliber. Accubonds 180-200 grains will also be effective as well.

[Superpig]

I would step up to 180 gr. bullets of controlled expansion construction. Examples, Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, Swift A Frame, Nosler AccuBond, Hornady Interbond, Combined Technologies Fail Safe, etc.

[ELKINMTCWB]

I have 4 shooters in the group I hunt with from year to year.The 300 with 165 do ok.The 180 where way better in my opinion.The 200 did not open up as good as the 180 so had little blood trail.Every one of them killed the elk.Just the 180 opend up the best and left tons of blood.All of us now shoot 180s just difrant brands :}

Just side note=The 130s did not kill the cow elk after being shot 3 times.It was dead and would not have went far but I would not shoot 130s.The cow was shot a 4th time with a 200 gr.

[Roskoe]

Do not use this bullet on elk. They will expand too fast and, under the best of circumstances, have marginal penetration. Even the 180 grain Ballistic Tips are barely suitable for elk on a broadside rib shot. If you want to stay with this bullet weight, the 150 gr. TSX should work well.

[TomFromTheShade]

I would love to work up a load with the 200 grain Barnes X bullets in the 300 mag. I think that would be devestating on just about any game animal on the planet. Just imagine a 200 grain projectile that retains almost 100% of its weight, flying down the tube at nearly 3000fps. You won't find an elk to laugh at that load!

[UThunter]

Why 200 Grains when 180's do everything just as well, while shooting a little flatter.?

[lovethebigguns]

Thanks for the advise.
Based on what I've heard from you guys I'll not use the Ballistic Tips on Elk.
I've heard a lot about the Nosler Accubond. I know it's new, and you may not have tried it but Craig Boddington from G&A Magazine really raved about in an issue a couple of months ago.
Nosler makes both 150 and 180. Basically all you guys have said no 150's is that true in this bullet as well?

[Scott Gags]

I have quantified some comparison bullets discussed in the forum below:

Bullet weight KE velocity Wind drift Trajectory

Partition 180 3597 3000 10.9 -14.9
Accubond 180 3597 3000 10.1 -14.6
Accubond 2003597 2846 9.2 -15.7
Barnes TSX 165 3596 3133 9.5-13.2

Above I assumed equal KE at the muzzle to faily compare the bullets. The velocity listed is muzzle velocity. The Wind Drift and Trajectory are at 400 Yds.

You will notice the trajectory of the 200 is only 1 inch more at 400 yards and the wind drift is actually 1 inch less than the 180s. This assumes only a 10 MPH crosswind. The accuracy of 200 improves relative to the 180/165 with incresed wind. The BC of the 200 grain bullet is .588 and this helpsmake up for the lower initial velocity with regard to trajectoryand also creates considerably higher downrange energy. The accubond retains 60-75% weight so the 200 may be of benefit there also.

This being said my #1 choice is the 165 Grain Barnes TSX or XLC with near 100% weight retention and a .505 BC. Because of the weight retention it will penetrate on par with the heavier bullets and the downrange KE is equal to the 180s.