I have had good accuracy with Hornady's 180 Interlock and SST bullets. Are these tough enough for elk, or would you choose another brand of bullet/ammunition?
I took a 3 year old bull 2 weeks ago with 160gr Nosler Accubond in my 7mmremmag and was very pleased with the performance. I found they shot very similar to other non bonded Polymer bullets such as the SST/NBT. Federal Premium is loading them for 06' in 180 gr offering. I would consider the old stand by 180 Nosler Partition as well, also loaded by Federal Premium. Fail safe, Barnes TSX or other solid bullet will also do the trick. You may want to look into Hornady Custom Ammo offering - Interbond (similar to the Accubond), since your rifle seems to like Hornady. I believe it is loaded as well in 180 gr but not 100% sure on that.
SST no, the interlock would probably get by in 180 gr version but if it hit heavy bone or tough sluggin don't expect great penitration. I have used it on Moose and while it worked, I doubt I'll ever load it again - great deer bullet but on elk I want a bit more insurance.
I would look into the federal premium 180gr Nosler Partition High Energy loads. It is really nipping at the heels of most 300 win loads too. I recently decided it would be my do all load for my encore in 30/06. Great bullet, 2880fps over 2700fps for most loads, and very accurate in my rifle.
Skeeter,
Tell me more about the performance of the accubonds on your bull. I just used the same bullet/cartridge combo on a moose and had my finishing shot (@20ft) completely shed its core on the base of the skull. Did you hit bone? Did you retreive a bullet?
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Factory Elk loads for 30-06
