RE: elk bullet in 06
Excellent post Craig!
I too reload and am using Nosler Accubonds. Federal sells them from the factory too so you can shoot Accubonds even if you don't handload. I just haven't had an opportunity to use them on an animal yet to report my findings with them.
I have used Nosler Ballistic Tips and they are great for deer. I've taken 2 with them and was very happy with their performance and price. I've shot 1 deer with Remington softpoints and they worked fine. 2 Elk with Partitions, I like them ok, but they are really expensive and don't shoot very well out of my rifle (with handloads) so I switched to the Accubonds. I've also shot a deer with the Swift Scirocco and performance was good, but almost too much penetration for a deer-sized animal, not enough expansion. Plus they are very long-for-caliber with all that copper (probably the same for the other bullets that are mostly or all copper) so if you handload you need to be aware of that fact. Hard to seat them long enough for some rifles without the bullets being too long to fit in the magazine.