Thanks for the tips. Recoil was not a problem with the 230 gr. Failsafes, just that the Hornadys offered less. I am a good sized man, 6' , 200# and could take the recoil. It was just that in talking with the guy who runs the range that the Hornadys, which he custom loaded, would be a better choice. All things considered, I think I will politely thank the guy at the range and stick with the 230 gr. Failsafes.

EKM, thank you for your sage advice. You made a good point...now is not the time to skimp. The extra cost of the failsafes factored against the cost or the trip is minute. Plus, I already have 4 boxes of 230 gr. failsafes and I might as well use them!

Yellowlabman,
I have not hunted that side I drew a tag 2 yrs ago for the wall crek game range area 323.I think that is across the highway from the Lee Metcalfe.I will tell you now it is STEEP country,good elk country.I failed to conect on my hunt,though I had oppurtunity on a cow and a bull.My brother in law and sister hunt that and the get thir elk.So best of luck to ya.

FailSafe stands for " fail to shoot" . Many rifles won' t shoot ' em. They do good when they hit a critter, but some rifles that shoot MOA groups don' t like ' em.

ElkKampMaster gave you rock solid advise. I think you answered your own question, when you said you had 4-boxes & they shot well in your rifle? I would stick with the FailSafe' s.
If you want to try another brand of factory ammunition, just to see how they shoot??? I would look at the Federal Premium ammunition. Just stick with a premium bullet, Fail Safe' s, Barnes-X, Partition' s & TBBC' s all make the list.
Just as a side note I tried failsafe' s, Barnes-X & Nosler Partitions. My rifle shot the Nosler Partition the best so that is what I shoot.

Good Luck,

Good Advice EKM...that Failsafe is a great bullet ...As far as combined technology it' s either going to be a 200 grain glorified ballistic tip or a 250 grain glorified nosler partition that supposedly retains more weight. I would stick with the tried and proven Partition , Failsafe, X bullet .

Combined technologies are the bullets that Winchester and Nosler build. They are the Fail Safes, Partition Golds and Ballistic Sivertips.

First off, I would like to thank everyone for their advice and tips...they were of great benefit to me.

Second, I would like to update all you helpful people on my situation:

I found that my scope was improperly mounted by the salesman at the local gun shop. He is not a ' smith and I should have insisted on having an actual ' smith do the instalation. He not only used the wrong rings/bases, they were not properly aligned or tightened...last time I darken that door!

After considering the advice given here, this morning I decided to spend some time at the range with various brands of ammo. 200 grain Noslers (Hand Loads), 225 grain Hornadys (Heavy Magnum), 230 grain Failsafes (Winchester Premium) and 250 grain Nosler High Energy (Federal Premium).

Of all the loads, the 250 grain Noslers gave me the best grouping...under 1.5" at 100 yards with the Boss set at 6.75. The 200 Grain Noslers shot the second best...around 2" at 100 yards with the Boss set at 3.25. The 225 grain Hornadys shot the third best...around 3" at 100 yards with the Boss set at 5.25. The 230 grain Failsafes shot the worst...around 5" at 100 yards with the Boss set at 5.25.
The above mentioned Boss settings are the factory recommended " Sweet Spots" for my Browning A-Bolt composite stalker.

Considering this information, I have decided to go with the Federal Premium 250 grain High Energy Nosler Partitions. The accuracy (and decreased wind drift) along with the added energy of this round have sold me on it' s preformance.

Thank you all again...I know I have changed my mind alot in regards to this topic. but I think todays session at the range has solidified my mind on this topic!

Wow! You have now really done your homework. With the 250 noslers, you won' t be disappointed when the bullet hits home. It WILL do its job. Good luck.