|
Colorado Elk hunting help...
I am going to Colorado elk hunting this fall, and I need info on what bullets work the best on Large game. I am currently shooting hornady 240 gr. xtp sabots. I have a cva optima, and am shooting 100 gr of 777 powder. I am getting 1" groups at 100 yards, but know I cannot shoot sabots in colorado. I am not interested in Power Belts, I already tried them and they do not shoot well in my gun, plus I've heard of penetration\fragmentation porblems with them. Any info will help. Thanks in advance.
|
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
ORIGINAL: neub7 I am going to Colorado elk hunting this fall, and I need info on what bullets work the best on Large game. I am currently shooting hornady 240 gr. xtp sabots. I have a cva optima, and am shooting 100 gr of 777 powder. I am getting 1" groups at 100 yards, but know I cannot shoot sabots in colorado. I am not interested in Power Belts, I already tried them and they do not shoot well in my gun, plus I've heard of penetration\fragmentation porblems with them. Any info will help. Thanks in advance. 1) Harvester Saber Tooth 300g: http://www.harvesterbullets.com/sabertooth.htm 2) several guys shoot bull stop conicals 3) heavy conicals such as Buffalo Bullets or TC Maxi Hunter. Your gun is 1:28 twist, so I believe the Harvester Saber Tooth will work better for you and won't fragment when driven at ML speed. Best Wishes on your quest for the best bullet. Chap Gleason |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
I wouldnt use the sabertooth, I used them one year when i was hunting in Buffalo Park " Rabbit Ears pass" And the first morning i shot at a doe and i found out the hard way that the bullet slipped out of the cup and out the end of my barrel.
385 great plains conical 350 grain TC maxi hunter and or the TC maxiball Ive found a few posts on the new powerbelt platinums, Most were using i beleive the 338 grain powerbelt platinum and they put the elk right down. Most try shooting 150 grains of powder with them at close ranges and then thats when they run into problems. No more than 90 grains triple 7 with the 338+ I use 225 grain powerbelts in my .45 and puts them right down. I think CVA also sells a 300 grain Buckslayer conical on their webpage. What part of colorado you hunting? |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
I have had excellant results with the 300gr and the 350 gr Sabortooth and 110 gr 777, the other ones I would codsider would be the 300gr real bullet and the maxiball, their are a number of heavy conical such as Buffalo bullets and bullshop bullets which I have never felt the need to try. All my inlines with shoot 2 inches or less with the Sabortooth, I would consider the 300 gr but likly end up using the 350gr. Lee
|
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
neub7
am not interested in Power Belts, I already tried them and they do not shoot well in my gun, plus I've heard of penetration\fragmentation porblems with them. My suggestion would be a 460 grain Bull Shop or No Excuse especially since you are asking now you will have plenty of time to work the kinks out... I shoot the 460 with 90 grains of T7-3f @ 1550 fps... it has a BC of .202 and really shoots well if you want to see a Ballistic print out let me know I will send you one... Here are some ofDan's Bull Shop bullets - my favorite "460 NEx MT"  http://bullshop.gunloads.com/contact.html Dave also make a 460 he call the No Excuse - it pretty much looks exactly like the Bull Shop... http://members.aol.com/nebullets/ Good luck on you CO elk hunt... I am hunting cow elk here in Idaho right now using the 460 BS... mike |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
Thanks for the responses. I have tried powerbelt platinums and hollow points, and neither were consistant at all. The sabertooth bullets look to be belted like the powerbelts, andI am concerned aboutaccuracywith them also. The bullshop bullets look good,what do you lube them with, bore butter? I am leaning toward the t\c maxihunter a little, they are pre lubed, and the wal mart in town has them (probably on clearance after season). I am giving myself alot of time to test and tune. To answer another question, I am going to King Mountain near Yampa. North west Colorado.Please keep the replies coming. Thanks
Joel |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
neub7
The bullshop bullets look good,what do you lube them with, bore butter? They come pre-lubed.... I also shoot them with .125 shot card under them separating them from the powder... + it adds a little insulation so the T7 doesn't melt the lead... Remember especially with the Bull Shops - he will size them to slip fit your bore - no short starter needed push them down with your thumb - just like a sabot. The No Excuse come sized .503 and that is all he offers... |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
What is a shot card?
|
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
Remember, The conical can not exceed 1" in length.
|
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
neub7
A shot card really is nothing more than a "wad" It helps insulate the bullet from the heat and also helps keep the conical lube from compromising the powder load. I like it because I am shooting T7 which burns really hot and would probably melt the bottom of the conical allowing liquid lead to be in the barrel... I do not need that. I also think it helps with fowling on the way out and as you are pushing it and the bullet down.. )/imgPart/wads2_1.jpg) FG the 460 is less than an 1" long and since it is a slip fit conical - no short starter needed- has a higher BC than the alternatives and is very accirate from 1/48 1/28 1/24 twist barrels... |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
I cast a 525 grain bullet for my 50 caliber. I pour it from a RCBS Hotchkiss adjustable mold. I shoot 120 grains of 3F blackpowder behind it. The load is a real kicker, but it is deadly on elk. I will have to measure it to see if it is less than one inch. I have hunted with the bullet in Colorado, I better measure it.
Buy a good mold and cast your own. Go with as heavy of a bullet as you can, the heavier the better. Keep your accuracy under two inches, and you are ready to go. Tom. |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
HEAD0001
you might wanna check that length... the 460 is .960" and the Bull Shop 500 grain is 1" - your 525 might be pushing it... |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
BULLSHOP CONICALS
560 grain= 1.116 500 gr NEI= 0.996 460 gr= 0.961 450 UC Short = 0.898 500 grain on down and my White would be bad Elk medicine...:D:D:D |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
I had a CVA optima pro that shot Bull Shops 400gr very accurately provided I swabbed between shots. CVA does not recommend you shoot conicals over 400 grains in their instructions
|
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
Tootall is correct about the 400gr restriction in the manual as it pretains to max (150gr) loads. If you contact CVA, and I recommend you verify this yourself, they will tell you that if you are going to shoot conicals over 400 grains that the max powder level recommended is 100gr. Again, verify for yourself as I did.
I have shot both the 460gr No Excuse and the 460 Bull Shop conicals out of all of the inlines my sons and I have including my sons Optima with good results in the 70 to 90 grains of powder range. The secret is to slug your bore to get the exact bore dimentions so they can size the bullets to your needs (No Excuses use to have a few different sizing dies, not sure if they still do). I would suggest you get a trial pack of several different sizes from .001 to .003 larger than your bore measurment. My sons bore is right at .500 so the .501 works fine in it. For my Magbolt (and Lyman GPH) the bore is .5015 to .502 so I am using the .504 (the .503 would slip off the powder if shaken hard). You need to load one without powder down to where it should be and mark the ramrod. Then try to shake the bullet out of the barrel vigerously to see if it is going to move off the powder (very dangerous if that happens when loaded) to see which size is going to work for your gun. Once you know the right size you can start working up the most accurate load as usual. You may also want to check out the heavier Powerbelts, 348, 405 and 444. They may shoot well in your gun with around 100gr of powder and will work well for elk. Take your time and enjoy the process and most definately good luck on your hunt. |
RE: Colorado Elk hunting help...
ORIGINAL: dmurphy317 Tootall is correct about the 400gr restriction in the manual as it pretains to max (150gr) loads. If you contact CVA, and I recommend you verify this yourself, they will tell you that if you are going to shoot conicals over 400 grains that the max powder level recommended is 100gr. Again, verify for yourself as I did. I have shot both the 460gr No Excuse and the 460 Bull Shop conicals out of all of the inlines my sons and I have including my sons Optima with good results in the 70 to 90 grains of powder range. The secret is to slug your bore to get the exact bore dimentions so they can size the bullets to your needs (No Excuses use to have a few different sizing dies, not sure if they still do). I would suggest you get a trial pack of several different sizes from .001 to .003 larger than your bore measurment. My sons bore is right at .500 so the .501 works fine in it. For my Magbolt (and Lyman GPH) the bore is .5015 to .502 so I am using the .504 (the .503 would slip off the powder if shaken hard). You need to load one without powder down to where it should be and mark the ramrod. Then try to shake the bullet out of the barrel vigerously to see if it is going to move off the powder (very dangerous if that happens when loaded) to see which size is going to work for your gun. Once you know the right size you can start working up the most accurate load as usual. You may also want to check out the heavier Powerbelts, 348, 405 and 444. They may shoot well in your gun with around 100gr of powder and will work well for elk. Take your time and enjoy the process and most definately good luck on your hunt. |
| All times are GMT -8. The time now is 04:48 PM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.