Favorite Elk Bullet? Average shot distance in AZ?

[excaliber]

I was wondering what everyone's favorite elk Bullet is and what your average shot distance is on the Bull(s) you've killed in AZ?   I've been shooting steel with the 200 gr ELD-X out of my 300 Win Mag but never had a chance at an Elk with this load.  The ELD-X is the most accurate bullet I've ever shot but have the reports say they do not hold up well at all on shots under 400 yards.

I have been seriously thinking about changing to the 200 gr Accubond.   Has anyone here used the ELD-X on Elk and how did they perform?   How about the Accubond?     

 

[CouesPursuit]

I have seen the accubond perform extremely well several times on elk and retain almost all of their weight and form. Although no elk yet, I've noticed in 3 smaller animals this past year that the ELD-X leave behind a lot of fragments. 

FWIW - I have a rifle that didn't like the accubonds and went to the ELD-X, I'm going to try to go back to Noslers.

[alex7stew]

I shot a 143 gr ELDx at 150 yards out of my 6.5 creedmoor 24" barrel

[lancetkenyon]

Shots on elk in AZ range from 5' to as far as you can shoot and hit the animal where it matters.  Unfortunately, a lot of people misjudge that distance.  

We have shot elk from 30 to 882 yards.  Passed many legit opportunities well past 1000.  

As far as 200 ELD-X goes, should be plenty for shots as close or as far as 1000, depending on your load and shooting ability under field conditions.  Be honest with your limitations, and don't let a big bull tempt you into shooting beyond that distance.

[firstcoueswas80]

In recent years i have killed two bulls. Both with my 28 Nosler and both with 180 Berger Hybrids. One at 280, one at 767. Both took no more than a few steps and fell over dead.

[GreyGhost85]

i watched 2 bulls get shot with 200gn ELDX bullets out of a 300RUM this year at 475 and 540. they hit really hard and killed both elk but neither exited. One bull was shot through the shoulders and was DRT. Most bullets will not shoot through elk shoulders anyways so i wasn't too concerned. The bull that was 540 yards away was hit a bit far back (liver shot) first and he ran a couple hundred yards and bedded up. had to shoot him again at about 250 yards. 2nd shot was behind the shoulder. left a hole bigger than a softball on entrance and liquefied his lungs but didn't exit. he was angled away so the fragments probably ended up in the offside shoulder. I would not hesitate shooting them at elk BUT there are bullets that will penetrate better. i honestly prefer bullets that fragment but only after they've penetrated far enough to get into the vitals 

[rossislider]

I used to shoot 210 grain Berger VLDs, but after a nearly disastrous showing with them this past fall, I will never shoot VLDs at anything larger than a mule deer again. They fly extremely well, but the performance is TERRIBLE on a big animal. Currently working up new elk loads using Hornedy ELD-X bullets. 

[firstcoueswas80]

6 minutes ago, GreyGhost85 said:

i watched 2 bulls get shot with 200gn ELDX bullets out of a 300RUM this year at 475 and 540. they hit really hard and killed both elk but neither exited. One bull was shot through the shoulders and was DRT. Most bullets will not shoot through elk shoulders anyways so i wasn't too concerned. The bull that was 540 yards away was hit a bit far back (liver shot) first and he ran a couple hundred yards and bedded up. had to shoot him again at about 250 yards. 2nd shot was behind the shoulder. left a hole bigger than a softball on entrance and liquefied his lungs but didn't exit. he was angled away so the fragments probably ended up in the offside shoulder. I would not hesitate shooting them at elk BUT there are bullets that will penetrate better. i honestly prefer bullets that fragment but only after they've penetrated far enough to get into the vitals 

Neither of my above bulls had exits either. Surprisingly, there were "exits" of shrapnel from the bull at 767, but the bull at 280 there was no evidence of the bullet coming close to the off side.

[rossislider]

27 minutes ago, GreyGhost85 said:

i watched 2 bulls get shot with 200gn ELDX bullets out of a 300RUM this year at 475 and 540. they hit really hard and killed both elk but neither exited. One bull was shot through the shoulders and was DRT. Most bullets will not shoot through elk shoulders anyways so i wasn't too concerned. The bull that was 540 yards away was hit a bit far back (liver shot) first and he ran a couple hundred yards and bedded up. had to shoot him again at about 250 yards. 2nd shot was behind the shoulder. left a hole bigger than a softball on entrance and liquefied his lungs but didn't exit. he was angled away so the fragments probably ended up in the offside shoulder. I would not hesitate shooting them at elk BUT there are bullets that will penetrate better. i honestly prefer bullets that fragment but only after they've penetrated far enough to get into the vitals 

I agree. I generally do not want my bullets to exit. A bullet generally kills from hemorrhaging and trauma versus blood loss (as is the case in archery). IMO you want a bullet to fully penetrate one side and then do as much internal damage as possible, leaving 100% of the energy in the animal. An exit suggests some of the energy from that bullet wasn't dumped into the animal. 

Regardless, ANY shot or bullet that puts the animal down quickly is a great one. 

[AZkiller]

From 60yds with a 260gr 375 ultra mag to a 175 Barnes x with a 7mm stw from the tower on diamond point down to the 260. They didn't have range finders readily available then.

[biglakejake]

nosler partition to achieve through and through penetration, a consistent wound channel and massive blood loss.  all these noobies are advertised as 'works like a partition'.  yea. 

handloading the partition should produce accuracy in the range of sub-MOA.

lee

[bojangles]

My son shot an elk at 80 yards with an eldx out of a 6.5 creedmore, the elk dropped in 2 steps, the bullet held together, and broke the far shoulder.  We’ve killed a few with hornady American whitetail in 150 grain.   They all went no where and died.  One elk the bullet blew up, it was about a 50 yard shot.  The elk still died, on the spot.  
 

I would ignore randy selby and his hate for all things hornady.  He’s just jealous.

 

I don’t have tons of data to share, but this is what I have.

[Tight Guy]

Always liked Barnes TTSX and I I load all my rifles with them 25, 270, and 30 caliber. Some swear by them, so swear against them. As with anything else everyone has there own experiences to share. I personally have never had to blood trail any animal I have shot with them and that includes 4 elk. They either are DRT or go no more then 30 yards.

Just seems that the terminal shock produced by these bullets really messes them up and renders them incapable of running off, even on marginal hits.

[RimCountry350]

Seems like some good responses but for what its worth I shoot 165 GR, Federal Vital-Shocks out of my 300 WinMag and have killed 2 bulls.  1st bull was at 20 yards (needless to say he didn't go very far 🙂 ) and the 2nd one was ranged at 450 yards and dropped him in place with 1 shot.  The hunter understanding his/her capabilities an good placement are most important.  just my two cents.

[rossislider]

On 2/25/2020 at 3:07 PM, RimCountry350 said:

Seems like some good responses but for what its worth I shoot 165 GR, Federal Vital-Shocks out of my 300 WinMag and have killed 2 bulls.  1st bull was at 20 yards (needless to say he didn't go very far 🙂 ) and the 2nd one was ranged at 450 yards and dropped him in place with 1 shot.  The hunter understanding his/her capabilities an good placement are most important.  just my two cents.

I'm going to play devil's advocate with you here. Watch this video of this shot taken at 170 yards by a very capable shooter (me, LOL). Shot placement looks pretty good right? As shown in the picture below, the bullet hit perfectly behind the shoulder. Dead bull right? NOPE!

6 hours, 4 miles, and 3 additions rounds (all 4 of which were from 210 grain Berger VLD bullets out of my 300 RUM) directly to his vitals area before he finally went down. That first shot hit a rib and the bullet blew up like a grenade. While the rib broke, it did not penetrate the vitals. 

Shot placement is critical, but with a crap bullet, it doesn't matter.