Which bullet for 308 and Elk

[clearwater]

Have a super lightweight 308 with a 2-7 power scope I have been using for mule deer in steep mountains. Best bullet so far accuracy wise is a 178 ELD X at 2550 fps.

Would like to us the rifle for elk in the steep and wondering which bullet I have on hand to use. Distance is limited by the scope.

I have Nosler 150 and 180 accubonds, big batch of Nosler 168 grain BT's, and even some 212 ELD-X I use in 06.

Is it worth trying to load one of these or just keep using what I already have loaded up?

 

[JD338]

You can't go wrong with the 180 gr AB

JD338

 

[RL338]

You can't go wrong with the 180 gr AB

JD338

This

 

[Todd NE WY]

Second what @JD338 said.

 

[SJB358]

You can't go wrong with the 180 gr AB

JD338

I’m with JD here and the 168 BT as a solid runner up in a 308.

 

[6mm Remington]

Either AccuBond but if it was me which it is not I would use the 150 gr. AccuBond in the 308 over the 180 gr. Both will certainly work though.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I'm a little different, maybe a lot depending on who you ask but my first choice given the velocity would be the 168 BT followed by the 180 AB. That BT will hold up since you're not likely to be running it at speeds that exceed its optimum range plus will give you some less drop than the 180 should you need to stretch the barrel on your 308. Not a lot but some. Either one your call.

 

[West Fork]

You definitely can go wrong with the BT and ELDX. One of the Accubonds…most definitely is the obvious choice.

Elk ain’t deer. I would never base my choice of an elk load on its performance on deer.

 

[Blkram]

If all goes well, and the bullet is placed accurately, they will all kill an elk.
But as stated above, elk are NOT deer, and require a bullet that will perform properly even when the shot does not go well, and the bullet is not placed as accurately as planned or desired.
For this, the 180 gr AccuBond will out perform the rest of your options, giving you an edge in the performance category if large bone is encountered on this tenacious animal, due to its binded construction, good mass, and great sectional density for penetration qualities on large, tough game. With less velocity from the 308, a tougher bullet that will hold together on thick hide, heavy bone and muscle, is more appropriate than other bullets designed more for lighter game and rapid expansion.
You do not want your first experience to end with tracking a wounded elk, or worse, losing that animal.

If you do not want to load to check potential, try the Nosler factory 180 gr AB ammunition first.
Or, if you want to look at another option, try the Federal 175 gr Terminal Ascent ammo. This is rated for 2600 fps, and produced 2570 fps from my 308's 22" barrel. This retains over 2000 ft lbs of energy at 200 yards (which the old pros desired for elk, and I still prefer), and still retains almost 2000 fps at 400 yards, and over 1500 ft lbs of energy at this distance (which today's experts claim is required for elk).

While I have not taken as many elk as some here, I have taken over two dozen over the years, and guided for several more, and have experienced a wide array of bullet performance on elk from several calibers, cartridges, and bullet makers over the past 28 years.

 

[salmonchaser]

I’ve told this story a couple of times so I’ll cut it down a little bit. With an AccuBond and a “proper elk cartridge” you can muff your 400 yard quartering away shot, take him at the knee, enter the body at the last rib, pick up a little gut, through the lungs and pop out the brisket on the far side. Not many bullets will give you that. One of my brothers uses a 308 on occasion, He’s been able to break both shoulders on an elk with 165 gr. AccuBond at Roosevelt elk distances.
The ballistic tip is a great bullet, tougher than they use to be. As has been stated they will work when everything goes right on elk size game. I’ve killed 40 + a few elk, guided to 30 more and been part of a camp for about 60 years that routinely kill elk. We simply got lucky, grand dad’s spot became a wilderness area and remains largely intact. Elk bones will destroy bullets and even a perfectly executed trigger break becomes a less than perfect shot because the elk wiggled just as that trigger broke. Use a bullet that gives you the best chance when things don’t go perfect.
Have a great hunt.

 

[clearwater]

"You do not want your first experience to end with tracking a wounded elk, or worse, losing that animal."
My experiences bow hunting. The black bears were living high on the "hog".

 

[Jurome]

Have a super lightweight 308 with a 2-7 power scope I have been using for mule deer in steep mountains. Best bullet so far accuracy wise is a 178 ELD X at 2550 fps.

Would like to us the rifle for elk in the steep and wondering which bullet I have on hand to use. Distance is limited by the scope.

I have Nosler 150 and 180 accubonds, big batch of Nosler 168 grain BT's, and even some 212 ELD-X I use in 06.

Is it worth trying to load one of these or just keep using what I already have loaded up?

Using the foot pounds energy calculator for mean average of muzzle velocity for the two different AB bullet weights, the energy in foot/pounds is pretty much identical (approx 2800 foot/pounds each). This gives you options, you can determine which of the two shoot better in your rifle, factor in the down range performance and go with that. I would try both the Accubonds myself. Although your ELDX is the accurate load, your foot pounds of energy is roughly 230 foot pounds less than both Accubonds. Of the bullets you listed, I would trust them (AB's) the most. The BT's and ELDX are certainly capable, but I have had a disastrous experience with ballistic tips myself (close range/self destruct).

My mentor (RIP) shot dozens upon dozens of elk with his pre-64 Model 70 in .308. It was the only rifle he used for 50 years. That guy was an elk slayer.

 

[PJGunner]

Have a super lightweight 308 with a 2-7 power scope I have been using for mule deer in steep mountains. Best bullet so far accuracy wise is a 178 ELD X at 2550 fps.

Would like to us the rifle for elk in the steep and wondering which bullet I have on hand to use. Distance is limited by the scope.

I have Nosler 150 and 180 accubonds, big batch of Nosler 168 grain BT's, and even some 212 ELD-X I use in 06.

Is it worth trying to load one of these or just keep using what I already have loaded up?

I'll try to answer what appears to me to be two questions.
One, your 2x7 scope should not be a problem. Of the elk I have taken, most rifles had 3x9 scopes and when the shots were taken, the scopes were set a 3x. That includes shot from bout 75 to 530 yards.

Cartridges used ranged from the 30-06 to the .300 Win, Mag. and .35 Whelen.
The 30-06 was used one time with a 165 gr. AccuBond at about 2800 FPS. I used that one as the back up for the Sheleln when the scope on the whelen turned toe up.

The .300 Win. Mag. was use one time on a hunt I knew the odds of a shot at an elk would be way out yonder. It was, 530 yards as measured by laser. Bullet was the 200 gr. Hot Core Speer at 2900 FPS.

The rest of the elk were shot ay ranges from 75 yards to 350 yard with the .35 Whelen and the225 gr. Barnes TSX.

Shich brings us to the .308 Win. It's one of my favorite cartridges for deer but I've never really considered it for elk. A few years back though, I'd gotten hold of a Ruger RSI in .308 Win. with 18.5" barrel but I won't go into what it took to find a useable hunting load with that rifle. End result was a 165 gr. Speer at 2550 FPS. The same load will do 2610 FPS from a 22" barrel and frankly, I might even be able to kick it up even higher.

Interesting experiment comparing the 180 gr. Winchester Power Point ammo in .308 Win. and 30-06. Just a typical hot Tucson afternoon with temp around 105 degrees or so in the shade. I rn several 5 sht groups from each rifle, a Winchester M70 .308 and a Remington M700 BDL. I don't remember the exact velocities for either rifle except the .308 was on average 20 FPS faster. Accuracy was about equal and quite useable.

Of the bullets you say you have on hand, the 180 gr. AccuBond would be my most likely choice if groups are to your satisfaction.
Paul B.

 

[diverdown]

Have a super lightweight 308 with a 2-7 power scope I have been using for mule deer in steep mountains. Best bullet so far accuracy wise is a 178 ELD X at 2550 fps.

Would like to us the rifle for elk in the steep and wondering which bullet I have on hand to use. Distance is limited by the scope.

I have Nosler 150 and 180 accubonds, big batch of Nosler 168 grain BT's, and even some 212 ELD-X I use in 06.

Is it worth trying to load one of these or just keep using what I already have loaded up?

You are definitely not limited by your scope. All I have ever used on my .338 RUM for Elk is a 1.5X6 I have never felt a need to go to any more power. My elk have been taken with the Scope on 4X and one with the scope set on 6X.

 

[TackDriver284]

180 Accubonds hands down. I used this bullet on those tough nilgai with the 300 Win Mag. You won't go wrong with it in the 308
Here are some pics of the 180 AccuBond recoveries. First 2 pictures, 180 AB at 30 feet , and 3rd / 4th picture is at 200 yards facing me. Tough critters needs tough bullets.

 

[baltz526]

when i carry my 308 elk hunting it has 180gr speer hotcore in the cases at 2550fps

 

[Nannyhammer]

We have killed five cow elk in our group in the last couple years. This is the break down; 30-06 150 grain Remington 150gr tipped Core-Lokt, two were shot with hand loaded .308 using165 grain Speer Hot-Cor (2700ish fps), one with a .308 handload and 150gr Sierra BTSP (2750ish fps) and one with a 300 SAUM with 165gr AccuBond at 2950ish fps. All of them passed through on shots from 30 -265 yards. Use a decent bullet, place it well and you'll have elk meat.

 

[clearwater]

I loaded a few 168 BT's and 180 Accubonds to shoot to check velocities and accuracy etc.