Give IMR4350 a look. My dad favors this powder in his. He loads both Hornady 180 grn @ 3050 fps, and Nosler Partition 180 grn @3000 fps. Uses the same powder charge for both :grin: . BTW, he gets these velocities from a 25" bbl.
About that spike Elk. What caliber and bullet was used? Where were the 3 hits made? What was the action of the bullets on impact? I do agree that old reloads can lose power with age, but this can be verified with chronographing the loads prior to using them. But to the original poster who was...