Elk Hunt Ammuniution Help

TDMVA

Beginner
Apr 18, 2016
38
0
I posted this on the ammo page but may get more experienced answers here?

I have two Nolser M48 Liberty's to select from.

1) 300 win mag with 180gr. partitions (it likes the federal offering)
2) 280AI 150 gr. LR Accubonds.
*is the 150gr. enough on for elk? I know placement is everything

I shoot both pretty well. Will be practicing more at longer ranges with both before October.

Both set up identical on top (20moa Larue Rail / Larue 30mm rings / Leica ER5 2-10x50's with mag ballistic reticles).
The 300 win mag has a break (for adding a suppressor) and a spacer in the butt to add length of pull (which I regret doing as I don't think it was that beneficial for hunting applications due to different shooting positions).


I tend to lean to the 280AI because it's lighter.

Which would you take?
 
As I said in another response, take either one. If you like the 280AI, then it will serve you well.
 
I have been using the 300 WM, with 180 Partitions, for elk since the fall of 1970. There is really little better out there, keep the 280 as a backup in case of a disaster in the field.
 
Guys - I know the .30 cal, 180 Partition penetrates well. Very well. It's been known as an elk and general big game killing bullet for decades. It was over 30 years ago that I was loading them for my 300 Win mag.

Does the 7mm, 150 gr LR AccuBond penetrate as well? I haven't used the LR Accubonds yet and understand they may be a "softer" bullet?

TDMVA:

1. Can that spacer you installed in the .300 mag be removed? You say you regret installing it, but surely it can be taken out.

2. Could you choose a different bullet for the 280 and be happy? I know the standard AccuBond penetrates very well, the 160 AccuBond is particularly well regarded as an elk bullet. And of course the 160 gr Partition has a well-deserved reputation for deep penetration.

I'm sure your 150 gr LR AccuBond will do well, just wondering if there's a better bullet choice.

I shot a cow elk last year with a 165 gr Ballistic Tip from my 30-06 and it went through the shoulder blade, destroyed both of her lungs and dropped her quickly. That bullet obviously hit the off-side shoulder as well, but didn't exit the animal. Never found the bullet, I think it came out with the lungs. The B-Tip isn't normally regarded as an "elk bullet" but it worked just fine for me. I'm thinking your 150 LR AccuBond will do at least as well.

Elk aren't armor plated! :) David here takes 'em with a 6mm Remington! :shock:

Regards, Guy
 
But David is just a kid[emoji56]. We have 3 7mm mags in our camp. Not enough difference in the 280 AI and a 7 mag for the elk to worry about.
I'm an advocate of bigger is better with elk. I've tracked elk that were well hit with all manner of cartridges from 25/06 on up. Stuff happens. My experience is through and through makes tracking much easier. Simple physics I think. Take a capped gallon jug full of water, punch a .30 cal hole in it. Then punch a .50 cal hole in the other side. Bigger leak for tracking.
That being said I agree with Bill, it's hard to find a better elk cartridge than the 300 but I would go with the one you shoot better and faster just in case you have that snap shot opportunity while climbing the steepest hill you've ever seen, in the timber, sweat in your eyes while it's snowing.
Where are you heading, what unit? We'll be in unit 54 this year. At least mathematically we should draw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Probably all of you know more about reloading, rifles, and bullets than me. That being said, I shoot a .270 Win with 150 gr. Nosler partitions in front of H4831 powder.
My mature Wy bull last year was short north of 600 yards. Clean pass through and dead in 40 yards.
I do not have any game experience with the LR. If it were me I would develop a 160 gr. Partition load for the .280 ai.

You will carry that rifle all over the roughest terrain out there. You will only shoot once or twice. Take good shots and smile all the way home with a lighter rifle.
 
Either will work on elk, as you said with proper bullet placement.

And as mentioned above, anything can happen in the field and opting for the larger caliber and heavier bullet weight will help when things do not go exactly as planned.

If you opt for the lighter cartridge and loading, keep your shot requirements to stricter parameters, and you should be just fine. While I too prefer the 160 gr bullet in the 280, that 150 gr LRAB should perform as well as as the 160 gr AB (probably my all-time favourite bullet!) when placed in the vitals of a bull elk!

Good luck and enjoy your adventure!
 
Silentstalker":2dyzd0le said:
Probably all of you know more about reloading, rifles, and bullets than me. That being said, I shoot a .270 Win with 150 gr. Nosler partitions in front of H4831 powder.
My mature Wy bull last year was short north of 600 yards. Clean pass through and dead in 40 yards.
I do not have any game experience with the LR. If it were me I would develop a 160 gr. Partition load for the .280 ai.

You will carry that rifle all over the roughest terrain out there. You will only shoot once or twice. Take good shots and smile all the way home with a lighter rifle.

Now don't you be shinin' us on... :wink: Everybody KNOWS a 270 Win will just bounce bullets off an elk, especially out there at long range... :grin:

Agree completely with your recommendation, and nice shooting. I think I remember you posting about it.

Guy
 
Guy Miner":1jnqu7ud said:
Silentstalker":1jnqu7ud said:
Probably all of you know more about reloading, rifles, and bullets than me. That being said, I shoot a .270 Win with 150 gr. Nosler partitions in front of H4831 powder.
My mature Wy bull last year was short north of 600 yards. Clean pass through and dead in 40 yards.
I do not have any game experience with the LR. If it were me I would develop a 160 gr. Partition load for the .280 ai.

You will carry that rifle all over the roughest terrain out there. You will only shoot once or twice. Take good shots and smile all the way home with a lighter rifle.

Now don't you be shinin' us on... :wink: Everybody KNOWS a 270 Win will just bounce bullets off an elk, especially out there at long range... :grin:

Agree completely with your recommendation, and nice shooting. I think I remember you posting about it.

Guy

Love it Guy! Reviewing my story I see that the shot was actually only 560 yards... still, a light accurate rifle is the way to go IMO!

Good luck!
 
Two years ago I shot my first animal which was a nice sized cow elk with my .280 AI I had built using 140 gr. Nosler Partitions. I was resting over a log and the cow was 450 yards out. One shot and she went about 30 feet and tipped over. I never recovered the bullet but it did what a Partition does and it did it very well. I'm going to try on working with some 140 gr. Accubonds here when the weather gets a little nicer. Either of those bullets are great elk bullets. I don't think the 150 gr. ABLR will let you down. I'd take the rifle you want and feel confident as both will work great. Both the 280 AI and the 300 Winchester are great cartridges.

I used IMR7828SSC and my load chronographed at 3230 fps out of a 24" barrel.
 
Everyone here knows I’m a 7mm fan... and I killed my bull last year with a lowly 7/08 (140 TTSX). I dig the .280 AI a lot, and have built a couple myself.... it is certainly an elk capable rig. BUT, I’ve seen the LRAB do some wonky stuff... on LR steel.... and a couple critters. If you’d have said a 150 Partition, or AB, heck even the 150 NBT.... I’d have been all-in. But the 150 LRAB, at elk, gives me pause....
 
A friend took a big Wyoming bull with the 150gr LRAB from his 7 mag at 407yds a few years back. I think he put 3 through the lungs and all exited but didn't hit any major bone.

Personally I'd lean toward the 300 but sure wouldn't be scared to use the 280 either. I have seen elk soak up a lot of lead, 160gr Accubonds from a 7 mag in fact, and stay on their feet for a little while. We recovered several of those bullets and they had performed perfectly but just didn't have enough penetration to exit. We were trying to drop a bull before he made it to the lip of a canyon and greatly increased the difficulty of our pack-out, the first shot would have been fatal but we didn't want him to get out of the meadow and off the rim.

I had a 300 win mag built a couple years ago to shoot 180gr Accubonds for future elk hunts. The elk I have taken have been with the 7 mag 175gr Core Lokt and a 270 win with 140gr Accubonds. Both did their job well. I love the 7 mags but have kinda went to the 264WM for deer and smaller game, the 300WM for elk and bigger.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I've ordered a box of 160grain partitions. I'll see if the rifle shoots them well and if so probably stick with that.
 
Shot placement IS everything. The point is, you want the a premium bullet that can penetrate bone and muscle on a big animal like an elk. it must make it into the vitals. larger diameter bullets of good construction are the way to go!
I took my first bull at timberline at 400+ yards w/ a .270 and 150 barnes original. it worked fine as I had a broadside shot. All subsequent elk have been taken w/ a .338WM and the 225 Partition. broadside and quartering.
It's not about what will kill an elk, it's what's best.
 
I have been using the 280AI for a few years now and I actually use the 150gr. ABLRs. I would not hesitate for a moment on using it for Elk not saying the 300wm is not a great round as well.
I would lean to what you are more comfortable shooting :wink:.
I have harvested 6 Elk with my 270win and using 130gr. ABs.
Not sure if I am helping any :shock:.

Blessings,
Dan
 
To consider a difference between a .284 diameter bullet vs a .277 diameter at the same bullet weight is actually sorta silly if you used 150gr ABLR or ELD-X, Partitions in either there would be ZERO difference if they
are both started at same velocity???? Weather one had a 270-280 would NOT be an issue,
And automatically assuming a heavier bullet is an instant better choice is not true either. If Your already getting exit holes you certainly DONT need "more penetration" from a heavier bullet ??
The extra steam of the 7mm Mag; could be advantageous on shots out 'over 300 yds,
But bear in mind; if you start launching 7mm bullets; at ranges where they are arriving
At down in the 30/30 velocity numbers, Do Not expect them, not to
"run off," unless you get absolutely ,perfect shot placement?? It all looks great on TV, but like Don says in reality, they will likely lite out for the next mountain range! However A properly placed shot; from the 280/270 is plenty of gun On out to 350. Behond that, I would try to get closer(you can 75% of the time) and if your bound and determined to try the " best in the west" stuff your going to want to step up to a big thumper ........ 300/338
RUM or 340Bee...... even then out at 7/800 they are running out of gas and you back to 30/30 velocitys again.
I think for 95% of Elk hunting the 270<<<280>>>30-06 are fine Elk cartridges, last one I shot was a 50" 6 Pt in the Bob Marshall @315 yds, one shot with an 06 using 180 Partitions , he never knew what had
hit him. No Magnums involved.DOA.IMG_2442.JPG
 
"But the 150 LRAB, at elk, gives me pause...."

On my elk hunt two years ago, I was having a discussion with my guide on the various bullets and when the ABLR came up as I've been trying to find a load that works in three different 7x57s and a .280 Rem. FWIW, I'm still trying. :roll: Anyway, the guide said that if the shot was within 100 to 150 yards the bullet sometimes came unglued. Probably due to too much velocity. He did say that after about 200 yards they worked just fine. I figured that a 150 gr. 7MM ABLR should work just fine in a 7x57 at roughly 2700 FPS. I get good groups with the Partition at that speed from my M70 FWT. Might even think I'll try it on elk this fall/winter hunt (DEC-JAN) depending on what the opening are with my outfitter.
My hunt last year was the very tail end of DEC and the elk were the spookiest I've ever seen on that ranch. Saw lots of Mountain Lion tracks too. I'm thinking between the hunters and those cats the elk had a hard time of it. Something had to be wrong as the outfitter had his elk permits reduced by 50 percent.
Paul B.
 
My 280 AI is traveling at just over 3250fps and with a 150gr. ABLRs :wink:. I shot a very mature Mulie buck with it in the fall of 2016 at a confirmed range of 410 yards give or take a yard :).
I believe the buck would have weighed in excess of 325lbs.
Now I did hit the spine on the buck, but we never found any bullet or fragments so I do believe that the bullet somewhat stayed together.

Blessings,
Dan
 
I'll vote with the others, if the 150 ABLR's shoot, I'd run them. Neither is a bad choice, and you have solid bullets that'll do the work.

My great friend runs an outfit out of Idaho and has a loaner 270 Win in camp for folks that come to the states without a rifle and just use the camp rifle. He has a pretty large pile of 130 grain Core Lokt's from the 17.99 box of ammo he buys since it was most accurate. He (other hunters) has taken many elk, black bear, mule deer and lions with that combo and has not lost an animal. A couple of the bulls were taken out at the 400 yard mark and the recovered bullets look picture perfect in my opinion.

He is not a real "gunny" sort as we are and just makes sure the hunter can put his shots in a softball at 200 yards and relies on hunting to do the work. Pretty simple way of doing business and it is hard to argue with the results. Makes me wonder sometimes how much we overthink our stuff, cause I am just about danged sure none of us here hunt with anything that is less reliable than that combo..
 
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