30-06 elk rounds

[MEuler]

Hello all! I am new to the forum and wanted to get input/advice on an adequate .30-06 round for elk. This can be either factory or reload. I will be hunting in the Colorado Springs area and will not take a shot longer than 250 yards. Thanks for any help you can provide.
P.S. I know some consider this a marginal round, but have shot it before and am comfortable with it.

[MarkCO]

Not marginal at all. I used 180 grain Winchester Silvertips for years. A good bonded 180 grain is what I would suggest. 165s would be okay as well.

[doofus47]

Nothing marginal about 30-06. The round It was designed to stop the tank of its day, cavalry, at distance. You're fine.

I use Federal Vital-shok with 165 gr Barnes TSX bullets.

good luck out there.

edit: sight in for 200 yards and you should be about 1-2" high at 100 and about 3" low at 250.

oops: I said 168, but I meant 165g.

[jmr40]

Nothing marginal about the 30-06. Almost any 150, 165 or 180 gr bullet should be fine at only 250 yards if you place them on a broadside shot into the lungs.

If you think you might be taking a shot at a bad angle that will have to penetrate a lot more animal before reaching vitals a more expensive bullet wouldn't hurt. Or if you anticipate longer 400-500 yard shots. This is where the premium bullets pay off.

Any of the copper bullets have a reputation for deep penetration as do Nosler Partitions. Really any bullet advertised as bonded will give good penetration from bad angles.

In my mind the Nosler Accubonds cover the most bases. They are a very aerodynamic bullet that retains speed well at longer ranges and still gives the penetration and expansion you get with the Partitions. I'd choose either the 180's for factory loads, 200's if you handload.

[old roper]

I live NE of the Springs and have more than one rifle that I'll use on elk and it can be one of my 30 cal mag's or 30-06 or something else.

We do have bull/cow elk tags here so what I use bull tag may be different that what I use cow or either sex tag.

Bull tag if I use 30-06 I'll use 180gr Partition and I load for it and since I have couple 30-06 my other one is for cow tag I'll use 150gr E-Tip.

He who kills it tags it so you don't want your elk running around wounded on public land where another hunter kill him. Every year someone get into dispute and DOW has to settle it and it get pretty bad 2nd/3rd season with the OTC tags.

[Cowboy_mo]

I don't know about Elk but I used 189 grain Nosler Accubonds in Federal Premium ammo to take a 900 pound bison last December. That animal died in his tracks and the bullet was a complete pass through both lungs and the whole animal. Caliber was 30-06 in a T/C venture rifle.

I am guessing it would do equally as well on an elk.

[taylorce1]

150 grain bullets for elk I'd use a solid copper bullets, 165 grain I'd use any bullet considered a premium bullet. 180 grain I pretty much use any standard hunting bullet I can find. Shoot the bullet that works the best in your rifle, find an elk in your comfort zone and you'll kill it.

[T. O'Heir]

Work up a load with any 165 grain hunting bullet and you'll be ready for any game in North America. Said bullet doesn't have to be a premium bullet either.
Sight in 3.5" high at 100 to be on target out to about 300 yards.

[MEuler]

Thank you to all who gave feedback. I appreciate all the good advice. My hunt will be next year with an OTC . the thought of a disputed elk never occurred to me. that will definitely make me more conscious of shot selection. Thanks again.
Mark

[MarkCO]

Hunting elk in Colorado, I have shot 2 elk out of 35 that did not go straight down, one with a .30-06 and one with a .338. Both on public land, and both were shot by road hunters before I could recover them. One went 800 yards, but some out of state hunters heard the shots, drove towards me and shot her where she had dropped. They claimed she was alive when they shot her, 6 times. I walked away, but I was not happy about it.

[AllenJ]

I've hunted elk on public land many times and have never had any issues. We are usually a couple miles in though so not nearly as many hunters as closer to the roads. I've killed around 25 using 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 7mm Mag, and last year with a 6.5x284. The only DRT's were those I shot in the neck or spine, all others ran anywhere from 40 to over 200 yards. In my 30-06 I used Speer 180 grain bullets and it did a fine job. In the mags I've used Partitions, Accubonds, and Barnes, all performed well and all penetrated completely. In the 6.5 I used Barnes 127 grain LRX and it too had complete penetration. If I were to go back to the 30-06 I'd probably try the Barnes TTSX in 165 or 168 grain, I really like how the Barnes bullets have performed and have great faith in them.

[ms6852]

I've taken about 15 elk over my lifetime just using 165 gr or 180 Remington cor-lokt.

[444]

I have only shot two elk, one with a .30-06.

I used a 180 grain Nosler Partition. It was a broadside shot. Bullet exited. Elk went down within 50 yards.

[Jack O'Conner]

My wife has toppled two elk with her custom Browning in 6.5mm Swede. We load the 140 grain Nosler Partition for good results. These bullets do not bounce off an elk's thick hide or heavy rib bones!

Jack

[Buzzcook]

Hornady 150gr sp and 180gr Remington Corelokt were what got both my elk.

[doofus47]

MarkCO

they shot her, 6 times.

Shot a grounded cow 6 times?
They must have had a 30-06....

[MarkCO]

Yes, they shot a cow elk, on the ground, 6 times from 2 guns at about 100 yards. I saw them drive up and put my binoculars on them. When they got guns out I looked to where they were pointed and saw an elk laying on its side in sagebrush. I know it was the elk I had shot as I then followed the blood trail right to her and it stopped there.

[lefteye]

Truly disgusting!!! I'll stop now.

[The_Jerkman]

Originally Posted by MarkCO

Yes, they shot a cow elk, on the ground, 6 times from 2 guns at about 100 yards. I saw them drive up and put my binoculars on them. When they got guns out I looked to where they were pointed and saw an elk laying on its side in sagebrush. I know it was the elk I had shot as I then followed the blood trail right to her and it stopped there.

My apologies Mark that was me, if it's any consolation she was delicious

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[Roadkill2228]

Heavy (180+) cup and core bullets (plain old soft points) should be fine (I have no doubt that thousands of elk have probably been taken with the -06 shooting power points, Corlokts, hotcors, and interlocks of 180 grains. The nice thing about the 30-06 with this bullet weight is that it shoots fast and flat enough to have an easy-to-hit-with trajectory but not so fast as to cause bullet blow up in most cases. When you think about it, the vast majority of the old school 180 grain bullets were designed specifically for optimal performance in the .30-06 cartridge. If you want something fancier I'd really recommend the 180 nosler ballistic tip (no bonded or mono metal bullets necessary). Starting at .30 caliber 180 grains, noslers ballistic tip hunting bullets have much thicker jackets than their lighter bullets of that line, in keeping with their anticipated use. Federal loads these, Winchester loads them with a fancy black coating, sold as the ballistic silvertip.

[Coloradohtr]

165gr or 180gr Remington Cor-Lokt. Both bullet weights are fantastic for Elk. Great ammo and fairly cheap so you can buy a few boxes and sight your rifle in. At one poimt in time it was at about $12 a box. My 1960s Savage Model 10D loves the stuff even with the 3-9x40mm Redfield scope. I have it sighted in 1" high at 100 yards, and it's dead nuts at 200. My Dad bought that rifle for $100 at a pawn shop when I was about 14 years old because it had a cracked barrel where it looked like someone tried to install or remove the front sight. We took a hacksaw to the barrel and cut it down to 20" and it shoots amazing. Even without recrowning the barrel. Not bad for the $150 we have in it. My Dad doesn't hunt much anymore but hopefully I can get him out this year. I drew a Deer and an Elk tag so hopefully we can get him one over the counter and he'll be up to going.

Sure you can get any brand of ammo for it but my suggestion is to give the Cor-Lokts a shot. Like I said get a few boxes of the same lot number and dial it in however you want it. If you want something else I also suggest Winchester Silvertips 180gr. They do cost more than the Remington but either or 165gr or 180gr will do the trick just fine. Get whatever your gun likes. Sometimes that's all it takes.

I now shoot a 375 H&H and I really wish ammo was alot cheaper. It really loves the Remington Premier 300gr Swift A-Frames but it can be a killer on the wallet at $60 a box. Might have to start reloading my own for her lol and something alot lighter for Deer and Elk. The 300gr was for Bear this year but I didn't draw a Bear tag, hopefully I'll be able to get a limited leftover with caps over the counter for the same area I'm hunting the Deer and Elk in this year.

[The_Jerkman]

Originally Posted by Coloradohtr

165gr or 180gr Remington Cor-Lokt. Both bullet weights are fantastic for Elk. Great ammo and fairly cheap so you can buy a few boxes and sight your rifle in. At one poimt in time it was at about $12 a box. My 1960s Savage Model 10D loves the stuff even with the 3-9x40mm Redfield scope. I have it sighted in 1" high at 100 yards, and it's dead nuts at 200. My Dad bought that rifle for $100 at a pawn shop when I was about 14 years old because it had a cracked barrel where it looked like someone tried to install or remove the front sight. We took a hacksaw to the barrel and cut it down to 20" and it shoots amazing. Even without recrowning the barrel. Not bad for the $150 we have in it. My Dad doesn't hunt much anymore but hopefully I can get him out this year. I drew a Deer and an Elk tag so hopefully we can get him one over the counter and he'll be up to going.

Sure you can get any brand of ammo for it but my suggestion is to give the Cor-Lokts a shot. Like I said get a few boxes of the same lot number and dial it in however you want it. If you want something else I also suggest Winchester Silvertips 180gr. They do cost more than the Remington but either or 165gr or 180gr will do the trick just fine. Get whatever your gun likes. Sometimes that's all it takes.

I now shoot a 375 H&H and I really wish ammo was alot cheaper. It really loves the Remington Premier 300gr Swift A-Frames but it can be a killer on the wallet at $60 a box. Might have to start reloading my own for her lol and something alot lighter for Deer and Elk. The 300gr was for Bear this year but I didn't draw a Bear tag, hopefully I'll be able to get a limited leftover with caps over the counter for the same area I'm hunting the Deer and Elk in this year.

$60 a box. I could only wish my Weatherby rounds for my 300wby mag would be as reasonably priced as $60. I'm spending over $100 a box for the Weatherby rounds when you add in the tax. Can't wait to start reloading and hopefully get my cost down to $60 or less a box

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[SansSouci]

Good Morning, MEuler,

At one time, Partition was the gold standard of elk bullets. I'd go with its retaining that designation.

I put a 7MM Rem Mag 160 Partition through-and-through the chest a 900+ pound bull destroying its heart along the way. It was dead standing up but didn't know it.

That brings up another crucial point: cartridges. They are nowhere near as important as where bullets go. Biological science tell us that nothing living remains so without topside oxygenated blood flow. Put a bullet through an elk's oxygenated blood pumping equipment, and hope your quartering tools are in good shape.

Now were you to ask me, I'd say that all North American cartridge development coulda stopped when the US Army came out with the '06. It's done it all all over the planet, and that includes elephant. But having only one big game cartridge wouldn't be fun. Campfire debates would become awfully boring. We might even have to talk women, which is usually never boring. Truth be told, the '06 will kill every big game animal in North America just as dead as any mega magnum. It's all about where bullets go. So your '06 with a good quality bullet would kill any elk in North America.

BTW, if conditions are perfect, you ought to be able to stretch your shooting distance out to about 400 yards. That's my self-imposed maximum. By perfect conditions I mean no wind, nothing that will deflect bullets on its path to an elk's oxygenated blood pumping apparatus, and no other animals in front or behind it. But if I can close distance, I will. I'd rather shoot at a hundred yards than farther. But the idea is your '06 will kill what you want to kill out to 400 yards.

I wish you great success.

[Coloradohtr]

Jerkman, where are you buying your ammo at? In Colorado at Sportsman's Warehouse you can get it for about $85. You may be able to order it online for cheaper. I found some .375 H&H online for $40. I know the pain of having to pay to feed a Wetherby. My Dad had a Mark V in .340 Wby Mag. If I wanted to shoot it, I had to buy the ammo but we bought it at Sportsman's for about $85. They are amazing rifles though and worth the cost.

I paid $60 for the Remington Premiers. The Federal Power Shock, Vital Shock and Cape Shock were about $75-$150. They also had Nosler's Trophy ammo that was around $90.

You will no doubt save well below $60 if you start reloading. I'm going to start reloading myself. I think I had it figured out down to about $25 a box so it will be alot cheaper once I get a stock pile of brass.

[The_Jerkman]

Originally Posted by Coloradohtr

Jerkman, where are you buying your ammo at? In Colorado at Sportsman's Warehouse you can get it for about $85. You may be able to order it online for cheaper. I found some .375 H&H online for $40. I know the pain of having to pay to feed a Wetherby. My Dad had a Mark V in .340 Wby Mag. If I wanted to shoot it, I had to buy the ammo but we bought it at Sportsman's for about $85. They are amazing rifles though and worth the cost.

I paid $60 for the Remington Premiers. The Federal Power Shock, Vital Shock and Cape Shock were about $75-$150. They also had Nosler's Trophy ammo that was around $90.

You will no doubt save well below $60 if you start reloading. I'm going to start reloading myself. I think I had it figured out down to about $25 a box so it will be alot cheaper once I get a stock pile of brass.

The rounds I'm getting are from local shops. Here in New Yorkistan we aren't allowed to order online ammo any more. So any shops that even carry any Weatherby ammo put a premium on them.

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