Best Ammo for Cow Elk in 308?

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Ballenxj

New member
I will be using a Howa chambered in 308 for my cow elk hunt. That is if I even go. Jury's still out due to other obligations.
My main contenders at this point are,
Remington Core Lokt.
Barnes TSX.
Nosler Trophy with Accubond bullets.
I consider myself a fair shot, but probably wont take a shot at much over 200 yards.
Although the Barnes and Nosler are a bit more exotic, I have read many good reports on the Remington Core Lokt ammunition, including good accuracy.
Thoughts, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
 
My bro uses factory 180 grn. Rem. C.L.s in his M88 Winchester in .308 cal. for elk, and he does very well with it. Last year he got a nice 6X6 bull, and since he and his wife have moved to Wyoming and established resident status, he's gotten his elk just about every year for the past 10 years using that rifle and ammo. I don't believe he's shot an elk with that M88 at over 200 yards, either; nice, accurate old rifle with an old Weaver variable on it. If you're just after a cow, I wouldn't hesitate using a well constructed 165 grain bullet in your rifle at the range you suggest (IMO).
 
If you hit her in the boiler room, she won't know the difference between any of them. If you don;t, the bullet choice won't help.
 
Nosler Trophy Accubond. 180g would be good but a 165 will give good results with a big cow. The Accubond bullets tend to expand better than the Partitions at longer distances. Regardless, keep it to 200 yards and under or go with a 270 or 30-06. I use my 06 for Elk up to about 250 yards but if I've been following one for a couple of days and cant get close, I use my 270 WSM or 300 WSM depending on which one I brought.
 
You don't need a 180 grain bullet, you need a bullet that shoots well. I'd not hesitate to use any 150-165 grain bullets that shoot accurately in your rifle on a cow elk. Barnes makes Vortex ammo with the 130 grain TTSX and I'd use that if it is accurate in your rifle. It won't beat you to death practicing at the range getting ready for your hunt.
 
If you're not reloading you must try a box of as many brands and bullet weights as you can to find the ammo your Howa shoots best. This'll be an expensive proposition so start with any 165 grain hunting bullet. A basic SP will do nicely. A 165 out of a .308 will kill any game in North America you care to hunt. And the .308 loves 'em.
Remington Core-Lokt ammo is one of the brands all others are compared to. Be a good place to start. Sight in 3.5" high at 100 and you'll be on target out to 250 yards and about 5" low at 300. The kill zone on a cow elk is big enough for that drop and no hold over. Ya gotta know the anatomy though. https://www.elk101.com/features/shot-placement-feature/
Practice, off hand, at 100 yards, on a 9" pie plate, with your hunting ammo, until you can hit it every time.
 
I don't know how you hunt or the type of shots you take.

I'm not saying a 243 is a "better" elk cartridge,but some folks I know have been quite successful on elk with a 243. They use a proper bullet and choose their shots.
Those two factors make many cartridges work.

I think most any 165 to 180 gr factory load will work .Myself,of the choices you offer I'd go with the 165 gr Accubond Noslers.

Does that mean they are best? Not really. It is an opinion . I've found that between a Ballistic Tip and the tougher Accubond I have been pleased with Nosler performance for both accuracy and game results.

I have confidence in them.

The 308 is a very good choice.
 
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With the 308, i'd use 165gr AccuBonds, as long as they grouped well.
Some rifles can be, eeerrrr, finicky with them.
With that loading, shots to 400 yards no problem.
Check out Randy Newberg on Youtube.
 
std7mag said:
With the 308, i'd use 165gr AccuBonds, as long as they grouped well.
Some rifles can be, eeerrrr, finicky with them.
With that loading, shots to 400 yards no problem.
Check out Randy Newberg on Youtube.
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+ 1 Totally agree. Someone said to use soft points. That's fine if you're not a good shot and dont mind wasting a lot of meat. Having seen the results, I would not recommend them.
 
Federal Premium: (MidwayUSA has a good sale price on these right now)
- 180 gr. Nosler Partition
- 165 gr. Trophy Copper

Remington HTP:
- 168 gr, Barnes TSX




Red
 
LineStretcher said:
+ 1 Totally agree. Someone said to use soft points. That's fine if you're not a good shot and dont mind wasting a lot of meat. Having seen the results, I would not recommend them.
Click to expand...

Cup-n-core bullets of a reasonable weight work just fine at .308 speeds, elk aren't armor plated. Don't believe all the hype you hear online. We killed plenty of elk without premium bullets for years, and we would still kill a lot more if they were all that was available.
 
The premium bullets can be an advantage when using cartridges borderline too small for the game hunted, at extended ranges or if taking shots from bad angles. And not all premium bullets are the same. Some are designed for better performance at longer ranges, others for better penetration at closer ranges from bad angles. either type work, just don't ask a bullet to do something it wasn't designed to do.

I think that if you avoid shots from bad angles, and keep shots under 300 yards the bullet choice isn't that important from a 308.

But at the same time there isn't much downside to using premium bullets either. Yea, they do cost more, but the money saved buying 200 old school bullets vs 200 premium bullets will buy about 20 gallons of gas for my truck. Enough to drive about 350-400 miles. It is a 3500-4000 mile round trip and a $700 tag for me to hunt elk. Spending 30 cents more for a bullet that might allow me to take a shot from an angle that I'd have to pass up with the cheaper bullet seems like a bargain to me.
 
Funny you should ask. I'm getting prepared for my cow elk hunt this fall.
Last year(our first with this guide)my friend and I took what we know would work under any circumstance(7mm Rem mag). Turned out we were considerably over-gunned. Sure the 7mags worked but considering the animals' size and the ranges , we could have gone way lighter.
This year I'm taking a 25/06 loaded with 115 Partitions and the other hunter is toting a .308. We haven't shot his new rifle yet so no solid choices on bullets but I'm suggesting he start with bonded controlled expansion 150-165 grain. This type of bullet will provide the depth of penetration needed for the 275-450# antlerless elk that we encountered last year and the lighter bullets will flatten trajectories making longer "hold on the brown" shots possible.
 
Buy a box of 180 gr. Rounds. Federal makes good ammo, and their Vital-Shok Ammunition 308 Winchester 180 Grain Nosler Partition would work fine, if your rifle shoots them fairly well. You don't need to waste money and time trying every kind of ammo on the market. If the gun puts 3 of these into 1.5 inches at 100 yards, you're good to go. That bullet at elk hunting altitude should be more than enough to 300 yards for either a cow or bull elk.
 
If you want to get the most out of 308 winchester for Elk i would recomend checking out Hornadys superformance loads in 308 winchester. It is expencive but it is the most accurate factory loaded ammo i've ever shot and hottest ammo as well.
 
'for Elk i would recomend checking out Hornadys superformance loads in 308 winchester."

The superformance ammo I've seen is loaded with SST bullets which I consider on the "soft" side for even smaller elk.
 
Harvesting a cow under 200 yards.
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In your case having >shooting skills.< I don't think bullet weight is as important as ~bullet placement. If your able to squeeze that projectile in-between the ribs someplace behind a front leg. "You'll be enjoying a Elk roast on a Sunday."
Any weight of bullet from 150 up to 180 will do just fine.

Oh BTW a high end bullet isn't required {Nosler_ Barns_or a Swift} to bring down anything. A plain Jane jacketed expanding/lead tip is all that's required for most lower 48 North American hunts.
Commercial or Hand made ammo?
Either cartridge will get the job done so long as its accurate out of {your} 308.
Of course~ Good luck Ballenxj
 
'for Elk i would recomend checking out Hornadys superformance loads in 308 winchester."

The superformance ammo I've seen is loaded with SST bullets which I consider on the "soft" side for even smaller elk.
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If Superformance is the load of choice, I also strongly suggest something other than the SST.

Superformance is also made with the Interbond which would be a much better choice.
 
The OP said, "My main contenders at this point are,
Remington Core Lokt.
Barnes TSX.
Nosler Trophy with Accubond bullets."

My choices would be the Nosler load first with either the Accubond or Partition should the latter be available. The the Barnes TSX as a distant second and the Remington last if the OP is planning on using factory ammo. Final choice would be which load the rifle likes best, up to a point. No need for varmint gun accuracy here and 1.5" or less at 100 yards is more than good enough out to 300 yards or so.

If the OP is a handloader, then I would look at the 165 gr. Accubond or Partiton first. That's based on only one cow elk that I shot two or three years ago. Rifle was a 30-06 and the load did 2880 FPS at the muzzle. The 165 gr. Accubond hit right at the short ribs and destroyed the left lung. The elk went maybe 30 feet and collapsed. Shot was about 100 or so yards. Bullet was not recovered. Most of my elk have been shot with a .35 Whelen and 225 gr. Barnes TSX. I haven't shot any in the .30 caliber range so no help there. It is my understanding the the .30 and under respond better if the velocity is on the high side. If looking at a cup and core bullet, I have had outstanding results on good sized Mule Deer with the 165 gr. Speer Hot Core when using a .308. Shots were from 35 feet to 250 yards. That bullet worked quite well, mostly pass throughs. Only recovered one and that was from the 250 yard shot and the bullet hit the deer as it faced me and stopped in the left ham.
Paul B.
 
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