Which factory ammo for cow elk hunt?

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Unlicensed Dremel

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Got a cow elk (gun) tag for December hunt in the Witchita "mountains". Got two boxes of ammo here for .30-'06. Assuming they both shoot well enough, which should I use?

-Remington Express w/165 Cor-Lokts
-Hornady w/180 Interlocks (not Interbonds but Interlocks; SSTs without the tip)

Any preference? I lean toward the 180s for a little more penetration for that bigger exit hole with hopefully better blood trail (since neither are "premium" bullets).
 
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Either will do the job. If they shoot about the same I would use the Hornady load. Extra penetration is always better on the big members of the deer family. I have seen '06 not give complete pass through on elk. Good luck on your hunt. Don't forget to post pics.:)
 
I lean toward the 180s for a little more penetration for that bigger exit hole with hopefully better blood trail.
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I'd lean that way too, personally.

CXP3 game generally requires a sectional density of .26-.28
a 180 grain .308 cal projectile has a SD of .271 which is right where you want to be.

A 165 grain bullet has an SD of .248 which is considerably lower, and is closer to the upper end of what you'd want for CXP2 game.

Both will work, but the heavier bullet should be a more reliable penetrator.
 
either will do the job.
Another thought: if you expect that your shot will be from longer range, I would think that the 165s would fly a wee bit flatter....
 
Another thought: if you expect that your shot will be from longer range, I would think that the 165s would fly a wee bit flatter....
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A 'wee bit flatter' usually doesn't make too much of a difference when you're using optics. At long range, the higher BC bullet (usually heavier bullet) will be less effected by wind, and will retain it's velocity/energy better. At long range, it could actually end up shooting slightly flatter than a lower BC bullet. The difference in trajectory would probably be fairly negligible, the wind drift, on the other hand, there should be a measurable difference.

If you need a real flat shooting Elk killer the .270 Win/WSM and .264 win mag are what you should be looking at.

A 130 grain .277 bullet is roughly the equivalent of a 165 grain .308 cal bullet.
A 150 grain (.277) bullet is roughly the equivalent of a 185 grain .308 bullet. The lighter bullets will shoot at higher velocities, and due to their smaller frontal area will have comparable (if not slightly better) BC's than the .308 bullets of heavier weight.
 
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"...not give complete pass through..." Passing through means the energy was wasted.
"...Almost any 180 gr 30'06 will be perfect for cow elk hunting..." So is a 165 with slightly less felt recoil.
Use the ammo your rifle shoots best. An elk is not bullet proof, but can be a fair distance away if/when you only get one chance at a shot. You don't ever need premium bullets. and they wouldn't mater if your rifle dislikes the ammo they're in.
 
I refuse to hunt elk with anyone using Cor-Lokts. While they are okay for deer, they accounted for more wounded elk on hunts I have been on than all the other bullets combined.

The Hornady bullet is a good bullet.

The biggest cow elk I shot was estimated at 605 pounds (weighed after field dressing), most run around 480 to 520 full grown. This in Colorado.
 
I agree that elk are not bullet proof but they sure put on a great acting job of being that from time to time:D

If it were me I would shoot both brands of ammo to see what exactly they are capable of in your rifle, but I would lean toward using the 180's. Keep in mind these are elk you're after, not field mice, so a 2 MOA group is acceptable. That keeps you in the kill zone of a broadside elk far past any distance you should be shooting at one.
 
I, personally, would lean toward the Interlock anyway. But...

80% of all 165 gr Core-Lokts that I've seen used on big game were complete blow-ups. They absolutely grenaded, even at 300+ yards, on 'fragile' pronghorn, and without striking bone. :rolleyes:
The carnage was devastating, disgusting, and not always immediately fatal.

I avoid using them for anything but punching paper, 'plinking', or varmints.
 
"...not give complete pass through..." Passing through means the energy was wasted.
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Hooblah, ethical kills are rarely about the 'energy dump' so 'wasting' some energy is OK.
The best possible situation is full expansion and a complete pass-through, with the bullet being able to get stopped by a thin piece of paper, after pass through. This would essentially ensure 99.9% of the bullet's energy will be placed into the target and an exit wound which have been proven to leave significantly better blood trails, if the animal is not DRT. Obviously, we can't guarantee that would happen in every situation with every Elk, at any angle, so we sacrifice a small percentage of energy to ensure adequate penetration in more situations.
A good projectile in an adequate cartridge will not only release enough energy and quickly enough to cause hydrostatic shock, but there should also be adequate penetration to cause a complete pass through. .30-06 is more than capable of that with the right projectile, at ethical ranges.
 
Pass-through on elk is not a big deal, in fact I would rather the bullet stopped under the off-side skin, as has happened a few times for me. I personally see about 5 to 6 elk shot every year and I have tracked wounded ones over 5 miles. Some with shots through the front shoulder, some through the lungs. I tracked an elk shot with a 300WM at 50 yards for 1.5 miles, bottom of heart was gone. I saw an elk take 3 round, through the lungs, from a 7mm Mag at 80 yards, then take a bit of grass. 1 shot form my .30-06 put it down.

Elk are big, and tough, not even close to deer. But one hole in them and they will bleed for hours...they have that much blood.
 
Last Elk I used a Core Loct on ....bullet 'grenaded' did not hit a bone! That's where I went back to reloading. Rifle liked Hornady so I've used them for years.
Have had no more issues.
Dan
 
If you haven't made up your mind yet, perhaps one more vote for the 180 Interlock will help. ?

I wish you luck on your hunt! (Make that bullet count...)
 
I used Remington CoreLokt 180's in 300 Win mag to kill a cow elk quite decisively at 500+ yards. A few years later the same ammo used on a large bull @300-350 yards resulted in bullet failure when striking the heavily muscle/bone of his shoulder.
Using this bullet in 30/06 would probably be safe. I used the Hornady 30/06 180 Interlock on a medium sized black bear and got two large holes (in & out)at 20 yards. They don't expand much on broadside deer but are sure killers.
I wouldn't purposely shoot a cow elk in the shoulder(assuming you're hunting for meat)with either bullet but don't see bullet failure as being a big problem either.
 
Thanks guys - wow, after reading Mark CO's experience, I think I may go with "neither" and use this third choice - I also have a box of Federal Vital Shok with 180 Trophy Bonded Bear claws - assuming they also shoot "good enough" (less than 2 MOA). I thought cows only got to 350 or 400 - didn't know they could top 600. Yeah, I'm going with TBBCs.

I agree that I want that offside hole for draining blood (if shooting downhill anyway).
 
Dremel you need to take up handloading, and start testin better bullets for yourself.
I'd be confident in my 30-06, with a 165 grain Accubond. They're accurate as any bullet made and they penetrate and shed energy....never shot a cow elk with it, but sure as bob's your uncle, I'd use it for sure.
 
So, how did it go?

My Wichita "Mountains" elk hunt, in Dec, 1974, resulted in my bagging a "raghorn" bull.

The most heart pounding event during my 3 day hunt was when I came up on a herd of about 2 dozen Buffalo! Scared me to death, as I was alone, on foot, with only 5 rounds of ammo. Very few trees, and small ones at that, so no chance to get out of the way if the bufs saw me and charged.

I backed out of the area, without disturbing the bufs.

Killed my elk at 40 yards with a 7X57 Mauser loaded with 150 grain Norma factory ammo.
 
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