150 Grain Bullet Enough for Elk?

[sako223]

I prefer 180's. Elk are tough and depending on the shot presented I like to have all the energy available.  Sometimes finding the bullet is a good thing meaning the animal absorbed all the energy.
With tennis shoe taggers around, I like to knock them down. Same reason to prevent them from going in a hole.

[300magman]

180 SCIROCCO out of 300RUM = DEAD ELK................

[C-Money]

I found my 150gr bullet stuck just under/in the hide on my spike. I hunted elk with my 270 win with 140 accubonds last year and did not see a legal spike. Hope to get to try the 140 out this year on a elk!

[woodswalker]

dunno I killed deer for years with a 150 Nosler Solid Base, then 2 decades of everything I shot falling to a 165 Nosler Solid Base...now working up a new load that shoots as well as those did...still not found it, but Nosler BT, Accubonds and Barnes TTSX are the closest so far.  Hornady is also close.  I started with the old load and new bullet and am working from there.

to the OP...should work fine as you know your ammo and shot trajectory.  Stick with what you know.

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

I use 130 grain with my .270 shortage. I've killed deer elk & bear with it all one shot.  One hitter quitters!!

[SCRUBS]

The only bull I have killed was with my 30-06 and a 150 Hornaday interbond. One shot tight behind the shoulder with the elk moving at a trot pace and he was tipping over real fast. he did not go but a few steps more. A lot of it was probably momentum! Don't be afraid if the 150 from your '06, its deadly!

My dad swore by that combo! He had the exact same results with all the animals he shot with them, meat in the freezer.

[adam.WI]

I found my 150gr bullet stuck just under/in the hide on my spike. I hunted elk with my 270 win with 140 accubonds last year and did not see a legal spike. Hope to get to try the 140 out this year on a elk!

Did you go talk to that elk after season with a white flag. A shot that only goes in to the hide shouldn't do a hole lot of killing, just wondering the rest of the story.

[woodswalker]

I found my 150gr bullet stuck just under/in the hide on my spike. I hunted elk with my 270 win with 140 accubonds last year and did not see a legal spike. Hope to get to try the 140 out this year on a elk!

Did you go talk to that elk after season with a white flag. A shot that only goes in to the hide shouldn't do a hole lot of killing, just wondering the rest of the story.

think he means the OFF side...after passing thought the boiler room

[C-Money]

Thanks Woodswalker, yes it went threw the elk and did not quite make it out threw the hide. I did not think it was that hard to figure out.

[carpsniperg2]

hell yes a 150 is fine for elk! with a well placed, solid bullet. 100 grains is enough there has been a lot of elk killed with 150 grain bullets.

[bobcat]

It's not the weight of a bullet that matters. It's how it's made. If it's made to stay together, then it will be a good elk bullet. But a standard 150 grain bullet such as a Remington Core Lokt or a Winchester Power Point, is not the best choice for an elk bullet. If you use inexpensive bullets such as those, you are better off going with a heavier weight. If you use a Barnes or any of the bonded bullets, a 150 grain will do just as well as 180.

[colockumelk]

I recommend the Hornady 150 Interbond.  That bullet is excellant.  It has a weight retention of 92%.  I shot my Mule Deer this year with that bullet at 385 yards and got a complete pass through.  The deer dropped dead in its tracks.  I know a Mule Deer is not as big as an elk but....  If that bullet did that at 385 yds to a Mule Deer it will do the same exact thing to an elk at 150 yds.  Don't let anyone try and tell you that the .30-06 or a 150 grain bullet isn't enough punch,  if they do they're just trying to compensate for something 

[G.R.K]

It's not the weight of a bullet that matters. It's how it's made. If it's made to stay together, then it will be a good elk bullet. But a standard 150 grain bullet such as a Remington Core Lokt or a Winchester Power Point, is not the best choice for an elk bullet. If you use inexpensive bullets such as those, you are better off going with a heavier weight. If you use a Barnes or any of the bonded bullets, a 150 grain will do just as well as 180.

Bullet weight and construction are important but shot placement is the key element. 

[addicted]

I've been trying not to buy barnes. nothing against them as they were dooing the do before all this anti lead crap started. I just think it helps fight the antis if i support the majority of ammo companies by buying bullets with lots and lots of lead. 

[hillbilli]

overall, agree with what several have said- weight being the same, bullet construction is very important. if you were determined to use regular softpoints (corlokt/powerpoint, etc)- then yes i'd say go to 180's... in 150's, with plain federals, my concern would be a quartering to (through the shoulder), or quartering away (through a bit of gut) shot. Will the plain fed sp do it? probably. will you get an exit for a blood trail if he decides to run 150yards before dropping? probably not. if you are determined to stick to 150's- just get a few of the bonded bullets, (a-frame, accubond, etc doesn't have to be barnes copper) and make sure they hit the same as your basic deer bullet before season. The other comparisons about what the bullet does at 350yd doesnt tell me much about whether the bullet will come apart on an elk shoulder at 50yds (in all fairness it probably wont come apart, but probably will penetrate a lot less than it will at 300 yards) Someone mentioned 150gr out of a .270, but remember that is not an apples to apples comparison- 150's out of a .270 will penetrate more than 150's out of the 30-06. (that whole length to weight ratio thing) Theres a lot of mention of the .300 mags, but look at bullet drop at 300 yds and see how much difference there really is.. what really matters for our discussion here is that with the .300, the bullets are the same size- but being pushed 400fps or so faster- increasing the odds of bullet failure at close quarters, unless you are using a controlled expansion (or bonded) bullet.