Free: Contests & Raffles.
I don't know a lot about copper bullets, it just doesn't seem right to me to shoot an elk w/a 120gr bullet.
My 12 yr old Daughter and I drew Cow Elk tags this year. She shoots a Win. youth mod. 70 ranger. She has taken 3 deer w/it 140 gr factory and 140 gr nosler hand loads. I was thinking of using 160 gr nosler AccuBonds, but it might kick a little much.
140gr Nosler AccuBond100yds-1820 ft lbs200yds-1571 ft lbs300yds-1349 ft lbs160gr Nosler AccuBond100yds-1940200yds-1690300yds-1465Looks like the 160gr w/hit a lot harder and it is a 2" differents in bullet drop at 300yds.
I just caught the tail end of this thread. I shoot a 7 Mag, and shot the 120 TSX for a season. It was going a lot faster than the 7mm-08 (3450 fps). I killed an elk, buck, and bear with this bullet. I was not a fan. All the animals died, but the penetration was moderate. Meat damage at that velocity was ridiculous. It turned meat into jello. On the elk, there was no room for error on shot placement. Personally, I prefer a deep penetrating bullet to ensure I get to the vitals from any angle. A 120 TSX wont do that on an elk (my opinion). It will definitely kill an elk, but a heavier bullet is a little better.Your 7mm-08 shooting a 120 TSX will have less velocity and less meat damage. Think twice about the 120... If I was in your shoes, I would pick something with a little more weight. I think a 140 TSX would be about perfect. I now shoot the 160 Accubonds and love them. I actually loaded them down out of the 7Mag and they are moving about 2900 fps. They are great for me... Good luck.
Quote from: PA BEN on June 19, 2011, 05:30:22 PMI don't know a lot about copper bullets, it just doesn't seem right to me to shoot an elk w/a 120gr bullet. The concept to recognize is that a Barnes bullet will retain nearly 100% of its weight, while conventional bullets retain 50% to 70%. The Accubond is designed to shed 30% to 40% of its weight inside an animal. That means a 160 grain Accubond enters an animal with 160 grains, and it if exits the bullet weighs about 110 grains. A 120 Barnes enters an animal weighing 120 grains, and exits weighing about 119.9 grains.There are pros and cons to each, but in general you can use "light for caliber" monolithic bullets like the Barnes with results equivalent to using heavier, conventional jacketed bullets.
The Barnes manual seems to show some high velocities in their loads. I like sticking with the manual for what ever bullet I am loading. I know we have the wifes 7mm-08 set up with the 140 Accubond. She will hunt elk and deer this year with it. I need to find a chronograph to shoot threw an get some velocity numbers. It is a 22'' barrel, so I am hoping for some where close to 2700- 2800fps.