150gr copper for big game

[nephewjephew]

Was out shooting this morning and had some nice tight 150gr ttsx groups. Shooting an '06 and get plenty of speed and energy well past anything I want to shoot critters at. So question is would that be "enough" medicine or would you feel ok shooting at larger than deer game with a 150 gr copper bullet? I know people do it all the time with smaller calibers and lighter bullets. I figure it would be a nice grain from small to large animals without having to re-sight in different weights. Thoughts?

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Plenty of elk have been killed with smaller and lighter bullets. With monolithic bullets they tend to stay together so you can "downsize". I have a 30-06 that prefers the 168 grain TTSX.

Once I find the combination that my rifles like, then that is it. I will use that combination for whatever animal I am hunting. I just adjust the maximum distance that I am willing to shoot.

 

[brsnow]

I have taken elk/mule deer with 150 GMX and .308.

 

[OXN939]

Was out shooting this morning and had some nice tight 150gr ttsx groups. Shooting an '06 and get plenty of speed and energy well past anything I want to shoot critters at. So question is would that be "enough" medicine or would you feel ok shooting at larger than deer game with a 150 gr copper bullet? I know people do it all the time with smaller calibers and lighter bullets. I figure it would be a nice grain from small to large animals without having to re-sight in different weights. Thoughts?

150 grain copper monos out of an '06 are more than enough for anything in NA. Considering that high quality projectiles like the TTSX you mention retain almost all of their mass after impact, they're really more analogous to a high quality 178 grain lead core round, which loses, on average, much more of its mass.

 

[nephewjephew]

Thats exactly what I was thinking across the board. Don't have a lot of folks to bounce these kinds of questions off of. Was curious what others had to say on the matter. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Oldffemt]

I shot a whitetail doe with that bullet yesterday out of my 06. Bullet went end to end through one front shoulder and 34” of deer. Range was 200yds. I was really impressed.

 

[Austink47]

That is what most of my hunting buddies and I use and we have never been disappointed with the results.

 

[CApighunter]

Last month for I watched a friend of mine and fellow Rokslider smoke a 300 pound hog at nearly 300 yards with a 150gr GMX from an -06. Hit it square in the shoulder and lodged under the far side shoulder blade. I poured the heart and lungs out of it like a smoothie. Pig ran maybe 10 yards and tipped over. Bullet weighed 124 gr with plenty of expansion. Shoot with confidence, you’ll be just fine.

 

[Jimbob]

I just bought some 130 grn ttsx for my .308. I am confident they will work for BC game.

 

[TomAZ]

The thing about the harder copper bullets is that they need speed to open. More is better. In a non magnum caliber, I would definitely go lighter in hopes that you will get more expansion.


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[Sled]

I've only take 2 elk with copper. The Barnes ttsx worked as advertised. One was a 140 from a 270wsm and the other a 150 from a 7mag. I'm a believer in them. That said, I may try a more frangible copper like Berger just to see how they perform at both close and further ranges.

So yes, a 150gr ttsx from a 30 cal will do just fine on elk.

 

[Tac Beard]

My son took this moose last year on an any bull tag. 308 Win/150gr TTSX at 2840fps MV. It was a 130 yard shot through the heart; that bull dropped in his tracks like you’d dropped a piano on him. A couple months later, three nice black tail bucks on Kodiak all did the same at ranges from 80-232 yards. Full pass-throughs on all 4 animals, no bullets recovered.

 

[SCHEZSHEK]

150gr ttsx Shooting an '06 Thoughts?

Plows Lotsa HamBurger

 

[16Bore]

IMHO 168’s are all around all-arounders. Really not much difference between 150,168, & 180’s.