Bullet choice for cow elk

[35WhelenAI]

Thanks for bringing up the bolded portion. A number of years ago at a show, spoke with a fellow (cannot remember his name) who had looked into how velocity inside the animal was in favor of the monos with respect to hydrostatic tissue deformation/damage throughout the full wound channel and not tapering off. Monos don't have as much surface area with petals versus a round mushroom and relatively speaking the frontal exposure of the mushroomed petals are sharper than exposed round lead. Those elements create less resistance in tissue, with more bullet speed to carry through the animal. I don't have any numbers to share, however when tissue displacement and physical damage occurs, monos tend to do it more consistently (not necessarily as dramatic due to lower frangibility of the front of the bullet at impact) for the length of the wound cavity.

I've seen that borne out in the field. The difference between a traditional cup and core bullet or partition type versus a mono is night and day when viewing the damage. Both to external tissue (meat) and internal tissue. None of those animals died any faster or slower whether the lungs were liquefied or made into big chunks.

I agree a dramatically expanding bullet typically puts animals down in a more dramatic fashion. With long range shooting I can see this as a benefit due to the time needed to get to where the animal was shot and the less it moves better. As well, long range bullets are in their expansion window for lower velocity whereas monos have slowed down to be inconsistent.

I'll leave my experience for the hunting I've done and call it good.

 

[TNKnoxville]

Thanks for the response! I have a good supply of the 220's and they shoot great from my gun.

Since I'm an engineer I really like these discussions. It's nice to know all the pro's and con's of various bullet types.

 

[35WhelenAI]

No flies on that choice of 220's! Plenty of bullet weight to offset any type of frangibility. I remember years ago Craig Boddington in love with the 8 mm Remington Magnum shooting 220 grain Sierra boattails. Said it flew plenty flat and the 220 gr weight made it inconsequential if it lost a bunch. In many ways, that's where this discussion is in regards to real-world results and not arm chair bantering. If it works, it's a winner.

 

[TNKnoxville]

This is a picture of the cow elk I shot this year with a 28 Nosler and a 162 grain ELDX. About 100 yards and 3000 fps, didn't expect this close of a shot. Hole is bigger than a softball. Drove her into the ground like hit by a bus! Blew the ribs apart. Felt like broken glass when we field dressed her. This was a mature old dry cow.

 

[TNKnoxville]

For size it was as big as my sons in this picture.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Your cow description and the picture of your sons show they were good sized!

Here's mine from Oct 2020. I am taller than most folks, at 6 ft 11 in tall. If you can gauge my body size it says a bit about the size of the lead cow I got.

255 yds, 200 TTSX, 35 Whelen AI.

Second pic shows I take basically all of the meat, may put into perspective my desire to not bloodshot with a frangible bullet. I get 40-ish lb of burger meat from the rib sheath, neck meat and between the ribs.

 

[sdx]

127 lrx

 

[TNKnoxville]

Sweet, 6'11" kinda makes it look like a calf...lol. My sons 6'4". this is how much meat we got. 20 cft3 freezer and my son took 2 coolers.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Your son is rather tall as well, that puts the size of his and yours into perspective as well. Definitely doesn't just look big, it is big.

My son (6'1" since we are trying to make things to scale) and I did the double three seasons ago, opening morning. By 7:30 a.m. we were shoulder deep in 850+ pounds of elk.

His with a 30-06 and 130 TTSX handload at about 95 yards, right after I dropped the lead cow at 125 yards with the 35 Whelen AI and a 200 TTSX handload.

 

[TNKnoxville]

Great cleaning job. Looks like a pack of coyotes have been at it for a week! My family and frinds love elk meat, nothing goes to waist. We even tried tongue at camp last year.

 

[TNKnoxville]

My son used a 180 grain Berger VLDH from a 7 mm mag about a 350 yard shot.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Another good sized cow in 2009. 341 yards, 35 Whelen AI and 200 grain Barnes Original X.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Great cleaning job. Looks like a pack of coyotes have been at it for a week! My family and frinds love elk meat, nothing goes to waist. We even tried tongue at camp last year.

Never tried the tongue, I'm not a heart or liver guy either but my one of my hunting buddies love to pack it out.

What I got into elk hunting 27 years ago in Colorado, one of the guys in camp impressed upon me how much meat gets left behind with most elk harvested. An extra 40 to 50 lb of burger meat multiplied by the number of elk harvested every year is a lot of coyotes, magpies, and camp robbers getting fed.

Colorado requires the quarters and possibly backstrap and tenderloin to be dressed off the animal but nothing more than that.

 

[TNKnoxville]

I've been lucky, of the 3 elk I've shot we only had to pack one out with mules. Yes it takes some work to field dress an elk and bag it up!!!!!!! I've dressed out alot of whitetails but this was my first elk. The mules were the best!!!!!! The other 2 we were able to get the Polaris close enough to take out the whole elk, then took it to a processor. I want every bit of meat I can get. We love it and everyone I have given some too is always begging for more!!!!!!! We've become elk meat snobs. I haven't shot a whitetail in the last several years, elk is much better...lol.

 

[SwiftShot]

This is a picture of the cow elk I shot this year with a 28 Nosler and a 162 grain ELDX. About 100 yards and 3000 fps, didn't expect this close of a shot. Hole is bigger than a softball. Drove her into the ground like hit by a bus! Blew the ribs apart. Felt like broken glass when we field dressed her. This was a mature old dry cow.View attachment 358113

That is the exit on that one. Wow. I am wondering how these will hold up to up-close shots. Reloading some of the 220s for my RUM. That looks like it did the job.

 

[IdahoSwede]

Am pleasantly surprised no one has told you that any bullet from a 6.5 CM will bounce off an elk.

Gotta wear eye protection when shooting 6.5 at elk.

 

[bowman72]

168 ELD-X

 

[30338]

Berger 140 vld at 2700 fps seems to kill them fine at 400 yards through the shoulder also. Its only a 6.5 so we try to be careful.