30 cal hunting bullet range suggestions

[wywindsor]

So what bullet do you use and what effective range do you believe it works at. Mainly looking for 180gr plus information. I have lived in Wyoming for 43 years and hunted big game all of them. A 300 win mag seems to be the winning choice for years with a 180gr bullet. I know more elk were killed with a 30/30 or a 30 06 in years past with alot less power. So i'm looking for and all around bullet proven at close range and distance out to 1200 yards.


Two years ago I shot a 6 point bull at 50 yards. The tag I had took 39 years to draw. I shot it with a 300 win. and a 180gr combined technologies bullet. The bull fell in his tracks. I chambered another round and watched him as I kneeled down to pickup my brass. I also watched him get up and run 175yards where another hunter shot him. What I found was 6 to 8 inches of hide and meat blown off his shoulder. The load was from nosler at 3160fps. I helped this guy dress his elk and traveled on. Two hours later I shot another elk at 50 yards behind the front shoulder then twice in the neck to kill him. Never before have I had this happen. I have shot hornady spbt and win. silvertips. the old style. I bought these in case i needed to shoot past 500 yards. Never again.

 

[Bill Norris]

The Nosler Long Range Accubond may work better at the longer ranges than the C T bullets.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

Out to 500 yards nosler accubond, Barnes, or hammer hunter.

I started using 199 hammer hunter in my 300 prc last year.

19 for 19 since last year on deer and African game up to zebra out to 420 yards.

Only recovered one bullet.

Over 500 yards berger 215

 

[B Nettesheim]

A neighbor down the road had some cows get loose the day after he bought them, a week later he called asking if I could help. 300 wsm and 212 eldx worked just fine at 500 yards.

 

[FeMan]

I like both the 215 Hybrids in my 30-28 and load the 212 ELDXs for two buddies in their 300 PRCs. We have quite a pile of elk and deer going and all have ben quick, one-shot kills.

 

[Gargoyle]

Hammer Hunter. 166gr.

 

[L.Sherm]

When you hit something with a Berger 215 were your suppose to its like Thors Hammer between the eyes.

 

[Orr89rocz]

Close range reliable expansion performance stuff like nosler partitions and hornady interlocks worked well for me on my lighter cal stuff like 6mm rem and 257 rob. Would be even better in the 30’s.
Long range over 300 yrds i use berger vld and hybrids in my wsm. They work good closer just dont hit bone with them, it damages alot of meat on shoulders. But like said above they are thors hammer when hit right. Theres alot of good bullet choices these days.
Another good one i would look into is the sierra tipped game kings now. Great bc and shoot good and seem to hold up well. I think they have 180gr. The 165 gr in my 308 shoots great. But havent killed anything wth them. Have used the 110 gr tgk in the 257 rob on a neck shot at 350 yrds on whitetail. Worked great, good large acorn Size exit so it expands well.

 

[ebb]

When i took my elk the decision was almost made for me, at that time the only thing I could find in 338 was partitions. The did very well for me, and unless I was sure I was going to make a very long shot I would use partitions today. And you are for sure right the rifle is plenty powerful enough.

 

[El Matador]

So i'm looking for and all around bullet proven at close range and distance out to 1200 yards.

For these requirements I'd sell the 300 Win and build a 338 Lapua Improved. 300 grain Accubonds at 2900 FPS will give you the kind of performance you're after. For the 300 Win to be effective at 1200 yards you need to use the highest BC bullets available, like the 215 Berger Hybrids. Those are soft bullets with thin jackets, and won't be ideal for close range. When you step up to a 338 you can get controlled-expansion bullets with high BC's and you get more sectional density as a bonus. That adds another level of insurance for close range, high velocity impacts.

 

[john 800]

From a realistic standpoint, that is asking ALOT from a bullet to be soft enough to expand at 1200 yds and tough enough to hold together at close range. The only 30 cal I own is a 308w, so I really cant speak from experience for specific bullets at the speeds you will be shooting, but I would probably look into some of the heavier hornady eldx or nosler accubond long range if I wanted to cover it with 1 load. An alternative I would suggest is this: find a high bc bullet for long range and then develop a load with a simalor weight nosler partition for closer range. (The zero at 100-200 yds is often close enough you could wing it, especially on an elk) A 180 or 200 grain sst would be a possibility as an all around as well.

 

[L.Sherm]

Those are soft bullets with thin jackets, and won't be ideal for close range.

And why not?

 

[CJ6]

I'm a bonded bullet person for use in hunting. They hold up in short shots and expand properly in longer shots. Just my opinion. Try a couple of brands and pick the best shooting for your rifle.

 

[Gargoyle]

There's hunting and then there's shooting animals. Hunters don't have to worry about bullet performance in regards to range, that's something only animal shooters have to worry about.

 

[wywindsor]

I also own a 300 prc. I have only shot 2 antelope with is. Both were shot with 212eldx factory ammo. The head shot was down instantly. The second was partially me. I held back on the lungs to avoid damage to the opposite front shoulder damage. This goat ran about 80 yards. I was lucky enough to draw again this year. I have not killed an elk yet. I passed up 16 bulls with my bow. I have not had a chance to shoot one with a rifle. Bull season is closed and the tag is cows only now.

I'm going to test loads this spring. So far the factory 212 eldx shoots great. I have berger 215s that I want to test. I may end up carrying 2 magazines with me. The gun is an xbolt. So if two types of bullets are needed I shall carry them. Not wanting to wear out a barrel throwing slugs down it klooking for suggestions. thanks

 

[nakneker]

We’ve been taking deer and elk at longer ranges than we use to, nothing out as far as 1200 yards so I can’t speak to that. Berger VLD hunters and Hornady ELDX have performed very well out past 400. Up close they expand very quickly and don’t penetrate nearly as far. Up close I like partitions and Accubonds when I know I’ll be shooting close. We shot two elk this past month with Berger 140 VLD hunters out of a 6.5x47, one was at 71 yards and the bullet came apart very quickly, the entrance hole was huge and penetration made to about the lungs. If that shot would have been in the shoulder bone I doubt we would have recovered that bull. The second elk was a young cow at 681 yards and she just crumpled in her tracks, the same bullet did a much better job.

 

[MagnumW]

1200 is max for my 338 Lapua Improved 300 gr putting out nearly twice the energy of 215 Berger. I would shoot the Berger out to 1000 tho.

 

[David Milisock]

So what bullet do you use and what effective range do you believe it works at. Mainly looking for 180gr plus information. I have lived in Wyoming for 43 years and hunted big game all of them. A 300 win mag seems to be the winning choice for years with a 180gr bullet. I know more elk were killed with a 30/30 or a 30 06 in years past with alot less power. So i'm looking for and all around bullet proven at close range and distance out to 1200 yards.


Two years ago I shot a 6 point bull at 50 yards. The tag I had took 39 years to draw. I shot it with a 300 win. and a 180gr combined technologies bullet. The bull fell in his tracks. I chambered another round and watched him as I kneeled down to pickup my brass. I also watched him get up and run 175yards where another hunter shot him. What I found was 6 to 8 inches of hide and meat blown off his shoulder. The load was from nosler at 3160fps. I helped this guy dress his elk and traveled on. Two hours later I shot another elk at 50 yards behind the front shoulder then twice in the neck to kill him. Never before have I had this happen. I have shot hornady spbt and win. silvertips. the old style. I bought these in case i needed to shoot past 500 yards. Never again.

I've killed things from the end of the barrel out past 1,400 yards. My concern with long range talk on bullets is that a bullet tough enough in close fails out far. A bullet that functions out past 500+ blows up in close. And few talk about it.

If it's a guided hunt talk to the pro and ask about the average range, prepare for that and stalk in or place your shot off the heavy bone in close. If you hunt alone or with others stalk to you effective range.

 

[vicomb]

I was thinking about using 205 berger elite hunter in my bergara wilderness 300prc 24". Any load data -powder(grs.), primer would greatly appreciated!

 

[Ray123]

Not a fan of long range shooting at big game... Ive recovered many bullets from long range target shooting and when using game bullets from time to time...none expand... even the light jacketed Nosler BT ...just rifled and the plastic tip fully intact...you could load them and shoot them again.
That said I hunted elk with a 7 mm mag for years and never shot one past 100 yds ...the 7 mag never dropped one straight down inside 100 yds. I use 160 gr several types to 175 gr nosler partitions. The last one took 4 rds of 7 mag 175 Nosler partitions in the chest 3 running 1 standing after I ran down the hill, he just stood there looking at me I fired the last round in his chest at 35 or so yds..blood pouring out of both nostrils the bull whirled and ran over the hill out of sight. I reloaded the rifle wondering how much this bull could take...he made it another 150 yds. Alot of blood shot meat and tiny exit wounds. I sold the 7 mag and went to the 338 mag...it was a better killer, with big exit wounds. I also lost a big bull with the 7 mag shot in the head but it didn't break the brain pan at 90 yds. Blew a sickining 3 foot circle of blood, bone pieces, and large chunks of tissue in the snow. Tracked him for several miles a horse hunter saw the blood trail finished him off, as I approached...the head was a mess most of one side gone. I felt sorry for what the elk endured, and never took that shot again, with the 7 mag and studied the head anatomy of the elk....as with this instance bullets curve when hitting heavy bone, especially light ones. And why I went to the 338 mag. 250 gr. to 275 gr. for more straight line travel...And I've had a couple of those go 90° inside an animal after hitting heavy bone.. When frightened or wounded they can take a lot of punishment. I have no answers on what is actually the best bullet...or even the best caliber ...it always seems to vary. But a big expanding bullet at good velocity with big exit wounds seems to work much better, under the frighten flight adrenaline rush elk get at close range, and putting them on the ground fast or faster is the goal.
Where you see the carnage of the kill up close, and personal...as it should be. Pay tribute to the animals.