Ammo recommendation - Elk

[JarheadAZ]

My next door neighbor is in line to draw an Elk permit, but needs an appropriate rifle.

I have a 'worked' Savage Axis II .30-06, with a Boyd's laminated stock. It transforms the rather uncomfortable and inelegant Savage resin stock into a sightly and well configured rifle, and provides OK ergonomics despite my own excessive LOP requirements. There's an old but very reliable 50mm scope on it in an EGW Steel 20MOA sloped base.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1025977079/boyds-classic-rifle-stock-savage-axis-factory-barrel-channel-laminated-wood-brown

He's huge, taller than me by an inch or two (I'm 6' 5"), but the rifle fits him to his own satisfaction.

My question is, what ammo for the Elk Hunt? What knowledge I possess in this does not include this SW Region, Elk, and is pretty limited to begin with.

I am/have been a NE Whitetail (they run to nearly 180lb) Hunter with only a handful of hunts under my belt. For that I've used the Remington 165gr Core-Lokt and it while has always performed admirably for me, methinks it maybe a bit light for this task.

Thinking 30-06 Hornady American Hunter 180's.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/584953/hornady-american-whitetail-ammunition-30-06-springfield-180-grain-interlock-spire-point-box-of-20

Am I on the right track?

Greg

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[Ballistic Therapy]

The 30-06 Hornady American Hunter 180 grain will do just fine.

I have killed a couple elk with 150 grain and it worked fine.

You don't need a fancy gun or fancy ammo to kill anything.
All you need is to keep your shots in your comfort zone and take your time.
if you can't make the shot there will always be another one.

[JarheadAZ]

Reassuring. Very.

Thank you, lots; and my views agree with your about bells and whistles. I can get the desire to make them visually attractive, too.

But...

Rifles are tools, not gratification toys.

I'm not likely to hunt big game again; but when I did, I passed up more shots than not because of safety or ethical issues. It's just a necessity.

Greg

[tknoll]

150 or 180 Core Lokt

[coelacanth]

Good advice so far.  The rifle is pretty solid and the ammo will work fine for this type of hunt.  This web site gives you a lot of info generally about the .30/06 and also specific info on the load you have chosen:    https://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.30/06+Springfield.html   Any fine tuning would depend on the rifle, the shooter and the unit he would be hunting. 

Not much to add except getting your friend ready to hunt in the field vs shooting a rifle off the bench.  I don't know his experience level in that regard but if he's a novice there's a fair amount of work to do before he actually hits the ground in search of elk.  There's more to it than hiking with a rifle if he is to have a good chance of success. 

[mushka]

I only use my own handloads when hunting anything except for shotguns.  My elk load puts a 180  grn Nosler at 2800 fps.  Has always done a good job.  For deer I like the 165's  at the same velocity.  This is out of a Rem 700 LH in 30-06.

[anm2_man]

How about a nice simple "RUGER 77" (Old style not the new ones).  That is really the best least expensive hunting implement that I have ever owned (Wish I never sold it).

[coelacanth]

The OP seems to have the rifle part of the equation sorted out and is looking for appropriate ammunition selections at this point.  Do you have any favorite .30/06 loads for elk? 

[Ballistic Therapy]

Every elk I have ever killed was with factory Remington CoreLokt ammo either 150 grain or 165 grain.
None of them went more than 50 yards before going down.
They were all bulls.I have never hunted for a cow elk.

[coelacanth]

CoreLokt is pretty decent stuff.  Used within its limitations its as good as any.   I've had pretty good luck with Nosler Partitions over the years as well as some of the Sierra Game King bullets but a lot of my hunting here in Arizona has not always been with a .30 caliber which was what the OP was specifically inquiring about.  Glad to have some folks weigh in on the .30's. 

[steve2md]

I took my elk a few years ago at 260 yds with the 150gn .308 version of these. Heart/lung shot. The lung it hit and the heart were total jelly, meat loss was a plug the size of a silver dollar or less, and it was a complete passthrough shot. The elk shook when hit, and dropped where it stood. Dead before it hit the dirt. https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/winchester-supreme-ballistic-silvertip-30-06-springfield-bst-180-grain-20-rounds?a=1593345

[JarheadAZ]

Not too oddly enough, my few deer were all harvested with 150 Core-Lokts.

The American Whitetail 180's are in hand; selected because I felt a more modern projectile was called for due to the Ealk's additional mass.

Greg

[JarheadAZ]

Last week, I had set up to make handloads using Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tips, and Hornady 178gr ELD-X. Just because...

Then, this Saturday; the neighbor and I were coming out to our cars and I asked him how the preps for the hunt were going. Some vague hems-n-haws; and basically it's not going, thanks but just forget about it.

Some days, life is that way.

I'll do the handloads anyway.

Greg

[anm2_man]

Last week, I had set up to make handloads using Nosler 125gr Ballistic Tips, and Hornady 178gr ELD-X. Just because...

Then, this Saturday; the neighbor and I were coming out to our cars and I asked him how the preps for the hunt were going. Some vague hems-n-haws; and basically it's not going, thanks but just forget about it.

Some days, life is that way.

I'll do the handloads anyway.

Greg

YES - I have had that happen a bunch of times. 

[JarheadAZ]

It'll happen a lot less often after this.

..Which will be sad.

...Part of why some of us can't have nice things.

Greg

[coelacanth]

Sorry about the disappointment.  It happens.  It stinks but you can't really prevent it.   

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]