Best muzzleloader bullet for elk

Drhorsepower

Veteran member
May 19, 2011
2,225
0
Reno, Nevada, United States
Thanks guys for all of the input, I decided on the Barnes expander mz 250gr. Well let me clarify, my muzzleloader decided on that bullet, not me:) I paired that bullet up with an mmp sabot in front of 90gr. 777 Ffg for best results.

sept 10 here we come!
 

Colorado Joe

New Member
Sep 21, 2013
1
0
I want to hear from experience on this one! What bullet and grain have you had luck with on elk?
I'm going to start working up loads and load development starts with the bullet IMO so I don't want to start with something that hasn't performed well In the past. Thanks!
I have a trusty old CVA that I have shot for years with 295 gr. powerbelts (777 110 grains & 209 primer). I have dropped 2 cow elk in their tracks with broadside shots of 50 yards & 35 feet. That said, I had a very bad experience with them last year. I had a straight on frontal shot @ 30 yards on my first bull. My hit was low & just right of the sternum. The bull ran & bled for more that 3/4 of a mile. the bleeding stopped and I never recovered the animal after 5 full days of looking for him. (with help too!) I will change my bullets. I dont understand what went wrong on this bullet, but they are now just plinkers until I find a different bullet that will do what I expect it to do.
 

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
Ok another question for you if you don't mind. I just ordered 50 of the Tipped 300 gr bullets. Is the little attachment needed to push them in? I would think they would be fine without it?
I had trouble with my ram rod ketching on the tip of FPB's and even pulled the tips out of a couple. I was getting down to the wire to go hunting with it and couldnt find any attachment locally so I drilled a little out of the end of my ram rod so it didnt hit the tip and it worked fine.