Powder/Bullet Combo for Elk

[SDS14]

Howdy Folks,
Picked up my first UT any bull muzzleloader elk tag and I have a question regarding powder/bullet combo for bull elk.

What is your favorite powder/bullet combo for muzzleloader hunting elk? I shoot a CVA Accura V2 open sights. My set up for mule deer is a 100gr of IMR White Hot pellets with a 250gr Barnes Expander MZ .50 sabot bullet. Is that suffice for elk?

Thank you for your feedback.
-SDS14

 

[Caseknife]

Should work great. The one bull that was shot with my Traditions 50 cal was killed with 100 gr of Pyrodex pellets and a 290 TEZ Barnes. You can use scopes in Utah on your ML. My hunting partner and I both put in for the one NR tag in Utah, he got drawn and borrowed my Traditions, one shot and the bull was dead in less than 50 yds.

 

[Sheltowee]

Shooting 250gr. Thors over 84 grains by weight/approx. 110 grains by volume of BH209 for my mule deer and pronghorn muzzy tags this year. Have been very pleased with reliability and accuracy. Would likely work well for elk, although you might consider bumping up to the 300gr. Thor.

A few years ago, my father used 300gr. PowerBelt Platinums over 120gr. BH209 on a New Mexico elk trip. It worked, eventually, but terminal performance was less than impressive.

 

[prhunter]

Howdy Folks,
Picked up my first UT any bull muzzleloader elk tag and I have a question regarding powder/bullet combo for bull elk.

What is your favorite powder/bullet combo for muzzleloader hunting elk? I shoot a CVA Accura V2 open sights. My set up for mule deer is a 100gr of IMR White Hot pellets with a 250gr Barnes Expander MZ .50 sabot bullet. Is that suffice for elk?

Thank you for your feedback.
-SDS14

I used a Barnes Expander MZ bullet over 100gr of Pyrodex on the bull I harvested in NM a few years back. Worked very well.

 

[Addicting]

I just used a Hornday bore rider on a cow elk and it performed great. There is a thread on here with pics from the testing I did.

 

[shannerdrake]

I had a lot of luck with 270gr Federal Solid Cooper BOR Locks over max charge of BH209.

I like a bullet that stays together moving as fast as I can safely get it to go.

 

[mevertsen]

I'm using 90 grains Pyrodex RS behind a 265 grain Hard cast bullet in a Harvester crush rib sabot.

I have used a 370 grain maxi ball and twice a 385 grain great Plains. No more than 90 grains powder. It all worked.

Now if I can get the cows to cooperate on the hunt I'm on. Haha

 

[Treeshark]

I had a lot of luck with 270gr Federal Solid Cooper BOR Locks over max charge of BH209.

Same here. This is the easiest, cleanest and most accurate combo I’ve found as well.

I know guys love Thors, but they seem like a pain in the butt to me.

 

[shannerdrake]

Same here. This is the easiest, cleanest and most accurate combo I’ve found as well.

I know guys love Thors, but they seem like a pain in the butt to me.

This was taken under the opposite shoulder hide on a mature bull. 70 yards. Broke the offside shoulder. Moving 1950fps at the muzzle. You can’t do better than this in my opinion.

 

[Treeshark]

Nothing wrong with that! I shot a mule deer with that setup last year, but was very close range and did not recover the bullet (hammered the deer though, as you’d expect at such close range).

 

[colinstewart]

245 gr powerbelt with 90gr BH209 took down a decent sized cow elk at 117 yards just fine!

 

[JoltnJoe]

This was taken under the opposite shoulder hide on a mature bull. 70 yards. Broke the offside shoulder. Moving 1950fps at the muzzle. You can’t do better than this in my opinion.

That’s a thing of beauty right there!

 

[Sheltowee]

This was taken under the opposite shoulder hide on a mature bull. 70 yards. Broke the offside shoulder. Moving 1950fps at the muzzle. You can’t do better than this in my opinion.

Was that a 250 or 300gr?

 

[shannerdrake]

Was that a 250 or 300gr?

270 solid copper

 

[Gellar]

Sinners, you are all sinners; using the Devils gun. The devils gun will not harvest any big game animals please refrain from using it or applying for any tags to use it in the future.

 

[Buckskins&BlackPowder]

 

[lonedave]

I'm with B&BP above....62 caliber patched roundball over 90 gr of 2f Goex. Probably wouldn't work too well in your gun though.

 

[Bushfire]

I hunt red deer with 54 prb no issues.

 

[perma]

Shooting 250gr. Thors over 84 grains by weight/approx. 110 grains by volume of BH209 for my mule deer and pronghorn muzzy tags this year.

my scale got me to 79.6g on 100g volume with BH209, and will be shooting the same bullet. How far did yours poke out to?

 

[Sheltowee]

So I’m limited by Colorado’s iron sights-only rule but I was quite comfortable hunting to 125 with Williams Western Precisions on top. I wouldn’t hesitate to stretch to 200-250 scoped.