Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Breaking Elk shoulders

LOL.

You switch back and forth in posting style better than most.

I agree that staying off the humerous and smacking the scapula/stunning the brachial nerves more often than not drops them.

I have had good luck with 168gr VLDs and 180 VLDs in the 7mm Mag. Never had a lack of penatration on any elk with a 7mm Mag.

Shot through an actual elk or shot as a target after boned out?

Entry pretty much dead on the knuckle.

Exit visible here.

270Wby 130gr ETip
This setup has more or less become my go to elk rig and I’ve never had penetration problems regardless of angle or bone encountered. Surely a 7mag is at least as powerful. 😁

To add to the above here’s a couple pics I took this evening while cutting that quarter up.

The inside of that above pictured joint.

And a groove cut in the edge of the socket on the bottom of the scapula by the first shot.

First shot scrambled lungs and I gave him the second when he acted like he was going to move out. After exploding the shoulder knuckle it punched a thumb sized hole through the top of the heart.

Awesome pics!

Do you like the E tip?

That right there is why I prefer to avoid the humerous if reasonable to do so. It sure kills critters fine, but those bone fragments and that nasty, gritty bone marrow or whatever it is makes it a PIA to get that meat cleaned up and processed.

I love the crew that has never hunted, or will hunt a locale with brush over your head, shoot behind the shoulder creedmoor crew on a general tag every year. Not everything is New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado or Utah. Some folks actually hunt, and get to hunt branched bulls every year

Bone dust.

Stay on the scapula and hit the brachial nerve/plexus.

Little meat lost and DRT.

Correct.
I don't mind a hole through the scapula. It normally doesn't grenade so many bone fragments around and is every bit as effective at putting the critter down. I still prefer tight behind the shoulder shots but that isn't always the shot I get and (as great as I am) I have also been known to not hit right where I aim, believe it or not.

I love the ETip, or at least the .277 130 as it’s the only one I have experience with but it has been stellar out of the 270Wby.
This one hit a bull quartered away at about 150 yards second rib from the back and came to rest under the hide after going through the opposite shoulder.

And like Tinman and others have said if given the choice I usually stay higher through the scapula and off the big joint. But sometimes I don’t make the perfect shot. Had I known exactly where the first one landed I might not have sent the follow up, but I probably would have anyway it just happened to land a little lower than I’d planned.

I’ve never shot anything bigger than a big whitetail buck. May never get to shoot an elk. But, I really enjoy reading posts from people who do have actual experience with shooting them and the loads they use. Thanks guys!

Ron

I allways aim to break the far shoulder on quartering shots or tight behind the shoulder on broadside shots
I want a hole thru the heart and or lungs before busting bones period...mb

I never worry about the 168 gr TTSX or 175 gr LRX at .300 Weatherby velocity breaking bones or whatever. They blow through whatever portion of the elk they hit. Likewise for the 7mm Weatherby. Jury still out on the 6.5-300 with 127 gr LRX.

I've shot alot of game with those Barnes, from the first to their last iteration, they are wicked killers! If its a smaller animal, I try to him some bone on purpose. If I hunt in a place where I may have to shoot one on a hard angle, I will use either a mono or a heavy for caliber round nose, i.e a 220 in 30-06 or 310 Woodleigh in the 35 Whelan type. One time I used the Sierra 300 SBT from a 375 H&H on a young cow elk, 200yds. First shot tight behind the shoulder, she just humped up and stood there. Since she was only about 50yds away from a "God-Awful" Hole of a Canyon, I popped her again high shoulders. It made a mess. In that rifle, I dropped back to the 270 Failsafe. Perfect. I was trying the rifle out for an upcoming South Africa Hunt, but I was surprised how soft that Sierra was! I mean, 6" exit holes may thrill some folks, OK, but not for me!

Most any modern bullet works fine on elk. The damn things aren't bullet proof. Nosler 180gr BT's out out of 300 mags have killed the best for me and Barnes TTSX/LRX snd Nosler E Tip have dug the deepest.
If I want to or have to anchor them right now I shoot them through the scapula above the joint.

That's a perfect meat bull. I've certainly centered the humerus a few times without meaning to. What speed are you pushing those 130's?

I'm just hoping I find a good one to apply my 270 on. Hopefully not on an shoulder joint though.

I try to avoid ruining meat on elk. But a buddy grabbed my 280 loaded with 160 grand slam and shot a cow in the shoulder. It dropped imdeiately.

I was taught shooting the shoulders ruined meat, consequently if given a choice I'm always a armpit shooter.

Rarely has shooting an elk through the shoulder resulted in elk running any more or less than when shot in the armpit.

Two years ago the only shot I had were on a unaware Utah bull and a unaware Colorado bull shoulder shots at about 60 yds with a 270 and 160g Partition in deep timber. First shot on each bull the bullet went plumb through both shoulders of both bulls, and both bulls ran towards me 40 yds or so. I shot each bull in the chest for a second shot as they were headed my direction. And boy those shoulder shots tore up some meat for sure.

If bullets are not penetrating an elk's shoulder that's a bullet issue rather than a cartridge problem.

Another chair-borne ranger. Give me a 7mm mag with accubonds, barnes ttsx, hammers partitions swifts and you see what it can do to any shoulder!!!!