Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More!

While we've talked in pretty general terms about bullets and ammunition in these past few episodes, today we're going to dive into more detail on the subject. Specifically, we're joined by Joseph von Benedikt in this episode and he's going to share his thoughts on some of the best bullets for hunting elk. As you'll learn here shortly, it's a pretty big jump moving up from deer and pronghorn to elk. They're bigger, tougher, and elk hunts just simply often require a whole lot more out of a bullet than deer hunts.

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Show sponsor: Get some high quality, reasonably priced ammo using the cartridges discussed in this podcast at Lucky Gunner. That link is an affiliate link. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue to create free content that's useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

Ep 104: Elk Hunting Rifles With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 130: Solo Caribou In Alaska With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 162: Moose Hunting With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

Ep 174: Bighorn Sheep Hunting With Joseph von Benedikt – Previous interview with Joseph

1) Joseph's Personal Instagram Page

2) Check out Joseph's podcast: The Backcountry Hunting Podcast on Apple Podcasts

3) Backcountryhuntingpodcast.net – Web site For the Backcountry Hunting Podcast

4) Follow The Backcountry Hunting Podcast on Instagram and Facebook

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/federal/

Show Sponsor: Get some high quality, reasonably priced ammo using the bullets discussed in this podcast at Lucky Gunner. That link, plus the links below, is an affiliate link. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that's useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

Giveaway: I'm giving away 3 copies of Ryan Cleckner's book The Long Range Shooting Handbook to listeners of the show. To enter, subscribe to the Big Game Hunting Podcast, leave a rating and review on whatever podcast service you use, and share the show on social media. Email screenshots showing you completed those steps to [email protected].

1) Brief overview of the history on Federal Premium and what the company is up to today.

2) What you need to know about the Federal Power Shok line (get Federal Power Shok ammo here).

3) What you need to know about the Federal Fusion line (get Federal Fusion ammo here).

4) What you need to know about the Federal Non-Typical line (get Federal Premium Non-Typical ammo here).

5) What you need to know about the Federal HammerDown line (get Federal Premium HammerDown ammo here).

6) What you need to know about the Federal Premium Centerfire Rifle line (get Federal Premium Centerfire Rifle ammo here).

7) What you need to know about the Federal Premium Safari line (get Federal Premium Safari ammo here).

8) Details on various non-lead ammo options Federal Premium offers.

9) More specific details on the history, design, evolution, and performance characteristics of the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, the Trophy Bonded Tipped, the Edge TLR, and the Terminal Ascent bullets.

10) Recommendations on specific bullets and ammunition lines for various hunts.

11) What you need to know about the .224 Valkyrie and .338 Federal Cartridges.

Learn more about the .224 Valkyrie and .338 Federal cartridges by reading the articles below.

.224 Valkyrie: Should You Buy One?

.338 Federal vs .308 Winchester vs .358 Winchester: What You Need To Know

Learn more about the Federal Premium ammunition in general here.

Best Scopes For Deer Hunting – Article referenced in podcast

Show Notes:

https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/picktherighthuntingscope/

Show sponsor: Get some high quality, reasonably priced ammo at Lucky Gunner. That link, plus the links below, is an affiliate link. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that's useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

Giveaway: I'm giving away 3 copies of Ryan Cleckner's book The Long Range Shooting Handbook to listeners of the show. To enter, subscribe to the Big Game Hunting Podcast, leave a rating and review on whatever podcast service you use, and share the show either on social media. Email screenshots showing you completed those steps to [email protected].

1) Difference between first focal plane scopes and second focal plane scopes and which type of scope is best suited for different applications.

2) Overview of the Leupold Custom Dial System and general ballistic turrets for scopes and why you should pick one vs another.

3) My recommendations on the best scope magnification for different uses.

4) My recommendations for a couple of different rifle scopes for hunting.

5) Overview of the Leupold VX-5 HD scope (get a Leupold VX-5 rifle scope here).

6) Overview of the Leupold VX-3i scope (get Leupold VX-3i rifle scope here).

7) Overview of the Vortex Viper rifle scope (get a Vortex Viper rifle scope here)

Learn more about the Leupold VX-5 HD scope I discussed in this episode below.

9 Reasons The Leupold VX-5 HD Is A Great Hunting Scope

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/barrellengthbarrelcontour/

Show Sponsor: Big Game Hunting Adventures. Say you heard about Big Game Hunting Adventures through The Big Game Hunting Podcast for special pricing on your hunt!

Giveaway: I'm giving away 3 copies of Ryan Cleckner's book The Long Range Shooting Handbook to listeners of the show. To enter, subscribe to the Big Game Hunting Podcast, leave a rating and review on whatever podcast service you use, and share the show either on social media. Email screenshots showing you completed those steps to [email protected].

1) What barrel harmonics are and how they impact accuracy and precision.

2) What barrel contour is and how it affects barrel harmonics.

3) Pros and cons of bull, standard, and featherweight barrel contours.

4) Discussion on barrel length and how it affects accuracy and velocity.

5) Why certain cartridges need a longer barrel for best performance.

6) Barrel contour and length recommendations for various rifle cartridges and hunting situations.

Ep 226: Dan Roland On Musk Ox Hunting – Podcast referenced in episode

Ep 84: Dan Roland On Brown Bear Hunting In Alaska – Podcast referenced in episode

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/danrolanddallsheep/

Show Sponsor: GoHunt. Use promo code BIGGAMEHUNTER when you sign up to get $50 in store credit at their gear shop.

1) Brief overview of Dan's sheep hunts.

2) Discussion of challenges he faced on each hunt and how he overcame them.

3) Challenges associated with finding a legal ram in Alaska.

4) Things he wished he knew before going on those hunts.

5) Discussion on the travel and logistics involved with hunting in Alaska and the Yukon.

6) Discussion on gear recommendations for those hunts.

7) About how much a Dall Sheep hunt costs.

You can connect with Dan on Instagram danroland67

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/winchester

Show Sponsor: Get some high quality, reasonably priced ammo using the bullets discussed in this podcast at Lucky Gunner. That link, plus the links below, is an affiliate link. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that's useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

1) Brief overview of the history on Winchester and what the company is up to today.

2) What you need to know about the Winchester Super X Power Point line (get Winchester Super X Power Point ammo here).

3) What you need to know about the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip line (get Winchester Ballistic Silvertip ammo here).

4) What you need to know about the Winchester Deer Season XP line (get Winchester Deer Season XP ammo here).

5) What you need to know about the Winchester Power Max Bonded line (get Winchester Power Max bonded ammo here).

6) What you need to know about the Winchester Expedition Big Game line (get Winchester Expedition Big Game ammo here).

7) What you need to know about the .350 Legend cartridge.

Visit the show notes page to see cross-section photos of each bullet.

Learn more about the bullets used in the Winchester Deer Season XP line here.

Learn more about the bullets used in the Winchester Ballistic Silvertip line here.

Learn more about the bullet used in the Winchester Power Max Bonded line here.

Learn more about the Accubond CT bullet used in the Winchester Expedition Big Game line here.

Learn more about the the Winchester Super X Power Point line here.

6.8 Western: Everything You Need To Know

Best 6.8 Western Rifles– 6.8 Western Hunting Rifle Recommendations

Best 6.8 Western Ammo – 6.8 Western Hunting Ammo Recommendations

350 Legend: Everything You Need To Know

Best 350 Legend Rifles– 350 Legend Hunting Rifle Recommendations

Best 350 Legend Ammo – 350 Legend Hunting Ammo Recommendations

Best Hunting Ear Protection For Sportsmen – Ear protection recommendations

Best Rifle Scopes For Hunting - Rifle scope recommendations

Best Hunting Rifle Slings - Rifle sling recommendations

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/nosler/

Show Sponsor: Get some high quality, reasonably priced ammo using the bullets discussed in this podcast at Lucky Gunner. That link, plus the links below, is an affiliate link. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to create free content that's useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

Giveaway: I'm giving away 3 copies of Ryan Cleckner's book The Long Range Shooting Handbook to listeners of the show. To enter, subscribe to the Big Game Hunting Podcast, leave a rating and review on whatever podcast service you use, and share the show on your social media account. Email screenshots showing you completed those steps to [email protected].

1) The story of John Nosler's famous encounter with a moose in British Columbia and the events that happened as a result of that hunt.

2) What you need to know about the Nosler Partition bullet (get ammo using Nosler Partition bullets here)

3) What you need to know about the Nosler AccuBond bullet (get ammo using Nosler AccuBond bullets here)

4) What you need to know about the Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullet (get ammo using Nosler AccuBond Long Range bullets here)

5) What you need to know about the Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet (get ammo using Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets here)

6) What you need to know about the Nosler E-Tip bullet (get ammo using Nosler E-Tip bullets here)

7) What you need to know about the Nosler Cartridges: the 22, 26, 27, 28, 30, and 33 Nosler. Ballistic Tip (get Nosler rifle here)

Visit the show notes page to see cross-section photos of each bullet.

Learn more about the Nosler Partition here.

Learn more about the Nosler AccuBond here and the AccuBond Long Range here.

Learn more about the Nosler Ballistic Tip here.

Learn more about the Nosler E-Tip here.

Show Notes:

https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/howbulletskill/

Show Sponsor: GoHunt. Use promo code BIGGAMEHUNTER when you sign up to get $50 in store credit at their gear shop.

1) Ways rifle bullets kill big game animals.

2) The vital factors necessary for a bullet to kill an animal: accuracy, penetration, and expansion.

3) Detailed discussion on the interplay between those factors and what things affect penetration and expansion like bullet construction, mass, momentum, sectional density, and impact velocity.

4) Discussion on the pros and cons of the "energy dump" theory of bullet performance vs the controlled expansion, deep penetration school of thought.

The Perfect Shot II- Kevin "Doctari" Robertson is a veterinarian and a long-time professional hunter from Zimbabwe. He puts his knowledge of animal anatomy and experiences hunting game in Africa to good use in his "Perfect Shot" series of books.

This book contains some extremely useful information on practical field ballistics for hunters, bullet killing criteria, and terminal bullet performance and important characteristics. This book is a GREAT resource for learning more about how bullets perform afield and how to pick the right bullet for hunting different animals under various conditions.

Regardless of what some people would have you believe, the AR-15 platform can be an outstanding choice for hunting all manner of game. In this episode of The Big Game Hunting Podcast, I give an overview of some of the most popular cartridges used in the AR-15 along with the pros and cons of using each one for hunting various species of game. Specifically, I cover the .223 Remington, 5.56 NATO, .224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, .300 Blackout, .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, and .50 Beowulf.

Show Sponsor: Go to HuntingGuns101.com and Sign up for my free e-book on the best hunting calibers at to receive the entertaining and informative emails I send out about hunting, firearms, and ballistics every weekday (along with my weekly ammo supply updates).

Article referenced in show:

Best Hunting Ear Protection For Sportsmen – Ear protection recommendations

223 vs 5.56: Which One Should You Shoot In Your AR-15

224 Valkyrie: Should You Buy One?

223/5.56 vs 300 Blackout vs 308 Winchester: Which Is Best

6.8 SPC vs 6.5 Grendel: What You Need To Know

6.5 Grendel vs 6.5 Creedmoor: Which New 6.5 Cartridge Is Best For You?

6.5 Grendel vs 308: Everything You Need To Know

300 Blackout vs 7.62x39: Everything You Need To Know

.450 Bushmaster vs .458 SOCOM vs .50 Beowulf: Battle of the Big Bore AR Cartridges

22-250 vs 223 Remington Ultimate Guide

Best 300 Blackout Hunting Ammo

Best 223 Ammo For Hunting Deer

Best Rifle Scopes For Hunting - Rifle scope recommendations

Best Hunting Rifle Slings - Rifle sling recommendations

Show Notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/bestar15calibers/

Kendall Jones joined me on this episode of the Big Game Hunting Podcast and we talked about how she has overcome adversity in recent years. While she's most famous as the Texas Tech cheerleader targeted by anti-hunters due an African safari back in 2014, she also suffered through some other very painful times in recent years that aren't nearly as well known. There's plenty of adversity to go around these days, so be sure to listen for some good advice in how to overcome hard times!

Show notes: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/podcast/kendalljones/