the right ammo???

i have just started hunting again after 20+ years and am going to be taking my family with me. my youngest 2 and oldest son will be shooting 7mm-08's my wife has a 308 and my middle daughter has chosen the 25-06. i have heard that there have been a lot of advancements in ammo these days and im not in a position to reload was wondering what advice i might get on the best factory ammo for these guns for elk

Just my very humble opinion, the 7-08 and .25-06 are a bit under sized/powered for elk. Yes, they are capable of taking elk in the right situation. That being said, try to find the heaviest bullets you can.

There are many very fine rounds out the from different manufacturers. I've always been partial to Winchester myself and have always liked Nosler bullets. Just remember, there is no magic bullet out there that will do everything in every situation on every animal at every distance.

I know, not much help. My preference is Winchester XP3's, no longer made though. Second choice is Nosler Accubonds, which can be found in the Winchester line. I'm sure you'll find many more recommendations as most that have been hunting for a number of years have been searching for that magic bullet.

I like both the Nosler Accubond and Partition from Federal

thank you for those suggestions i guess i should've added a little more info lol. for this first year hunting we have decided to stick to the spike only units and everyone is aware that shots need to be kept under 200 yards i agree with the fact that the 7-08 and 25-06 are a little light to be true "elk" guns and just want my children to get into something that might hold their attention and keep it off of the crud that is growing in our world today. my 12 year old daughter wants to put in for a bear tag next year and the way she shoots im quite sure i will have a taxidermy bill on my hands. considering what ive met of her new friends over the last couple of years ill take that over a rehab bill any day lol

I, too, think the .25-06 is a little light for elk, but with proper shot placement, should fill the freezer with a spike elk just fine.
Look into the Barnes line for the .25-06. Amazing penetration and nearly 100% weight retention. I shot a big bodied mulie in 2012 with a .25-06 100gr. TTSX quartering on hard and made a pass-through entering the right shoulder and out left hip. Unfortunately, I do not know any factory loads with the .25-06 115gr. TSX.

HSM .25-06 with the 115gr. Berger VLDs. I am shooting a similar setup this year, but hand loads. Accuracy is phenomenal. I am anxious to see how the Bergers perform on game.
HSM also offers 120gr. Speer BTSP, and 120gr. Speer Grand Slam.

Winchester .25-06 110gr. Accubond CT

Hornady .25-06 117gr. SST Superformance

Lastly, the Federal line. .25-06 117 gr. Sierra GameKing, 115gr. Nosler Partition, 117 Speer HotCor, or the 120gr. Federal Fusion.

I think the 7mm-08 is suitable for elk at shorter distances with most good, proper weight bullets (150-180gr.) and proper shot placement. I think it is a better round than the .308 personally.

I would definitely look at getting something that shoots the Barnes Triple Shox. I know Federal makes them in a factory load and they are fairly accurate. They should work fine in both the 25 and 08. On a side note the best elk hunter I know hasn't ever killed an elk with anything other than his .25-06.

I want to thank all of you for your help and advice with this issue. Since my first post many things have changed like the 350+ rounds of american white tail and sst ammo that have been burned up by my wife and kids. I've have purchased reloading equipment and could use some solid load recommends for these guns for the elk hunt

I don't have much experience with the '08 but I've shot a few rounds through the 25, and it's been pretty picky. I've had the best luck with H4831SC and 117gr Hornadys that average 1'' 5-shot groups. I'm going to start working on a load this weekend for the TSX's and see what I can come up with.

I was just looking for advise on bullets for a 300 win mag for elk hunting. I want good penetration at close and long range as well as good expansion. I was thinking about going with berger bullets but I seen a post on here showing how they did not perform the was they should have.
Any ideas?

I would say for the 308, I would use a 168 bullet. No need to get into 180gr. The 168gr will do fine if it's put where it needs to be. I would try to find a quality bullet. Do the corelokts work? Yes they will do the job, but I think there are better rounds out there. You will want something that will unload some energy into that animal. I personally shoot Bergers for all my big game from a 7mm mag. HSM make loaded Berger ammo. The other ones I would look at for 308 would be Federal with Barnes TTSX or Matchking. Nosler Partition or Accubond or Hornady ELD-X. The 7mm-08 is a great Elk round, don't let people down play it. Most people think you need a .30 cal or a magnum to hunt elk. Not true. There are a lot of elk shot every year with 7mm-08. For this round I would shoot 140 to 168 gr. The 168gr will carry more energy, but the 140 will have more forgiveness on holdovers. Some bullet choices as the 308. The .25-06 can get the job done too. They have good velocity. I would find a bullet with good expansion or complete energy dump such as a Berger or Accubond. Should be able to find 110 Accubond out there.

Remember, people take a lot of game with 6.5 x284, 6.5x47 Lapua, and 6.5 Creedmoor. The .25-06 is not that far below those rounds. .257 bullet compared to a .264