25-06 for elk?

fisrtcoueswas80inches

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there has been a huge post on another site i frequent. the question is would you carry a 25-06 for elk hunting? i am curious to find out what ya'll think. i love my 25-06 but would never carry it for elk. i would borrow my grandpas 30-06 before i carried my 25-06, i dont think a .257 bullet whole in a bull is enough, granted it will take them down with a good bullet ie 110 accubond or 100 TSX but i would want more horsepower
Casey
 
The larger the rifle (assuming you can shoot it accurately), the larger your margin for error in case something goes wrong at the shot. Lots of elk have fallen to a .243 but bullet placement has to be extremely fine with little margin of error.

My dad dropped a big 5x5 bull elk with his .25-06 so to say it doesnt have the power is incorrect, but IMO it doesnt have the margin for error that larger calibers have.

That said, one must also concider what type of elk is being hunted... cows? spikes? Big mature bulls? There is alot of difference in a yearling spike and a 6 year old monster bull... and one shouldnt need a 338WM to bring down a spike.
 
Yeah man I love my 25-06 (elkslayer), I also have a 300 RUM. it two has killed many but there is nothing wrong with the 25-06, and like mentioned 110 gr accubond.




FEAR NOT FOR I AM WITH YOU! Walk soft and carry a 300 RUM,
 
A friend of mine (born, raised, and living in Wy) carried a .25/06 for everything and he used to guide for elk in the Wind River country. DallanC pretty much nailed it IMHO.
 
Not saying that any other gun bigger than a 25.06 is not good for dropping an elk, But I have killed my share of elk ranging form cows to the 6x6 I have mounted as well as mule deer and antelope. All I carry or will ever carry while hunting is a 25.06. I have seen the destruction other calipers have made and the meat that is waisted from larger caliber weapons. I'm not saying that does not happen with my 25.06 as well, just not as much damaged meat.


Nothing like guttin' a 6x6 elk at 7:30 in the morning.
 
Back in the early 80's met a younger brother of a co-worker when we went to MT for Deer & Elk that fall in Nov.
I noticed Jim had a rather long barrel rifle and asked him what it was. He said it was a Remington 6mm with a 28" barrel, he does or did then all of his hunting with it.
He had taken deer, bear and elk, bulls included and never lost an animal yet. He wasn't a TROPHY hunter, so a head shot was fine with him.

Brian
 
I too think a .25-06 is plenty . I don't have one , but my grandpa used a 30-30 for many many years , and then got a .257 Roberts . He used it on coyotes to elk to black bear , and to this day says it will kill anything he'd ever seen ranching . I now have the 30-30 and my little sister has the .257 with the same old 4x weaver , but my grandpa said its the best muley round he's ever had . I know the post was about the 25-06 , but have some experiance with the 257 roberts , and the 25-06 still outperforms the 257 , so that is why I say the 25-06 would be just fine , as mentioned above , a good bullet with good shot selection and placement = dead elk , cow , spike or big mature bull , period...
 
It's all about shot placement! My brother was a Depredation Specialist for the DWR and the rifle the DWR provided for him and required him to use was a .25-06. He probably killed more elk with that gun than he'll ever kill with his .270, .338, .50 cal muzzleloader put together. He used that, and a .22 pistol for point blank shots.

UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
 
I killed a cow at 350 yds last year with my .257 wby, just a .25-06 with a tad more OOMPH. Worked great. Just put the bullet through the lungs and your good to go.


 
I would not carry a 25-06 for elk hunting. Of course, it will kill elk. Most elk hunters I know carry something that shoots a 150 grain bullet or heavier for a reason. When I lived in Wisconsin, a .270 was used for deer. In Idaho, I use a .300 WSM for elk. Use the elk hunt as a justification to buy another rifle! Having said that, my Dad killed the first elk I ever saw with a .257 Roberts.
 
I killed my first elk...a cow with my .257 Roberts. 125 yds with Speer SP BoatTail. She went about 30 yds and died.....heart was blown on half and a lung was destroyed....found the bullet and it wa in great shape...lost hardly any weight. My step son know carries it and will try to take his first elk with it. It's all about shot placemnt.
 
ahh ha the 25 sweet!! She is finer then my first girl friend.
Elk hate her. And it hurts so bad. Please more she said!

Rut

Women love me!! Fish shudder at the mention of my name!!
It's not the quack but the flight of the wild duck that leads the flock to destiny!!
Quack Away!!
 
I have a 25-06 and we've killed 4 Elk with it. We usually shoot 117-120 grain noslers. My wife killed a bull with it last year. She double lunged it and it dropped and then got back up and she had to shoot it a couple more times.


Hiker

Proverbs 3:5-6
 
"had to shoot it a couple more times" seem i personally am not ok with that. if the shot is good or atleast ok it should only take one shell not a few. i would not carry my 25-06 unless i had to. the order of my elk hunting rifles are : 30-06, 7mag, 270wsm, 270, 25-06
Casey
 
"had to shoot it a couple more times"


I was on a cow hunt last year and witnessed a cow take 6, yes 6, perfectly placed shots behind the shoulder and one in the neck before going down. She was hit 3 times from each side with a .300wby and a .300win. Only 2 of the bullets exited. Elk are tough no matter what gun you shoot.

Andy
 
"Elk are tough no matter what gun you shoot.

Andy"

I agree!

If you can handle a little more rifle, I'd use it.

Hiker

Proverbs 3:5-6
 
As long as you can shoot it straight use it.

The only trouble with some cartridges is finding ammo. The 30-06 is so popular almost everyone carries it. Just not a good thing to find out you left your cartridge box at home 1000 mile away and all the local store has is 30-06 ammo.
 
I normally use my .338 winchester for elk. It also works great on deer if I happen across a shooter while im elk hunting. That said, I wouldnt hesitate to shoot an elk while deer hunting with my .257 roberts. That gun has a silky smooth action and is build like a supermodel! (its a pre-64 M-70 made in 1954) I picked her up in Alaska at a gunshow for $300. :)
ismith
 
Elk are one tough animal. Why take a chance on a small caliber rifle? I personally wouldn't use anything less than .30 caliber. If recoil is an issue, get a good pad and a muzzle break.
 

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