Favorite Elk Caliber?

flyingbrass

flyingbrass

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LAST EDITED ON Jan-29-07 AT 04:04PM (MST)[p]Favorite Elk Caliber. Just wondering. THinking about getting a new elk rifle and want to see what ya'll are shooting. Right now I'm shooting a Reminton Model 7 in 300WSM with the walmut stock. Shoots good and looks great. Thinking about something with a little more corrosion resistance so what caliber should I get? Thanks.
 
I shoot a Ruger 7mm Rem. Mag. stainless barrel, laminate stock. Beautiful gun, love the way it shoots, but it is a little heavier then I'd like.
 
My favorite elk caliber is a Mathews Switchback XT but thats just me. That 300wsm is about as good as they get for elk, maybe put a synthetic stock on it. I'm a fan of the 7 ultra mag.
 
If you want to step it up a notch get a 300RUM. However the wsm is pretty solid too. Stick with the .308 cal. IMO
 
My elk gun is a 270 winchester Pre 64 winchester with a Bell and Carlson fiberglass stock. 3x9 LEUPOLD VXII
Ron
 
Winchester Model 70 in 7mm Remington Magnum. Chose it because it was available for a good price from a friend when I was first looking for an elk rifle back about 15 years ago. Never felt like I needed anything else. Shoots great.

Mark
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-30-07 AT 09:49AM (MST)[p]I've killed all but one of my bulls with my trusty Ruger 30-06. The other was killed with my .300 Weatherby, but I just keep going back to my 30-06. It keeps me shooting a decent range and seems to do the job every time just fine. I think Ruger is a great choice of gun for quality and reliability.
 
I have only killed a couple of elk with guns. My weapon of choice is usually a bow. I have had good luck with my .54 Cal Hawkin, and my Ruger 7mm Mag. All 3 elk shot went less than 20 yards and one fell stone cold dead! Good shot placement with a great shooting gun works for me! Good luck choosing your new rifle. It is always fun getting a new gun and working up loads for it!

Chad
 
I shoot a Remington XCR 300wsm and love it. It has the extreme conditions barrell and stock on it and the recoil is awesome for a caliber that size.
 
.300 Win Mag. One of the most versitile rounds out there.
Eric
deerline.gif
 
Maybe something between .257 Roberts and .375 H&H that you can shoot comfortably and compliments the terrain you hunt as well as your style of hunting.
 
.308 and under. 7mm/.284 with a 160 Partition at close to 3100fps regardless of Chambering. I don't know why but this round at this speed just hammers elk at short and long (+400) range. Works better then any of the new super fast monster mags.
Above .308. I would think a 340 RUM or WBY would be perfect, but I would not want to shoot it much. With a muzzle brake sure, but I don't like those for hunting.
 
#4 for .338 win mag


Justin

- Long-Range, The next best thing to being there !!!!
 
I've shot all of my elk with some sort of a 7mm. Worked fine, the only problem I forsee is a poor blood trail sometime when I do have to track one. I'll be packing a 30 cal of some sort next year, so maybe that will be better.

---------------------------------------
This is my post

I've just pissed in my pants.......and nobody can do anything about it.
 
Nothing wrong with the 300WSM caliber for elk; I have a couple rifles so chambered. If yours shoots well, you could send the barrelled action and rings to get coated. Cerakote done by Fit 4 Duty in KS has a good rep.
http://www.fit4duty.us/
Glass bed your action, seal the stock under the recoil pad, checkering, inletting and you'd be good to go.

Doug~RR
 
I've got a pre-64 M70 .338 that I really like and three .300Winnies that work well.

My favorite elk getter was my 1964 Jeep pickup...slick roads on a winter night in '73. Had a bull in the back and bagged another one on the way home.
 
>I've shot all of my elk
>with some sort of a
>7mm. Worked fine, the
>only problem I forsee is
>a poor blood trail sometime
>when I do have to
>track one.

We had a problem one year when one of the hunters was using a 7mm wm and he hit the heart/lung area on a Cow at about 75yards and he could not find the elk due to a poor blood trail. The Cow was found about 100 yards from where she was shot later on.

Ever since then we've all ragged on the Hunter for carrying a weapon suited for Animal Crackers over elk.


Justin

- Long-Range, The next best thing to being there !!!!
 
Another vote for the .338's. If you love punishment, a .338 RUM with some hot loads will kill anything that walks.

:( Somebody didn't like bouncing betty :(
 
Sounds like I need to get a 338. All I ever here is praise about this caliber. Are there any downfalls? Do you need a muzzle brake? What bullet?
 
The only "downfall" is that there is some recoil.
I personally, would rather mess with the recoil than
the super loud muzzle brake, but that's just me.

I've seen elk shot with 210 gr. Nosler Part.'s and
I've seen 'em shot with 250 gr. Sierra BT's.

Both with outstanding results. There is also the very
good middle ground of the fine 225's which several people
make. Hornady makes an excellent one, and if 257Tony were
standing here right now, I think he'd give thumps up.

Lot's of good stuff out there for .338 owners.
Pick your poison.

LRV
 
I got mine ported cause a friend could get them done for $75.00 each if the was a min of 8 rifles. Not a brake, just ported. The only difference to me was instead of seeing treetops after I shot, I saw animals die. To me the .338 pushes instead of kicks. Same cartridge as the 7mm Rem mag but not necked down. The 7mm's I've shot gave you a hard, sharp recoil whereas the .338 felt like a shove. Still pretty good recoil in 80 degree weather, in a t-shirt @ the range. Not a problem in the field.

210 nosler partition or 210 x-bullet, great elk medicine.
 
Mine has a brake and the simms recoil pad, and it kicks noticably less than my .270. I would not do the brake again if I could do it over, too loud even for those 1-2 shots in the field. And when I take it to Africa, most PH's don't like or allow them. Bullet wise, you really can't go wrong, but I would recommend a 210-225 for general duty. The 210's will produce a little less recoil, and if you do want a lighter bullet, use something tough like a Barnes.

:( Somebody didn't like bouncing betty :(
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-31-07 AT 09:53AM (MST)[p]flyingbrass!!

I can't resist any longer!!
Favorite Elk caliber??
For which gun??
Yer main go-to gun?
Or yer main backup gun?
Second main go-to?
A guy could go nuts try'n ta chose just one caliber/gun!
But that is the beauty of it! Man, what a selection!
We have more cool stuff ta choose from these days...
Can be perty daunting to jus' pick out 1.
Caliber?? I've always liked the "off the beatn path" stuff.
Rifle?? MMMmmmMmmmm... so many rifles... so little money...

It's a fun hunt, looking fer yer new favorite...
keep an open mind 'an don't settle!
 
Yet another .338 win mag vote.

And, with SCI just ended, I think its worth noting that most all of the people who are proponents of hyper velocity rounds are us north americans. I know a fair number of african PH's and hunters, and almost none of them favor the hotter magnums over the tried and true regular magnum rounds. Also, I don't know of a single african PH who favors a muzzle break, and they pretty much all shoot large caliber rifles. My .338 isn't ported, and neither is my .416 Hoffman. You don't need it.
 
Go out and get your .338, shoot it without the brake on it. Then if you think it needs one get a Sims recoil pad on it and shoot it again. It may take away just enough to where you dont need the extra noise.

I have a Browning Abolt Stainless Stalker LH in .338 win mag and it has a boss on it and a Sims recoil pad. This gun with this setup kicks about like a .270 or less. The only reason I got it with the BOSS and SIMS recoil pad is because two years ago I was a little smaller then I am now.



Justin

- Long-Range, The next best thing to being there !!!!
 
It's all good. I shoot a 300 win mag for every thing. Have lots of others but always seem to grab the Model 70. It all comes down to confidence and knowing your weapon.
Interesting side note- My dad recently did a African hunt and he took a couple of old model 70s rechambered for the new 300s(one short, one ultra) and a 375 mod 70. The PH said to use the 375 for everything but my dad wanted to try out the new rifles. The 300s did fine but they had to do some tracking on a couple of animals.
In the end he found a new respect for the 375! He said it used up all its energy in the animals and knocked everything off its feet! All one shot kills. He is extreemly impressed and said out to 250 yards it is his new weapon of choice for really big game, or brushy country. I just thought it was interesting as I had never given the 375 much credit.
 
The .375 is an absolutely outstanding caliber. It has proven it's value over and over again, all over the world, not just in Africa. I still wouldn't consider it a favorite elk caliber, even though it would be a very, very good one.
 
7mm Mag for me, pushing a handloaded 160gr Nosler AB. Great performance, energy and range.... I sure like the 7mm family!! :)

ODDNUT1
Kirt C.
Hunt Odds.com
 
Another vote for the 300 WSM. Short Mags dampen the recoil, shoots like a 30.06 and have never tracked a bear,elk,or buck that I've shot with this gun. Model 70 Featherweight cause I like to climb steep stuff. 180 Grain Noz. I know the .338 will do it, I just don't need the punishment and the 300wsm is flat as hell out as far as I'll ever shoot.

Cheers, Roadtrip



"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son" Dean Wormer, Animal House
 
Roadtrip: what bullet are you shooting? How much drop do you get at 300 yards? I shoot a 300wsm as well and love it.
 
I used to just use the Fail Safe as it was first out. Shot a bull in the shoulder and went through and through both blade bones. I was shocked. He was a good size 6 by 6.

Then I started using Federal Noz Partitions 180's. Zero at 200 yards gives about 6.5" drop at 300, 1.5" high at 100. In 10 knots of wind gets about 2.5" drift at 200 and 6" at 300. I'm thinking about trying some of these new high tech fusion or accubond rounds but I don't know anything about them really.

Cheers, Roadtrip

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son" Dean Wormer, Animal House
 
Marlin 1895 in 45-70 shooting 300 grain Nosler Partitions at around 2,100-2,200 fps.

I'd feel confident taking an elk with my setup to about 250 yards.
 
338 snipetac 300 grain matchking 3400 fps= 8000 ft. pounds= dead elk at long distances. Or the 300 ultra.
 
Does that come with a vehicle mount or do you have to buy that seperate? A Matchking would be a very poor bullet choice as well.
ismith
 
Ismith Just ask the mule deer I shot two years ago with the 220 grain matchking 300 ultra. Dropped like a ton of bricks at 475 yards. I agree there might be a better hunting bullet, but nothing compares to the groups you get from a matchking. A well placed matchking will kill faster than a bad grouping hunting bullet. My gun weighs scoped at 15.5 pounds, so its not to bad to carry. I'm working on some loads with the .338 250 grain gameking. Hopefully 3600 fps. Just set up on a nob and shoot a long ways. Not many choices with heavy .338 bullets thats why I shoot the matchking. I doubt a deer or elk would walk away with my setup. To much energy. Go to www.viersco.com if you want to see my rifle. My gun is on the opening page, carbon barrell. Dave Viers is an excellent gun smith, he made my titanium action by hand.
 
> My gun weighs scoped
>at 15.5 pounds, so its
>not to bad to carry.
>I'm working on some loads
>with the .338 250 grain
>gameking. Hopefully 3600 fps.
>Just set up on a
>nob and shoot a long
>ways.

You are either built like AHNOLD, drive your wheeler up to the "knob" or just sit in the back or your truck. You would fit right in here in Utard on the public opener. There is nothing like technology to replace hunting skill, eh?

:( Somebody didn't like bouncing betty :(
 
my favorite is 264 win mag using 140 grain XLC ahead of 61 grains of IMR 7828
 
I like the 7 Weatherby as an all around elk/mulie rifle, but if I was just going get an elk only rifle for bad weather, I'd like to have a model 700 XCR in .300 remington ultra mag. with 180 gr. swift sciroccos.
 
338/06 on a Weatherby Ultra Light Rifle....works like a dream and the recoil is moderate. Great on Elk, Bear and Moose!

TM
 
"A well placed matchking will kill faster than a bad grouping hunting bullet."

No it won't. Especially at high velocity. Moreover, deer are not elk. Matchkings might work, but I think your playing with fire. Elk can go a long way with one lung.

I'd rather hunt with an '06 loaded with 180 gr. PTs that shot 2 MOA than anything loaded with MKs, no matter how well the MKs shot.
 
i personally like a 30-06 or any other 30 cal with a heavy for caliber bullet.... when i start loading my 30-06 for elk (even though im putting in with my Mathews Q2 in mind for the next few years) i will start with 168, or 180 TSX or 180 or 200 Accubonds.


ps, i agree with not using Match kings... theres a reason there called matchkings! cause there used for matches!
Casey
 
Here we go again!....Gonna turn a discussion about rifles and calibers into another ethics forum. Standing by for for the fire storm.

Mike Henne
 
In a discussion about elk rifles the subject of bullets is off limits? Besides, if someone hasn't hunted elk before then the choice of appropriate equipment is not a matter of ethics, just experience.

I'd like to see the firestorm. Probably better suited in a thread called "Favorite Elk Bullet."
 
I am putting my hat in the ring. My vote is for a 300 WSM. It shoots very flat and fast. I shoot 180 grain Hornady SST bullets. I use 4831 powder and magnum primers. It took me a while to come up with this recipe but I love it.

I shoot the Winchester Featherweight. I love the gun but I must admit I have put a few nicks in the stock. I just do not like synthetic stocks. No reason for it I just don't. But that does not take anything away from the caliber. It carries one heck of a punch at a long range.


2pointer
 
2pointer - I shoot a 300wsm as well. What kind of bullet drop do you have at 300yds with your load?
 
I sight in 1 1/2" high at 100 yards. At 300 yards I feel like I am right on the money still. I have not honed in my shooting skills to be able to get a tight group at that range. But I will aim right were I want to hit at 300 yards and have made a few clean kills.

I hope that answered your question.

2pointer
 
My Favorite Elk rifle is a Remington Model 700 BDL in 7MM Rem. Mag.

I shoot a 162 grain Hornady SPBT at 3000fps (my handload)

1 shot = 1 kill

The family bought me a new Remington Model 7 CDL in 7MM Short Action Ultra Mag for Christmas. So far I have only loaded and shot 140 grain bullets through it. This short mag is supposed to equal the regular mag; only time and a few hunts will tell.

This is a beautiful and really sweet shooting little rifle!!.....
 
2pointer....same as you. I like the feel of wood in my hands on a cold morning. Don't know why...but I kinda like the knicks and scratches on my Featherweight. I think the 300 wsm is just versatile as hell. I shoot 150's at deer...180s and elk or bear. I think the wood softens the feel of the recoil a bit myself.

Cheers, Roadtrip

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son" Dean Wormer, Animal House
 
Last fall is was my Ruger .300 Winnie, with a muzzle brake, shooting Federal Premium 200 grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, w/ a Leupold Vari X-III 3.5x10-50mm. At 200 yards one shot through a shoulder, clipped the bottom of the spine and lodged under the hide on the opposite side...dropped him like a bag of rocks...perfect mushroom.

Grizzly
 
my favorite is my 30-378 it has proved to be a great caliber for me although a bit expensive to shoot
 
Bowtech Extreme Solo.. Easton ACC 100 grain Spitfire @ 40 yards... don't get any better than that :eek:)
 
I shoot a Browning stainless steel stalker in a 300 win mag. I have a 4.5x14x50 vari-x III scope and shoot 180 grain hornady's. Hornady is a very underrated bullet and I have killed elk with NP, TB BearCLaws, x bullet and the hornady is my favorite out of all of those. They are a great compromise of expansion and penetration.
 
I killed 25 elk with my old 270 from ranges of 100 yds to 350 yds and never hit one that I did not find. Only started using a 7mm and 300WSM a few years ago just because I wanted to try some other calibers.
 
.300WSM user here and it's great elk medicene. Most elk country is pretty dry so your rifle should last many lifetimes with little worry about corrosion.
 
Am with WYhunter (hey Ken) and the other lighter caliber guys - my .280 with speedy handloaded 160 partitions and X's have killed many elk with no losses.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-28-07 AT 11:11AM (MST)[p]I like the 300 RUM....I Shoot the nosler accubonds, 220gr for elk and 180gr for deer pushed by 101 grains of retumbo and it works really well. If you want a .338 I would say get the .338 Edge....smaller calibers can be really effective as well, but why chance it? When shooting elk I want to shoot something that packs a punch...just my .02
 
I shoot an .06. 165 grain XP2s.

Buy what you'll be willing to shoot enough to be proficient.
 
I will put another vote to the 338 winny (mine is a Ruger), I got a hand load recipe from some one here on MM that I love 225 grain Hornandy SST's, It's shooting tighter groups then my 270 and like it has been said its more of a push then a kick I enjoy shooting it more then my 300 and 300 wsm, I don't have a muzzy break on it or a limb saver on it and don't really feel the need for one I have thought about throwing a limb saver on it just forthe added comfort but that is yet to be determined, does anyone know if I buy a Limb Saver from sportsmans if they will install it for me?
 
I think Sportsman's will install it for you, but be carefull not to change the stock length when it shoots so good for you at the exiziting length. My friend did the same thing you are thinking of doing and made his stock too long and lost some comfort and accuracy.

TM
 
338 RUM with at least 210 gr hunting bullet. I have used nosler partition and swift scirocco. I put muzzle brake on as it is not fun at the range without it. With the brake kick is no problem.
 
>I will put another vote to
>the 338 winny (mine is
>a Ruger), I got a
>hand load recipe from some
>one here on MM that
>I love 225 grain Hornandy
>SST's, It's shooting tighter groups
>then my 270


Dat wuz me
2ez1b3t.gif


:( Somebody didn't like bouncing betty :(
 

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