Best elk cartridges for under 100 yards?

So go with a 2-7x.

...Such as the Redfield Revolution 2-7x33mm.
Good scope. Great warranty (if you ever need it). 11.1 oz.

I do like the Redfield Revolution model line (essentially a Leupold Rifleman or previous generation VX-1), but I don't advise giving them your money for any of the import models (such as Revenge and Battlezone). They're sub-par in my comparisons.



Look into a Tikka T3 SuperLite. It's not on their website, and most dealers will tell you you're stupid for asking about it, "It doesn't exist!" ... but I know they're out there. As mentioned in the other thread, one of my uncles just picked one up in .308 Win. Topped with Talley mounts and rings, and a Vortex 4-16x (can't remember model), it weighed in at less than 6 lbs. (His word and how it felt in my hands - I didn't, personally, put it on a scale.)
 
I shy away from 7mm offerings. I know people's opinions differ but my hesitation is simply from anecdotal evidence. I'm a big fan of the 7mm and 7mm-08, except in a very narrow set of circumstances. Specifically, we have seen them less effective on elk when shot at extremely close ranges (ie: less than 30 yards). The elk seem to just keep running, not knowing they are dead. The thick trees I hunt in makes it extremely difficult to find an elk that keeps running. Elk don't always bleed out well.
The elk I shot this year was a nice 5 point bull at 25 yards. He only ran about 75-80 yards, yet it took me 25 minutes to find him. I thought he ran left; then I followed some tracks that went right. Ultimately I found that he ran straight down the mountain. He was dead when I found him and his left shoulder was completely destroyed. I had to cut off what meat I could salvage from the bone. I never saw a drop of blood...though the rain probably made finding blood a bit more difficult. These type of shots are common on our hunts. Most shots are around 60 yards but some are 25 yards. (As Elmer Fudd would say..."you must walk vawwy quiet") This bull just stood there looking at me as I emerged from thick timber. Couldn't believe he didn't move...because I was carrying my 06 on my shoulder and had to smoothly remove it and raise it to my shoulder without him bolting. Deer often freeze like that but not mature bulls....atleast not in my neck of the woods. I rarely carry my rifle on my shoulder while hunting because you will miss the split second chance when you happen upon elk, but when you haven't seen anything for two hours and its pouring rain, you get complacent/lazy.
 
Never hunted elk, but I think I would enjoy it. If I had a situation like yours, in which I could be 95% certain that 95% of my shots would be at no more than 100 yards, I'd look for a cartridge which would still remain very effective at 250, just to err on the side of caution, and keep Murphy's Law at bay.

A short-action bolt rifle in .358 Winchester with a medium eye-relief scope (say. 2X) mounted forward of the action would probably work. A youth model .243 or .308 could be rebarreled for not a lot of money. The three rounds I mention all are the same case with differing neck diameters, so brass availability shouldn't be an issue.

Such a rifle might not be optimal medicine for 400-yard shots, but it might be capable of more than one might expect at that range.
 
For the narrow circumstances that you have stated you might be best served with a short, light and handy lever gun in a big caliber. I have a lever gun in 454 Casull that will shoot a 240 grain xtp bullet at 2300 fps. It's short for easy handling in thick woods, accurate out to 150 yards and very quick reloads. Plus the 454 Casull packs a punch. Will leave a fist sized exit wound. Even an elk won't be running far. Just a thought.
 
from your description of your common hunts, I absolutely look for a big-bore lever action rifle, can't think of a rifle you can have shouldered and aimed faster that those. You can save a buck buying a rossi, and I am very happy with mine, but you will find better caliber choice and pre-drilled scope threads on a Henry or Marlin, and likely better CS if needed. A fixed power scope is affordable and quick to target, any 4x will do, but I would think irons may be your fastest bet unless deplorable weather conditions. Henry offers the 30-30, 45-70 and I think even the 45colt would be okay inside 100. The market seems to have a good flood of 35 Remington's as well in Winchester's, very affordable. I would likely take a 30-30 for your assumed distances, I don't love the ballistics past 150 yards though, but I am not a hunter, so what do I know.
 
You're commenting shots would be under 100 yrd's. Is there a Law requiring rifle bullets only for the taking of Elk. Why not a Slug shooter? Just as easy to break a spine or slip a slug thru a rib cage at 75 yards as it is with a rifle.
My experiences.
I've shot one or two BIG deer while hunting in Southern MN's corn fields using a 12 ga. 870 loaded up with Ball type slugs. Heavy 1 oz or 1-1/4 either weight slug just poleaxes anything it comes in contact with.

Isn't it said some of these new slug shooters are just as capable at close range in the taking of big game with a high degree accuracy as is a rifle? And too at a 100 yards or less elk standing in front of you. "You'd have come up with a really Jim dandy excuse for missing with either long gun in hand."

Some fellows prefer a scope mounted on everything they own. Not me. Although I wear glass's I'm not quite that blind yet. And maybe that would apply to you once you get accumulated to a firearm having a Bead or better yet open barrel sights. That said: You could save a few $$$ not having to buy a spendy scope also.

But my comment is just a thought. Do buy /what you think/ best suits U.
 
A Remington autoloader in .35 Whelan might be ideal. Power to anchor? Check. Fast follow-up shots? Check. More reach in a pinch? Check.

The same gun in 30-06 would probably be as good...but less, I dunno...just less.
 
45-70 in a marlin guide gun with the big loop lever.
Short, light, and with buffalo bore hardcast loads packs some serious punch. Ive seen 45-70's do 200 yard shots on elk before
That is pushing the limits though ;p
 
I just traded for a Zastava M76 sniper rifle semi auto in 8mm Mauser. It will do 1" groups at 100 yards with milsurp! If the 10 round mags are legal it would be nearly perfect. One could probably improvise a temporary 5 round cutoff limit if your state requires that, mine doesn't but no elk in Texas. I love this rifle.

Mine looks just like this.

http://petesdiscountfirearms.com/ZastavaM76.html

ZastavaM76.jpg
 
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my personal nod for a 100 yard elk gun would go to a Marlin 1895 in 45/70, the cartridge packs a really good punch, and the rifle is pretty darned compact and lightweight.

another option I could think of would be a Ruger M77 compact in 7mm-08 or since you already have one, 308, those rifles are surprisingly light and make good little brushguns.
 
Since you have a .308, you could very well just pick up a good bolt action deer rifle in .308, it's perfectly acceptable for knocking elk over. A .30-06 would be another good choice. A Browning BAR would be a peach of a choice if you want semi-auto.

If you put a round in the boiler room, the elk will be elk meat in one shot.

A 1.5x-4x scope would be good, if you like them.

You could push either cartridge out to 400 yards if you can shoot that well. Me, I like to stay close to the game and ensure a clean kill.
 
This is a no brainer for me

In normal circumstances I would use a 30-06 or 300 H&H on elk. Rain, snow, and short range shooting in a hurry I carry a WIN 71 with 250 gr. hand loads. What ever rifle I have next to me that one is in a leather scabbard hanging over the back seat of my truck at hunting season. That big, round nosed, relatively slow moving heavy bullet will drop about anything that I can hit at 100 yards.
If it is rain, snow, and short range that's what I use.
 
Kimber 84 Montana in 308 or 325 WSM if I could still find one, 300 WSM if I couldn't. 358 Winchester would be ideal if only the Montana were chambered in it.

If I were guaranteed that the shots were going to be within 100 yards I'd be very tempted to use a Model 71 Winchester in 348 Win or a Marlin 1895 with warm 45-70 loads, but neither is particularly light.
 
You can guarantee your shots are within 100 yards by not taking shots beyond your comfort or skill range.
Click to expand...

True enough, but for general hunting I'd like to extend my comfort range further by using a scoped rifle that shoots flatter than either of the cartridges I mentioned.

If it were guaranteed that the elk would appear no farther away than 100 yards, I'd use one of the lever actions I mentioned.

I hope that clears things up.
 
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