cartridge for elk?

C

cmgiscool

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Im looking to put in for some elk tags but I dont have an elk rifle. What are everyones favorite rounds for hunting elk? Ive heard a lot about 30-06 or 7mm.
 
For the ranges that most of us a competent shooting, 300 yards and less, a 30-06 is fine. But if I were buying a dedicated elk rifle, I go with something a little bigger like a 7mm Remington Magnum or a 300WSM.
 
If'n it is just an Elk gun as you say, I recommend goimg with the 7 or .300. My Elk stick is a 7MM RM but, the .300 WSM wasn't around when I bought mine. Either one is good.
 
You live in eastern Oregon, (based on your sig). What do you use for deer???

270/308/.06, or any simular round will work just fine with proper bullets.
 
As far as deer hunting goes I only really have one rifle I could use and I have never actually hunted with it. A mossin nagant 7.62x54. I had a realative staying with me that did have deer rifles so I never really bought one. Besides that gun the only other rifles I have are .223, 45/70, or 7.62x39.
 
I bought my "all around North American big game rifle" back in 1985 right before I left for US Army Basic Training. Remington 700 Classic in .350 Remington Magnum. Bought a made in West Germany 4x Zeiss scope and mounted it in Kimber QD lever mounts. Everything I've ever shot with it has died in the expected way. My deer load uses the Sierra 225 grain Game King. My elk load is a Nosler Partition but that dates back to before many of the fancy premium bullets of today. If somebody invited me to Colorado now, I would have to reconsider that one.

Gregg
 
A 45-70 is all the elk gun you need. If I had one, I'd use it.

Here are some 45-70 elk results:

collins_elk.jpg

Copy%20of%20elk%2004%20007.jpg

marcum.jpg
 
my family has used 30-06 for moose for a long time but for elk you my be pushing distances and for that i got a 300 win mag i have seen ppl drop elk in there tracks at 700 yards 300 has the stopping power you want, it shoots flat and can do any distance you feel comfortable puling the trigger
 
I own a 30-06 Remington-good gun (Model 742), But I now use my 300 win.mag for Elk, and my 7mm Rem. Mag Sako 75 for deer. The 30-06 is a fine round for elk, but most of my shots at elk are 250 yards plus and I usually have to take a quicker shot than I wouls like, so a flat shooting magnum works better for me.:D
 
If it is a dedicated elk gun I would opt for a .338RM. 30-06 will work just fine but I'm a big fan of the .338 for large "big game". Many people much more knowledgeable than I, agree w/me on this one.
 
i've used a 300 win mag before and had no problem. i never shot one past 200 yards so i can't remark on results any farther than that.
 
If it is a dedicated elk gun I would opt for a .338RM. Many people much more knowledgeable than I, agree w/me on this one.
Click to expand...

If you can shoo the .338 RUM more power to you. Most of us who hunt elk on a regular basis are happy with the standard flavor stuff. .270, .30-06, 7mm RM, and .300 WM.

All aside shoot the biggest caliber/cartridge you can comfortably shoot.
 
While guiding Elk hunters for many years here in CO, I have seen many one shot kills. The most one shot kills were made with 30/06's, 270's and 308's. the most "leakers" (wounded game) were shot by 7mmMags. Poor bullet choices, yes. The only factor one has complete controll of, is bullet diameter. Punch a wide enough hole going in and expansion is secondary. I personally carried a Marlin 45/70 in my scabbard while guiding. When it came time to fill my late season tag, I have used a 30/338 mag, then a 338 Win. Mag and lastly a 35 Whelen. I had always intended to build a 358 Shooting Times Alaskan. I don't think I'll bother. The 35 Whelen does just fine with 225 Sierra BTSP's.
However it comes down to what a person is able to handle. Remember, noise and recoil kills nothing. A 30/06 or 308 will br just fine.
thanks,
ben
 
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Well, if you were to ask me then I'd tell you to buy a gun that is:
- Light enough to carry all day.
- Feels like it was molded to you. Good balance, shape, and profile for you.
- Accurate.
- Chambered in .308 or .30/06 :eek: Yes, I said .308 or .30/06

Here's why: You don't need nothin bigger. Plain and simple as that. If you buy a .308, you will be able to afford to shoot and practice at the range. By being able to practice more at the range, you will know your rifle, scope, ammo, and rangefinder a lot better. How much better? A lot. Any old Joe Blow can throw the dot of a rangefinder on something and tell you how far away it is. But only someone who spends ample amount of time practicing their shots will be able to tell you how their particular rifle and ammunition will perform at that distance; how far the bullet drop is, how the wind will affect the flight path of the bullet, etc. The same reasons could be used in support of a .30/06...

Not so true of the latest and greatest 7mm/.300/.338 super-dead killin, whizzum faster than nuttin else, shoots so far you can't even see the target, uber-super-ultra-powerful blah blah blah magnum...

At around half the cost of similar premium hunting ammo chambered in the super-duper magnums, the .308 is a much wiser choice IMO. I would have much more confidence with a .308 that I had spent countless hours shooting than with a super-duper magnum that I only shot a few times because of the recoil, muzzle flash, noise, and absurd cost of the ammo.

YMMV, but at ranges <350yds, I'll take the .308 for any animal on the continent. And yes, that includes brown bear. And I doubt very seriously that even half the people that own a super-duper magnum have ever shot it past 300yds, much less the 1000yds capability that they so readily flaunt. The shooter makes the shot, not the cartridge.

Speed does not kill, nor does it directly correlate to killing power. .308 and .30/06 are plenty of gun for HUNTING. Long-range SHOOTING at animals is another story entirely.
 
+1 to jgcoastie, or maybe +2! Beyond that I would recommend a rifle that weighs less than 7 lbs before mounting the scope as an elk rifle is carried up and down and very far and fired seldom away from the shooting range. I have only taken two elk (and probably will take no more) but those were taken with a very light .30-06 and both under 200 yards, as I hired a guide that put me in good positions. I acquired a Remington CDL 700 in .300 RUM (which is all the "modern elk rifle" should be) as payment for a bad debt. The recoil and muzzle blast of that rifle, even though ported, are such that I don't know if I will ever be able to shoot it as well as my .30-06s or .308s. If I was ever stuck with just that 400 yard shot, I'd rather do it with a rifle and cartridge I shoot really well, than one that I don't. YMMV

Good Luck :)
 
.340 Weatherby or .300 Weatherby

Just a little biased :D... The 45-70 will work if the shots are close, if they aren't, good luck working out the drop. The most important thing by far is that you are comfortable with what you are shooting. I view the 30-06 as the baseline elk cartridge. I am comfortable shooting a magnum, others aren't.
 
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