Caliber for Elk

WeedWacker · March 11, 2007, 07:20 PM

Anyone have a recommendation for long range elk calibers?

Somthing that can be used for other game as well, like deer or hogs.

lockedcj7 · March 11, 2007, 07:58 PM

7mm Rem Mag or .300 Win Mag. Both have great long-range energy, flat-shooting, plenty of factory ammo choices and not "too much gun" for deer.

A properly loaded .270 or .30-06 has taken lots of elk but I would hesitate to call them "long-range" elk calibers, more like modest-range, careful shot-placement elk calibers.

trooper3385 · March 11, 2007, 08:29 PM

For a long range elk caliber, I would say the 338 win mag, but it's a pretty big overkill for deer and dogs. So I would go with a 300 win mag or Weatherby mag. It would still work excellent for a long range elk caliber with the right bullet and while it is still an overkill for deer and hogs, it's not that bad. Before deer season, I bought a Browning A bolt in a 300 win mag for a trip to South Africa for plains game in July. I used it pretty much exclusively for deer season this year to get comfortable with it before going to Africa. I took 2 deer and a large hog this year with it. I shot a doe in the head and that was pretty messy, but the other deer and hog were shot behind the shoulder and it didn't do nearly as much damage as I thought it would. Probably less damage than my 270 or 308. Like the others said, you can use a 30-06, 308, 270 or something else in that category that would work great on elk, but I would be hesitant to say it would be reliable on a regular basis at long ranges IMO.

taylorce1 · March 11, 2007, 08:51 PM

What is your idea of long range hunting? I've taken a few elk all the way out to 250 yards with a .270 with 150 grain bullets. While 250 yards isn't necessarily a long shot it might be outside the range of some hunters. Most of the elk I've ever taken have been inside 150 yards and most any legal centerfire cartridge will work on elk at that range.

If you are talking about hunting elk at ranges beyond 400 yards then you better know what you are doing. I've seen the 700 yard shots on bull elk in videos before, and thought man I could never pull off a shot like that. I don't want to pull off a shot like that anyway, I just like to be in closer when I squeeze the trigger.

If I get your signature line correct you, own a 7mm Rem Mag and this rifle will do exactly what you want it to do. I'd use 160 grain and up bullets for any elk hunting that you may do. You should be able to take any elk with good shot placement out to 400 yards without too much work.

Most of the guys I hunt with use the .30-06 and they consistently take their elk every year. Yes elk are big but they are not bullet proof, and I've never seen a magnum rifle put them down any faster than a .30-06 does. Dead is dead and very rarely have I seen a properly placed bullet fail to kill an animal with one shot.

Hello123 · March 11, 2007, 09:37 PM

30-06.

rem33 · March 11, 2007, 09:48 PM

WeedWacker,,

You have gotten some good advice here follow it, make sure your capable of making the shot, make it well placed, don't try and reach to far and you will be fine.

If you wanted a big caliber tropper has it with the 338. I use a 30-06 and so far it has worked just fine on several elk. I don't take shots that I feel are to far or that I am not sure of good placement.

338 Winchester mag. with a 200 grain bullet has about the same trajectory as a 30-06 with 150 which is what I use. A well placed bullet will work better than a huge one not shot well everyday.

I didn't shoot at the largest elk I have ever seen in the wild because he was too far to make a good shot. I might have been able to hit him maybe not. Besides being in a hole I didn't want to try and get him out of there was a good chance I would wound him and never retrieve him. Any good hunter won't take a shot such as that. He was perhaps a animal of a lifetime but still sometimes you need to say "nope not today" and enjoy the fact that you even saw him.

Largest elk I have helped pack was killed with one correct hit with a 7MM-08 using a 140 grain bullet. I am not advising a 7mm-08 on elk but if hit thru the heart and lungs from a good side shot it works fine. That animal didn't go 50 feet from where he was shot.

Charshooter · March 11, 2007, 09:55 PM

30-06 and 7 mag are pretty close, just check the tables at 160-grain pill and 175 for 7 mag and 180 gr for the 30-06. You have a slight range advantage with a 7 mag.

The 300 win mag allows you to have an extra fifty yards of shooting range over the 30-06 at the most conservative estimates. Some will credit both magnums with more distance

The 338 Win Mag has about the same trajectory as a 30-06 for given bullet weights. It is more a bigger rifle than a faster rifle and it will do the same as an 06 with more effect on difficult shots.

With today’s premium bullets, the 30-06 will do just about as good a job as the 338 did in the 1960s and the 300 will shoot Elk at more distance.

I shot my first dozen Elk with a 30-06 and since used a 300 win mag almost exclusively, but it has only a range advantage.

All these, 30-06, 300 mag 7 mag and 338 mags work well on Elk, even the 270 and 280 will take Elk well with heavy well-constructed bullets. The 308 win does a good job at shorter range

Fat White Boy · March 11, 2007, 10:11 PM

Taylorce- +1 on the .270.... I wouldn't go any smaller.

trooper3385 · March 12, 2007, 01:10 AM

I meant hogs, not dogs. Oops

boltgun71 · March 12, 2007, 11:04 AM

Another vote for the .300 Winchester Magnum!

FirstFreedom · March 12, 2007, 01:34 PM

+1 to what taylorce1 said.

mikejonestkd · March 12, 2007, 01:42 PM

Just to parrot what Taylor said, since you own a 7mm rem you are all set. Practice, practice, practice....

If you can consistently hit a paperplate in the field at longer ranges then you will be well prepared for a longer shot at an elk. Only you know your upper limit as far as getting consistent hits at longer ranges.

JAXX · March 12, 2007, 01:51 PM

Man, maybe I'm just gettin lazy here, but I hunt with horses and pack mules, and I STILL wouldn't want to make a longer shot than probably 300 yards max. Anything over that is just too much work. It's pretty nice to pull off a 100 yard shot, dress out the elk, rope it to the mules and be gone. A 1 day hunt, and sleeping in my own bed that night, can't beat living where the Elk live boys......

Desertfox · March 12, 2007, 09:58 PM

Hey Jaxx, If you could just build a powerplant somewhere in the general area, I know me and another good ole boy would be happy to move there. We both work at a powerplant here and he is from Wyoming and longs to return.

You foot the bill to build one and put transition lines to sunny California and we will come run it.

JAXX · March 12, 2007, 11:31 PM

DF, too bad you boys aint in the oil drilling business. They're hiring knownuthins off the street for 25 bucks an hour. I am happy being a general contractor, but 25 an hour is a darn good wage out here. I moved from California a while back, 25 here is like 40 there. The hunting AND the fishing is imeasurable here. I don't know anywhere else that in 1 week I could bag a 6x6 Bull Elk and catch a 9 pound rainbow trout. All within 1 1/2 hours of my front door. Those of you who have never been here, STAY AWAY PLEASE! LOL

WeedWacker · March 12, 2007, 11:59 PM

I was looking at the '06 as a possibility but someone pointed out it isn't the best long range (my definition of long range for hunting would be 300 - 350 yards for me to be comfortable) and .338 is overkill for hogs.

So we narrow it down a little more: range up to 350 m in mountain country.

rem33 · March 13, 2007, 12:11 AM

Weekwacker, have you ever tried to shoot things at 1000 feet? Thats under 350 yards. Get you a gallon milk jug and a 100 ft tape. Go out and measure 1000 feet and see if you can hit that jug with any regularity. A foot square target will work too but you can see if you hit the jug full of water.

Not off a bench there aren't gonna be any bench rests where your hunting, if your lucky you can use a big rock or stump a tree limb or trunk to steady against.. Not counting the fact that you will have probably been walking. take That jug out and shoot it off hand at 1000 feet.

It will give you a great perspective of how far that really is. If you don't hit a elk where it counts your in for a very long day at the very least.

Don't be one of those jerks that shoot at animals to far away, and the animal runs off and then they say " I musta miss em" I have seen that when there is a good chance a wounded animal is running. It is IMO one of the worst offenses I unfortunately have witnessed from unethical hunters

WeedWacker · March 13, 2007, 02:42 AM

There may not be any bench rests but my shooting stix will be there. And I can make do with anything that's out there (planning on a bipod as well) And I never stated I would shoot anything AT 350. I would want somthing that could perform at 350 for elk when in reality it will be around 250-280 yards.

Edit: I have already used a .30-30 and a 7 mm rem mag to take deer at over 220 yards. All it took was time at the range.

Desertfox · March 13, 2007, 06:21 AM

WW. The .270WSM has great long range potential. (check ballistics) As far as elk killing at 300+ yards this rifle has no problems at twice that distance.

You do have to find someone to shoot that far with accuracy.

klcmschlesinger · March 13, 2007, 08:25 AM

I've never been elk hunting but from the posts I see the 300wsm sounds like it would be a pretty good choice. Thoughts?

cje1980 · March 13, 2007, 10:58 AM

For Elk hunting the 338WM is THE Elk cartridge. If you are looking for a combined Elk/Deer long-range cartridge the 300WM is pretty good. The 338WM is hard to beat for North American big-game while using a smaller cartridge for medium-sized game.

sasquatch · March 13, 2007, 11:03 AM

cje1980

I agree. The 300 Win mag is a little over-kill for deer, but if you have to do it all, deer & elk, with one rifle the 300 WM is hard to beat.

taylorce1 · March 13, 2007, 12:05 PM

Quote:

I would want somthing that could perform at 350 for elk when in reality it will be around 250-280 yards.
I have already used a .30-30 and a 7 mm rem mag to take deer at over 220 yards. All it took was time at the range.

Again you have a 7mm Rem Mag, that is all you need to take an elk with at 300+ yards. You are already comfortable with that rilfe so that is the one I would use to hunt elk with. If you are just looking for a different rifle, I'd go with a non-magnum rifle that fills a gap between your .30-30 and 7mm Rem Mag.

FWIW the .30-06 with 180 grain bullet will have almost the same energy at 350 yards as your 7mm with 160 grains. So the .30-06 isn't lacking any power when it comes to killing elk. The .30-06 just takes a little longer to get there, but the elk won't know the difference.

I like the shooting sticks for hunting, if you are stalking they take less time to set up than bi-pods. If you are setting and waiting in a lane then bipods work just fine. My Stoney Point shooting sticks are much lighter than my Harris Bi-pods, and light has advantages when humping the hills for elk.

WeedWacker · March 13, 2007, 02:07 PM

My dad owns the 7mm and the .30-30. This is going to be for me. (first rifle

)

rem33 · March 13, 2007, 03:29 PM

Do you hunt with your Dad? if so why not a 7Mag? Then if both guns are sighted in with the same ammo you can interchange if one guy runs short.
Just a idea for you, you may want something completely different.

My Father and I both have a Winchester 88 in 308. On occasion we will both have the same guns that are using the same ammo and we can even interchange clips, ( or am Suppose to say magazines).

March 11, 2007, 07:20 PM	#1
WeedWacker Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Body: Clarkston, Washington. Soul: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 1,591	Caliber for Elk Anyone have a recommendation for long range elk calibers? Somthing that can be used for other game as well, like deer or hogs. __________________ - Jon Disequilibrium facilitates accommodation. 9mm vs .45 ACP? The answer is .429

March 11, 2007, 08:51 PM	#4
taylorce1 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2005 Location: On the Santa Fe Trail Posts: 8,237	How Far? What is your idea of long range hunting? I've taken a few elk all the way out to 250 yards with a .270 with 150 grain bullets. While 250 yards isn't necessarily a long shot it might be outside the range of some hunters. Most of the elk I've ever taken have been inside 150 yards and most any legal centerfire cartridge will work on elk at that range. If you are talking about hunting elk at ranges beyond 400 yards then you better know what you are doing. I've seen the 700 yard shots on bull elk in videos before, and thought man I could never pull off a shot like that. I don't want to pull off a shot like that anyway, I just like to be in closer when I squeeze the trigger. If I get your signature line correct you, own a 7mm Rem Mag and this rifle will do exactly what you want it to do. I'd use 160 grain and up bullets for any elk hunting that you may do. You should be able to take any elk with good shot placement out to 400 yards without too much work. Most of the guys I hunt with use the .30-06 and they consistently take their elk every year. Yes elk are big but they are not bullet proof, and I've never seen a magnum rifle put them down any faster than a .30-06 does. Dead is dead and very rarely have I seen a properly placed bullet fail to kill an animal with one shot.

March 11, 2007, 09:55 PM	#7
Charshooter Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2007 Location: Ozarks Posts: 216	30-06 and 7 mag are pretty close, just check the tables at 160-grain pill and 175 for 7 mag and 180 gr for the 30-06. You have a slight range advantage with a 7 mag. The 300 win mag allows you to have an extra fifty yards of shooting range over the 30-06 at the most conservative estimates. Some will credit both magnums with more distance The 338 Win Mag has about the same trajectory as a 30-06 for given bullet weights. It is more a bigger rifle than a faster rifle and it will do the same as an 06 with more effect on difficult shots. With today’s premium bullets, the 30-06 will do just about as good a job as the 338 did in the 1960s and the 300 will shoot Elk at more distance. I shot my first dozen Elk with a 30-06 and since used a 300 win mag almost exclusively, but it has only a range advantage. All these, 30-06, 300 mag 7 mag and 338 mags work well on Elk, even the 270 and 280 will take Elk well with heavy well-constructed bullets. The 308 win does a good job at shorter range __________________ Born pre-war and proud of it!

March 12, 2007, 01:42 PM	#12
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Just to parrot what Taylor said, since you own a 7mm rem you are all set. Practice, practice, practice.... If you can consistently hit a paperplate in the field at longer ranges then you will be well prepared for a longer shot at an elk. Only you know your upper limit as far as getting consistent hits at longer ranges. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

March 12, 2007, 01:51 PM	#13
JAXX Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2007 Location: Northwest Wyoming Posts: 371	Man, maybe I'm just gettin lazy here, but I hunt with horses and pack mules, and I STILL wouldn't want to make a longer shot than probably 300 yards max. Anything over that is just too much work. It's pretty nice to pull off a 100 yard shot, dress out the elk, rope it to the mules and be gone. A 1 day hunt, and sleeping in my own bed that night, can't beat living where the Elk live boys...... __________________ Lifetime member of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

March 11, 2007, 07:58 PM	#2
lockedcj7 Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2007 Posts: 1,215	7mm Rem Mag or .300 Win Mag. Both have great long-range energy, flat-shooting, plenty of factory ammo choices and not "too much gun" for deer. A properly loaded .270 or .30-06 has taken lots of elk but I would hesitate to call them "long-range" elk calibers, more like modest-range, careful shot-placement elk calibers.

March 11, 2007, 08:29 PM	#3
trooper3385 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: South Texas Posts: 814	For a long range elk caliber, I would say the 338 win mag, but it's a pretty big overkill for deer and dogs. So I would go with a 300 win mag or Weatherby mag. It would still work excellent for a long range elk caliber with the right bullet and while it is still an overkill for deer and hogs, it's not that bad. Before deer season, I bought a Browning A bolt in a 300 win mag for a trip to South Africa for plains game in July. I used it pretty much exclusively for deer season this year to get comfortable with it before going to Africa. I took 2 deer and a large hog this year with it. I shot a doe in the head and that was pretty messy, but the other deer and hog were shot behind the shoulder and it didn't do nearly as much damage as I thought it would. Probably less damage than my 270 or 308. Like the others said, you can use a 30-06, 308, 270 or something else in that category that would work great on elk, but I would be hesitant to say it would be reliable on a regular basis at long ranges IMO.

March 11, 2007, 09:37 PM	#5
Hello123 Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2005 Posts: 571	30-06.

March 11, 2007, 09:48 PM	#6
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	WeedWacker,, You have gotten some good advice here follow it, make sure your capable of making the shot, make it well placed, don't try and reach to far and you will be fine. If you wanted a big caliber tropper has it with the 338. I use a 30-06 and so far it has worked just fine on several elk. I don't take shots that I feel are to far or that I am not sure of good placement. 338 Winchester mag. with a 200 grain bullet has about the same trajectory as a 30-06 with 150 which is what I use. A well placed bullet will work better than a huge one not shot well everyday. I didn't shoot at the largest elk I have ever seen in the wild because he was too far to make a good shot. I might have been able to hit him maybe not. Besides being in a hole I didn't want to try and get him out of there was a good chance I would wound him and never retrieve him. Any good hunter won't take a shot such as that. He was perhaps a animal of a lifetime but still sometimes you need to say "nope not today" and enjoy the fact that you even saw him. Largest elk I have helped pack was killed with one correct hit with a 7MM-08 using a 140 grain bullet. I am not advising a 7mm-08 on elk but if hit thru the heart and lungs from a good side shot it works fine. That animal didn't go 50 feet from where he was shot.

March 11, 2007, 10:11 PM	#8
Fat White Boy Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2005 Posts: 1,276	Taylorce- +1 on the .270.... I wouldn't go any smaller.

March 12, 2007, 01:10 AM	#9
trooper3385 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: South Texas Posts: 814	I meant hogs, not dogs. Oops

March 12, 2007, 11:04 AM	#10
boltgun71 Senior Member Join Date: January 4, 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 547	Another vote for the .300 Winchester Magnum!

March 12, 2007, 01:34 PM	#11
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	+1 to what taylorce1 said.

March 12, 2007, 09:58 PM	#14
Desertfox Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2006 Location: Arkansas-Oklahoma Line Posts: 336	Hey Jaxx, If you could just build a powerplant somewhere in the general area, I know me and another good ole boy would be happy to move there. We both work at a powerplant here and he is from Wyoming and longs to return. You foot the bill to build one and put transition lines to sunny California and we will come run it. __________________ Teach a kid to respect wildlife, then teach a kid to hunt and fish.

March 12, 2007, 11:31 PM	#15
JAXX Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2007 Location: Northwest Wyoming Posts: 371	DF, too bad you boys aint in the oil drilling business. They're hiring knownuthins off the street for 25 bucks an hour. I am happy being a general contractor, but 25 an hour is a darn good wage out here. I moved from California a while back, 25 here is like 40 there. The hunting AND the fishing is imeasurable here. I don't know anywhere else that in 1 week I could bag a 6x6 Bull Elk and catch a 9 pound rainbow trout. All within 1 1/2 hours of my front door. Those of you who have never been here, STAY AWAY PLEASE! LOL __________________ Lifetime member of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

March 12, 2007, 11:59 PM	#16
WeedWacker Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Body: Clarkston, Washington. Soul: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 1,591	I was looking at the '06 as a possibility but someone pointed out it isn't the best long range (my definition of long range for hunting would be 300 - 350 yards for me to be comfortable) and .338 is overkill for hogs. So we narrow it down a little more: range up to 350 m in mountain country. __________________ - Jon Disequilibrium facilitates accommodation. 9mm vs .45 ACP? The answer is .429

March 13, 2007, 12:11 AM	#17
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Weekwacker, have you ever tried to shoot things at 1000 feet? Thats under 350 yards. Get you a gallon milk jug and a 100 ft tape. Go out and measure 1000 feet and see if you can hit that jug with any regularity. A foot square target will work too but you can see if you hit the jug full of water. Not off a bench there aren't gonna be any bench rests where your hunting, if your lucky you can use a big rock or stump a tree limb or trunk to steady against.. Not counting the fact that you will have probably been walking. take That jug out and shoot it off hand at 1000 feet. It will give you a great perspective of how far that really is. If you don't hit a elk where it counts your in for a very long day at the very least. Don't be one of those jerks that shoot at animals to far away, and the animal runs off and then they say " I musta miss em" I have seen that when there is a good chance a wounded animal is running. It is IMO one of the worst offenses I unfortunately have witnessed from unethical hunters

March 13, 2007, 02:42 AM	#18
WeedWacker Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Body: Clarkston, Washington. Soul: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 1,591	There may not be any bench rests but my shooting stix will be there. And I can make do with anything that's out there (planning on a bipod as well) And I never stated I would shoot anything AT 350. I would want somthing that could perform at 350 for elk when in reality it will be around 250-280 yards. Edit: I have already used a .30-30 and a 7 mm rem mag to take deer at over 220 yards. All it took was time at the range. __________________ - Jon Disequilibrium facilitates accommodation. 9mm vs .45 ACP? The answer is .429

March 13, 2007, 06:21 AM	#19
Desertfox Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2006 Location: Arkansas-Oklahoma Line Posts: 336	WW. The .270WSM has great long range potential. (check ballistics) As far as elk killing at 300+ yards this rifle has no problems at twice that distance. You do have to find someone to shoot that far with accuracy. __________________ Teach a kid to respect wildlife, then teach a kid to hunt and fish.

March 13, 2007, 08:25 AM	#20
klcmschlesinger Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2007 Posts: 201	I've never been elk hunting but from the posts I see the 300wsm sounds like it would be a pretty good choice. Thoughts?

March 13, 2007, 10:58 AM	#21
cje1980 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,412	For Elk hunting the 338WM is THE Elk cartridge. If you are looking for a combined Elk/Deer long-range cartridge the 300WM is pretty good. The 338WM is hard to beat for North American big-game while using a smaller cartridge for medium-sized game.

March 13, 2007, 11:03 AM	#22
sasquatch Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2005 Location: Western WA Posts: 1,347	cje1980 I agree. The 300 Win mag is a little over-kill for deer, but if you have to do it all, deer & elk, with one rifle the 300 WM is hard to beat. __________________ Just my 2¢.

March 13, 2007, 02:07 PM	#24
WeedWacker Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2006 Location: Body: Clarkston, Washington. Soul: LaCrosse, Wisconsin Posts: 1,591	My dad owns the 7mm and the .30-30. This is going to be for me. (first rifle ) __________________ - Jon Disequilibrium facilitates accommodation. 9mm vs .45 ACP? The answer is .429

March 13, 2007, 03:29 PM	#25
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Do you hunt with your Dad? if so why not a 7Mag? Then if both guns are sighted in with the same ammo you can interchange if one guy runs short. Just a idea for you, you may want something completely different. My Father and I both have a Winchester 88 in 308. On occasion we will both have the same guns that are using the same ammo and we can even interchange clips, ( or am Suppose to say magazines).

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