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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.

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.