Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Favorite elk hunting calibers

Hey guys so I have a .300 Remington ultra magnum and it's a very nice gun but it's very heavy and the recoil is a pain in the ass.was thinking of getting a 308 but now that I have spoken to a few people i am not so sure. Any calibers you guys would recommend where the recoil isn't insane and will be a little forgiving if the shot placement isn't perfect? And is a flat shooting round. Thanks

6.5 Creed will be suggested within 3 posts

I've taken all but 3 of my elk with .30 caliber rifles. My favorite .30 caliber rifle now is my .300 Weatherby.

.270 WCF and be done with it!

.338 Win Mag...real elk rifle...

Well, time to get out some fresh popcorn seeds. Get a .308, 30-06 or a .270 Win.. End of story.

Calibers or cartridges? There is a vast difference.

Or, a 280.

My favorite is .50 caliber, without the cartridge.

Boo! Hiss! Although, you’re not wrong.

My old .280 Remington works just fine as an elk-meat-in-the-freezer rifle.

My late cousin killed 22 elk, mostly bulls, with his Model 70 pre-'64 Featherweight Winchester in .308 W. He never had any trouble putting them down.

Good, accurate shooting works every time.

L.W.

Easy: .270 Win, .308 Win

Since you already have something bordering on the ridiculous when it comes to ammo prices and recoil, almost anything will be better for both.

If you like boomers, maybe try a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .300 WSM. It’ll have much better ammo availability and prices should you need a few boxes of factory fodder and it’ll kick a lot less than your RUM.

The .270 WSM, also in a Featherweight, would be a great choice!

.284''

Cannot think a cartridge of any caliber that is forgiving when an elk is shot in the imperfect guts.
My favorite cartridge for years has been the 8x68S with 200 grain Partitions, recoil is comparable to the 300 Win.
However, I would recommend the 308 or 30-06 they just plain work as does the 7mm Rem mag. Easily/economically obtained ammunition or loading components and loads are simple to develop.
Myself, have just purchased a lightweight rifle in 308 and plan on using it for most deer and elk hunting from now on, after 40 + years of shooting elk with cartridges from 6mm to 375 caliber and bullets from 87 to 300 grains.

I have not shot many elk, all between 200 and 300 yards
One shot kills with a boring 30-06

I’ve arrowed more than the two I killed with a 45/70, and 338 wm.

Given your criteria, 30/06 with a good 165 grain bullet.

Whatever you decide to use, spend time shooting it out to at least 300 yards. When you are confident and comfortable with that rifle, you are ready as far as a shooting rig is concerned.

The elk I’ve killed all seemed impressed with my 30-06. I used Fed Premium 180 gr High Energy Partitions. Still have a couple of boxes should I get the chance to hunt elk again.

.284 caliber 7mm Weatherby cartridge

160gr Partition

I have only used rifles in .308 Win, .30-06 and .338 Winchester magnum to kill elk. No issues with these whatever. They are sighted for a 4" +- PBR of about 300 yards when elk hunting. of these, a .30-06 with a quality 165-8 grain High B.C. bullet would be my choice. Unfortunately, I am unaware of any cartridge that works well on an elk hit around the edges. I have seen a couple go a long ways when hit pretty well..

I practice to 600yds but haven't shot any big game further than 285 yds out in many years. I may not be the best resource for information on flat shooting cartridges as I prefer to get closer. That said, a .280AI with 150-162 grain bullets could be my version of perfect.

I also have rifles in 7x61 S&H (Mauser), .308 Norma Magnum (Mauser), .300 Weatherby (Model70), .35 Whelen(Mauser) and .375 H&H (Kimber Talkeetna) I would consider for general use and have no doubts about their suitability.

The almighty, loin grilling accurate, 300 Winchester Magnum, booting 200 gr Partitions out at an even 3000 fps.