Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 308 ok for my first elk rifle

How much energy do you need to kill an elk?? I�ve always used 1500 foot-pounds as a general rule of thumb, being well aware that far less will do the job if properly applied.

Using that as a guideline there are a number of factory loads that will easily suffice at 0-400 yards. Here are a few .308 Win loads and one .300 Win Mag load(energy and drops at 400 yards are based on a 200 yard zero per the respective manufacturers):



A 10mph crosswind will only result in about 12-14� of drift at 400 yards. I submit that neither the drop nor the drift is so significantly greater with the .308 Win than with a .300 Win Mag that it would make any difference to the well prepared hunter at 400 yards. With either cartridge a hold high on fur will produce the desired results (although I would probably hold a bit above fur).

In fact, while most .300 Win Mag loads deliver more energy with less drop and wind drift than the .308 Win at 400 yards, this is not true for all loads. Most people would consider Federal�s .300 Win Mag 200g Trophy Bonded load an excellent load elk, yet Federal�s 180g Partition HE and 180g MRX loads for the .308 Win beat the 200g .300 Win Mag load in all three categories.

The .308 Win doesn�t have enough �poop� for elk at 400 yards? It does if you choose the right loads.

I have killed a handful of elk with a .308 Win., and I believe it is more than adequate for the task. Insofar as ammunition is concerned, I would recommend that you use 180 gr. Nosler Partitions, which Federal offers. CP.

You're in Austin so figures you're gonna be on vacation,outa state, one week, all out flat out. Spend the extra 10 bucks for Noslers and go with confidence, that without fail, IT WILL participate with'em.
Your first trip, don't scrimp. Do it right, do it with confidence, no second guessing, no second rate.

Of course! Unless you shoot it in the azz...

Yep, but of course you could say the same thing with any caliber!

That's what I meant to write, but could not find the right words.

A wise man once muttered here:
placement; boolit; cartridge.

True words methinks.

My uncle, before he passed, killed a number of elk with his .308. The only thing he ever used was handloaded 165 Sierra's. This was his deer and elk load. I never saw him take more than one shot at any animal. When he passed, the rifle went to my brother who shot and killed one elk with the same load and also several deer. I have a .308 and I use the same load. And although I have never claimed an elk yet, I have no doubt that the caliber and bullet are up to the task. I just like using the 165's because I think it is a good all around bullet for deer and elk.
As other people have said, keep the scope simple. I like a good 3-9x40 because walking through the trees I can turn it down to three power and still get a good shot in close quarters. These, of course, are just my humble opinions.

If you get a 308 then never buy another rifle in your life you will never be hurting for a good elk killer. The best thing you could do would be to get a good 308 and spend your future money on loading for, and practicing with, that 308 instead of buying a cabinet full of other rifles.

The older I get the more I sound like my father.

Now where would be the fun in that! I love having my cabinet/safe full rifles. While I do like vanilla there are a whole lot more flavors I would like to try!

Buy a VX-II in either the 2-7 or 3-9 with the LR retice and sight the first dot at 300yrds probably keep you from holding over too much and know where the second hits.

With the ammo like they said, a good 180 will do the job, If a cheaper bullet will allow you more practice then you will probably have a better chance of a kill than with a prem and no practice. A kill with one will be a kill with the other.......

Buy a range finder!

My sons and I have taken both elk and moose with .308's, usually with 180-gr. Nosler Partitions, so that would be my first recommendation. However, you never know if they will shoot in your rifle, as you only have two factory loadings that I know of that use that bullet.

That being the case, these are the factory offerings I'd try, in an approximate order of preference:

Federal Premium High Energy 180-gr. Nosler Partition
Federal Premium 180-gr. Nosler Partition
Federal Premium 165-gr. Barnes Triple Shock
Federal Premium 150-gr. Barnes Triple Shock
Federal Premium 165-gr. Nosler Accubond (I think they offer it)
Remington 165-gr. Scirocco
Hornady Light Magnum 165-gr. SPBT

There are others that would work, but those are the ones that spring to mind first.

Agreed.

I have dabbled with a great many rifles over the years too but I often wonder what it would have been like if I had owned just one and used it extensively and exclusively like my dad did. Would I be deadlier with that one rifle than I am with anything I have today?

Sightron S2, $200-250. Bright glass, durable, reticle options...these are good scopes... save $50 and get some practice ammo and a beer. Best of luck.

While far from my first choice if all I had was a 308 to hunt with I would go forth and slay elk. I would just have to be a bit more particular about my shots. I would top it with a Leupold 3-9X40 or 2-7X33 and if shooting factory ammo the Federal HE 180gr Partition can't be beat.

I can remember an article that Mule Deer wrote for Field & Stream about an elk hunter from Ennis, MT. That experienced elk hunter said something to the effect that he was beginning to think the 308 was the best elk cartridge.
The 308 is a very easy cartridge to shoot under field conditions and that probably far outweighs any percieved lack of foot pounds in its DNA. If you don't believe that, take a 338 or 300 mag to a praire dog town and a 308 and see which is easiest to hit PDs with.

Shot my first bull(4x4) with a 30-30. Someday a 308 might be my go to rifle. I don't like recoil and an a 30-cal slut.

All due respect to Mule Deer (and I have no idea if he actually wrote such a thing), I would agree that a .308 Win is a perfectly adequate cartridge for elk but � the �best�? Not in my book, but that�s the point � �best� is a personal decision.

The .308 Win has many excellent qualities. It�s a relatively tame cartridge, the selection of factory ammo and components is among the broadest of all cartridges, it is chambered in many rifle models, accuracy can be outstanding and the effective range easily exceeds the ranges at which the vast majority of elk are taken.

Of course the very same comments apply to the .270 Win, 7x57, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem Mag and .30-06.

When I bought my first centerfire rifle back in 1982 it was for the specific purpose of elk hunting. After carefully considering a variety of cartridges from .270 Win to .375 Win, and knowing that I would be handloading, I chose the 7mm Rem Mag. Having taken elk with the 7mm Rem Mag, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag, all with 160-180g bullets, I have to say I think the mags are more authoritative. If I was choosing my first elk rifle today, given my current experience, and had a choice of these cartridges or a .308 Win, the .308 Win would be last on my list. Not sure which would top the list but it would be one of the two mags.

That said, I do have a virgin .308 Win that I plan to hunt elk with. And I won�t worry that it isn�t �enough gun�.

Elk are not prairie dogs. There is no such thing as "high volume" elk shoots that I'm aware of.

.308 is a decent elk cartridge, but let's not go overboard here... shootability isn't everything. There's the size and tenacity of the quarry to consider, and also the ramifications of a 200-yard run vs. a 50-yard run with a "dead" elk, too.

I think someone buying a dedicated elk rifle could do better than .308. Doesn't mean it's not a decent elk round, just means... there's better.

-jeff

Hey everyone,
I really enjoyed reading all your post they were all very helpful in helping to decide. I picked out a Ruger Hawkeye in 308 with the walnut stock and a 3x9 Bushnell 4200 scope. Thanks for the help.