Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting .308 or .358 for Elk?

Well since I've gone and sold all my heavy stuff-.375 H&H/Ruger, .35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 300 Wby. 7mm Rem Mag-tired of carrying 10lb rifles. All I've got left for hunting rifles are a couple 6.5's, .308's and a nice little Hawkeye in .358 Win. My .308 just loves 180grs but will tolerate 150 TTSX and the .358 is loaded with 225gr TSX. I'm leaning towards the .308/150 because of the flatter trajectory in case of a longer shot (200 yards). My only two Elk were taken in the 40-70 yard range, and the heavy .375/300gr and 9.3/286gr did not drop the animals any quicker than my friends light weight '06 with 180gr Fail Safes when shot low through the lungs. So, .308, .358 or take some of the proceeds from the sales and purchase a light .270/.30-'06?

yep..

My wife shot her 5x5 last fall with a 7-08 AI at over 300 yds using 140 gr TSX. Lots of folks use the 308 with great results on elk. I think you'd be in great shape using 150 TSX in a 308. Check out the Alliant website - they have a new power pro series of powders and one of them is delivering 30-06 performance.

Do you like the rifles?

Then keep em and hunt with either. If you do not get your elk it should not be your rifles fault.

If you do nnot like the rifles...

In the .308 I would use 165's

In the .358 I would use 200's

I do not concider 200 yards long for either cartridge.

I the timber I would use my Savage 99 in .358.

Last year I had a one shot kill on a cow at 200 yards using a Sierra 165 SBT in my .308 - a pass through both lungs and the heart. It came out the far side.

308 is a great elk rifle. The 150 ttsx has a pretty good bc of 0.42, any advantage of using a higher bullet weight should keep that in mind. I think it is a great match for the 308 or 30-06 unless you are talking really long range. 200 yards is not long range at all, and you should be good with any of your choices, just zero for 200.

Why not use the 6.5s?

Oh, ...I forgot, elk cannot be killed with a 6.5.

.....................You sold out on quite an impressive inventory! But! 10+ lb rifles can get to be a drag during the longer and more physically demanding hunts. My 20" 375 Ruger Alaskan with a 1.5-5x20 VX111 scope weighs in at 8 lbs 12 oz. You didn`t sell a 375 Ruger did you??? Oooooops!.......

308 or 358 for elk? Pick either one! Which one, could be even better determined by which rifle you prefer the best to handle and carry around. Within 200 yards your 358 will certainly do the job on elk as will the 308. Based on your "nice little Hawkeye" remark, you perhaps have a Ruger Frontier compact chambered in a 358 Win? Stainless/target grey? If so, that is one ideal and handy elk rifle for the woods at ranges out to 200 or even 250 yards if necessary when loaded with the right bullet.

Aside from the rifles themselves, either round will work just peachy.

I'd take the larger hole to start with.... 200 yards is still a chip shot for either gun.

Bigsqueeze, actually I've bought and sold Two .375 Rugers the first an African that was supposed to be a Alaskan, made a profit, and the second an Alaskan that a friend wanted more than me. No plans to hunt Africa and moose are fairly delicate, so it was an easy choice to make.

Hmmmm, 6.5x55 with 160gr Woodleigh bullets. That sounds like fun.

If what you have is only .5" long - well go fat and short.

358 win 225 bullets penetrate to beat all heck.

Spot

As rost said, 200 is chip shot for those calibers, but maybe not for the shooter.

I've taken several elk with my 308s and 35 Whelen. Never had a problem with either caliber. And as you said, they died just as well as three shot with a 338WM. So did those shot with 30-06s, 280s, 45-70s,.........

It's not the caliber as much as the shooter.

Two excellent choices. I'd go first w/ the 358 Win with 225 or 250 grain bullets. Know your holdover and all will be fine out to 250 yards.

Either will work just fine.

If it were me I'd load Nosler 225 partitions in the .358 and never look back.
Sight in @ 200 yards and your 10" or 12" low @ 300yds. It's a grand elk killer!

My .358 has taken 5 or 6 elk now and I've yet to recover a Nosler bullet.

I'd pick the .308 as the bullets expand better at long range. I sold my .358 after noting the 308 tended to kill better, especially past 150 yards. I like the 358 Norma though!

Thanks for the input guys, pretty much mirror my thoughts, just wanted to hear from people who have take more Elk than I have. And wouldn't you know it out of the blue I got a great offer to sell my .358 and closed the deal just now.

I must have read too much Elmer growing up, but that's the last of my medium/big bores, better start reading O'Connor now.:)

Gotta love an SD of 0.328!

Ha! Sounds like your prime for a good .270, now!

You can never go wrong with the 30-06. But given the choices, I'd go for the 358 Winchester and heavy (225-250 gr.) bullets.

You can't go wrong with either round.