Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best Elk Cartridge in the World??

ever heard of duct tape?? a couple quick pieces when your foot developed a hot spot and that would never happen. duct tape is always in my pack. I recommend the gorilla brand, in a pinch even some petroleum jelly has saved me just long enough to get back to camp.

Yep, that's the trip that put it in my pack.

I can't really say it's the best elk cartridge/rifle in the world, but, if I won the hunt JB referenced in his initial post, I'd take my Win 70 SS Classic 300Win mag. I've got it sorted out pretty good to 700yds with 200gn TSX's. It's topped with a 4.5-14x40 Leupold with their custom LR reticle calibrated to my load, I can dial it to 700 and be confident. It's bedded into a supergrade pattern McMillan.

As a backup I'd take essentially the same rifle that shoots the same ammo bedded into a Fwt pattern McMillan topped with a 4.5-14x40 W/M-1 elevation turret. The bbl was cut back to 23" to remove the B.O.S.S..

These might not be the "BEST" but I know both work well for me.

My rem 700 in 8mm rem mag hard to find a better elk catrridge.

I would take my remington xcr ii 300 ultra mag with 180 grain level 2's that way I know at both short and long distance there is gonna be a trophy on my wall..

Lil John

Talk about stirring the pot!

Jayco

It's not the .223?

Have we been lied to?

If I had to choose from my current battery, I would take my 7mmRM with 150 TTSXs and a .30-06 with 180 TTSX's as back up.

If I were to buy a new gun for such a hunt I would buy a .338 Win and shoot 225 TTSX's. Or I would sell my 7mm and buy a .300 Win and shoot the 180 or 200 TTSX.

.300 Win and .338 Win best Elk cartriges in the world (Tie!)

I have used a bunch of them
This year the 340 Bee is getting the nod.

I'd take what I own now, and sure as hell would not run out and buy the theoretical "biggest and best".I would stick with what I know works,and what I can shoot well.

I would use the same 300 Win mag that I have been using since 1970. My post 64 Model 70 with my 2.5 X 8 Leupold, chet brown stock and a couple of new bluing jobs and stocks over that time. It will still put 3 under a dime at 100 yards and loves to hunt elk.

375 H&H!!

Sh*t, I thought logchucker settled this last week with a 223 and one of them 90 rd mags to feed his tri burst activator he is gonna install on it. Then tell all of us not to go elk hunting if we can't shoot an elk rifle. Leastways until he had to put up or shut up to an 11 year old? I must have missed something over last weekend? Magnum Man

I'm astounded at how few times the .338 win mag was mentioned. When it comes to elk hunting and all the variables elk present, it is difficult to find a better all around caliber.

I've become very fond of my Marlin 338MX. After years of toting a Tikka in 300 WSM, the 338MX does it all for me in terms of lightweight, fast handling, low recoil, accurate, while still delivering plenty of umph down range out to, and even slightly beyond, 400 meters. I gotta get another Montana sling for her since I robbed hers to put on a 1894 44 Mag I went pig hunting with last month - and I am about to mount a Leupy Scout 2.5 on her because my eyes are not as good with open sights as they were when I was younger .... but boy oh boy does this gal deliver. I've been very very happy with the Leverevolution/Hornady cartridge and the platform.

For a dream elk hunt I would have a 340 wby build on a Sako action, 25" barrel, McMillan Sako hunter stock, 225 ttsx and a zeiss 3-9.

Yes, it is hard to find a better round for normal folks to use. I find the elk give more visual indication when hit than with an '06. They don't seem to die any faster though. I use a .338 more than anything else for elk. It weighs right at 8.5 lbs and isn't bad at all.

There sure are a lot of other good choices though which makes me hesitate to call anything "worlds best".

As to all around. I shot a few deer with it until I hit a bone. Back to the '06 I went. I have some .338 180 gr BT's loaded to about 2730 to use in the .338 next time.

dont know if its the best but my best gun for elk is my ol savage 111 lrh 300 win mag with 180 gr ttsx ill take any angle of shot within 250 yards with this combination. Do to my bull this year i shot faceing fully twords me. shot in the chest and acctually an inch away from his A$$ hole =0 at 50 yards though.

As always, �best� is relative and an individual choice. Some folks would do very well with a .338 RUM or Lapua, others would do much better with a .300WM, many would do best with smaller.

I�d be very comfortable taking my 7mm RM and 160g bullets on such a trip but I might top it with new turreted glass.

For the hunt that John described, I would use one of my .338 Win Mags--probably the No. 1-S. For the kind of hunting that I actually get to do, I still like my 9.3s.