I'm debating buying a 338 ME, but if I don't "have" to spend the money on it, I could buy something else (grin). So is a 30-30 with LEVERevolution ammo enough to kill an Elk HUMANELY at less than 200 yards, or is that going to be too far for a humane kill? I will do it right, but I already have a 30-30

Should do just fine if you pick broad side shots under 200 yards. Good excuse for a 338ME, though.

Sure it will work, been killing elk for over 100 years.

Personally I would buy the 338 though.

I love the 338 ME, but I'm either being cheap, or having thoughts of a different gun added to my safe

I've not shot an elk with anything, so take the following with a grain of salt. Many people will tell you that a .30 WCF is underpowered for elk, but I am not one of them. It has been used with success for 115 years on deer, elk, bear, wolves, coyotes, pigs, outlaws, etc.

Of course, your range and shot angles are limited compared to something larger. If I were hunting elk, I would use a .30-06 or larger (if I had one), but I would not feel under gunned with a .30 WCF and a good load.

In my opinion, it is probably a better choice for the fellow that lives in elk country and can afford to pass up a long shot. If it is a once in a lifetime (or even once in a decade) trip, I would not want to be handicapped by the range limitations. On the other hand, if you WANT to kill one with a .30 WCF, I say go for it. I hunt with handguns and am willing to accept the range limitations. I don't see this as any different, but I concede there are dissenting opinions.

I killed my first elk with a 30wcf a long time ago. Used old flat nosed bullets too. The little rag four never complained....I could have killed most of the elk I have been lucky enough to get easily with the same setup....

No. Get a 325WSM.

How do you know your shots will be under 200yds? Will you really have the discipline to pass on longer shots? If you can't answer both question, then consider other options.

That's something I've thought about, and I'm still thinking that I don't know . I think that, being that I have/had hunted Elk for over 10 years, and never shot one, or even seen one in the woods (my buddy and I never really hunted that hard to find them), that it might be hard to pass up the 300 yard shot, which I would never take with a 30-30. I guess I'll just take it as a backup gun, and go ahead and get the 338 ME that I wanted in the first place. Who know's maybe obama will cut taxes and I could buy two rifles this year, hahahahaha. YEAH RIGHT!

.30-30 is plenty for Elk, as long as you don't push the range. It's a great gun, especially if you hunt the dark "juniper jungle" where the big boys lay up...

Ive shot elk with the .30-30...it works, but it is certainly not my first choice....

Buy the .338me....dat would be more like it!

Ingwe

If you buy the .338MX buy all the brass you can find. Same for the .308MX.

Ingwe

What do you hunt with now? If you currently use a 30-30 and are moving up to a .338 you're in for a big suprise recoil wise and it may negatively effect your shooting accuracy. You may want to consider a .270 or 30-06, a step in the right direction with alot less recoil.

30-30 will kill but I wouldn't pack one while elk hunting that is for sure.

No problemo, my elk hunting days have come and gone...

Ingwe

if i was going to go hunting with my 30-30 i would load the 170gr nosler partition rn

I just started hunting again this year, but used to hunt with a mule kicking 30-06 (hated shooting it). Got rid of that one a couple years ago when I thought that I wouldn't hunt again, but here I am. The 338 ME has the recoil of a 270, about 20 lbs IIRC, and has trajectory and velocity almost identical to the 30-06.

No! Not regularly, confidently, at less than ideal angles, every time, at even less than that range. Treat the animal with respect and kill it humanely. If you can't afford something else be very, very careful; it'll do it of course but it's far from ideal and if you "do it right" like you say, you'll have to pass up many shots and limit yourself.

When folks say it's been killing for decades or something like that, they're right, but I can only imagine how many elk it's been wounding for decades; that's not fault of the cartridge so much as that of the shooter trying to stretch it's capabilities.

If you are not the limiting factor as a rifleman why place limits on yourself voluntarily with a woods, whitetail cartridge and one not overly impressive at that?

I would suggest something at least in the 30-06 class which takes in a handful of cartridges.

If a round ball muzzle loader will kill an elk, well??? Bow hunters need 40-yards or better, so bring on the 200-yards. I would limit it more to around a 100 personally. I love my little 94!

Yup! Use a good 170 gr bullet and pick your shots well. It will do just fine in timber distances. In my elk area that means uder 150 yards if that!

150-170 grain 30 cal bullets don't bounce off elk.

Period.

Having said that you DO need to push them fast enough to do a good job and velocity affects the killing range..

In terms of terminal perfermance, the 30-30 is one of the most perfected big game rounds out in terms of it's bullet performance. Everything is nicely balanced in terms of bullet construction vs velocity for the round to expand and penetrate very well WITHIN IT'S EFFECTIVE RANGE.

A case in point- Every hear of a bullet "blow up" or other failure when fired from a 30-30? MANY wounded animals that arise from the use of a 30-30 have NOITHING to do with the round but to the RIFLES it is used in.

Lever action carbines with course iron sights do not lend themselves well to precise bullet placement past 100 yards under most hunting conditions, even with a fine shot behind the gun.

A decently accurate(2 moa or under) rifle of any style with a good scope aboard in 30-30 can take Elk very cleanly out to 200 yards IF a good bullet is used and IF the shooter does his part by putting the bullet in the right place.

I would use the 170 Nosler Partition round nose slug and push it to at least 2100FPS or more in a hanload or use Federals very fine Premium load with the sames sepcs here-

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=302

At 200 yard it will have just under 1,000 Ft Lbs of evergy on the target WHICH IS ENOUGH for an Elk if a bullet like the Nolser is used to enure BOTH proper expansion/penetration and if it is put in the right place..

The term "undergunned" is a funny thing to me in application since context is crucial.

At one extreme are those of the "it can do the job" pursuasion. There are varying degrees of this of course but the basic premise is that "caliber X" is capable of killing anything that's ever walked "if you do your part" because somebody has done it before. Larry Kelly killed just about everything that walks with a .44 Mag revolver, including elephant. So what are you gonna do, say a .44 revolver can't kill an elephant? Obviously not, but that doesn't mean I consider it something contextually appropriate for that task either.

At the other end are those will will insist that anything less than a .300 magnum is practically inhumane for anything above antelope or, perhaps, smallish whitetail.

So, will a 30-30 kill an elk? Well, of course it will. So will a 25-35. I don't think of either as great elk calibers but it has nothing whatever to do with what they CAN do (which is kill elk severely dead) but what they are very ill suited for, like a 1/4ing shot at 225 yards. If presented the elk (or big deer for that matter) of a lifetime for that shot I don't want to be thinking about what my rifle CAN do. No, you don't need a .378 Wby either but for the shot I've described above I consider the 30-30 pretty darn iffy. (And just to head off another pet peeve of mine that's the best shot you're going to get. None of that "Well, a real hunter would become a wisp of smoke, silently flank the elk using raw masculinity to supress their scent, and take him down with a Vulcan nerve pinch." stuff)

I've got a friend that's never, in his entire life, fired a shot at a deer from over 100yds with the vast majority being 70 or less. That's how he hunts. He's done all of it with 30-30 or .35 lever actions. In the context of how he hunts he simply doesn't need anything else. IF you are content to only be hunting in such a context for elk then you would likely do fine with your 30-30.

I've probably just been very wordy to get to this question. Do you want the shots you can and can't/will and won't to be decided by your ability or your rifle's? I always hunt with way plenty rifle for whatever quarry I'm after under the conditions I'll be hunting. For me and elk that's a .340 Wby. Do I (or anyone) need such a thing to kill an elk? Nah. But there is no situation I will ever find myself while hunting this hemisphere where that caliber doesn't exceed my skill to use it. I like that.

I wish you luck regardless!

On a partcular day when I know I'm going into heavy timber to hunt elk,I would just as soon take my 44 mag carbine as my .06, and do not feel under gunned.I have thumped elk with it and it puts them down right now, Can'r see why a 30-30 would not work either.
ANY firearm has it's limitations, just a any hunter does.

it was a fine elk cartridge in years past, but as hunters have grown smarter, and elk have grown tougher, it has become inadequate. i read where some gunwriter (expert!) said minimum for elk should be a 30-06. go figure!

That's a great post, there.

guyandarifle, When did Larry pass away I just saw him the end of nov the end of hunting season. danny

Y'know, I have no idea where I came across the information but it would appear I may have been misinformed about Mr. Kelly's demise as I have since found nothing else on the subject. Thanks for correcting me and actually I'm glad to hear Larry's still with us.

I would believe that there have been many an elk taken with a 30-30 Winchester or Marlin but neither would be my pick as a go to rifle for hunting elk. The 30-30 is a deer rifle and I'll stick to my guns with that statement. However, you give me an 1895 Marlin in the .444 or a 45/70 lever gun and I'll bring those elk steaks home.

If I had hunted elk to 10 years without success I might well come to the conclusion it didn't matter if i carried a gun at all...

On the other hand, I would be much more likely to decide that any shot I got would be a long one and would equip accordingly. A .30-06 would do nicely.

We'll, when I say I hunted 10 years ago, I SHOULD have said I hiked a short while with a gun, lol. I was very impatient, lazy and young back then, went where I thought the Elk should be, which wasn't far from the road in most cases, and when I didn't see anything in 30 minutes, we'd just go back to camp. Now, I'm a little more patient, plan on doing a LOT of Elk research to find a hunting area that is promising, learn where Elk ARE in that particular tempurature range (50* vs 10*), and scout the area in the summer.

I don't agree that the 30-30 isn't a preferred caliber for deer, but for Elk it's gonna be less than adequate for the long shots that may or may not present themselves. Maybe after I hunt them for years, and know them a bit better and can get in closer, the 30-30 would be a 'challenging' gun to hunt with, after sneaking in for a close humane shot on a big bull

Now I will save my pennies for the gun I want, the 338 Marlin Express (grin). I have to have a lever gun, and don't see any other caliber offered in a traditional looking lever to have the capabilities of that caliber or the 30-06 that is a proven Elk cartridge.

The 338 or 308 Marlin would do just fine, as far as Lever rifles go, doe it have to be a Marlin? You could go with a Browning BlR and have a few more choices in cartridges. As for the 30-30, since you live in elk country, you can take the time to look and look some more and choose a reasonable shot, now what would be reasonable for me may not be reasonable to you or the other way around. I would hunt elk with a 30-30 if that is all I have or could afford. Any rifle is better than no rifle at all. Maybe money would be better spent on a pair of Bino's.

I have a Browning Lightning in my safe right now that my friend let me borrow, but I just can't get into the look of the gun. It just isn't traditional looking, and that's why I like the Marlin's. They still look like the old saddle guns

First lets get a few things out in the open here. The 30-30 that killed elk in the past most likely was a 24-26 inch barreled one as that was popular barrel length when they first came out. the 20 inch barreled 30-30 is a very good deer rifle and I will not argue that. I would use a 180 grain lead wfn bullet and yes I do have that mold 311041.
Second I would rather hunt with my .375 winchester with its 26 inch barrel and 268 grain lead bullet. Another choice would be my 45-70 with 425 lead bullet.
In case you have missed it I don't shoot long range anymore so all my choices will work for me YMMV.
Third you have to know your firearm and its limits and then everything else just falls into place.
Fourth when I lived back east and always hunted with my 24 inch barreled 30-30 I ran into more people with 375,378 and larger wetherby mags that could not hit the board side of a large barn at 100 yards so what good was the magnum, absolutely none.
Never buy a firearm you can't handle. I don't have any magnum rifles because I can't shoot them well enough for my standards. I see nothing wrong with magnums if you can shoot them but so far haven't found the need in my hunting for one.
Fifth if I wanted another type of rifle instead of a lever I would use my 270 with 160 grain nosler or my 30-06 with again a nosler bullet only 180 grains.
Sixth I just don't believe that Elk are any tougher skinned now then they were 100 years ago. I do think they have gotten smarter at hiding from man/woman hunter and the hunter has to work harder now but that isn't the question of this thread.
As has been said if money is tight and you have only a 30-30 and it has a 20 inch barrel then shots should be limited to around 150 yards or less to ensure a good hit. I just don't get the excitement of tracking a wounded animal for who knows how long with the possibility that someone else will get to it first.
Seventh do I think the 30-30 is a good first choice if I have money to buy a another rifle, nope but it will get the job done if necessary. I like bigger holes so if you match the bullet to the caliber to the game to the range you can have fun.
I would like to hunt elk with a muzzle loader one day and that is slower than the 30-30 but elk fall to them every year. So in ending this get the rifle that you can handle well, shot the heck out of it so know how it shoots and the range it works best at and then go hunt elk. Caliber should be at least .277 diameter and 150 grains from my chair and all the reports of what has killed elk.

the 30-30 is fine for elk, when you get into close quarters in the dark timber a 30-30 will really shine. my old man killed more elk with his 336c 30-30 with a 150gr sierra flat nose than any other rifle. placement and being close enough are obviously important to the success.

I never buy factory ammo so I don't know about those leverevolution loads. I load my own so when I think 30-30, I automatically reach for the box of 170gr Partitions. Can't see why they would not work very well on any Elk....

CLB

Yes it will cleanly take elk and do it a dang bit further in distance than those that have never used it on anything let alone killed an elk seem to think.That lil pipsquek cartridge was almost single handedly responsible for nearly instant obsolecence of a whole host good levergun cartridges.
If a levergun is what you think you need and you don't have the confidence in a 30-30 take a look at a Browning blr in 308.
Neighbor kid shot this one a couple 3 years ago with his 30-30, the range was far enough out to make the uncleansed have a sever case of the vapors.

Lets be precice i these matters -

the .30-30 WCF does not kill anything nor any other cartridge.
Their projectiles do.

Aside from that, talk about a loaded question:

.30-30 WCF

Variables:

Available projectiles:

150 gr. FN C&C
170 gr. FN C&C
150 gr. TSX FN
170 gr. Nosler Partition FN
Hard Casts

Available launchers:

Variable: barrel length (specifiy)

Variable: Game animal

Spike, Cow, Calf, Herd bull

Variable: Animal Condition

Weight, State of Agitation

Variable: Shot Placement

Broadside lung, shoulder, paunch...

Just from the top of my head - that list of variables should make it clear that many more things need considering than cartridge choice - which, cutting through the chase, only governs projectile diameter and obtainable velocity.

Rant off.

I hear you on The BLR, I had one in 358 Winchester, I could never warm up to that ugly looking gold trigger. Now if it was just Matte Blued and a steel trigger blued or not well then it would have been a different story. I don't know why browning dose that. They do. So I don't currently own a browning rifle.

Here's my .02, the 30-30 is more than adequate, no disclaimer required. As to the question, I would go for the 338MX, just because. Who couldnt love a Lever in 338?

On a side note, I think the best expanding bullet for the 30-30 and its velocity is the power jacket by Sierra. A perfect match for this caliber combo.

Yet to try the Hornady Leverevo.

Joseph

Will the 30-30 kill elk?

Yep.

Probably only been about several MILLION elk and moose killed with 30-30's in the past 115 years.

nice bull!

My first deer, elk, and antelope were killed with a 30-30 using either a Speer RN, or Hornday FN 150 gr bullets sitting on top of 30 grs of IMR 3031 powder, from a Marlin 336. The elk was the only DRT of the bunch. Buck fever was the biggest problem with taking the deer and the antelope, not the 30-30, or the bullets.

You might have to be a little bit better hunter to get in the 200 yd range, but that is what hunting is about. Besides my guess is that 80 percent of all elk are killed at less than 200 yds anyway.

But don't let that stop you from buying another rifle if you can afford it.

I can't see why someone thinks that a hunter cannot limit his shots with a 30-30 to 200 yards or less. It is no different than saying a hunter with an 06 cannot limit his shots to 400yards or someone can't limit his shots with a 300 mag to 800yards. Sooner or later every hunter has his/her limitations and has to let an elk walk.
In addition,you don't need a partition or a TSX. Just a plain jane 170 gr C&C . They go together with a 30-30 like peanut butter and jelly.
If all I had was a 30-30, I could go out and still kill and elk every year.

Perhaps someone can remember the author and title of a nice book on elk hunting written by a guide some years ago. He hunted elk pretty much exclusively with the same 30-30 that his dad had hunted elk with and his son shot his first elk with that rifle as well.

That .30-30 did just fine on countless animals and is probably still killing them today. I see no problem with using on, irons and all out to 200 or even a bit beyond.

Wish I could remember the author.

Brent

I've been killing elk with a 30-30 for too many years to say it won't work. However, I do set my own rules.

Never over 150 yds. (less than 100yds is better)

Partition bullets.

Nothing but double lung shots.


I don't like to see scopes on 30-30 lever guns. I think it leads to shots taken that are too far for the round.

My .02

Probably not you should at least have a .32 Winchester Special.

I like the .30-30. For elk, I'd load it with the 170 Nosler partition and hold it to about 75 yards max.

Tom

Why?

Elk, it's what's for supper!

Many have had questionable shoots from 30-30's on deer that failed to do enough damage. It's marginal velocity for complete expansion.

Elk, to me, have a certain dignity, the hunt is important. There are enough things we can not control, why add another factor?

Sure there is a novelty to it, the nostalgia alone is a factor. What did John Plot use to shoot that Black Canyon monster with?

Picking up most any second hand safe-queen or fixer-r-upper rifle in a more can-do caliber is a small percentage of the cost to hunt. I would rather eat the elk myself then take a chance at feeding scavengers.

My $0.02 cents worth.

Met a fellow by the name of Anderson ( I think it was) up in the SE corner pf the Flat Tops years ago. He carried an old 94 in his scabbard that had no bluing on it and pretty darn near no finish on the wood.He invited me to stop at his place up on Derby Mesa one day.He had a pile of elk antlers, most of them big mature bulls, and a bunch tacked up on about every out building he had.I guarantee there were more than 3 dozen there. I asked him what he used and he pulled out that old 30-30.

This was back in the days (70's) before Winterhawk got into the area and the fires hit up there.Pretty much convinced me that the 30-30 was an elk killing cartridge.

Yep. The Ultra Maggers are probably more apt to try some stupid shot than your average guy that hunts with a 30-30 these days.

Looks like it...



[b][color:#3333FF]Bonner resident Clarence Nelson has a photograph[/color][/b] taken with an elk he shot in 1946. Nelson has the animal loaded onto a vehicle homemade from what had been a Model T. The rifle is an octagon barreled 30-30.





[b][color:#3333FF]Link....![/color][/b]

Most of the factory fodder made for the 30-30 is pretty anemic today because of the age and condition of a lot of older rifles. Same with the 45-70 and other old rounds. Handloading for the 30-30 can achieve some very respectable results.

After 10 years of unsuccessful hunts, I wouldn't be saving for a rifle, I'd be saving for a guided hunt.

Not a bad idea!

The Hornady Leverevolution is pretty warm, but I don't like the bullet.

Yes.

Probably been millions of elk and deer killed with rocks and spears but not my weapon of choice.
I would hate to count the years that I would not have filled an elk tag if I had been carrying a 30-30 or equivelant. There is a reason why the 06 is reputed to be the most popular elk round today.

I would venture to say that at least 75% or more of the elk I have killed could have been just as easily taken with a 30-30.
The fact is about 25% of them have been taken with a 30-30,44 mag carbine or a 50 cal ML.

I think the harvest figures for PA are about 600000 deer killed each year.The firearm of choice for at least 1/2 the hunters is still the Model 94 Win br Marlin 336 in 30-30. I don't have have figures to back thatu p, but you sure see a lot of them

I've killed more elk with the 30-30 than 30-06, 25-06 and 7mm rem mag.

the bull in my avatar I took with a 30-30, I too set my range at 150 yards, had a big 7x7 at 200 broad side, and although I knew I could hit him, I stuck to my limit and let him walk, its only antlers. 2 weeks later I took the 5x6 in the picture with me. he never took a step. and I did it with el cheapo factory ammo (before I reloaded). it will kill em dead, just limit your range and you'll be good to go.

Excellent post, and well written. The .30 WCF is enough gun to hunt elk with. 170 grain Partitions would probably get the first look from me, but the 150 grain Barnes is supposed to be a mean penetrator too.

An earlier poster mentioned that elk are regularly taken with archery equipment. Absolutely true, and in my mind it speaks to the conditions that the archer has to conceed to be successful. Distance to game is the big one. Close the distance and shoot for the important stuff. No different for hunting with a .30-30.

Do that, and you better have a sharp knife handy.

Guys like to bring up bow hunting when the talk turns to so called underguned calibers.

Arrows kill differently than bullets. An arrow cuts through the vitals, and the animal bleeds out. You only need enough energy to penetrate through the animal. That really isn't that much.

That IMO is the way you're suppose to hunt!! It's called responsable hunting. It's the way i was taught to hunt.None of the non-sense raking shots,if you didn't have a clean shot at the vitals you didn't pull the trigger,if the animal was farther than you shooting capabilities you didn't pull the trigger.

Magnums don't compansate for poor markmanship or sub-par hunting skills!!

Yup! I've been preaching that all my life, but it falls to deaf ears.

Wayne Van Zwoll kilt a bull with a thuddy-thuddy....

New fangled hornady lever revolution factory ammo to boot.

Every year people young or old pile up elk with the ol' 30-30 around these parts, Factory or supped up handloads.

It worked for gramps just fine, someday I might just give the thuddy-thuddy a shake. 30-30 has just got better since 1894 bullet, rifle, heck everything wize.

I dont grab it every time I go elk hunting but kinda hooked on how my 1895 marlin 45-70 works on elk. Same as the 30-30 though, range is limiting factor.

Hell, I feel I have an unfair advantage with a 30-30 after hunting with a traditional muzzleloader and a round ball.

Now I feel kind of silly with a .270. Way more gun than needed, but i'll still use my own rules of close shots, and square in the lungs.

My Savage .30-30 over 12 gauge shoots 165 grain Sierra HPBT as accurately as many of my bolt actions - AND kills big white tailed deer where they stand. I just may give the Savage a try out on this year's elk. Mighty handy having a grouse gun and a rifle on tyhe same hunt.

Terry

Well, I don't think much else needs to be said that hasn't already been talked about.

Can it be done? Yes, without question!

Is it "trick shooting"? Nope! No more so than everyone that is effectively killing deer with .22 caliber bullets.

Know your limits, stay within range and pick your shot! Dead elk...

I killed my first elk with a Winchester 94 in 30-30, killed my first bull with that same rifle...

Todd

ive got a 1908 model 94 thats been in the family since new.all of us boys used it for elk and i still take it for my backup rifle.in 2000 i used my 22-250 to drop a 4 point bull.i head shot it,to answer your question yes the 30-30 is fine as long as you know your and the rifles limitations.i hope to see some pics this next season from ya

Where did you shoot that elk?

I haven't shot an Elk with it yet but my 338mx is very accurate with Leverolution ammo. With that said, I see a 45/70 in my future just because.

You should have no problem killing an elk with the .338. You'll have a lot more range than a 30-30.

The stories of the Elk that folks kilt with their 30-30's are awesome! Anybody got any stories of the ones that got away?

It wouldn't be my 1st choice, or my 2nd, or even my 3rd. But if it's all I had, I would go kill Elk.

Sure is a lot better choices though.

Everyone knows a .308 bullet will not kill Elk...I'm not understanding this at all.

My Gawd!!!!!You have to have a 6.5 not a 308...

Duhhhhh.

Jayco

Awesome post!!!

I'm proud to say I killed my first 5 bucks and my first two bull elk with a 30-30. Killed one bull at 150yds(4x4) and my second bull at 75yds(2x3)..

7 critters in my first 5 seasons. Pretty fair start for Wa. Decieded I need more range so I spent the next 18-20 seasons with a 30-06. Killed at least a deer in each of the next 18-20 seasons and only two of which were shot at over 150yds. Go figure. I think 150yds is a good max for elk with a 30-30. But would go 200 if the elk provided the perfect stance. 170gr cheapo factory ammo worked fine.

275 Yards with a muzzle velocity of 1650 fps.....



No your weapon!!!!

Jayco

The guy in camo looks photo shopped.

Tony Makris and guide.


Jayco

can't see the rifle very well, what is it and what bullet used?

I agree completely. The correlation for me is recognizing effective range.

5 deer and 2 elk in 5 seasons, and you thought you needed more gun? You just needed to keep doing what you were doing and get even better at it.

Good rifles are so cheap these days, why in the hell wouldn't someone just remove all doubt and get a rifle for the task. Hell, sell it after the hunt and be out what, maybe $100? Too easy. You'll likely feel like a dumbass if your only shot is 50 yards past your self-imposed limit of 150 yards when you could have easily grabbed a marlin or savage in '06 for less than the price of the tag you're trying to fill.

So what happens if you get that .06 and your limit is 300yards and bull walks out at 350 or you get that 300 mag and your limit is 800 yards and the bull walks out at 800 yards. Same differnce. Everyone that hunts elk has some limit they set to either pass on a shot or take.Doesn't make a differnce if it is with a bow, a muzzle loader, a 30-30 or a 8mm super magnum.
Of course there are always those idiots that will bang away at anything with no regards as to what they are shooting.

+1

I had that exact thing happen when I was elk hunting, biggest bull I've seen while hunting. I didn't feel like a dumbass at all. why would I? I gave him the respect he deserved, he got lucky that day. if nothing else, it made me smile and try harder the next time. I guess I don't get bent out of shape for a critter like some guys do.

+1000 colorado1135

That just cracks me up..

Just say 'know' to Drugs!

I wanted to say something so bad, but I let it slide. I did laugh out loud the first time though

Jayco

Always interesting to see what happens when somebody opens up a thread that went silent 3 years ago.
The OP doesn't appear to have been on the board for 2 years, sorta wonder what he ended up doing......

Especially when the guy who reopened it had nothing to say.

A woman just killed an elk at 866 yards with a .243 was that a nono.(one shot dropped it)

For Joe Average...........YES!

Quit dogging my technique. It has worked flawlessly so far!

WOW.I just noticed that after you mentioned it. Don't I feel stupid!!!Kinda like arguing with myself.
Nice to know that nothing much has changed on here.

Hmmm....your right! Somebody needs to start a bash Fotis thread for kicking sleeping dogs.

Saddlesore I'm real proud that you hadn't changed your opinion any.

If its all you have, and you have an opportunity to go, then take it. I strongly suspect that people who are fortunate enough to live in a state that has over the counter tags would consider that chambering to be a back up, when you live for that week in the fall that you have been waiting for all year....
Lets see what the "regulars" use in the "Colorado/Wyoming elk camp battery" have to say ( will be posted in about 3 minutes)

The Question wasen't about Joe average , the question was would a 30-30 be enough for an elk. and yes it is.IMO.

Huh? I don't see anything about a 30-30 in the question I answered.

Been there myself. After a while I learned the #1 rule of elk hunting -- hunt where the elk are...

Amen to that! I could carry a 22LR for Elk hunting... every time I go, I see Elk while it is deer season... come Elk season, which is in the middle of deer season, suddenly the Elk just seem to disappear...

only elk I see during elk season, is in the back of someone else's pickup as they pass me on the freeway..

Easy cure. Hunt deer and elk at the same time.

AWELL Man yes awoll there just sorry I tried to se the end But I gotta poop.

Huh ?

Mauser Hunter,

Your description of how an arrow kills is accurate. Now please tell me how it differs from the way bullets kill.

.............Never have hunted elk with a 30-30. But am familar with the L/Revolution #s.

Within 200 yds, a well placed shot and the use of the L/Revolution ammo, you`ll be ok.

If you go too much beyond that range, then the 338 ME really becomes a VERY attractive choice in a lever.

Short range or out to 200 yards, if I were you and "preferred" a lever, I`d find a way to get a 338 ME in the future.

I don't think the Marlin 338 is even in the new catalog as well as a couple others.

If it were I,I would get the 45-70 and never look back..This data is from pressure checked data not exceeding 40,000 PSI with a 300 grain Nosler Partition.

Tell me this isn't a 300 yard Elk killer.



Jayco

Boy, that's faster that I could ever get that bullet to go, by a bunch, in my Guide Gun.

That said- yeah, a 45/70 is a cool elk gun in the right terrain.

Here's mine, hunting elk:

That data is with RL-10X in Starline brass...Not exceeding 40,000 PSI....

Jayco

..........Sure! The 45-70 is quite an elk killer within 300 yards. But in more open country should a 350-400 yard or longer shot be nearly a last or last option, I`ll take the 338 ME`s extra range versatility and flatter trajectories over a 45-70. And should any shot be fired from either within 300 yards on a bull and given the same placement, the outcome will be the same anyway.

If there are no new listings for them, I`m sure there are a few NIB 338 MEs out there, as well as some used ones for sale.

We should all buy guns or calibers that have been discontinued!

Makes sense to me.

Jayco

Guns that have been discontinued don't bother me.

Buying one chambered for a discontinued cartridge is another matter. Would only do so if I could acquire a lifetime supply of brass, too.

A Marlin .338 would be a nice complement to my .30-30, .375 and .45-70 Marlins. Doubt I'll ever find one at a price I'm willing to pay, though, kind of like a .356 Win.

As long as the brass is there and available for reloading and in doing some planning ahead of time, discontinued rounds can still be used many years down the road.

Just because Marlin may no longer chamber the 338ME, does not mean that Hornady is going to shut off the factory ammo or brass spicket, and not supply 338 ME components to all current 338 ME owners.

Two separate companies.