Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 308 verses the 300 win mag

Excluding my ,22;s which aren't legal here in Colorado, every centerfire rifle in my safes is an "elk rifles" with the right load.

The only difference is what I consider their effective range. While I use 2000fps and 1500fpe as a guideline for retained velocity and energy, that's all it is - a reference point for comparing various loads. Some of my rifle loads don't have 2000fps at the muzzle and my .44 Mag handgun loads are more like 1530fps and 1250fpe at the muzzle.

The real question for me is the maximum range at which the bullet used in a particular load will retain enough velocity and energy to perform as desired - meaning reliable but controlled expansion with good weight retention and penetration even if heavy bone is hit. This obviously depends on bullet construction as well as impact velocity. Ballistic charts won't provide exact details as to how a load will perform in a given situation but, when coupled with knowledge of the specific bullet construction, they can help people make more informed choices and decisions.