I'm a big fan of and have killed most of my elk with .30 caliber rifles, but....
Quite a few years ago I was on my first DIY, solo Bighorn sheep hunt in one of Montana's Unlimited tag sheep units in the Absaroka Wilderness. By the 3rd morning I hadn't seen a single sheep and shortly after I left my tent I heard an elk bugle not very far from me. The early elk season was open there in the Wilderness and I had my elk tag in my pocket, so I just sat down and waited.
He was walking in my direction through the open lodgepole timber, occasionally stopping and bugling. When I first saw the ivory tips of his dark 6x6 antlers I knew that my sheep hunt was over. He stopped to bugle broadside, about 75 yards from me, and I put a 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet from my .257 Ackley just behind his right shoulder. He simply collapsed, dead, where he was standing.
He turned out to be my 2nd best 6x6 bull, and I enjoy seeing his shoulder mount on my Trophy Room wall every day.
I have complete faith in that rifle and cartridge, but it is not the first rifle that I grab when I go elk hunting.
I also had friends that would kill their elk every year with their .22-250s, but everything has to be perfect for that caliber.
Proper bullet placement is by far, more important than the caliber of the bullet.
Last edited by buffybr; 08/05/23.
