Firehawk,
I am in a quandry as to which caliber to buy a rifle in for my 11 year old son. It would be for deer, and he will really want to hunt elk with me. I am thinking .270, or 7mm-08. I do not think it would be a good idea for him to go out into the field during Elk season with a .243. He is a tall and lankey kid, but really strong for his age. Two questions here, one being possibly more rhetorical (sp.). How do you like the 7mm-08? and Why will we send our kids out with a .270 or something similar for elk, and yet we feel we need a "more bigger-better rifle for ourselves"?
Good luck,
5Points
If you know you are going after elk, then a 358 Winchester or 338 Federal would be better choices than the 7-08, and I say that as a 7X57 Mauser fan.
The 308 Winchester would be a better choice than the 7-08 too.
Elk and the related large non-dangerious big game animals Caribou, moose, eland, kudu) respond to the authority of wider, heavier bullets. The 7mm's are marginal for elk, as you already know, that is why you are considering the 325.
My son started shooting my BLR in 358 when he was 13, and used it to good effect, with 225 grain bullets and heavy handloads. It could be loaded down to 35 Remington velocities with 180 grain Nosler Partition handgun bullets for a couple of years too. This would be fine for shooting smaller game animals like deer.
