Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk/varmint rifle??

If your buddy was an avid reloader I'd say the .280AI is tailor made for such an application. Since he's not, I'd vote for the 7mm Remington/Weatherby or if he prefers a SA the 7Shamu/Whizzum.

Other good ones would be a .270, .280, or the venerable .30/06.

HBB

Hope all is well in your camp Bob!

I've been a long time nut case about hunting yotes, and have generally done allright with it.

My first thought would be use the 338 with some 180 and or 200 NBT's. I've done my share of yoten with my 340 and these 2 slugs.

Second thought would be to get a 25/06, plenty of very good ammo around for it.

If he didn't mind loading, and or having his bud load for it I am big time into the 6/06 mode. Years long back when I decided to get big into yotes I built a big 6 and have never regretted it. However I do enjoy the loading and I do enjoy doing things a bit different than the rest of the folk hence why I like the "catz".

If one has any intention of being fur friendly during the fur months then the 6/06 is a bit better than the 25/06 due to the 55 NBT.

However the 25/06 is pretty much the same and a whole lot easier to go get ammo for.

Lastly the 270 and or 7 RM would also make for one super rig as well.

Just a thought or two, let us know when you're gonna get back to this area.

Mark D

One man, one gun, for all and IMO, a 338 or a 300 win. mag. The later will push a 180 grain pill at 3000' and so will the former. A varmit doesn't know the difference b/t getting killed at 2700 fps or 3400....nor does any other animal !

THE ONE GUN GUY LEARNS HOW HIS RIFLE SHOOTS AT ALL DISTANCES WITH ONE PILL si. DON'T EVER BET AGAINST HIM !! That breed is a lost breed because we have 'disposable income'......thank God. Often I've thought how unnecessary it REALLY is today to have so many guns. I can't believe I said that.

"THE ONE GUN GUY LEARNS HOW HIS RIFLE SHOOTS AT ALL DISTANCES WITH ONE PILL si. DON'T EVER BET AGAINST HIM !! That breed is a lost breed because we have 'disposable income'......thank God. Often I've thought how unnecessary it REALLY is today to have so many guns. I can't believe I said that. "



You know, I bought into this thinking for a number of years and then I came to the realization that ....

"Beware of the multi-gun man who can shoot multiple bullets just as good as the one gun/bullet guy.

A new breed and better.


Makes for a whole lot more fun and versitility.

Huh???? Caliber has nothing to do with it; it depends on bullet construction and speed. A fast 25 will make a hell of a bigger mess of the pelt (on a yote) than a 338 win mag for example. On a yote you will have a .338 sized hole going in and a .338 sized hole going out if you are using hunting bullets, whereas with a 25-06 shooting BTs, for example, you will have a 25 caliber hole going in a fist sized hole going out.

I shot a pile of roe deer (about the size of a yote) in Scotland using 338-06, 222 and 243 and guess which one did the least amount of pelt damage������the 338-06. The triple duce and the 243 put baseball sized holes in em. Not sure I agree with your comment that anything bigger than 25 is worthless if you want to keep the pelt.

Minimal pelt damge with the bigger guns is going to entirely depend on fairly lucky hits .

Shot my first yote with a 7 mag and 120 gr hollowpoints. Hit him square in the fanny and you would have had to part hairs to figure out what did him in..........yet I'm bettin a broadside shot with that load would tear up things for sure...

Your last two sentences says it all!!!

The reason you had no pelt damage with your 7mm mag and 120 grain hollow points is because the bullet entered and completely disintegrated inside the animal because it was a lengthwise hit. Had you hit it broadside, as you say, you probably would have blown him in half.

My experience with small thinned skinned game is that larger guns using hunting projectiles tend to barely even open up on say a coyote. Therefore, they don�t make much of a mess of the animal and the pelt because you don�t get the violent expansion you see with fragile high-speed projectiles. A .257 Roy shooting a BT will make a hell of a bigger mess than a 338 shooting a 225 partition on a coyote. Like I said, when I shot roe deer with a 338-06 I got a 338 sized hole exiting every time. With the triple duce and 243 I had massive exit wounds and big flowering entrance wounds.

The original comment was that anything larger than a 25 caliber is all but worthless on a coyote if you want to save the pelt. I say that is total crap. I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that a 375 H&H shooting 270 grain partitions will put a perfect 375 diameter hole in a coyote, whereas a 257 Weatherby with a hollow point or a BT will turn a Coyote inside out. Hell, I�ve shot coyotes with a 30-06 with 180 and I have shot em with my 220 swift and I can tell you which one does less pelt damage��the 30-06 with 180 partitions�..all day long

Your last two sentences says it all!!!

The reason you had no pelt damage with your 7mm mag and 120 grain hollow points is because the bullet entered and completely disintegrated inside the animal because it was a lengthwise hit. Had you hit it broadside, as you say, you probably would have blown him in half.

My experience with small thinned skinned game is that larger guns using hunting projectiles tend to barely even open up on say a coyote. Therefore, they don�t make much of a mess of the animal and the pelt because you don�t get the violent expansion you see with fragile high-speed projectiles. A .257 Roy shooting a BT will make a hell of a bigger mess than a 338 shooting a 225 partition on a coyote. Like I said, when I shot roe deer with a 338-06 I got a 338 sized hole exiting every time. With the triple duce and 243 I had massive exit wounds and big flowering entrance wounds.

The original comment was that anything larger than a 25 caliber is all but worthless on a coyote if you want to save the pelt. I say that is total crap. I would be willing to bet dollars to donuts that a 375 H&H shooting 270 grain partitions will put a perfect 375 diameter hole in a coyote, whereas a 257 Weatherby with a hollow point or a BT will turn a Coyote inside out. Hell, I�ve shot coyotes with a 30-06 with 180 and I have shot em with my 220 swift and I can tell you which one does less pelt damage��the 30-06 with 180 partitions�..all day long

308 Win.

BMT

Personally, I'd be cautious about depending upon others to reload for me. Maybe a next door neighbor or something, but depending upon the proximity, personalities, schedules, etc, I wouldn't want my ammo supply to depend upon somene elses convenience.

When I was in my late teens and learning about guns and shooting (among other things) my mentor lived about 2 miles away. His work schedule, family commitments, my schedules etc were difficult to mesh. As a result, when I decided to go shooting on a whim and he wasn't going, it was sometimes difficult to hook up and do up some loads.

So, while many good cartridge and bullet suggestions have been made, a reloading only proposition may not be completely practical for the guy. I'd suggest either 25-06 or 270 and probably lean tward the 270 due to availability.

Bob--
I thought you were joking when you started this thread (kind of like asking for a dove&goose load). But, given that you are not, I would have to join the 25-06 crowd. The round is readily available in many stores, with a 100 gr bullet it will be serious long range coyote death, and with a premium 120 gr bullet it will suffice as a backup elk rig.

I'm in the 270 crowd. 140TSX leaves a quarter-to-fifty cent piece sized exit wound inside of 200yds, and less further out. That's catching spine and/or front shoulders.

Can you shoot something at 700 yards, and try to be fur friendly? I would pick the best gun for elk hunting, in my case .300 win mag, and load it up with 165, or 180 grain pills, and see what happens.

None of the sub-30s are suitable for elk. The .308 is about the only choice.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Your joking right?

Really?

"None of the sub-30s are suitable for elk. The .308 is about the only choice."

Spoken by someone who has never killed one let alone even hunted one.

Didn't we just go thru this with you, swamper? You gotta get out more. Go elk hunting once........

Glad I was told that. I was just about to retire the .338 for a 7mm08. Aw, what the heck, I am going to see just what a Kimber Montana in 7mm08 can to do a bull elks shoulders.

I sure am glad to learn that. Was just about ready to retire the .338 for a Kimber 7mm08. What the heck, I want to know what that Kimber will do to a bulls shoulder...