I don't see why it wouldn't work, as stated in this thread bullet placement and bullet construction is more important that case capacity. I started elk hunting in 1975 with a 270 Win. loaded w/ 150 Gr. NPT and it worked a few times with no issues. My uncle used his 257 Roberts from the late 1950's until around 2000 shooting factory ammo for deer and elk and he only needed a follow up shot once in all those years. If I lived in elk country I'd haul my Tikka T3 Hunter 6.5x55 mm up the mountain loaded w/ 140 Gr. NAB or PT (whichever shot best) and make sure my knives are sharp.
"What's adequate for elk?" threads always remind of something Layne Simpson wrote years ago, and may be his best quote: "If you can shoot, the .270 Winchester's an elk cartridge. If you can't, it isn't."
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Hunt with what you want, but I'd not hunt elk with anything less than a .30 cal of some sort...
I guess you and I belong to the ole fart class, big gun for big critters. I may use my 7RM with 175 NPT's, which it shoots well with its 8 twist Brux.
I like my .300 WM Ed Brown Damara, too.
DF
Originally Posted by Dirtfarmer
Originally Posted by redfoxx
Hunt with what you want, but I'd not hunt elk with anything less than a .30 cal of some sort...
I guess you and I belong to the ole fart class, big gun for big critters. I may use my 7RM with 175 NPT's, which it shoots well with its 8 twist Brux.
I like my .300 WM Ed Brown Damara, too.
DF
I've hunted past 10 years or so with a .338 Win Mag with 225g Accubonds... bang-flop most of the time. I like having some extra horsepower to deal with the realities of hunting situations, like non-perfect shot placement, bone, moving animals, etc. IMHO, it does the job with purpose if I do mine. Like you said, big gun for big critters. But that's just me. And yes, I shoot it very accurately.
Last one I saw killed was with a Partition out of a .338 WM.
The guide likes .375's.
Where I hunt LA WT's, a .223 is an effective round. Other than youngsters, adults are expected to shoot something bigger. And, I do. I have an 8 twist .22-250 that loves 80 gr. bullets. It would be a great WT round.
Hunting public land with lots of pressure it is rare that I get multiple opportunities on elk particularly legal bulls. So I never want to pass up a shot because of a tough angle or a little extra distance or proximity to a private property line. I'm ok shooting them in the neck under about 250 yards but prefer heart / lung shots based on room for error like most hunters. Bigger billets moving fast work a little better at anchoring elk with that target area. I don't want another hunter claiming my animal or a pissing match with a local rancher. I want to get to work with my knife on an elk that never got out of my sight.
Sorry, it's just not enough gun for elk. If your asking the question, you already know the answer. Internet experts can flame away, but you all know it's true. I'd use that round for deer sized game, but not for elk. Sure, you can kill them with that round under perfect conditions, but why knowingly take a knife to a gun fight? I love threads like this, they pop up every Fall.
SBHooper, - you asked why I thought I'd have struggled to make a good long shot with a 30-06.
I guess I could talk about recoil and trajectories, and so on, but the bottom line is confidence. Confidence in a gun that I can shoot inside 1/2 MOA in field conditions, and in a bullet with a Sectional Density comparable to a 190gr .308 bullet.
The mid-sized 6.5s (Creedmoor/Swede/6.5-284/SAUM) give you that, which is why they are such versatile hunting calibres.
At long range, , ranging binoculars, and turrets are more important than headstamps.
Not disagreeing with 6.5. But you should know your range, no matter what caliber. So if other guys were having problems at longer ranges, it may have been because they were not good at longer ranges.
Confidence is actually a very good reason to select a rifle for an elk hunt, if you think you can't miss you probably won't. My magic death ray rifle is a 7mm Remington that has shot several groups you could cover with a dime and killed lots of deer and elk. After 4 years of carrying the 300 Weatherby it is finally starting to have that same feeling.
If your 30-06 or similar good elk cartridge kicks too much for you slap a muzzle brake on it and see what that does for you - I'm a big fan and you can manage the noise or thread on a solid cover if you hate it.. But there really isn't a substitute for confidence gained by practice and experience.
SBHooper, - you asked why I thought I'd have struggled to make a good long shot with a 30-06.
I guess I could talk about recoil and trajectories, and so on, but the bottom line is confidence. Confidence in a gun that I can shoot inside 1/2 MOA in field conditions, and in a bullet with a Sectional Density comparable to a 190gr .308 bullet.
The mid-sized 6.5s (Creedmoor/Swede/6.5-284/SAUM) give you that, which is why they are such versatile hunting calibres.
Makes sense.
You did not "seen" anything, you "saw" it. A "creek" has water in it, a "crick" is what you get in your neck. Liberals with guns are nothing but hypocrites.
Well aside from the legal issues in myhome state.(270 min) the 6.5x55 seems to have served the Scandinavians for years on stag, moose and reindeer so with appropriate bulletsyou s/b fine. My friend uses a 6.5x55 and judging from the penetration and wound channels he has put on deer I don't think an elk would fare to well after a well placed shot. A creedmore is essentially the same .
"Camping places fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember a curve of your wagon track in the grass of the plain like the features of a friend." Isak Dinesen
