Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting You have a choice of rifles

This. You’re engaged in mental masturbarion without cause.

They are elk, not Velociraptors.

Dave

And a bunch that wouldn't......

Adams,

Are you one of those "experienced elk hunters that would agree"?

Laughin' here.....................

MM

Hardest part of killing an elk is finding one to kill. I guess if you need to hire someone to find one for you you should heed their priorities... experienced elk hunters don't have to heed their BS though.

Kent

Only one of those I have is the 3006 and it's killed a bunch of elk with the 165 barnes, it was my loaner for family and friends when they drew and I take them out for over 20 years, now it's a 7 08.

Kent

A 30-06
B 300H&H
C 9.3X62
D 375H&H
I do own all of those calibers and hunt elk with them all too, and so I'd vote E.

All of the above.

All work fine.
If you are going to sit and wait, and you don't have to walk at all,take them all and sit with a new one every day until you get the elk you want.

"Let the elk decide"
Eney is the 06. Meenie is the 300. Miney is the 9.3 and Mo is the 375

catch a nagger by his toe is the Creed.....

If he hollers, let him go is the 260

Neither did any of the states.

Interesting thread. I'm a long time supporter of the 30/06,(Otter6),and the 150 grain bullet. Last season's whitetail buck stopped one without an exit of any sort. Kinda shook my faith in the combination. The shot was close,so velocity may have played a part. 18 yards,angled down through the chest cavity. The bullet entered high shoulder on the left,and the jacket was against a broken rib near the tip of the sternum on the right. Granted,the buck dropped so hard it bounced,but what if it had been an elk? No CNS was disturbed. I know,the deer absorbed every ounce of the energy. Perfect performance per se. Yada yada. I'm sure a mono would have exited,but the Ballistic Tip hunting (new construction), didn't. If a four year old eastern whitetail can stop one short of exiting,with a chest cavity shot, Ill pass on the elk. At least with anything short of a mono or bonded offering.

I'm old school enough that I've been heard to say the 06 is best served with 180 grain bullets. The Kimber has a preference for 150 grain bullets though. So,no more Ballistic tips in this rig. I love my otter6 rifles. With the right bullet. I wouldn't use too broad a brush to paint that picture though.

Of those I'd pick the 300 H&H, I've killed all my elk but one with my 300 H&H and I have total faith in it and the model 70 I built around it. A 180 TTSX @3050 has impressed me.

There can be no doubt as to this choice ....it's just a good one.

Here's the real issue.....I know that cow elk aren't especially hard to kill ....shot placement reigns always!!! Having said that, I'd be a lot less concerned if it was like deer hunting.....meaning....local hunts are very good and cost me less than a "C" note. Ek hunts easily cost me twenty times as much.....so I like to plan much more carefully.....hell, I could also use a .264 Magnum or a .270 Winny and even a .25-06 but when you play poker for higher stakes one likes to have a fairly good hand to raise the bidding. Further, the ranch I hunt has a "you draw blood and it's yours" rule....very much like South Africa.....and it's intended to keep hunters from simply blasting away at anything within eyesight. It's simply akin to the rule....two jacks to open and trips to win.

One likes to have much better odds on his side to play this game.....besides that....February was a very harsh month and some of us are still dealing with "cabin fever".....LOL

A friend spent years guiding for elk in Colorado. He never carried anything but a .243 for himself, so there is a wide divergence of guide opinions.


Why not? Many loads are quite capable of humane kills with quartering shots well over 200 yards. I've driven monos lengthwise through deer at 400 yards. No mono I've ever used has been stopped by the animal and I've taken multiple elk with them. The last was 400 yards give or take a couple.



A 150g TTSX launched at 2914fps from a .30-06 will retain 2296fps and a bit over 1756fpe at 400 yards. I wouldn't hesitate to use that load for elk at that range. The 168g TTSX load I do use starts at 2841fps and retains 2240fps and 1871fpe at 400 yards. Not enough difference to worry about. Daughter #1 uses a 130g TTSX in her .308 Win. Launched at 3045fps it retains 2269fps and 1486fpe at 400 yards. I don't doubt it will work. (All numbers assume 8,000 ft altitude and 50 degrees F.)



Quartering to or away it is not a shot I would pass up with any of the loads I've listed. Unless I thought I could get closer.



That is definitely true.

He's sniffed too much H4350...

I enjoyed the exercise! Lots of us older guys have to "dial it back" if we are to continue our participation in the game!

I've used all of these. I'd lean toward the good ol 06 or 300H&H loaded with partitions or Hornady ELDX, or even like Brad and JB said 150 TTSX.....

Which ever gun you like and shoot the best. I'd likely go with the 30-06 as I'm not real fond of recoil and it's plenty to kill any elk I have ever seen.

Anyone who would not take a quartering shot on an elk at 200 yds or any shot at 350 yds with a 30-06 is welcome to hunt with me anytime. I can always use a buddy to help pack out a bull. 😂

A good start would be to find how many people on the Campfire have actually Killed more than a couple elk and with those cartridges.