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I have my ideas but would like to hear yours.
I have seen fights start over this question in hunting camps but I feel the animal deserves a quick death.
Thanks for your replies

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I watched my friend take three elk with a .270 Winchester before he upgraded to a .300 Winchester. He used a 150gr bullet and the farthest shot was 250m. All the elk died within 30 feet of being shot. I think this is the minimum I would use. If you can shoot it well and know your limitations it will do the job.

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270 win and 150gr partitions is my minimum. I've killed numerous elk with 270, 30-06, 300 wsm and 300 win mag. They all worked.

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.270 Winchester and 130 grain bullets.


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Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard

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Originally Posted by elkhunternm
.270 Winchester and 130 grain bullets.


This. I like Barnes TTSX or Nosler Partitions but if all I had was a green and yellow box the regular stuff I'd still have confidence in it.

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Just shot an elk last week. Savage 7mm with Federal Premium 140gr Partitions at 260 yards. Double lung. Fell straight down.


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Originally Posted by elkhunternm
.270 Winchester and 130 grain bullets.


I agree, but this thread is only a few hours old and the 6.5 Creed crowd hasn't gotten out of bed yet...


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You've got it bad.

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The 243 is the smallest round that I'd feel is ethical, but I'd only go that small if I had no other choice. A 140 gr 6.5mm bullet will do anything a 130-150 gr .270 will do. I have a 6.5 CM, but will be taking a 308 and 30-06 later this month. Both shoot the same bullets equally well. The 308 is lighter, the 30-06 150 fps faster. I'll flip a coin when I get there and decide which will be the primary rifle and which will be the backup.


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Originally Posted by shrapnel
Originally Posted by elkhunternm
.270 Winchester and 130 grain bullets.


I agree, but this thread is only a few hours old and the 6.5 Creed crowd hasn't gotten out of bed yet...


Now that was funny.

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It depends on conditions, age, species, and sex. For a pan-sized Rocky Mountain cow in open country a 6.5 Creed or 7-08 is probably fine. For a trophy Roosevelt's bull in thick timber, the low end is more like a 30-06 with a premium 180-grain bullet.


Okie John


Originally Posted by Brad
If Montana had a standing army, a 270 Win with Federal Blue Box 130's would be the standard issue.
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Oh yes, so exciting. Another elk cartridge and rifle thread. Why don't we just call this the elk rifle room instead of elk hunting?

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I've taken two bulls with a 25-06 and partitions. Know a couple of guys that took an elk with a 243. I'd think a Creedmoor or the like would be about the minimum I'd want to try.


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Originally Posted by Mountain10mm
Oh yes, so exciting. Another elk cartridge and rifle thread. Why don't we just call this the elk rifle room instead of elk hunting?



I’m just all giddy and beside myself!!!!🤪🤪🤪🤪


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Should in their own confines with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."

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There's a reason the legal beagles say 6mm minimum. I carry a 264 and don't feel under gunned at all. I have several rifles that are bigger, heavier, recoil more but don't feel the need to carry them. Each to their own.


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i would say the old 25/35 i know a lot of old timer's used it, and i'm sure the 223 would work. that's the difference between hunting and shooting!

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There are many smaller calibers which will kill an elk. Its all about bullet placement. However, if you've spent all the money and time to go elk hunting and the only shot you have is one that is not ideal because of angle or distance is why I won't elk hunt with anything less than one of the 30 cal magnums.
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Originally Posted by Mountain10mm
Oh yes, so exciting. Another elk cartridge and rifle thread. Why don't we just call this the elk rifle room instead of elk hunting?


Who was it that said "shooting an elk is the easy part, finding it is the hard part?" Some redneck named Floyd R. Turbo IIRC.



A wise man is frequently humbled.

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One of my local friends, a former outfitter who is now semi-retired, has killed a pile of elk with a .22-250, using typical behind-the-shoulder rib shots.

The smallest "caliber" I've seen used on a mature 6-point was the .257 Weatherby Magnum, with Weatherby factory loads using 120-grain Nosler Partition. The bullet exited, and the bull went down quickly after running head-on into a Douglas fir, obviously dead on its feet.


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I shot my first elk with a 243 win with 100 gr Winchester power points, it worked just fine. I wouldn't go elk hunting with a 243, but if I had one in my hand when a shot presented itself I wouldn't hesitate. I would make sure I had a good shot. A couple years ago I killed a cow with a 6.5 140gr partition out of a 256 Newton. The velocity was so close to what I get with the same bullet in my 6.5 CM that the difference in negligible. At the shot the elk ran about 50 yards and stopped where I hit her again. It worked great, but I remember thinking that the results of shooting elk with a 200gr 30 cal partition were a little more dramatic. Bottom line is put a good bullet in the heart/lungs and start looking for the easiest route back to the truck. cool

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