A bunch, over a dozen easy, 50 and 54 cal muskets, few different bows.
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
3 Cows 30-06 & 180 Hornady Light Magnum ammo (135 steps) ( 1st shot broke spine/wadded up in vertebrae. 2nd shot fragmented against for rib cage. Exactly opposite of what I thought it would do. .375 H&H 300 Sierra GK 200yds ( made a 5" exit hole through ribs, appeared too soft) .338 Win Mag Barnes 185 XLC 250yds ( perfect 2 inch hole all the way through ribs/heart/lungs.)
Just one rifle. Had it almost 30 years. Husqvarna commercial '98 action barreled in 35 Whelen AI by the late John Pell. Here's last year's bull and the rifle.
There is a whole lot of experience represented on this thread, and I am humbled by it. I have to say I was surprised by the .22 Hornet, .223, .220 swift, 22-250, et. al. But I don't know the circumstances of those shots at all - they could have been 10 yard brain shots on cows for all I know. I think it is important to note that the title of this thread is "How many different rifles have youkilled elk with?" If the title was "How many different rifles have you shot elk with?" (not necessarily recovered) we might see even more of the little stuff. I am reminded of something one of my mentors showed me several decades ago. He handed me a perfectly mushroomed 6mm bullet - it could have been a picture in an ad. He said "I found this overgrown in cartilage in the heart muscle wall of a perfectly healthy 6x6 bull I killed with a .375H&H. Looked like it had been there for years." I do think it's important to remember that these are just really BIG critters and we owe it to them not to go too light in the caliber selection. Just my two cents - not trying to tell anyone how to do their hunting. Cheers, Rex
Here in Alberta we have a minimum caliber of 6mm/.243 allowed on big game. And well I love my 243 & 6mm’s I wouldn’t necessarily use them for elk, unless it were under certain parameters. I have loaded for and help kids and one buddys wife take moose with 243win . Without incident in 3 cases, moose are softer animal it seems and we can usually close the distance to under 75-50 yrds most times without much trouble. For me I believe in using good bullets if going light caliber and does make up a bit for being under gunned.
Don’t sweat the petty stuff, don’t pet the sweaty stuff.
Here in Alberta we have a minimum caliber of 6mm/.243 allowed on big game. And well I love my 243 & 6mm’s I wouldn’t necessarily use them for elk, unless it were under certain parameters. I have loaded for and help kids and one buddys wife take moose with 243win . Without incident in 3 cases, moose are softer animal it seems and we can usually close the distance to under 75-50 yrds most times without much trouble. For me I believe in using good bullets if going light caliber and does make up a bit for being under gunned.
Over the years, I’ve recovered two “small” caliber Bullets from elk....very healthy elk, until I shot them. My wife killed her first elk with a borrowed .243 Win., and while she was successful....she quickly realized, that it was not a good choice for elk. After several more elk with a very popular cartridge, in 1995 she was persuaded to step-up into her present cartridge. After her first kill with the new cartridge, she was very impressed with it’s performance. She continues to be impressed! So, for her ..... 3 different cartridges. memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
Here in Alberta we have a minimum caliber of 6mm/.243 allowed on big game. And well I love my 243 & 6mm’s I wouldn’t necessarily use them for elk, unless it were under certain parameters. I have loaded for and help kids and one buddys wife take moose with 243win . Without incident in 3 cases, moose are softer animal it seems and we can usually close the distance to under 75-50 yrds most times without much trouble. For me I believe in using good bullets if going light caliber and does make up a bit for being under gunned.
Over the years, I’ve recovered two “small” caliber Bullets from elk....very healthy elk, until I shot them. My wife killed her first elk with a borrowed .243 Win., and while she was successful....she quickly realized, that it was not a good choice for elk. After several more elk with a very popular cartridge, in 1995 she was persuaded to step-up into her present cartridge. After her first kill with the new cartridge, she was very impressed with it’s performance. She continues to be impressed! So, for her ..... 3 different cartridges. memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
