Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best Elk Cartridge in the World??

LOL, so true...

Conditioning
Boots
Glass

All three a heck of a lot more important, and far more interesting.

Should I just use a 50lb draw bow because little jimmy does, or should I stick with my 80lb bow that I’m proficient with??

If someone empties their rifle missing the game animal each shot because of the recoil. All that is needed according to Jordan is to hand them your rifle and simply say that it doesn't kick as much and the next shot will be center of chest

Amazing

LOL, so true...

Conditioning
Boots
Glass

All three a heck of a lot more important, and far more interesting.

Don’t put words in my mouth, John. I didn’t say that’s a general solution to recoil aversion or flinching. I said it worked in that one particular case.

Had a long love affair with a 300 win, bought a brand new bdl when I was 14, killed alotta deer, elk, bear and grouse with that rifle. Recoil was so horrendous I could shoot the heads off lotsa grouse with it.. 🤭🤭 bought a 3-9 leupold the same day I got the rifle. doh!!

My bet is the 270 would have worked well. Mule_Deer has mentioned several times that the quickest kill he has ever witnessed on a moose was made by his wife using a 270 and 150 Partition. Renowned magnum lover, Craig Boddington, has stated one of his quickest bull elk kills was made with a 270 and 150 Nosler Partition.

I have heard countless stories from several guides and outfitters over the years about the rodeos they have seen by hunters coming to camp with magnums they can't shoot. Sometimes the stories end with the hunters going home with their tags. Others where they were able to fill their tag after putting down their rifles and shooting a few practice rounds with the guides rifle, something like 257 Roberts or 7-08.

On the contrary, I have never once heard of a guide or outfitter complain about a hunter that showed up to deer or elk camp under gunned.

Am I saying you should trade in your magnums for 223's, of course not. Use what gives you confidence. But whatever you bring to the field should be a rig that you have become proficient with through practice. The average Joe Hunter will not be able to do that with one of the various Smoke'em Mags.

Field and Stream "In purely practical terms, no elk cartridge equals the beautifully balanced .300 Win. Mag. It offers bull-thumping authority at a recoil level just at the cusp of what most serious shooters can handle."

Before he died, I had a correspondence with George Hoffman, African PH and developer of the 416 Hoffman (which Remington later modified and released as the 416 Rem Mag). Mr. Hoffman (like myself) was not averse to Magnums, but told me he didn't necessarily see the need for them on elk-sized game, and that all 50+ elk he'd taken in his life had been with the 270 Win.

One thing I will say is that just because someones experience may be long (or short) it may also be incredibly narrow. Sort of like the guy that may have killed a pile of elk, but never ventured beyond magnums. How would he know smaller cartridges might work well? His confirmation bias apparently didn't allow that kind of thinking.

For my part I read all the 1980's stuff by the likes of Boddington, so when I eventually moved to Montana one of the rounds in my battery was the 338 WM. I used it on the first few elk I killed, including a dandy 6pt I tracked to his bed and shot at 50 yards. No surprise it worked. But what I noticed was many of my friends who grew up here used stuff like the 243 and 270 - cartridges they knew well and had used since childhood. As I killed more elk and saw more elk killed I started changing my thinking. That evolution led me to cartridges more fun to shoot, like the 6.5 CM, 7-08, 308 and 270. I've seen more elk killed with the 270/130 combo than any other cartridge. It works because it's fun to shoot, but still has a nice reserve of power. I think the same can be said of the 6.5CM, 7-08 and 308. They're truly "all around" big game rounds.

I've tried to keep an open mind, and as a result have given a variety of cartridges a try. What I found - and what I've often said - is "cartridges are more alike than different." Punch the lungs with a decent expanding bullet and it's light's out. Hit around the edges and you've got a rodeo on your hands, no matter what you hit the animal with.

Threads like this do remind me that testosterone and ego is a more powerful force than logic or experience... and also that those with the most testosterone and/or least experience are often the loudest voice in the room.

Happy New Year all...

It’s getting serious when Field and Stream gets quoted!

M posts aren’t great??? Slm’s aren’t great??? Sheesh