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

These are great post hunting season topics. I don’t know of what’s best, only what has worked for myself and my hunting partners so far. I’ve recently picked up a new hunting partner, my little brother, 20 years old. First year he used his 270 Win on a cow in the BigHorns on public land, the following year he had gotten a 280 Ackley and this year he had Kevin Weaver build him a 300 Win. We looked over a bunch of cartridges he could’ve done and about everything came back to a 300 Win, mainly cause great brass is there for it.

We hunt all DIY public land mostly in Wyoming, Oregon and Idaho. I’m not terribly worried about elk getting shot by another hunter but I do hate when they wander off into the timber since their partners always trample out their sign so dying near by the kill site doesn’t stink.

Anyhow, back to my little brother. We have shot quite a lot since he started elk hunting. He’s a proficient loader now and has learned how to shoot long real well. He used the 200 AB on this bull at 675, it was sort of the classic case of public land elk. They came out about 30 minutes to quitting time. We either had to take the shot or try to come back tomorrow and find a way to get closer and hope they were there. We’d shot that far and further so our dope was solid and I knew he could kill the bull.




So that’s what we did.



We dealt with a bit of wind and his bullet landed just behind the front leg rather than on it, but it still traversed one solid lung and the rear of the other. The bull humped up and he got another round on him, where he dropped.

It’s a tough scenario and I’m quite sure any number of folks with smaller rifles could’ve done the same thing with a bunch of other smaller rounds. I don’t hate them at all. I was glad he had the cartridge/bullet combo he had that day since I hate trying to find elk in the timber. Not saying the 300 Win or whatever guarantees anything, cause it doesn’t but it didn’t hurt us that day.

I used an 06 with 212 ELD this year. I kinda joked with my buddies it was sorta like a 6.5 Creed with some ballz... all kidding aside I think they’re all capable and great but when I’m hunting with a tag I’ve waited a couple years for I mentally stack the deck in my favor. I love the 270 Win/WSM as well. Not many elk I’ve shot they wouldn’t have done great on as well. Same for the 338 Win. It’s been an elk planter for me as well.

It is interesting though, I like seeing what works for others and how they apply them to their hunts.

Happy New Year fellas!

Best darn quote of the year and then some! 👍

And really nice public land bull!

Thanks buddy. My brother was wondering what to do with it and he wanted a shoulder mount elk, I told him those big darned elk on tv and the videos are great animals but the average public land hunting non resident won’t kill a pile of elk bigger than that one. It’s pretty awesome for me to see him like elk hunting as much as me and my OG partner. Some folks don’t take to it.

I shot this little rag horn the following day darned near off my brothers carcass.



Two bulls within 400 yards of one another was a season topper for me.

Good stuff, congrats to you both.

Congrats Beretzs.

Did you and you brother have the bullet drop calculated out to 675 yards? I've never calculated mine past 600 yds, and if I was in the situation you described, I would be kicking myself.

675 across that canyon at that time of day is a hell of a pair of shots. Apparently, you guys can shoot. Great story and pics!

After my experience this season, I’m going with .300Wby.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear. He shot his bull on one day, the next day we decided to sit in the clearing where his bull died before grabbing a couple quarters and coming out. Well, as luck would have it, that lone bull was at the top of the meadow. I ended up shooting over my pack at 390 yards to kill that bull, I was about 10ft from his cleaned carcass at the shot.

Sorry MH, just saw this. We both shot out to 800 pretty regularly. We used good scopes that we dialed with all summer (NF and SS 3-9) so basically after that it is just dealing with the wind. I hate shooting long myself but I also hate not eating elk.

I’d much rather burn them at musket range but I take what I’m given and be prepared for it as much as possible.

Thanks for the info beretzs. Where do you shoot out to 800? I've gone to 340 Defense in WV, but it only goes out to 380 yds.

+ 1

Preparation + opportunity = success.

Well done and congrats!

Have several friends who can do the same under the right conditions. They know their rigs well and practice.

My family has some land in Northern NY my brother and I use. I’m up there a few times a month when possible so usually we shoot when we can.

I’ve heard there is a big range in WV that goes to a 1000 but I’ve never been there. A fellow co-worker gets out there fairly often.

Thanks Beretzs, I will try to look that up.

This is it. Just asked him

https://peacemakernational.com/

Thanks for the info beretzs. It's only about 90 minutes away from me. I'll have to call and see how long the waitlist for memberships is.

What about using Quantico as well? They have a shooting club as well. I’ve not joined but they do open up the 1000 ranges enough to make the fee worth it I’d think.

Thanks. That looks promising and closer.

Hahahahahaha, I spit water all over my iPad! This is epic!!
peak98

Originally Posted by beretzs

I used an 06 with 212 ELD this year. I kinda joked with my buddies it was sorta like a 6.5 Creed with some ballz...

30-06 = 460 yards for velocity, 485 yards for energy
300WM = 625 yards for velocity, 650 yards for energy

At 450 yards, the comparison looks like this:

30-06 = 29” drop, 2019fps, 1583fpe, 14.5” drift
300WM = 21” drop, 2270fps, 2002fpe, 12.4” drift

That is a healthy chunk of additional energy for the 300WM.

A side-by-side comparison shows that anything the 30-06 can do in terms of velocity and energy with this load, a 300WM can do 165 yards further down range. Drift is essentially the same at 600 and 660 yards. If MPBR zeroed, drop is the same at 600 and 650 yards.

Effective range is only one measure of a cartridge’s capability. I would argue that effective area is even more illuminating for comparison reasons as game can appear from any direction. Range is a linear measure while area is geometric.

Increasing the 2000fps range from 460 to 635 yards results in a 36% increase in linear range but an 85% increase in the area that can be covered. I often hunt elk in open sage country where game can and has come from virtually every angle. Even at my personal limit of 600 yards, my 300WM increases the area I can cover by 70%. That is not a “small amount” to me.

I have never been able to get all the way through one of your posts.

Ever.