Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Minimum caliber to hunt elk??...

While widely accepted it’s also stupid. I think that may be what he’s getting at.

Those 222 Rem Mags seem acceptable enough.. it is a magnum

But only with “premium” Hornady SPs....

Why is it stupid, it is a good solid axiom, if you are asking that means you NEED general info
If you are an experienced Shooter / Hunter then you have your own opinion that is formed over the years

Of course. Could be a once in a lifetime elk.. No sense in skimping.

I am not answering for him but I use impact velocity along with a bullet of fair enough construction and weight to get through bone and vital tissue. Energy is hard to measure since a ML or 45-70 will never make enough energy but they work just fine when you apply the right bullet. Just my thought on it.

Multitudes of elk are killed every year with arrows, round balls, and various other projectiles that carry nowhere near 1500fpe. Bleeding holes through important body parts are what kills stuff, not some magic amount of foot pounds.

Okay lets try one more time since I am a 45-70 shooter also and my Marlin GG shoots my handloaded 405 gr OT Lasercast at 1450 fps which means that I am WELL within that general rule of 1500 ft/lbs out to a Black Timber Elk Long Range shot of 125-150 yards

PS; I already mentioned that the bullet must get into the Vitals with my first post so you are now simply repeating what I already said, much appreciated

I've killed elk w/257Wby/100TSX, 270Win/140TSX/150ABLR, 300Win 200TSX/200NP.

The elk shot with the 300Win showed a LOT more reaction to the hits than did elk shot w/the smaller options.

I used to be a "I need the 300Win/200gn bullet for everything" guy. I certainly don't need the 300 for everything, but I really do like it for elk.

Do I seriously need to explain this to you ?? I mean really, if I am going to give classes on Hunting / Terminal Ballistics you are going to need to start paying me

I'll play.

55 gr swift.

😀

How does a 405gr bullet out of a 45/70 or a .50 caliber muzzleloader kill an elk if launch speed is 1250fps and only producing 1400ftlb? What is the approximate BC of a flat nosed cast bullet designed to safely function through the tube magazine and OAL restrictions of the Marlin 1895? At what distance does it fail to generate 1500ftlb?

If you’re still believing 1960’s hogwash that’s put out by the same brain trust that make caliber restrictions based on outdated bullets and equipment made obsolete decades ago maybe you should be attending class rather than teaching it.

Ahhhhh You can't read ???

I gave you the info above try reading it all, the only thing you need to search is the BC of the Bullet and you can run the numbers and learn something

Look I realize I just upset the Old Dogs on the forum, but don't make the mistake that I don't know more than you Trust me I do
And the more you post the more I am realizing I stepped into Egoville and I am not talking to experienced Hunters and Shooters

We hunted off of mules, shots were not long as a rule. I hunted cows with 243 and 100g partitions, no problems. We shoot all year long.

I mean wow one guy that doesn't know the recommendation of the state he lives in, and another guy that switches to Arrows and Muzzleloaders because he doesn't understand the subject matter at hand
What is this amateur hour ???

Please tell me there are some smarter people on this forum

You’re the one who brought foot pounds into the discussion. I merely pointed out two legal weapons that have been repeatedly proven to kill elk, neither of which generate the magic 1500ftlb

Yep, it's amateur hour for sure. I think I've taught the CO Hunter Ed class to around 1,000 students now, so yes, I know what CP&W has to say about foot-lbs of energy. CP&W also advises people not to go hunting in the mountains alone, which is another "widely accepted fact" that I routinely ignore.

The funny thing is, kinetic energy as a benchmark for killing an elk is widely accepted mostly by people who get their information from books.

And the more elk a person has killed, the less he/she relies on kinetic energy as their indicator. That's a fact.

Plus, you never answered my question. My question had nothing to do with CO CP&W or how "widely accepted" 1,500 ft-lbs is. My question was, what is 1,500 lbs based on.

Not my number
Not magic
Do I even have to explain the term IG: aka "In General" I understand that you don't know much about Ballistics but now you want lessons on basic English too ???

You do know what aka means right ???

Remember you started this so don't go waving the victim flag next

Jud my man, you ain't asking the right question.

I have a pair of 243's that have killed 15 elk. With 100g Partitions.

It's the bullet.........

Multitudes of elk (and deer) have been left to die a slow death from inadequate weapons / bullets and pisspoor shot placement. If the shoe fits, wear it. GFY in advance!