Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Honest elk rifle opinion.

That is enough reason to buy something different than what you already have.


They are, irrespective of what some internet chest thumper wants to tell you (me included).


It won't matter (see your second quoted portion above). Get a new chambering to you. whether that be "tried and true" or a "newer chambering" It's fun to do.

with 400 yards being your max range anything from the 243 and up will work elk are not bullet proof

I think you need another rifle!

Well, I shot my first and only elk (CO) with a .260 140 gr. Corelokt at @ 150 yds. Bang flop.

On the other hand , about the 5th time I came through a screen of brush (locally - prior to the elk hunt)) to find 2 gallons of steaming brown bear crap, I decided the '06 with 180 grain bullets was not enough, so I upgraded to a .338WM , mostly with 250 gr bullets. The '06 always worked fine on moose....

It worked too.

In the 20+ (well- maybe 30-.... times arunning...) years since, I've never encountered another steaming pile of bear crap.

Bears a few times - but mostly when I was unarmed, or distant from the rifle....

Your current rifles are fine. Use the money elsewhere.

Says a gun -sucker....

Yes I would stick with one of the tried and true. 270, 30-06 308 7MM Mag or 300 Mag.

I don't know how many elk I have killed in my 56 years of hunting them, but I have owned and used several of the new hot fast super mags. And you are correct. Out to about 500 yards I can see no real difference is the quickness of their deaths between a 270 and a 7MM STW or a 300 Weatherby.

What I can and have seen is the difference between bullets that break apart badly and those the hold together well.

Not to mention recoil, and who can handle it for good bullet placement. Which is the be all and end all. Better a lighter caliber with good bullets than an eye-ball rolling flincher magnumamus. (I have a .338 Wm, I can shoot fine, in the field, but 5 rounds at the bench is all I can take - It's served me well for 25 years or so). I don't flinch with the .338, but I love my .260....

Premiums are fine if they float your boat, but most modern C&C are all I use anymore on either caribou or moose, which kinda bracket elk. I won't use Fed Hi-shoks on game, however, from experience.

There are high BC bullets for about any caliber out there. You may need to handload them.

It is said that to reliably, humanly kill an elk, all things being equal (shot placement, bullet characteristics, yadda yadda yadda), something delivering around 1,800 foot pounds of energy would do. The OP mentioned 400 yards maximum range. So get a caliber of rifle that will deliver 1,800 foot pounds of energy at 400 yards. And then be accurate with it.

Not a whole lot more complicated than that.

It's also easy to overlook the fact that the 1:10 twist in the 30-06 already IS a fast twist. It was originally chosen to stabilize 220-grain bullets in the 30-03, retained when those 1903 Springfield barrels were re-chambered to 30-06, and is now the standard.


Okie John

Thank you for this. Well said.

Good elk rifles are easier to come by than elk tags.

The 30/06 is never a mistake. Well over a hundred years track record, an almost limitless number of manufacturers, bullets, etc.

drover

These two sum it up perfectly.

Buy a stainless Tikka in 7mm Rem Mag.
Find some Reloader 26
Find some 162 gr Hornady ELDX
Find some WLRM primers


Then pm me for the recipe.










P

Nice Bull Pharm!

I harvested 3 elk at 400-440y, no big deal (no runners) with a 30-06, 165grain at 2900fps at the muzzle
Pharm has a great recipe too

Get the 30-06; if ammo supply gets dire, you can always find a round or two in every truck glove box in elk country. ;-{>8

Sounds like he needs more convincing.

The 06 has probably taken more elk and most Alaskan game than any other cartridge!
With 180/200s it is right at the starting loads of the 300 mags.
With the 208 ELDX starting at 2650, at 700 yards it has 1500 ft-lbs of energy. That's the typical min for elk.
Is supersonic to 1600 yards.
I love the 270, it's best with a 150 ABLR and can get to 500 yards, but it's not an 06, it stops at the 150s with the 10 twist.
7mm is good but they stop at about the 180s.

If your in big bear country I think you want an 06 with 200s!
But definitely not anything below 7mm

BTW, if you're really wanting to go super heavy-for caliber, it's time to go up in caliber!

I felt that was power enough. But I came within 20 feet from a grizzly. . It’s up to you if you will be in grizzly country, As for me, I’m chicken when it comes to something that might hurt me after I shoot it. [/quote]

"What doesn't kill you makes us stronger....except bears...bears will kill you"! lol I'm with you on this Pard!