Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Small bores on elk?

Maybe 'dark timber' is what some of us are used to calling 'doghair.'

"Guy - There are folks I would not recommend going after elk with a .25-06. You are not one of them. (Just stay off the mountain bike.) john"

Thanks John. I've put a lot of effort into my shooting over the years. My wife claims a fair amount of cash has gone into it as well. Not sure about that - I refuse to keep track! Don't want to know...

The shoulder may keep me from doing much hunting this season, but if I do take a shot at anything, it will likely be with the mild-kicking .25-06 and the 100 gr Barnes TSX bullets. The 7mm and .300 mag rifles are just a bit beyond what I want to chance. The .45-70 Marlin, with my loads anyway, is out of the question...

Good stuff here - I'm impressed with all the knowledge from these vastly more experienced elk hunters! Dunno if I'm going to get out for elk or not. Do plan on being afield for mulies, but may settle for guiding my youngest son and acting as spotter while he does the shooting this year.

Regards, Guy

Howdy to the forum, first posting here,

I have hunted with a 6.5x55 for many years and have taken elk and mule deer. It does not have the recoil of larger calibers. My favorite load used to be a 129gr. Hornady, 43.5gr. IMR4320. Shot like a dream and when hit in the boiler room, recovered the expanded bullet under the skin of the opposite side in most cases. I don't know if you can even get those 129grainers any more. I guess its a matter of what you are comfortable with. I have seen a guy take Moose with a .243 because he could place it exactly where it needs to go. I use an old customized M38 Mauser. The Elk cannot tell the difference.

Jon

Jon, welcome to the campfire.

Nothing's gonna stop me from using my 243AI. 85 TSX or 100 NP. But for most big critters, I'm workin on a 284win.

Another way is the old 30-30 and keep your shots under 150 yards and in the boiler room. Very common in NW Montana in the thick stuff.

Wayne

Here in Colorado it is .243"/6mm, 85g minimum bullet weight and at least 1000fpe @ 100yds.

For every story of peashooters dropping elk there is a counter story of feeling bad, hard work for everybody, and the foul memory that just won't go away. Use enough gun. The '06 is my favorite small bore caliber, but I wouldn't choose it for Buffalo even if I had a sore shoulder.

Wayne

I killed a number of elk in my misspent cowboy youth with a 25-35, 30-30 and a 250 savage..

Today with a smarter and wiser elk herd, I use a .338 with 300 gr. Woodleighs or 210 gr. Noslers, depending on where I am hunting...Our elk head for the bogs and black timber in deep holes and shots are going south and a 300 gr. woodleigh or 250 gr. Nosler will dump them from any angle.

I have seen too many elk lost with the light calibers. If you are a light caliber fan, then use well constructed bullets with well placed shots at very little angle from broadside. Be prepared to pass up some shots that a larger bore would have put down. I know a ranchers wife that kills her elk each year out the back door with a .223 and the 60 gr. Hornadys I loaded up for her.

Ever since the first Nosler Partition bullet hit the woods the concern over using smaller bores on elk was over. These days with stuff like XP3 and TSX bullets available I wouldnt hestitate to shoot elk with a 257 Bob or 25/06, but nothing any smaller bore than that. The only reason I use an 8mm Mag for elk is that most of my elk hunting is done where the griz has learned that a rifle shot means a gut pile or even a whole elk to lay claim to. I wouldnt shoot a griz to keep him from stealing my elk, but I would to keep him from chewing on me.

Is the 8mm mag considered good grizz medicine? I ask as an 8mm fan... my .325 WSM gets very, very close to the 8mm mag...

-jeff

Yeah I'd say so Jeff, and quite a few people I know who operate in griz country agree. I'm an 8mm buff too and just had to acquire a 325 WSM when it came out. You are right, the 325 comes real close to the big Rem 8 Mag. I figure that what one will do the other will do.

In my opinion a good stout 200 grainer moving at over 2900 is plenty for griz if the unthinkable happened and I had to shoot my way out of a tight spot. The 325 will handle that just fine.

I wish there was a premium 220-gn bullet for the .325... the 200 TSX should in theory do what a good 220 would do, but imagine a 220 TSX! Or just a 220 Partition would be nice.

When i get my .325 WSM kimber here in a month or three, it might very well functionally replace a whole raft of rifles in my safe. The combo of how flat it shoots, with how hard it hits, with how nice it is to carry has my other rifles shakin' in their stocks!

-jeff

The Montana is a breeze to tote, one of the reasons mine will see so much field time. My 325 Montana, including Leupold Ultralight 3X9 in Talley Lightweights weighs in at 6 pounds 13.9 ounces. Sweet.

I also would like to see a TSX 220 gr. 8mm bullet. Doesnt Swift make a 220 gr. A Frame? I thought they did.

Swift shows a 220 gr 8mm Aframe in their reloading manual(pretty sure they do, anyhow)

Wonder if it would out-penetrate a 200 TSX? Anyone?

-jeff

Jeff,
My "WAG" would be no...

And hell no......

Dober

That 200 TSX is another bullet I would like to try out...
when "reloading" season starts up again...

Load developement 101 for yotes coming up...grins

Your area down there should be superb for yote calling, is it?

Dober