Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What do you consider minimum cartridge for elk?

For general hunting 100-300 yard shots with confidence that you could make a clean kill in most shot opportunities.

270 with a high weight retention bullet. I’ve killed several with a WSM and 140 TSX. Never thought I needed more.

.257 or 6.5mm. Bullet? Choose wisely...

270 Win or 308 Win with heavier high weight retention bullets such as the TTSX.

I have taken and been in on the taking of around 100 elk. I have seen them shot with everything from a 243 Win to a 375 H&H. I personally consider the 243 to be too light but it did work on some cows. But, I have never seen it used on a mature bull which is a completely different animal than a cow, and the guy that used the 243 was a local rancher. He could wait for the perfect shot and knew where to place that little 100 gr bullet. In my mind I'd say the 6.5x55 Swede and 270 Win are the lightest that I'd suggest. Never seen one shot with any other 6.5 than the Swede which is why I mention it but I'd imagine any of the new 6.5s would be as effective.

For me I like a happy medium in elk since they come in lots of different sizes and shots can be at any range. 7mm Mag is my favorite round and the one I have used the most.

270 Win. Sure, lot's have been killed with 6.5s. But the question as phrased is "with confidence that you could make a clean kill in most shot opportunities". To me, that means allowing for a margin of error and steep quartering away angle and less than a 5% chance of an extended extended tracking job.

My Dad's taken several with the 308win using 165gr Interlocks including one bull. None needed tracking. I've taken one with a 270win with Rem factory 150gr corelocks no tracking. I've used more gun than those but I've no experience with less.

Just a data point a 308 win @ ~300 yards is the same as a 300 Win Mag @ ~500 yards.

I'm a big fan of and have killed most of my elk with .30 caliber rifles, but....

Quite a few years ago I was on my first DIY, solo Bighorn sheep hunt in one of Montana's Unlimited tag sheep units in the Absaroka Wilderness. By the 3rd morning I hadn't seen a single sheep and shortly after I left my tent I heard an elk bugle not very far from me. The early elk season was open there in the Wilderness and I had my elk tag in my pocket, so I just sat down and waited.

He was walking in my direction through the open lodgepole timber, occasionally stopping and bugling. When I first saw the ivory tips of his dark 6x6 antlers I knew that my sheep hunt was over. He stopped to bugle broadside, about 75 yards from me, and I put a 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet from my .257 Ackley just behind his right shoulder. He simply collapsed, dead, where he was standing.

He turned out to be my 2nd best 6x6 bull, and I enjoy seeing his shoulder mount on my Trophy Room wall every day.

I have complete faith in that rifle and cartridge, but it is not the first rifle that I grab when I go elk hunting.

I also had friends that would kill their elk every year with their .22-250s, but everything has to be perfect for that caliber.

Proper bullet placement is by far, more important than the caliber of the bullet.

.25-06 with a 117 interlock

I second this ^^^

If you happen to use a “premium” bullet instead of the Interlock, you’re likely to see similar positive results.

.243 with good bullets.

.277" is my minimum..

Friend's wife has killed an adult cow every years with 243 Win and 100 gr TSXs.

270 Win. (with premium bullets) .308 Win.,30-06 or a 7 REM Mag! memtb

For me, it's .257.

25-284.

Elk have been taken with old cartridge's like the 25-20 and 22 Savage High Power, but those were in the days of my grandad and every shot had to bring something home for dinner, it is all about WHERE the bullet strikes the animal!
I live in the center of every big game animals territory in Idaho. We are out and about with cows etc and find carcasses of animals lost by hunters. When skinning my wife's trophy whitetail buck last year we found a 25ca bullet between the skin and rib, NO penetration! The tip was barley dented. So besides shot placement do not try to "stretch the barrel". It seems to be too common.
Do not shoot light bullets thinking speed always means more energy. A heavier bullet works best on elk sized game.
When I guided years ago the minimum for elk was 30ca rifle with 180gr or 154gr in a 7mag.

This is simple enough for newbie elk hunters.

When I lived in Idaho back in the 60’s 30-30’ and sporterized military 30-06’s were the most common with the locals.
Lots of 270’s and some 338’s but the locals stalked their game with their feet instead of long range optics. And horses of course

Rick

So I am wondering, what percentage of the folks who are answering with 243 win/257 roberts or similar when presented with the following scenario:

Your mentoring a young hunter with an either sex tag who has that 243 win/257 roberts in their hands (you have your 270/280/handloaded 7x57 in your hands) and that 325 class 6x6 presents itself at 290 yards quartering away and is starting to act a little nervous..don't look at the young hunter and say - "here, use my rifle works just the same as yours aim thru his body as if you are trying put the bullet just in front of the offside far shoulder"

The reason I propose the above scenario is because that is the question I really think is being asked.

These types of discussions are hilarious. I figure if you were an actual mentor, you would know and wouldve ensured the young hunter was not only capable but confident in their marksmanship....with their rifle. A 100gr 6mm bullet will kill a bull just as a 130gr 6.8mm bullet will. As long as the range is within the acceptable fps for the bullet to perform (290yds would be a chip shot for 108eldm), fire away.