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

DF that is a smokin' big bull.....congrats!Yes they can be sorta tough IMO,but I'm sure yours was dead on his feet.....thing I have noticed is that you can have the reaction you had, no matter what you shoot them with.

The 300 Weatherby is a great elk cartridge.

OK..I guess that pic makes it official...YOU SUCK!

Handsome Dude, don't you think...?

DF

What works best for you (in terms of recoil, accuracy, penetration, etc.) is the best elk cartridge.

djs: BIG 10/4 on what works for you/me.

DF-- Congratulations--AWESOME ! !

JWALL
_______________

VEGETARIAN........Indian Word For Poor Hunter

K--so tell us the story bout the bull

Dober

I use either a 300 WSM or 338 Win mag

that is a truly beautiful bull, a great heavy old boy !!!
I have killed lots of elk but nothing of any size! Would like a 330 or so before I go !!!
After 50 years of hunting the beastie I believe one of the big 30's is the way to go, with a 200 gr. Nosler PT going out the front end. Like several others here I have killed them with 06, 7mm mag, 338/06, 7mm STW and 300 Win mag. Most with the Win mag.

Yes, Do tell about this elk!

I'd say there really hasn't been anything truly remarkable since 1919 (think Charles Newton).

I suppose the 222 was "new" in the truest sense however.

At the end of the day all cartridges are a variation on the same theme... a brass cylinder.

In 2009 my hunting buddy and I went to Saskatchewan elk hunting. I used the outfitters rifle, not wanting to bring mine thru customs. This was in Eastern Saskatchewan a two hour drive East of Saskatoon. Here's a photo of around 1,200 pounds of really good eating, hanging in the skinning shed which was much taller than our Louisiana skinning sheds...

It was cold. See the guy doing the skinning in short sleeves. He's a hockey player and taxidermist. He skinned and gutted the elk in about 30 min. He completely caped him out about as fast. Horns and cape were brought home on the plane for a local taxidermist to do the mount.

DF

Well my standard has always been about nothing new since about 1965 or so, but perhaps even 1922 could be argued, but not won. My PO Ackley reloading manual has won me a lot of arguments about "new". I even won one not long ago regarding "short magnums" the newest hottest sensation to hit the market, "not". One of the first shorties was in 1965 with the Remington 350 along with the short stubby barrel.

I discount the shorty belted cartridges... the parent was there all along since 1912. The 222 was actually something new case-wise in 1950 so that would be my line for anything truly new.

Here's some good reading on the genius of Chas Newton with time-lines...


http://opencarryflorida.org/NewtonArmsCompany.html

Mac-when did Ralph start making his version of the short maqs?

Dober

So that I may win future discussions when and what was the first short magnum? I have drank several tall cold ones with that cartridge and date. I am thinking about 2.8 or so as being short. Newton didn't work with belted cases did he?

Ralph started with his short-mags in the late 50's/early 60's I believe Dober. I've talked with him about it at length and that's the date I've got stuck in my head anyway. Ralph did buy much of Roy Gradle's machinery out of his gun shop in S. California when he was getting out of the business in the 50's and Ralph's cats look a lot like the Gradle, including the Wby radius shoulder.

Thx Mac, seemed to me it was in the time line but couldn't recall for sure.

Dober

Newton was the original Beltless-Magnum guy in the 19-teens. Amazing guy.

I believe Roy Gradle originated the short mag sometime in the 1950's, blowing out the 348 Win case and machining-off the rim.

But I've been wrong before

The WSM's are a "new" cartridge, but then again the basis for them has been around for over 100 years. Guess, to me, the little 222 was something truly "new" and unique and why I sort of stick with my 1950 date.

But it's all a matter of symantics I suppose, and I certainly wouldn't be dogmatic about any date.

Makes for interesting conversation though!

I believe this is true. The Gradle Express cartridges were very similar to the present WSM's.

The 30 Newton, and 35 Newton were similar to, but not precisely the same as, the 375 Ruger case.

But Winchester perfected the short mag!