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

Well guys, I am just a country fellar that didn't go passed the 6th grade. I don't know anything about physics or science in general. I raised 5 kids to be Christians and 1 a lawyer, 2 doctors, a school teacher and the youngest boy is an Airborn Ranger in the Army. I watched him today run 3 miles, do a 100 pushups & 150 situps before running 3 miles 16:32. he certainly put a smile on my face and his old coaches too.

I myself believe in "big bullets" on big game and calibers the bigger is better for that species. Hell, I hunted groundhogs with a 270 Winchester for a couple of years before I got my .300 mag and used it for 10 years before getting a 6mm.

Ive hunted ELK over 40 years and in several states, and Ive never had a problem with my 340wby mark V and hornady 250 grain bullets over a stiff load of H4831
every last one Ive shot died within a few yards


UNLIKE this, I painted my stock camo ,and mounted a 2x-7x Leopold scope but its been 100% dependable, you just drive the slug thru the top of the heart or arteries above the heart and the slug gets the job done



now you certainly don,t need a magnum Ive killed ELK with a 30/06, 35 whelen, and 358 win, but you asked for the best Ive used

IF your wanting to spend a good deal less and like a fast second shot

If you can find one in caliber 35 whelen in good shape, at a decent price, don,t hesitate! GRAB IT!!
they are a really good ELK rifle!

Ive carried a 340 wby or a 375 H&H on many ELK hunting, trips,and those work great!
so Its not like I think that magnums don,t work well, its just that its become very obvious that they are not the only ticket to success, nor are they REQUIRED most of the time, to kill ELK, like some of the magazine articles seem to imply.
when I started hunting ELK many of the guys with experience swore the slide action Remington 30/06 was about the best possible choice, light weight, dependable, accurate , reasonably priced etc., when the 35 whelen version became available almost all the guys bought those, or a 358 win BLR, after seeing the results the first few guys had with those rifles. but being young, (40 plus years ago) I just knew that a serious magnum was going to improve my chances, and while it certainly did seem to get an ELKs full attention and drop them a bit faster, I eventually realized that the old geezer mentors were simply pointing out the obvious fact that any well hit ELK with a 30/06 or 35 whelen, or 358 win was just as dead as one hit with my super zapper magnum, and the non-magnums cost less, kicked less and tended to be lighter and shorter and easier to carry...I took years, but eventually even the younger guys come around to facing facts, and the facts seem to be that its not the rifle or caliber as much as the guy using its skill level that determines success.

Did anyone vote for the 6.5 Creedmoor?? :grin

.30-06 with 180 grain Nosler Partitions.

Never hunted elk but shot some big red stags, in driven hunt (hard to kill full of adrenaline) and stalking. Used 270Winchester, 7x64Brenneke, 30-06 and 9,3x92/74R. I thing the best caliber is one you manage well, shoot accurately with bullet up to the task. Of course as a real hunter you adjust shooting distance and angle depending on the power of your caliber and efficiency of the bullet...But if had spent lot of money for a big trophy guided hunt i thing i will go for my 300Winch mag with Nosler or Barnes bullet just in case because i know i shoot it well or may be, in timber country, go to my 9,3x62 hot rodded with healthy dose of VN540 and Barnes 250X...

I kinda wanted to see if we could get 50,000 views on this thread so here is a little bump.

Here is why I like the 264 Win Mag.

I think you got him!

Yikes!

John where had you hit him?

338/378 WBY MAG. w/a 28" brl, all barrel no brake.

Gunner

...........Just happen to know a guy who has that round. Oooops, but his has the brake. See below.

..................Those damn VLDs aren`t supposed to do that. Many deem them as paper punchin/target bullets ONLY.....:D

Next time another,,,"VLD on elk",,,thread pops up, we`ll see how well the VLD opponents try and explain away this one. LOL! You know who you are. LOL!

Another "proven" DRT VLD elk kill. Great job Burnsie!

oh people will say they'd of done their Carl Lewis imi and ran to within 301 yds b4 dropping the hammer...

Dober

tough crowd

I love the campfire

Impressive no doubt....if I had not seen (and done) the same thing with Partitions and BBC's myself, I might even get a woodie over Bergers myself....

But I have seen too many bulls killed to believe in magic bullets anymore....YMMV.

Bob, Center shoulder.

+1

A little magic is good Bob. Mysterious and all that don�t you know??

All joking aside I think all of us might think our choices have a little bit of magic even if we don't exacty use the term magic.

John I believe what you say about bullets because you are studied, experienced, and objective....

I tend NOT to believe folks who claim to have spent the bulk of their hunting carreers on hands and knees trailing wounded animals before the advent of Bergers.....

I do agree that "magic" (confidence)is important...

I also believe you because I know you...Hah!

That was a dramatic kill and a good shot BTW....

I would take my MTR 280Rem. loaded with 140gr VLD's or my M-7 350RM loaded with 250gr SP.

I shot my one and only elk with a 180 gr. partition out of a lowly .308. It didn't go ten fet, so that must be the best, right?