Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game A better question than "What is your favorite elk caliber and load?"

...........If anyone has reco`d a certain cartridge and load as perfect elk medicine, and unless they actually stated that they "haven`t" used that particular cartridge and load in their posts, then how would you know they haven`t actually used them on elk?

As far as I`m concerned, I have 9 elk kills with a 300 Win and 1 elk kill using a 300 WSM.

Although I haven`t used either on elk, I could still maintain that either my 338-378 or 375 Ruger would make for some excellent elk medicine.

I hereby certify that I have shot and killed elk with:

.270 Win 150 grain Speer Spire Point
7x57 160 grain Nosler Partition
.338 Win 250 grain Hornady SP
35 Whelen 250 grain Speer spitzer SP

Flinch,

I see that a lot too around here. It's amazing what some gun shop owners and workers will say or recommend....

My 1st at age 15 (me, not the elk) was with a Win 32 Spl. I shot many with a 270 using 150 gr., mostly Speer Hotcores.
My last 2 were with a 300 WSM using 180 gr Nosler AB's, with which I'm less than impressed.

My one and only elk was actually cleaning up for poor shooting by another hunter. It was well down the hill but one shot with my 270 and a 150 Partition did the trick.

I've killed elk with the following cartridges:
270 Wby 150 grain Speer Grand Slam
7mm Dakota 160 grain Nosler Partitions
300 Winchester Mag 200grain Nosler Partitions
340 Wby 210 & 250 grain Nosler Partitions

I have taken 20+ elk with a 30-06, using a 180 grain Rem Core-lokt. How boring is that?

My favorite that I've kilt them with is .325 WSM.

My favorite that I haven't yet, is 338 WM.

Yeah, I can shoot 'em.

Another that gets me is the guys who have never killed animal X without a guide holding their hand giving advice on how things should be done. Exact same scenario as renting a whore and then telling your buddies how to bag hot chicks. Then there are the guys that have hunted elk for years and only killed a couple - these types like to give advice as well. I have only killed a handful of elk, all with a .280 with the exception of two that I killed with a bow. I'm no expert but I did do it on my own.

I've hunted them for years and only killed a couple. That's kind of par for the Oregon course; success rates are generally pretty dismal but we get out and try...

I've been around and seen a lot of elk. There are units in eastern OR that have animals. Wrong tag though... bull (or cow) tags take 4-5-6 points (years) on up to draw. So there's some pretty dry seasons in between the decent tags.

Agreed on the guided-hunt guys. I'll take my public-land raghorn over an Apache 7x7 any day...

With so many responses, it would be very informative to not only list the cartridge/bullet/weight but also the POI/angle/distance traveled after the shot. That way, you'd be able to see how they performed and know you were comparing "apples to apples".

.30-06, 180 Partition. A sample of one, but I suspect a few others can add statistical validity ...

Flinch,

I've killed elk with these;
.308 Winchester, 150 grain Power Point-Model 88 Winchester,
.308 Winchester, 165 grain Sierra Boat Tail, Savage 99,
.30-06, 180 grain Nosler Partition, Winchester Model 70's
.338 Win Mag, 225 grain Trophy Bonded Bearclaw,Model 70

Of those, the .338 has become my favorite.

I've killed elk (cows and spikes)with 270 Win. and 150 gr. Grand Slams, 30/06 and 180 gr. Grand Slams (one spike and a raghorn 5 point) and Nosler Partitions (one calf), 1 spike with 30/06 and 150 gr. Corelokt, and a 444P Marlin with 300 gr. Cast Performance WFN's (one cow and one calf).

With the recent movement of grizzly bears into my hunting area, I may have to stick with the 444 Marlin. Most of my shots are within 100 yards anyway.

Any elk hunting comments I make are based on my 40+ years of elk hunting in Colorado and Montana. All were DIY hunts, most were on public land, and most were also solo hunts. I keep a one line per elk log of the year, the number of points, where, and the rifle and bullet.

5x5 bull .30-40 Krag, NW Colorado
5x5 bull .30-06 150 gr Hornaday, NW Colorado
5x5 bull .30-06 150 gr Hornaday, NW Colorado
6x6 bull .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Colorado
5x5 bull Arrow Bear broadhead, NW Colorado

5x5 bull .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Colorado
cow .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Colorado
6x6 bull .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Montana
5x5 bull .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Montana
6x6 bull .30-06 180 gr Sierra, NW Montana

6x6 bull .257 Ackley 117 gr Sierra, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Spike bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Spike bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Spike bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana

5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Spike bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Cow .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana

5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Cow .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
4x4 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana

Cow .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition SW Montana
6x6 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Part,ition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x6 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana

4x5 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
5x6 bull .30 Gibbs 180 gr Partition, SW Montana
Cow 7 mm Rem mag 160 gr Accubond, SW Montana
5x5 bull .300 Weatherby 168 gr TSX, SW Montana

Cartridges/loads I've actually used on elk are the 30/06 with 165 Partitions,300 Weatherby with 180 and 200 gr Nosler Partitions,300 Winchester with 180 Partitions and 165 Bitterroots,7 Rem Mag with 160 Partitions and 160 Bitterroots.

I have carried the 338 and 270 and 280 on some hunts but did not see an elk I wanted to kill.

I always liked the various 300's but I was younger in those days and innured to the recoil due to sheer volume of round count with those and other rifles.I could shoot them with impunity back then,and still can,but over the years got tired of the recoil and rifle weight.....I stopped using them altogether and my last hunt with a 300 H&H was a few years back.

I think the big 30's and 338's are the sole province of experienced guys like Buffybr,seasoned hunters and riflemen,and are a terrible place for a beginner to start off with.

I just built this 7mm Mashburn Super, have not killed any elk with it yet, and since I've used cartridges and bullets flanking it on both sides,logic tells me it will kill elk just fine,and it does kick less than your garden variety 300 Weatherby.


I tend to agree with Flinch about the guys operating under the mistaken notions that it takes a large alphabet magnum to kill elk.....but I find some of these people think there is black magic when it comes to killing animals. I have seen some really sloppy shooting with outsized magnums by some folks

A startlingly inane comment on several levels..especially when it comes to the limited subject of what cartridges,calibers,and bullets are useful for killing elk....

Just wondering out loud whether a 280 kills differently somehow on an unguided hunt, than it does on a guided one....

Drivel, mostly.......

Have used following on elk:


284 win 140, 150 and 160 nos pt
7 rem mag 150 E-tip
30-06 180 PP nos pt
300 win mag 200 gr nos pt
300 RUM 168 TSX, 180 nos bt, 200 gr nos bt
338 win mag 215 and 250 gr sierra
338 RCM 225 accubond
375 Taylor 260 gr accubond

My most successful elk BULLET is the .30 caliber 180 grain Nosler partition. That doesn't mean my favorite elk RIFLE fires them, though.

That's just the way it is.

7mm Rem Mag, 140gr Barnes X
7mm STW, 160gr Accubond
300 WBY, 180gr Accubond