Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk caliber and bullets..

I am asking for all here who have any experience killing elk with a gun to tell what they think is the best caliber and bullet selection for elk. Please feel free to expound on why, but also feel free to just post caliber and bullet type/weights that you personally use; or whtether you think heavy lead or fast lead is better.

Thanks in advance.

There is so much difference in elk hunting situations, it's impossible to make a blanket suggestion. There is as much difference between a late season cow hunt and a early season Roosevelt bull hunt as there is between hunting white tails on Texas Sendero's and Georgia swamps.

For all but open country hunts (i.e. 99% of elk hunting), I'd take a 35Whelen or similar. For those ** very rare ** bull hunts where you can see long distances, a 300 mag to 375 H&H becomes appropriate. Late season cow hunts, 270 and up. JMO, Dutch.

It depends on where and how you hunt elk, and whether you are after meat or just a trophy. Although we eat everything I kill, I am basically hunting for large bulls. FWIW, I use a .300 Weatherby for general hunting, but go to a .338 Win Mag sometimes when I think that I may get only one chance. For slipping around in the aspen thickets in Colorado, I use a .338-06. However, I know a truckload of folks who use .270/.280/.30-06 class rifles and the 7mm and .300 Mags successfully. Whatever you use, I recommend premium bullets, as terminal performance is extremely important on elk-size animals.

Ditto Dutch.

All my elk experience is in the Rockies from New Mexico to Montana. I'd say my shots have been at average range of 300 yards, 110 yards for the closest to 580 yards for the longest. I've been in camps with hunters using everything from .270's up to 375's. I've seen elk brought down with one shot instant flops with the 270 (which I'd NEVER use nor recommend,) on up, and I've seen elk hit several times with the 375 before they ever dropped.

Much depends on the shooter and shot placement.

I started hunting elk with a 30-'06 and 180g bullets. I had some good experiences and some bad ones and decided to go to .300 Win Mag for more power and a heavier bullet. Hunted one year with that rifle and sold it to my son-in-law who took an elk with a one shot instant flop. In my case I hit an elk at 300 yards with it and he just stood there. The herd moved out and he just stayed with no evidence of being hit. I shot twice more and figured I missed so I quit shooting believing scope was off. We worked our way through the aspen and when we got to the meadow where he was, he was piled up, never took a step. You could cover the three shots with your hand. Two of the 200g bullets passed completely through and the third was under the skin in the off shoulder. Because of terrain we never saw him go down.

Immediately I went to 338 Win Mag and since the above incident in about 1990, and about 20 elk later, every elk shot has been a one shot instant drop, including one this past year with a 338 Jamison. Naturally I think the 338 caliber and particularly the 338 Win Mag is THE elk cartridge.

As said before it depends, I use a 7mm Rem for open country hunting I feel that the 7mm is a little light for Elk. I plan to upgrade my open country Elk rifle to a .300 WBY, .338 or possibly a .375H&H. For open country Elk I would start at a .300 Win and go up from there. For short range timber hunting the .444Marlin, 45-70, & 450Marlin are top choices. This year my buddy shot his Elk in the timber with his 45-70, the 350gr slug absolutley hammered his Elk and with very little blood shot meat.

There is no best caliber. There are plenty of good ones.

I've killed most of mine with a 270, and Nosler partition bullets, 130 and 150 grain. I've also used a 300 WSM with 180 gr TSX bullets, a 308 with 150 gr corelokts, and a 30-06 with 180 gr partitions and Remington bronze points. I've seen them drop with several other calibers.

WRT bullets, I'm still partial to the Partitions. 2nd place goes to the Accubond and the Barnes TSX. But the old Core-Lokt works well in the standard calibers, too.

I've killed elk with a .270win, 30.06, .308 and a .340Wby.. I now use the .340Wby exclusively it works in dark timber and on longer shots.. Its what I use when I absolutely positively must put them on the ground right now!.. Currently I shoot a 225gr Barnes TSX.

I use a .300 Wthby with 180 Partitions or a .338 Win Mag with 225 gr Hornady or X-bullets. I wouldn't feel undergunned with my .30-06 and a good 180 gr bullet, but think I would be giving up some range.

You can kill them deader than yesterday's puppy love with single shot from a .243. I have killed them with a .300 mag and a .375 H&H. Much prefer the .375. I feel comfortable with in it's range. In my opinion if you can get the Barnes X to group in your rifle it is about the best on the market.

My regular elk rifle is my old (1974) Ruger 77 in .338 Win. Mag. On one hunt in Colo., however, because of a situation where I had to leave my .338 home (Los Angeles), I used my old Remington 725 in .280 Remington (my all time favorite all around cartridge). I killed a nice, fat spike bull at about 190/200 yards, using my handload of 160 grains Nosler Partition and 54.0 grains IMR 4350. Spike took about three steps and went down. Meat in the freezer.

Even though usually using my .338, I always have either that .280 Rem., or my .308 Win., along as a backup. They'll all work if I shoot accurately.

My cousin, who has lived almost all his adult life in the Rocky Mountains, has killed 22 bull elk with his pre-'64 Win. 70 FWT., in .308 Win. He uses factory ammo. That is the only centerfire rifle he owns, other than an unfired Win. 94 John Wayne Comm., which he never uses. He also killed an Idaho Shiras bull moose with that .308 W., and I don't know how many Mule deer.

As said above, there are plenty of good ones out there, and the situations are different depending on where you hunt.

Good luck.

L.W.

I've killed elk, and some big ones, with a number of different chamberings, starting at the 6.5x55 and on up through the various 30 cal mags. I believe if you backed me into a corner, I would say my favorite is a 30 Mag of whatever flavor with the 200 Partition. Presently, I am using a 30-338, and it is mighty effective Elk medicine. The 338 is also very good for elk, and if one wants to use the 375, I have no problem, but feel it is unnecessary for elk or moose, And I have shot a large number of these big cervids. Not a bad idea to shoot the chambering that delivers the most power at the recoil level you tolerate easily. Regards, Eagleye.

Way to many variables to define THE elk cartridge. Pick anything you shoot well between the 243 and the 50bmg. Load said rifle with a bullet constructed for hunting and go have a good hunt.
Actually if the rifle you picked your handle from was loaded with a bullet from 150-160 grs it'll handle all your elk hunting chores in fine fashion.

If you have a 280 as your user names suggests, load some 160gr Partitions or Barnes and have fun. 280 is a good caliber for elk. You do not need anything bigger, just make sure you use a good penetrating bullet.

RH

308 Win/30-06. 168 grain TSX.

BMT

I've killed exactly one elk and have seen about 6 others killed by those in my party. I took the largest bodied bull of the group last year with a 6.5x55 and 160gr. Sierra. 273 yards, shot through the heart, the bull went at most 10 yards after the shot.

Seen several after being hit with 7 Rem. mag with 160gr. Partition, 160gr. Northfork, and 160gr. Failsafe never went more than 200 yards when hit well.

Seen two hit with 180gr. partitions out of 30-06. The one hit well went about 100 yards and was up and down for most of that. The one hit a little too low made for one hell of a long night for all involved! Once hit he ended up taking several more rounds to put down and traveled what was probably a mile through very rough and dense country. It was a long night getting that bull out of the woods. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Next year I will be hauling a 9.3x62 and whatever 286 grain slug shoots the best.

I started elk hunting over thirty years ago, and I've used several cartridges between 270 Win. and 375 H&H for elk, with my favorites being the 300 Win. Mag. and 338 Win. Mag.

The last three elk I've taken have been with the 338 Win. Mag., so I guess you could say it's my current favorite elk rifle, and quite honestly, if you can own only one rifle for elk and would like to hunt with it for the rest of your career, the 338 Win. Mag. is almost impossible to beat, all things considered. I've used 225 and 250 gr. Hornady, 210, 225, and 250 gr. Nosler Partitions, 250 gr. Speer Grand Slam, and 225 gr. Barnes TSX bullets for elk out of the 338 Win., going back off and on to 1980.

I've had the Hornady's and the Speer GS come apart on elk, but the Nosler Partitions (all weights) have worked perfectly every time, and if you're going to choose one Nosler Partition bullet to stay with, split the difference and go with the 225.

AD

My personal choice that has killed 5 elk for me with distance ranging from 72 yards to 378 yards is the 3oo whby. with a 180 grain barnes x bullet. Each kill has been 1 shot and the longest track has been 50 yards. This is my two cents worth.

.308, 30-06, 7 mag, 45-70, 44mag and 50 cal muzzle loader. I have killed elk with all these cartridges from 20 yds to +300. The one this past season with the 44 mag was about 90 yds, the 45-70 were usually less than 50 yds, the rest were in the 150 yd class with a few farther out there. The only elk that went over 50 yds, and most never took anoth step was with the 7 mag. but it was my fault in bullet placement. Toatl elk killed has been in excess of 35. I haven't found much difference in any of the cartridges as long as I put the bullet where it needs to go and limit the distance I shoot appropriate for the caliber

I believe great all-around elk cartridges start with the 308 and 270 Win and go up from there. Hard to argue with anything up to 375 H&H.

On a scale of 1 to 11, killing elk is:

#1-5) Knowing how to hunt elk, being in shape, motivation and proper gear.

#6-8) Shot placement

#9) Projectile choice

#10) Cartridge

#11) See 1-5 again and again.

My preference has become the 338-06 w/ 210 Nosler Par or Barnes TSX bullets.
I have shot elk with 270's and 338WM's.
I have witnessed elk shot with everything from 7mm up to 375 H&H.
I have even witnessed a shot from a 243.
I still prefer the 338-06.