I have to ask this,I'm from eastern orygun.why is it when most folks on here talk about coming out west to hunt they automatically think they need a magnum rifle?i don't understand the eastern thinking here

Mostly because it is what they read or see on TV and of course if you read or watch enough TV, it makes you an expert now days. I have a friend from Indiana who has been Elk Hunting every year since the 70s out in Colorado and he always uses a 270.

It may also have something to do with the long range craze too. Every thing has to be extreme in caliber and distance to be interesting I guess.

Lots of "westerners" think they need a magnum rifle to hunt in their own back yards, too.

I've met plenty of "westerners" who think you absolutely have to have a .300 Magnum at the minimum to cleanly kill a bull elk. I've met some who insist that the .338 Win Mag should be considered minimum.

It's not an "eastern thing," in my view...

"Magnumitis" is just a thing.

Roy Weatherby did his thing in South Gate, California. That's pretty far west compared to, say, Ilion, New York.

Can't tell you how many guys I've run into in Oklahoma that swear that you NEED a 7mag as they call them, to shoot our 125 pound whitetail deer. 9 times out of ten they know nothing about bullet construction or trajectory, just that their mighty 7EMEM shoots flat and they had a hell of a deal on Remington shells at the WallyWorld the week before deer season.

With Joe Average thinking like this it is no surprise to me that folks think they need at least a 30 caliber magnum to kill an elk. Afterall, the ones the guys on tv shoot are all at least 1000 pounds.

You should see the guys up here in AK that have to have a 375 to hunt black bear and moose. Nevermind the ones of each species I see killed every year with 243s, 270s, and 308s.

I agree with TeleCaster...it isn't an "eastern" thing...(although if you're from Oregon I guess almost anything is "eastern", even Montana).

I've showed up in plenty of hunting camps out west with a 270 where the "locals" were lugging everything from 7mm to 338 magnum caliber rifles,and my 270 was the smallest rifle in camp.And hunted in some places where western outfitters told the clients "we like to see our hunters shoot a 300 magnum".

All this stems from the notion that if you come from east of the Mississippi you don't know anything about rifles, shooting, and killing BG animals....which is silly.

Being from PA,I've sat in on several conversations regarding "elk" rigs. Unfortunately here there are folks that believe if the only opportunity they have is a quartering away shot at 800 yds,they have to take it.There are a lot of old pissed up notions still floating around about heading "out west". Fortunately sites like this one are getting things turned around through discussions like this one. I've been to the Gunny National twice now. I've had one shot opportunity at a running herd bull. I passed. To our camps credit,we have taken 5 bulls out of there in 2 trips. All shot within 100 yds,and all good clean kills. Not all easterners fit the profile. I may never be up in there again,or connect on an elk. I have the satisfaction of knowing I did the right thing. The idea that one HAS to be success full because they may never be back,or the folks at home are watching,still exists. I have 2 pristine elk tags in the gun safe. Never used and in good condition. It doesn't keep me up at night because I got to experience the Rockies. There is nothing like that for folks that live at 2,000 ft.

On a lighter note. It just may boil down to a good reason to go shopping. Fill the time between the tag and the trip. We all know the prep for a hunt is half the fun. Buying rifles is just plain fun all the time. Kinda makes an event out of it. "Yep! Headed to Montana for elk." "You need to come over and see the new rifle I picked up to take." "Pretty sweet!" You get the idea. Justification and lots of fun to boot.

Maybe the thousands of hunting magazine articles, advertisements from manufacturers of rifles and bullets, TV shows extolling the virtues of new flatter shooting and harder hitting calibers has made an impression. Following that with an internet full of stories of bullets having to break shoulders at off angles from 400 yards to get that bull of a lifetime and that new magnum sounds like a necessary expenditure.

As a teenager I bought my 7mm Remington Magnum because the Physician who owned all the cool guns and shot at my uncles place used one for elk and sheep. My fathers 30-06 was just so boring by comparison.

But it could be the same reason we by sports cars, high performance optics, computers, clothing, tools, golf clubs, BBQs and everything else under the sun. Who doesn't want the best most efficient gear for their sports and activities.

People plunk down hundreds of dollars for girls softball bats so why wouldn't you get a bigger badder rifle for an animal 4 times the size of your local whitetail.

Some good reasons are that when distances are spread out triple what an Eastern hunter is used to shooting it is nice to have a flatter trajectory to keep required thinking about trajectory to a minimum. If all you need to think about is "center of the lungs right behind the shoulder" you are more likely to be more effective than thinking about drop calculations.

I use a .308 on our little Idaho elk..

^^ This ^^

Is it because you can't handle recoil?

Inexperienced "Eastern" hunters on here who hunt elk with magnum cartridges have included shrapnel, rosco, Dober,JohnnyB,John Burns,greenhorn,Alan Day from the past....and a host of others I can't recall at the moment....but that'll do to make the point.

Most of these guys are from Montana so I guess that's the East...except Alan Day who was also from Oregon as I recall.

Most all of these have used standard cartridges as well and understand the differences.

I figure if you have to ask "why use a magnum?", you might not have enough experience with anything to answer your own question.

Just another horseshidt thread.

have you hunted outside or oregon?

I killed a bull elk in eastern Oregon with a 308 Winchester AND a Nosler Partition. I'm located pretty far east.

I have been an Colorado "Out west" hunter since 1964. I guess I don't run with the big boys that Bob mentioned. I hunted with a .308 for a lot of years, then briefely with 7mm Rem mag and 7mm Weatherby mag. Then I switched to 30-06 and have been using that for a lot of years, probably killing as many elk as those others mentioned.

I got to thinking way back then why was I using 20-30 grains of more powder and beating my shoulder up when the .06 does just as good as job of killing elk and I saw no differnce in killing ability.

I run into a lot of PA, WI an MN hunters every fall. Buy and large they are carrying Remington 7400 or 7600 in .06 or 35 Whelen or whatever they hunt whitetails with in there own state.

I grew up in SW PA and the 30-30 Win 94 was the rifle of choice in the 50's . Now the few times I go back I see the same guys using 375H&H,300 mags, 308 norma mags and 7 mags for 150 pound whitetails

The Campfire is one of 2 extremes, magnum or deer cartridge. I don't hunt elk with a 7-08, yet there are lots admonish such a gun and even fast twist 22 calibers. I have killed plenty of elk with a 30-06 but choose a 300 WBY for most of my elk hunting now...

People just need to know how to shoot their damn rifles. And be in shape..

"Run what you brung, take what you won".

I know you were commenting tongue in cheek, but there is a glimmer of truth in it.

I have noted that I can shoot substantially better with cartridges that are not hard kickers. I would rather be able to shoot a 3/4" group with a .308, than a 1.5" group with a .338.

I find that I can place .308 win rounds with precision, with little fuss.

In fact I popped a cow elk a couple years ago in the noggin, at an extended range. The herd was standing bunched up, milling around. There were no clear shots that did not run a risk of shooting through and hitting another elk.

Finally one cow stuck her head out away from the group and I put one in her ear. I was proned out, had lasered the elk repeatedly and was shooting my Sako TRG, which is a true sub 1/2 moa rifle.

400 yards and closer are chip shots with that gun. It pretty well shoots itself.

To be clear, I am NOT an advocate of head shots. This was a unique set of circumstances, and I had a heavy target rifle, which made the shot a high probability one.

I once heard a guy in MO proclaim that he felt under-gunned hunting whitetails with anything less than a 300 Wby. Another regaled me with tales of dialing his 300 RUM in with a 600-yard zero and slaying whitetails from a lofty perch. I can't imagine what either one of these apex predators would tote on an elk hunt.

I went on my first elk hunt last year in southern Colorado.

I was shooting a 7x57 with fixed 6, my friend has a iron sighted Mosin in a ramline stock, and my other friend had a 30-06 with a 3x9.

We got 2 elk. There was no drama.

I will say that my friend with the Mosin is an exceptional shot. Far better than me, or almost anyone I know. That is why he uses iron sights.

I live and hunt in Oregon myself for years now.

And I don't know for sure what it takes to kill an elk every time but I have killed plenty with a sharp broadhead on an arrow. I have seen teenage girls kill elk dead in their tracks with a .243. At distance.

I think the whole magnum thing is a phase most go through. If you are only shooting a couple times a year you could surely handle it right?

My group all went through it about 15 years ago. They all went out and bought 300 mags in different configurations. After getting beat to death by factory stocks and heavy loads they all switched back to their .270's

I shoot a big mag on critters I want to stay where I shoot them. I do not have a bunch of rifles that are heavy hitter because I do not feel I need them in most situations. Some situations, I do feel, require a thump to get the job done fast.

I have shot heavy loads accurately in rifles designed to shoot that type of load for a long time. No they are not light mountain rifles, they weigh in at nine pounds plus, the stock is designed to fit me, and they have great triggers.

So when you decide to "come out west to hunt elk" worry about shooting whatever you bring - well. Expect to fail at finding elk and have to work harder than you ever had to at being successful. Have good boots and a backup pair. Be ready for any kind of weather. Have trusted and tried gear. Bring an attitude that shows a sense of humor and tenacity and you will have a great experience.

Oregon is beautiful and bountiful take the time to enjoy it.

I sold a rifle to a young man today that wanted a big magnum. I sold him a customized .338 Win Mag, built for the mountains. I offered him a .270 WSM initially, but he already had a .300 WSM and said it just didn't have the knockdown power that his .300 Win Mag had, and he wanted something bigger than the Win Mag anyway. This rifle will do him well, and I hope he enjoys it for sure... but I sure don't feel under-gunned with my .30-06.

I'm somewhat hesitant to ask if he qualified that remark with any examples?

Lots of guns will kill elk. The "eastern view" you refer to is probably a combination of magazine articles and wanting an excuse to buy a "western gun."

As others have pointed out, lots of westerners carry magnums as well. Part of it is ignorance, part of it is necessity.

I live in the west and carry a bunch of different elk rifles. Some days, in some places, I want my .300 WBY. Other days, I'll happily pack my .260. Just depends on the menu.

Magnums aren't necessary, but they are nice to have once in a while.

If I were to go out 'west' after anything, I'd pick up whichever one of my 7x57s, 358s, 30-06s, 308s, etc. that I wanted to hump mountains with for days on end, and say I killed an elk and/or muley with. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't take any of my smaller bores, just on principle. I got over magnum-itis way back. Then again, I do like speaking with some sort of authority, if the critter dictates.

I use my Nula 300 WM almost exclusively on deer, elk, and antelope. Why because I can place the shot on the hair I aim at. My 06 actually kicks harder than the 300, a credit to Melvin's stock and pad. I had the rifle made for me and just love the 300 WM as a all around cartridge. The 45/70 comes out once in a while but the 300 is first choice 99% of the time. I've killed Elk with all 3 rifles they didn't know the difference!!! If you can shoot it we'll use it. The key is shoot it and then shoot it again, against a tree, on your belly, squatting down standing up just shoot it.

Well, if one is shooting elk at long range, maybe a Magnum is desirable if accuracy is enhanced, or the range is extreme.

On my Idaho hunt I carried my .338 Mag as shooting was likely to be up to 500 yards (my competence limit- not the rifle's) cross-canyon - and besides, it was the only rifle I had in Barrow - the rest were in storage elsewhere.

On my Colorado hunt the range was advised to probably be within 200 yards- likely about 50. The .260 with 140 grain Corelokt bang-flopped the cow at about 150..., but I did debate between it and the slightly heavier 17 inch barreled '06.

And it is 1 lb lighter.... and I hadn't killed with it before....

6 weeks prior my son had bang-flopped a caribou at 200 yards with the .260 ( virgin kill for both), and two weeks after the elk, that 40 yard wolf didn't complain- just died. I've killed caribou in excess of 300 yards with that 260 since, so I don't think Magnums are a needful thing to kill elk at any reasonable range. Especially if one can't shoot 'em.... But if one can, it can't hurt.

A critter just doesn't care what kills it.

Ive killed elk with a handful of cartridges from .243 to .300 Win....

Day in , day out my fave was a .300 H&H....with a .30-06 running second.

Never felt under gunned with my 7x57 either though...


Don't know where that puts me in this discussion....

Isn't that the damn truth. If a guy can't handle a magnum, use what you can handle. Stay above the minimum required by law and you'll be fine if you put the bullet in the right place.. Elk hunting is (in most cases) more about hunter skill than the rifle or cartridge he uses...

270 lover...

You will smoke a turd in hell for that...

Excellent post spoken from the heart. I can appreciate that.

Inqwe,
What was your favorite 300 H&H load? Having one built right now.

Oregonian here.
I got told when I brought my 270, 'thats the minimum for elk' what ever.
I normally hunt with the old faithful 06 but wanted to get blood on the 270 and never felt under gunned.
Its weird that the guys in camp now, all want 300 RUMs.
I told my buddy if you really want an elk thumper get 338 if you already have an 06 that you just killed a 350 +/- bull last year. I don't know. To each his own I guess.

You be the judge.

7MM Rem Mag, poorly placed bullet due to over confidence in magnum killing power of a angle shot. 60 yards. Long tracking job.



30-06. properly placed bullet at a base of neck, 60 yards.DRT.

Sorry this took so long to get back to you..but i used a 190 gr. Hornady BTSP in front of 70.0 grains of H4831sc

Mind you this his redlined...I would approach the load with caution.

You definitely don't need a magnum when hunting country like this. That's my .30-30 leaning against the tree.



On the other hand, I've taken a bunch of elk out of country like this:

had to reply to this one.... For me when I asked this question the first time years ago... it was simply because I was so excited about going out west to Elk hunt... I want to talk about everything.... I ended up taking a Magnum... a 338 WN because I could shoot bug holes with it and it was one of my favorite guns with nice wood... I also took a Plastic stocked 30-06 as my back up if the weather got wet.... (Horse back hunt)

I do think a lot of the talk about people from the east going out west to elk hunt and what round to take is simply excitement and people want to talk...

Yup, which is only natural, especially if you've never hunted elk.

This and the excuse for a new rifle!

Because we've all read THAT magazine article. You know, the one that warns you about the Bull at 450 yards as the light is fading on the last day of the hunt. He always seems to be at a bad angle to top it off.

For me its not about magnum versus non magnum its what rifle I most comfortable with . As of now its my model 70 in a 325 wsm, I have a lot of confidence with that rifle and feel what ever I put the crosshairs on will die a quick death. If your comfortable shooting a 243 then by all mans use a 243 if your comfortable using a 340 magnum use it.

Thanks Ingwe,
I do not plan on red lining mine. So I will definitely start low and let the rifle tell me where it wants to be.

Just striving for something "a little" more than an 06, with some nostalgia thrown in.

I have hunted in the "West" 5 or 6 times. It isn't that hard to do when you live only 50 miles from the Atlantic. I would probably fit right in with the OP's magnum question. My most often used traveling rifle has turned out to be a Ruger 77 in 300 Winchester mag.

In hunting new areas of the country, I seldom ever knew what type of terrain or cover I would be hunting or a typical range that the game would be encountered. It has almost never matched the description that was provided by the Outfitter selling the hunt and I want to be prepared for what ever I get into. My elk was shot at a range of 435 yards. I had no idea I would be taking a shot that far off and to me it was a long shot. I was comfortable with it and had practiced at 400 yards in preparation for the hunt. I was told to expect something in the neighborhood of a 200 to 250 yard shot. The 300 Winchester magnum was up for it. My 308 probably would have been too. I was comfortable with the 300 Winchester.

On a hunt a couple of years ago to Texas, I had no information on the typical range to expect for a shot at a white tail. This hunt I carried a 6.5/06. I first saw the buck at 175 yards. He was walking towards me and I shot him at about 80 yards. I was ready for a 400 yard shot, but got one I could have made with my 35 Remington with no problem.

A bear was shot with the 300 Winchester at 15 yards. He died right where he was shot. I was not disappointed. Mule deer at 140 yards, Pronghorn at 295 yards, a fallow deer at 35 yards, axis deer at 75 yards and a caribou at close to 400 yards.

Most of my hunts have been the "once in a lifetime hunt". I knew I wouldn't get to shoot an elk, bear, pronghorn, caribou, or mule deer but once. I wanted to go with a rifle that I knew would get the job done, whatever that turned out to be.

I probably hauled a rifle all over the place that was heavier than it should have been and chambered for a cartridge that was more powerful than I needed, but I felt ready for any shot I might get and it worked every time.

Magnumitis seems to be buzz word for compensation to practice and learn your rifle. If all you do prior is shoot whitetail under 100 yards, you're never going to be able to make a 400 yard shot with a plain duplex reticle.

If you get out and practice at various distance out to 1000 yards,you're going to learn your rifle. Pretty soon, that 400 yard shot will become a chip shot.

Practice, practice, practice....and know your ballistics.

My perfect elk rifle is my Kimber Montana in 325wsm. Lots of power for those instances when you need it, really light package to hike all over the steep hillsides and ridges I frequent in October, and legitimate accuracy with good bullets.

I also have a heavy 7mm Rem Mag for fun range time long range shooting and the occasional hunt, and then I have 3 different 7-08 rifles. One Browning A bolt II that really belongs to my oldest boy as an award for his Eagle Scout, but has taken elk to 360 yards, one Winchester Model 70 Westerner that used to be a .243 Win and now wears a Shillen barrel chamber in 7-08, that my youngest son has adopted recently for his Eagle Scout award, and so I picked up a Tikka T3 in 7-08 for me. 😀

No matter what you have, use it a lot and have fun.

"Practice" is a panacea for any rifle cartridge, including magnums.No more difficult than with a smaller cartridge, if you go about it intelligently.

And it surely is no trick to kill an elk at 400 yards with a standard duplex reticle if you know how to do it, which is no big trick either....just practice.

I never met any magnum shooter with any real experience who believed that you get sloppy and indifferent about bullet placement with a magnum cartridge. But they do allow you to move heavy for caliber bullets at the same or faster velocities as smaller cartridges do with lighter bullets,and that has advantages sometimes.

No doubt there are some wild eyed people out there who believe you can slop bullets from magnums into the edges of elk vitals with good results. I can only guess they have not shot many elk,nor seen many killed.

It is about personal ethics. Yes I can kill an elk with a well placed bullet out of my 308. But what if the shot is not well placed. Trauma from a Higher velocity bullet with more weight. Increases the likely hood of a quick kill. So yes, More energy is better for Elk.

I'd think that, regardless of caliber, if a shot is not well placed; you're in for a treasure hunt, without a map.

I came across the pics from this hunt.

You dont need a magnum to kill elk but I dont see a reason to not carry a more potent caliber if you could shoot it well, at least in open country. In the timber, especially west of the cascades, its more important for me to carry something thats light enough to carry in my hands rather than slung.

My last bull was taken with my 7STW, shooting 160 Partitions.

Wasn't a very long shot, only about 125 yards.

Truthfully, a 280, 7/08 etc... would have done just as well in that instance.

Tony

I won't say either way but I don't think magnumitus is an Eastern thing

I have killed only 3 elk.......300% more than most people I know and work with but.....

My first was with a .270 with 140 grn Accubonds at 2900 fps

My second was with a 30-06 with 150 grn Accubonds at just under 2900 fps

My last was with a 30-06 with 180 grn Accubonds at 2700 fps

...because everything out west looks so phuqqing far away.

all you need is a 30-06 or 308 Win........

and know how to use it..........

TikkaNut,

I usually run a T3 Lite Stainless .308, and it has been stellar on elk so far.

That said, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually used a T3 in .300 W on this years cow. Ends up it was only a 300 yard shot, but the area we have been hunting has lots of opportunities to really stretch the range.

I'll be slumming my 270 and 30-30 this fall on my first trip to Colorado after elk. I like "boring" "old" cartridges and they are what I hunt with 90% of the time for whitetail down here so I'm comfortable with them.

What is it Stick says, "bullets matter more than head stamps" something like that anyway.

The least important thing about your elk hunt is typically the caliber, but it's one that gets a lot of emphasis and questions.

Shot placement and good bullets are more important, but the most important things about your elk hunt typically include how to find them, and how to get them off the mountain.

Of my three elk:

First : 200 yards, 300win, 165 Grand Slam, didn't go far

Second : 450+ yards, 300Rum, 180 Scirocco, stoned him

Third : 125 yards, 7STW, 160 Partition,dropped him in his tracks

In all three places, there were possibilities of very long shots, hence the boomers.

I'd say it was a tossup between the STW and 300Rum on effectiveness. Although it wasn't much of a test of the STW......

Tony

My wife (born and raised in SW Wyoming) has somewhat limited experience with different calibers when elk hunting. She started (successfully) with a .243 Win.,then moved up to a .270 Win.(again quite successful), and took her first moose with a .264 Win. When we thought that we might get to hunt Alaska and Africa, we moved her up to a .338 Win. While she doesn't enjoy shooting it from the bench,it is her only hunting rifle!! She is very comfortable and confident with it. She's taken,antelope,deer,elk,moose,and black bear with it. Could she have been as successful with a lesser caliber? Certainly yes,but again it goes back to comfort and confidence!! memtb

Was on a combo Hunt in Northern BC, when I took my moose.....

Using my 300RUM and 200AB on that Hunt.

Shot a big bull and nice Billy on that hunt.

I wanted a heavier bullet, than my normal 180 Scirocco load, only because the area I was hunting was crawling with grizzlies....just in case.

Did end up seeing 7 on the Hunt, including a sow with cubs crossing the trail in front of us.

That was a tad on the sporty side....

Tony

Just a sample of one, but believe that you're making a generalization about the 'eastern thinking' as I live in PA and in the event that I make it out west to hunt elk, it would be with a 270....

This x 1,000.

Dave

.....................That thinking from the east is probably because they think they need a more powerful magnum for extra down range killing power for elk along with having flatter trajectories for those longer open country distances should those situations present themselves. Imo, it is more of a "I need (or want) some extra assurance" thing.

And if a magnum happens to be in their (east of the Mississipi) safe, then why not!....Magnum needed? Probably not. Magnum wanted? Yup.

Magnumititus for the most part is more of a want rather than a need, especially for those who are more intrigued by the more powerful boomers who can handle them.

Yep. Generalization is not a good thing. The 'magnum craze' was not an Eastern thing. I remember reading Boddington in the 80s and 90s, and how the 338WM, 8mmRM, etc. were so much better for elk and the 375 H&H minimal for the "big bears". Can't count how many times where a gun writer opined the 270Win as "marginal" for elk.

Wasn't true then, and definitely not true now with modern bullets.

Well....the whole Weatherby thing started in California.....not east of the Mississippi.


Just making an observation.

My two most recent Oregon bulls fell to a single 140 grain Partition apiece from a T3 in 7mm-08. Both DRT.




P

You know that Partitions and Tikka's don't work...

You're one of the few. Almost every Pennsylvanian I've ever known that went west for Elk took a magnum. And 90% took 300's.

I agree.

Nothing wrong with a little extra horsepower in the chamber. Don't need a 5 liter in the Mustang to go to the grocery store either, but sometimes the extra HP can be beneficial.

I have owned magnums in every diameter between .257 and .375. I think I shot them pretty well. Problem was, when I got to the uneven terrain, they always got left at camp or in the truck in favor of something lighter.

The magnums are all gone. I mostly use either one of my .30-06s or the .308. I have done OK on deer with a .243, but I think I have better for elk, should the occasion arise.

I will tell this story since all of the participants, including the landowner are deceased. Cousin, Uncle, and Friend, drove to CO to hunt elk on private land. Arrived way late, got up late, and were finishing breakfast at host's house at dawn. The party had two bull and a cow tag.

Cousin saw a band of elk, from the kitchen window, on a ridge top moving away from a hunter who seemed unaware that they were there, moving toward host's property. Cousin grabbed his rifle, a BAR .30-06, hiked out, hid behind a rock and waited. The elk passed by at about 75-80 yards. Three shots, all three tags filled, hunt over.

Jack

Isn't a 308 at 200, a 30-06 at 300, and a 300WM at 400? Same bullet of course.....

Dad used an Accubond from his 7mm-08. Go figure.

All three rifles in our party were sporting your Talleys.



P

I'm just a highly educated redneck from the extreme southwestern corner of Georgia. My default personality is to be as risk averse as I can, in life as well as hunting. Since my first elk many years ago I've used a 300 Jarrett, 300 RUM and a 338, with Partitions, TBBC's or North Fork bullets. Since I work so hard saving my pennies, I just don't feel like leaving things to chance.

I'm blessed that I can shoot those rifles accurately with no problems, flinching, etc. I also do NOT use the excuse of having a magnum to take high risk shots.

That's just the way I fry my fish and because you might not do it that way doesn't make you any less in my eyes.

Best of luck this upcoming fall folks.

I've been hunting elk in that open country for more than 50 years. In my experience, it's extremely rare to see a 400 yd elk that you can't get at least 100 yds closer to. A gun in the 308/270/30-06 class is plenty. I used a 300 WSM for about 10 years and took 7 or 8 elk with it. None of them couldn't have been taken just as well with a 30-06, which is what I'm now using.

It's because gunwriters need something to write about every month in order to maker a living, and "your .308 or '06 will work fine" doesn't sell magazines--there's no mystique there.

I have my FIRST elk hunt planned for this September in Idaho. I plan to take one of my 300s, weatherby, H&H or Winchester. I am convinced a 308, 06, 270, 7mm, 300 savage, etc will cleanly take an elk, so why the 300s? I think they hit harder and shoot flatter.

My brother is not what I'd call a "gun guy." He has maybe 20 guns, and that's rifles, shotguns and handguns combined. For the past, roughly, 35 years the only rifle he takes on hunts out West or up North is his beat-up BLR in .308. To make matters worse, years he's got a travel hunt planned, he buys a bunch of whatever factory ammo he can get the cheapest in the appropriate bullet weight and he shoots it all summer long from field positions at all distances. He saves a box for his hunting trip. He's very successful with this system.

I've shot a lot of elk with Speer Hotcores and I've never had one fail to die.

Use the H&H.

Sandpit: I would recommend a "magnum" Rifle for anyone wanting a Rifle dedicated to "Elk Hunting" (and I have lived all my life out west)!
I have killed most of my Elk with a 7m/m Remington Magnum - I chose it not just for the additional lethality but also (mostly?) for the flatter trajectory it offers over "standard cartridges".
I have also killed Bull Elk with these cartridges 270 Winchester, 280 Remington and 30/06.
Yeah when asked (or like you observe "talk about") or when talking about Elk Hunting I do recommend "magnum" calibers.
By the way I have seen (firsthand!) four different "experienced" Hunters kill Bull Elk with Rifles in caliber 25/06 Remington!
Not MY first choice by any stretch, but it did get the job done there in the hands of patient, experienced Hunters.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

...........Yep! As you say the 308/270/30-06 class is plenty.......But then again, you can always reduce the charges or use faster burning powders to approximate mid to high end 30-06 power with either the 300 WSM and 300 Win.

Everybody seems to forget about that when talking about magnums vs non magnum cartridges. With magnum rounds you can always load down to approximate cartridges with less power. However, the reverse is not true. Cannot load up to approximate magnum power.

And for a 400-500 + yard shot on a big elk, "should" that circumstance present itself, I'd prefer a 300 mag vs the 308/270 or 30-06 if choosing a 30 caliber. And if it doesn't all the better.

If I had the luxury of hunting Elk annually I would get a 7mm Rem mag, load some 160 Partitions, and proceed to kill stuff. Or at least attempt to.

Getting a rifle chambered in a magnum cartridge and "loading it down" makes as much sense as getting a Shelby GT and putting a governor on it.

............I'll disagree! That is what reloading does and what it is for. Load up or load down to suit. And there was no mention by me, that if one owns magnums, that reduced loads should be used 100% of the time. Because if that were the case, only then it wouldn't make any sense to own a magnum...

And btw, I own a 2011 Shelby GT500 convertible. It is speed limited from the factory at 155. Well below its top end potential if it were not electronically speed limited. And yet, I have not gone over 100 mph with it.

More fun from 0 to 70-80......

I learned a VERY valuable lesson regarding elk rifles this year. Hop up on my knee...whoa boy, you've been eating your spinach like a good boy.



Ok. Listen close. Here's the story, in a nutshell:

Sometimes, you don't even need a rifle. The end.


Translation: I had 99 problems and the phuqqing rifle wasn't one.


But its funny, that at the end of the day, the lowly 30-06 will handle yo bidness. Always has, always will. But never did...


I'll be back.....

Not a bad choice (of .300's) in the bunch so long as you can shoot them well.

Suggested a .308 for Daughter #1 because she is recoil sensitive. And she shouldn't be shooting past 300-350 yards until she gets more practice. (Hopefully, now that she is again a Colorado resident, we'll get her to the range a lot more often.)

There are so many things that make a person a better elk hunter, but everyone always is hung up on the rifle/cartridge/bullet.

It's way down on my list of worries.

True, but I do like paying for .300 Why. brass so I can load it down to '06 velocities, that's what reloading does.

.......Wise guy..lol......I don't recall mentioning taking a 300 Bee down to '06 velocities. A slight exaggeration. A 300 WSM and Win are more feasible in that dept on a part time basis as needed where max or near max loads are not necessarily needed....And thank all u 30-06 buffs. You have inadvertently complimented my 300 WSM Ruger Frontier shorty compact. Cuz whether you like it or hate it, ballistically from the muzzle, it is a 24" to a 26" tubed 30-06...

I've carried a 270, (several) 30-06, 300 wsm, 300 win mag, 300 wby mag and a .50 cal front stuffer for elk. I've killed elk with the 50, 300 wsm and wby, and 30-06. Never came down to anything except "I want to use this gun". And now I'm putting together a (hopefully!) 5 lbs 308, a 375 Wby and a 7mm-300 win....because why not. Guns are fun. I wish I could hunt 6 elk a year so I could use MORE different guns. Never felt under nor over-gunned with any of them. Shoot what you want, as long as you shoot it good.

That's kind of where I'm coming from with the tongue-in-cheek comments on loading down. If I want to shoot a big magnum, I'll have one in the safe. If I want to shoot a .308 I'll have one of those too. If I want really light mountain rifle, it won't be a magnum, and it won't be loaded down.

Before my first elk hunt out west I was focused mainly on my rifle. Before my second elk hunt I was focused mainly on my boots. Most deer rifles with decent bullets work fine on elk.

A 16" barreled, scout scoped, 300WSM that shoots like a 30-06 and weighs more?

Oof.....

That's what experience will do for/to you. Most of the fun you could have had obsessing about the choice of rifle and perhaps contemplating a new one --- pphhhhhtttt --- gone. Instead you worried about practical stuff like keeping your feet warm, dry and comfortable so you could enjoy the hunt.

Hopefully the practical stuff is out of the way and you can go back to worrying about the fun stuff!

Well, what are you focused on now?

...........Nope! A 16.5" barrel....Short changin me by a 1/2" uh??.....lol

Without scope it weighs 7 1/2 lbs. And depending on what optic I`m using either my 3-9x40, my scout scope or the red dot, the weight goes from 7 3/4 lbs up to nearly 9 lbs..........Ok for me.

Shoots like the 30-06?...Yep! It do.....Hit the link below and scroll down to the factory ammo chrony results using 180 grainers. Not to mention that with 66.3 gr of RL17 only (no pressure signs), it will do better than the best velocity of 2796 fps posted by Quinn.



www.gunblast.com/Ruger_FrontierRifle.htm

Cliff rifle.

Wondering how many more times my old legs will carry me up the side of a mountain.

I've only taken 19 elk, but if the kills by friends and family at our camp are tallied up they are 80 or so. Good bullets of medium to heavy weights, from any reasonable cartridge, and placed well will kill any elk without drama in my experience. Some of the quickest kills I've seen have been with the little 7mm08 and 140 core lokt bullets. One of the most surprising "failure" was a bull I hit on the point of the oncoming shoulder with a .375 H&H and Nosler 260 partition. Bullet failed to penetrate. Most of our elk have been taken with .308, .270 and 35 Whelen. But we don't shoot at elk more distant than 300 yards, usually much closer. We just stalk closer or call more or wait for a better shot. Most of the perceived "need" new elk hunters have for a flat shooting magnum with a big scope and turrets and range finder is marketing hype and pairs well with perceived entitlement. They believe that any legal elk they see should be an opportunity to shoot - not an opportunity to stalk closer or wait for a better shot.

In my camp in eastern Oregon
We had three 06's and three 300 RUM.
One guy wants to be like his dad and uncle and wants to step up to the 300 rum.
Next year there might only be two 06s and if my daughter goes, a 270.
Btw the dad missed an elk broad side short distance with his 300. Should have just kept the 06.