Saturday’s the opener. Choices are 308 with 175 Berger VLD hunting or 243 AI with Hornady 105 BTHP.

Ranges from probably 200 yards to ???

I’ve shot the 308 to 400 with good dope, the 243 AI past 600 with confirmed dope.

Open sage brush public land hunt.

Is the 105 BTHP enough? This rifle is <MOA past 600 with my handloads.

Never had any trouble killing Elk with my 243 a.i. and a 105 Scenar, put it in the plumbing and they die quick. my 308 works well with 130 gr. TSX, Elk are not bullet proof. Rio7

Copy.

Shots can be long, and I'm already regretting not taking a 550 at a deer because my hunting buddy didn't have dope on his rifle out that far.

Seems like whichever you love the most. The 308 sounds better if your on elk. But I’d run either or.

You just never know what will happen during an elk hunt.
Is he going to walk in front of you at 20 yards or will you spot him 2000 yards out? Bad shot where you hit the shoulder. Just never know
Personally I’d take the 308 vs the 6 mm 105 gr HP bullet in case a Close encounter happens

Hit them where they live, and the difference will be indiscernible.

Uh...... you have a 3rd option??

Personally, I’d prefer the 308.

If you compare the velocity loss and energy loss of these two rounds at long distance, it sure doesn't seem responsible to me to be using the .243 past 200-300 yds . on elk sized game!

You know what the two things are that result in landowners finding the most elk carcases in the brush come the end of Novermber are?

Bergers and .243s.

You're choices are [bleep] and [bleep]. Someone needed to tell you.

Federal's .308 165gr Trophy Bonded Tip and 180gr Partitions loads are available on Midway right now. Buy some appropriate ammo.

Llama Bob, let me correct you, Bergers, and poor marksmanship. Rio7

I love elk burgers & prefer that I can take shots at bad angles & through bone at 300 yards if that fills the freezer. I don’t want to count on broadside opportunities at less than 400 with lots of room.

Shooting marginal calibers at elk doesn’t make much sense to me but my main goal is to kill & eat them not brag about shooting them with some small cartridge.

I understand some young guys are recoil shy with their super light rifles - add a muzzle brake a recoil reducer in the stock or a heavier rifle that allows you to shoot a little higher energy cartridge - your full freezer will thank you. For folks with physical disabilities who need to limit recoil exercise discipline.

I assume you mean a .308 Win and not a 30 Carbine! In which case........the .308 Win. memtb

The 308 - I’m assuming .308 Win - would get my vote

Thanks guys. I was prioritizing distance over diameter. However, I have lots of 155 Scenars loaded for the 308, and will use those.

I don’t really give a flip about others opinions, mine included sometimes, but a 243 (AI or not) would be the last thing I’d carry elk hunting. I’m assuming we’re talking about a bull elk hunt? Way too many things can go not exactly perfect when the trigger is pulled.

Preach on

308.

You been watching too many episodes of best of the west.. go take some your Uncle Sam bucks and go buy a 6.5 prc. Better yet go buy a 270 Winchester shoot some 145 eld-x. 🥰

The 308 is my favorite cartridge, and elk are my favorite game. You could load up 500 rounds with 155 Scenars, and have a lifetime supply for any NA hunting IMO.

Best wishes David, hope you’re well.

You are ph ucking nuts... any NA hunting?? Pass me a 375 H&H and 300gr TSX please

Bear aren’t that hard to kill in fact…

I have some TSX loaded, but have hundreds of 155 Scenars, the better to practice with.

Thanks Brad. I’m well and trust you are doing well from your posts.

This is sound advise. I should have just started there.

Open sage got me thinking long range.

The 243AI is perfect for deer here, but probably not elk.

Be well, DW.

I guess a .308 with 155 Scenars is not enough to kill cleanly kill elk huh...

A .308 is a marginal caliber for an elk?

Surely I wouldn't turn down an go at that rug if'n all I owned was a 308win. I'd still be in the game. 308 is actually a favorite of mine and I believe the 338 Federal is even better but 308win has the edge on economy and availability so it's somewhat better. It truly is outstanding.

David.

The 155 Scenar from a .308 is a well established elk killer, and accuracy is well known. When I have any doubt, I grab my Tikka .308 and 155 Scenars.

MS

Calm down delta force.. please don’t post a picture of my house and threaten to sneak in and cut my throat.. the point is he’s factoring the bc of the bullet to make best of the west 700yd shots. I’m not questioning if the 308 is marginal, it’s a great round for elk. But will say better choices when it comes to Bullets with a higher bc and the 145gr eld-x has a much higher bc than the 155 scenar. The 143gr eld-x 6.5 has a bc of .643. So if he’s wanting a Bullet with a high bc get a different chambering that allows you to shoot a higher bc bullet. I can think of better .308 Bullets with a higher bc. 178gr eld-x is one. If he needs some I will send him some. Hell I have over 100 308 loaded with 185 juggernauts I send him. Loaded in lapua brass. Loads been used out to a 1000yds in a f class 308.

Oh ok... I didn’t know you had a basement full of kodiak bear rugs my bad.....

There’s two guys posting on here who’ve killed a metric [bleep]-ton of elk with a 308. Big bulls too, I tend to believe that if they say it’s fine, that it is.

Dave I can send you some ready to go I just want my brass back. 185 juggernauts.

+1. I have killed, or seen killed first hand, more than a few elk, deer, and antelope killed by .308’s, 300 WSM’s, 300 Win’s, and even the 6.5 Creedmoor. Good shot placement is the ultimate equalizer. To tell the truth, while butchering a bunch of antelope shot with 30-06’s, a 300 WSM, a 257 Weatherby, and 6.5 Creedmoor, I had a hard time telling what was shot with what. Except, the 257 Weatherby…that was messy.

Saying a .308 anything isn’t enough for elk is pretty funny.

John,

Thanks for the offer but elk season is through next Sunday. I send out for the opener, with all the other thousands on public land, and saw only people.

I’m headed back out this Wednesday and Thursday, likely with the 155
Scenar load.

308 and 155 scenar bullets will kill lots of schit....

Out of your 2 options listed the 308 is the better choice.

Good luck on your hunt

I sorta agree, but would you stay home and give up your tag if that was what you had and it shot well?

A lot elk got 30-30’ed, 300 Savage, 250 Savage, etc back when that’s all a hunter had. I agree maybe there’s better but if you can do the work it probably won’t be the gun that lets you down.

Not arguing a bit but I always ask myself if I had to, I could and I’d just make sure my shots were good angles or as best as I could do. Just like I do with bigger guns as well but I don’t sweat angles quite as much with the bigger, heavier cartridges.

Brian litz tested the 155 scenar (old one) and he got a G1 BC of .459.

https://appliedballisticsllc.com/wp...ng-of-the-Lapua-308-155-grain-Scenar.pdf

I’ve seen to many elk killed with the .243 to say it’s not “enough”.

“Elk hunt” can mean a bunch of different things. If a person asks me if a 243 is enough for elk, I’m going to say absolutely.

If the the same person asked me if I’d use a .243 working thick North slopes or that country the PNW Mafia hunts, I’d say hell no.

In my opinion where I hunt the 308 is a marginal caliber for elk - average shot distance is a little over 300 yards and the canyons that lead to private are steep & shots at animals within 200 yards of the boundary are common so we need to hit & stop elk at 3-400 yards and I’ve seen them travel quite a ways with bullets through both lungs.

But you can kill elk all day long with a 308 inside 400 yards & sometimes stop them in their tracks - I like the extra horsepower for elk. You never know when you are lucky enough to have to anchor a 750 lb bull that already has some adrenaline going.

Hope you find one.

You can kill elk with anything of course. Gut shooting them with a .22LR will kill them. The question is how reliably it stops them. If you want to stop an elk reliably without the chance it goes hundreds of yards, you 100% must break major bone. CNS will also stop them, but it can't be done reliably at any distance. Simply shooting their heart and lungs will kill them, but they can easily go hundreds of yards into inaccessible terrain just on the oxygen in their blood and anaerobic metabolism. At the very least on a heart-lung shot you want a pass-through so there's blood to follow.

Solid point. I’d be a chicken and probably switch to a heavier constructed bullet if I was stuck with it. Luckily most of us probably won’t have that problem.

It’s funny how the answers are always different depending on who/how the question is asked. It’s no different around here.

If I talk to someone, a .243, 6.5 etc is way under gun for elk by most. If you ask is the .243, 6.5 etc adequate for a women/child, it’s almost always a resounding yes.

I would agree, the .243 is not what I would consider as the best elk cartridge, but used within its limits, it has definitely worked.

I just think to myself if I couldn’t have exactly what I wanted if I could make a 6 CM or 243 work for me and most of the time I could.

A good friend, who grew up in the AK bush living by the rifle thinks the 308's more than enough (he hunts Kodiak every year). Phil Shoemaker, who has more experience with Brown Bears than most, thinks it's more than enough. And friend lanche, here on the fire, thinks it's more than enough. Your problem is you've got a untested bias, not to mention a big mouth and ego...

Nothing wrong with a .308 and a sturdy bullet that shoots well. Everything in the world is upside down with .243’s except a perfect angle and range.

My favorite elk load is a .308 168 gr TTSX that happens to be sitting on top of 83.6 gr of RL26 inside a .300 Weatherby case. I never ponder “Is this enough gun for bulls at _____ range”?

Good luck and be well!

👍 😉 memtb

I have nothing against the .308 Win......I shot one for many years. However, if I were guiding Brown Bear hunts, I want all of my clients shooting a .308 Win......that way I could finish-off lots of bears that weren’t “overly” impressed! 😉. memtb

Lol you dumb ass I don’t see any mention of a 155gr scenar being used to kill brown bears. The 308 is more than adequate for NA as long as you use the right bullet. You said and I quote “ You could load up 500 rounds with 155 Scenars, and have a lifetime supply for any NA hunting IMO”. Your words not mine. I love to see Phil shoemakers face when you show up to bear camp with a pocket full of 155gr scenars. Once again I have nothing against the 308 but I’m against using the wrong bullet. When talking about a big mouth and ego look at yourself in the mirror their jukebox hero.

Sighted in the 308 with 155 Scenars, and confirmed dope to 400.

Only have time for two more days before the season closes, but I feel readier now.

Thanks to all.

Good luck David.

Hope you connect with one!

Nice David. And rest assured, whatever will kill an elk will kill a brown bear

your arrogance has no bounds.. I agree whatever will kill an elk will kill a bear as long as you use the right bullet. On top of that, the 155gr scenar has a garbage ass bc.

So if I had to ask this question, I probably wouldn’t even bother huntin bulls.


If ya “hunt” em, speacilly over in that country, I’d run either one. I’ve been in the position where I’ve had to make meat with lesser rounds and heard rumors of elk being killed with way less chamberings… go hunt and have fun dave

A long time wrestling pard, we both wrestled at state our senior year, and a great hunter guided for a hot shot up lake illiamna, guided jack briddingham back I’m the day before they got caught killin moose for bait. Aaron used a 416 for backup.. I dunno why he didn’t use a 308 for cleanup??? Haha

I agree I had a bud who used nothing but 25-06 loaded with 117gr hornady btsp. He killed a lot of elk with that rifle, I was witness to several of the kills. If all you have is a 22-250 for elk make it work, but I doubt one would be making 700yd shots at elk with a 22-250.

I’d have to concur with SLM...The 243 Win can get it done, but with variables in play in some jurisdictions ~ I’d pass on the 6mm to go with a more substantial chambering.

🦫

There is a HUGE difference between a 6mm and 6.5mm. Almost all 6mms are slow twisted and there are no high SD fast twist hunting bullets suitable for use on elk. 6.5mm has a lot of options.

A .243 is not adequate for anyone. The 6.5CM or one of its ballistic twins can be made to work.

If that's the 2 choices I was given I'd take the 308.

I am glad you chose the 308!

My choice also.

Simply put the 308 WCF powdered right puts a 165-168 grain class bullet out at 2,775 fps, the 30-06 at 2,900 fps. At 300 yards there is no appreciable difference on elk with proper bullet placement. Even using 180 gr loads the 308 WCF pushes at 2,625 fps and the 30-06, 2,775 fps. Not exactly earth shattering performance over the 308 WCF. Not to mention all the elk sized African plains game shot dead every year with the 308 WCF, like Kudu, Gemsbok, Zebra, Wildebeest, Sable. The 30-06 is heralded as a perfect elk and African game cartridge, the 308 WCF as a perfect deer cartridge. Too many folks have read to many gun writers of the past spoon feeding this mantra. I would agree that 200 gr loadings in the 30-06 is a step up over the 308 WCF for larger game use, but even then the 308 WCF can push those at 2,450 fps. No matter what you use the bullet is the great equalizer and there are many great ones to choose from as well as powders and off-the-shelf ammo. For elk the 308 WCF is far superior to the 243 WCF under any condition of use.

Brad is a first class idiot.

'Expertly' posts nothing but response bait.

You are also a low IQ moron!

Just bait, that's all.

Is Mikey fixing to go on another road trip in the wife’s grocery getter?

Shine up the wing tip shoes before you head out.

SLM…… I forgot to mention you…….apologies…..but consider you to be the cheer-leader from the side-line.

Would you like to operate the video camera…..along with shining shoes?

It could be bad news for Mikey. Mikey scared.

Goodness, someone is off their meds…

This would be a great place to meet up.

35.60861, -105.24222

Fightin’ max over what will/won’t kill a elk!!!! Haha god damn I’m crying 😂😂

Elk killing is serious business.

Me too - every day of the week + Sunday

Brother slim, I crack up over this shiit!!!! Haha

Do the armchair internet experts ever actually spend time in the field?

Nope, strictly an armchair expert.

How in the hell does a "field expert", such as yourself, spend a month killing a cow elk in Wyoming?

I see no reason to spend a bunch of time getting that done.

Yep, elk killin’ completed for this year. Now for some armchair time reading the ludicrous posts of the buffoons on here!

Let’s Go Mikey!

308 100 grs is a bit small for elk

So Mr. David Walter, did you score on a elk this season?

The cartridge choices you gave us are fine for elk, the bullet choices make me cringe.

Why that small segment of folks are married to the bc of a bullet over terminal performance is something that I will never understand.

Between the two bullet choices I hope you were successful and used the 155 Scenar.

I have a pair of 243’s that have killed 15 elk. My new ( and only) 308 has killed 1.

In both cartridges I prioritize terminal performance over long range gliding abilities of the bullet…….

308 for me. no question.

Last year I killed 2 bulls and a cow, all by the second day of their respective seasons.

This year it took me five days to kill a cow and I didn’t fill my bull tag (and any legal bull would’ve been fine by me).

That’s elk hunting……..

Spent a few days after elk this year, but saw no legal bulls.

Alpine, that is sig line stuff right there, needledick bullets got there place but on meat I go terminal performance every time . Mb

That is indeed hunting.

Hope you had an enjoyable time anyway!

Worst day elk hunting is better than working or sitting at home on the couch!

BuzzH.....you one-trick ponies crack me up.

Currently out in Wyoming.

Don't dive for Bin Laden's cave just yet, like you did in September.

Am on the west side........but always open for an invitation, on the way home. Have plenty of time.

My PM is functional.