For Colorado elk? Assuming equal accuracy.

A) 308 caliber, 165 grain Partition at 2700 fps
B) 308 caliber, 180 grain Partition at 2650 fps or
C) 338 caliber, 210 grain Partition at 2400 fps

How Far do you expect your shots to be ?

Anyone’s guess but certainly no more than 300 yards.

180 grain bullets out of my 30/06 hasn't ever given me a problem. I've been elk hunting here in Colorado since 1979.

All of those would work. I'm assuming A would be 308w, B would be a 30-06, and C 338-06? Looks like fairly mild loads for all of them. I'd run the 30-06 with 180's, if that is indeed B in your list. However, if you can stand 30-06 loaded with 200gr partitions, that would be my absolute pick. That bullet just plows stuff in the grand ol 06...

I would go with the 165 gr Partition.

The few elk I have killed (4) with two different .308 lever actions used cartridges with 165 gr Sierra Boat tails or 150 gr WW Power Points. They did good jobs.

I could go also go along with the 180 grain NPT if need be. The 180 gr Partition is what I have used in most of my "06 elk loads for many years.

Gary

Close! A) a 308 Win with 24” barrel, B) 30-06 with 22” barrel, and C) a 338 Federal with 22” barrel.

My 30-06 was one of my first centerfire rifles and I killed a lot of bucks with it. Bad weather and hunting from a tent led me to buying only weather resistant/stainless rifles in recent years. Because the 30-06 is wood and blued, it has no left my safe in 4 or 5 years. I may use it anyway or maybe even buy a 300 WSM.

I would chose B.

B, .06 with the 180's,

.338 WM with 210 Partition, if the Partition were the only, but very good, choice! Well, that would be my wife’s choice! memtb

Unfortunately, I don’t have a 338 Win Mag

B.

The 165 at 2700 would be the most versatile in my opinion. While not a long range hunter having a 0-350 range without a bunch of thought wouldn’t stink for me.

So far:

A) 2 votes
B) 5 votes
C) 0 votes (the way I was leaning slightly)

I may buy a 300 WSM and that would get me a 180 grain at about 2900 fps. I think I would buy it in a Browning BAR. I’m not sure if the extra speed would be worth the added weight and likely recoil. I have been considering buying one for a few years, though, so it might happen.

I also could buy a stainless 30-06 and load for it. I may be crazy but using my old 30-06 in the rain stresses me out. I am not particular at all about maintaining my rifles and I like having less to worry about with stainless.

the 165 NP out of your .308

Buy the stainless 30/06 and not worry about the rain or snow or sleet or......

308/165

[align:center][/align]A) 4 votes
B) 5 votes
C) 2 votes

Of those you have, the 30-06 is only giving up 50 fps at the muzzle but with a 180 vs 165. At 300 yards, it will carry more velocity (2116 vs 2082 fps) and energy than the 165. Drops are virtually identical at ~ 8.8" at 300 yards (200 yd zero). That's from plugging your numbers and specific bullets into RCBS.load's external ballistic calculator.

I shot my largest bull with a 210 partition out of a 338 Fed. It was the only bullet impact I've seen that ever impressed a bull elk. I hated the rifle as it was a kimber montana and punched me in the cheekbone every time I fired it but it hammered that bull.

I’d love to know of those voting, who has used any (or all three) on elk?

This is going to be my next topic. If spending money on a new rifle, 300 WSM probably makes more sense than another 30-06. Weight might be an issue though.

Good info, thanks. How long was the shot?

Theeck, I only read your first post! Answer #3. So, I still suggest the .338......only now the Federal. Provided you don’t try to stretch the shots very far .....say under 400. Shouldn’t be an issue, as you mentioned 300 as your hoped for maximum! memtb

If a 165 Partition won’t kill it then a 300 anything won’t change much under your max ranges. I love 300 mags and just about everything else but the 165 Partition will do the work.

I'd take all three rifles to the range and shoot 10 shots from each at paper plates at 200 yards from field positions. Whichever gun I shot better would go to the top of the list.

All three loads are perfectly adequate. Other factors will determine your success.

150 yards.

Because they are all Partitions I doubt any would be a disappointment. I have killed elk with 308s and with bullets as light as 150 grains If the bullet is a food one and holds together the kills are just fine. I do like exits on my game in case I need to follow a trail, but the 165s and the 180s seem to go about the same depth from my 308s and those I have seen used on elk, as long as the bullets hold together.

If you place the bullet well any one of those will do the job perfectly. The 338 will give you a larger diameter wound channel, but I don't know that it will out penetrate a 180 grain 308. Probably about the same I am going to guess.

I have killed elk with the 210 Grain Nosler partition from a 338-06 (MV about 2750) and one time the bullet was on the skin of the off-side. One other time I got an exit. Both made very wide and lethal wounds and both elk hit the dirt within about 4 seconds of the shot.

So depending on your hunting style you should select the bullet. Not on any set of ballistics you get from a table or ballistics software. The real issue is the hunter, not the tool.

Another vote for the 180 Partition.

The most accurate. I would never assume equal accuracy.

The 155 Scenar is a great elk killing bullet out of the 308. I had good results with a 180 accubond out of the 308 too.

I’d 338

Since the OP said to consider equal accuracy and max range 300yd I would recommend they take the 338.

All would work just fine. I love the 180 Partition so I’d go with that load of the three. But I’d bump the 210 load up to just shy of 2600 and use that. I like the way animals react when a .338 bullet hits. End result will be the same with any, have a great hunt.

180 Partition.

Creedmore?

I much prefer the Creedmoor.....

The 180gr Creedmoor? Or the 165gr Creedmoor?..........

I have a Creedmoor but wouldn’t use it on elk.

Why not? I have a pair of 243's that have accounted for 14 elk.

Use a Partition and up to a point it really doesn't matter how much powder is behind it..........

I don’t get to go very often. If I get a shot, I don’t want to take any chances with whether I have enough gun. A better question might be why you would choose a 243 fo elk? It seems to me that there are much better options. Recoil sensitive? Have it on hand and don’t want to buy another rifle?

I have a 6.5 and a 25-06 but I’d rather use something a bit bigger.

I'd take the one you're confident in and don't mind carrying for several days, then not second guess the choice.
They'll all work fine if you place the shot well enough.
I much prefer a scope with holdover dots rather than guesstimating but that's just personal preference too...

A or B

No difference in killing ability between the three.

I would consider weight of the rifle. I’ve carried a rifle a damned long way some days.

I would consider how pretty the rifles are. I like pretty rifles!

Or one in 270Win, use monos in both. The Tikka Stainless Superlite jumps to my mind for a rifle. The 30-06/168TTSX or the 270/130TTSX or Trophy Bonded Copper, etc. Shoot them through the shoulders. Whichever rifle you have that is the lightest, easiest handling. You "might" get time to get in a good shooting position and pop him at 300-350, but more likely will jump him up closer, like quail hunting! Have a ball Pard!

165, 308 & Varget

A, and by a mile for me.

You know how many blued rifles I hunt in bad weather? Damn man....Quite a few and most of my hunting is in the rain or snow... Just sayin. I'd still pick B. 30-06 with the right bullets, will never let you down, if you put that bullet in the right spot..

Sounds like you may have put that '06 200gr Partition load together we talked about Buddy, if you did, and hit something with it, you did indeed see it's a STONER!

How about the 165 out of the .30-06?
I much prefer 22 inch barrels no matter where I'm hunting.

Didn't get many replies, did you?

I've used the 30-06 with the old Hornady Light Magnum 180sp on a running cow at 135 steps. Broke her spine behind her shoulders. I popped her high lung as she was trying to get up. Since I was planning a S.A. PG hunt later, I used a 375 H&h/300 Sierra ( bullet too soft) and later on a 338WM(185 Barnes) I have a hunting buddy who uses nothing but the 308/150 corlokt on them! Both the 30.06 & .308 are quite effective. BTW, my average on 3 cows is 190yds.

I have. They all work just fine, but the .338 Federal load just seems to really hammer big bulls.

BSA- how do you prepare your wood/blued rifles for the rain/snow? I usually have a good wax on the wood and, surprisingly, found Outers Tri-Lube to be great on steel. I wet the barreled action ( I use a wet Qtip on trigger housing) down well, allow to dry before screwing back in stock. I wipe it down each evening.

I have always used a 7mm or 300 mag. but the 338 was designed with elk in mind. In lodge pole pines or any thick cover I would pay homage to Elmer and take the 338. Any will work fine if you don't push them too far. Otherwise I would pick the lightest one. A 308 carbine with a 165 Barnes is pretty handy.

JK: On the prep flush out the trigger with lighter fluid and only wax the external surfaces. Something like Corrosion X might be light enough but I trust the lighter fluid only more if temperatures are likely to be low. I have had a dud even when the temperature were in the teens, this was due to a bad primer strike, so when I flush the trigger I do the firing pin spring too.

165 partition in .308W loaded with the book max of Ramshot Biggame and magnum primer. Yup chrony says 2875fps.

Damn, I was hoping you would all tell me that I needed a 300 Win Short Mag.

For some reason I like shooting the 338 Federal but I have only shot it at a 100 yard rifle range. I just bought it last month. I'll mess with it at 200 and 300 soon. I have not done much reloading but I would have to if I want to use the partition in the 338. The partition factory loads are no longer available in 338 Federal. The Nosler load data shows significantly lower velocities than the factory ammo. That is supposedly the result of proprietary powders but it may be just as much inflated claims by the factory ammo manufacturers.

I really like the 30-06 cartridge for some reason. It is a thing of beauty to me. Some folks find it boring but it appeals to me much more than the 308 Win for some reason despite the longer action. I have the 308 because it was given to me as a gift. Don't get me wrong, I like it but I would trade it for a 30-06 if I had the opportunity. It is a stainless Remington 700 with a Bell and Carlson stock and a Timney trigger. It, along with a couple others, has replaced my 30-06. I don't want to duplicate what I already have but I might eventually pick up a stainless 30-06 (or a coated Browning BAR). However, whenever I get close to doing that, I start think it would make more sense to buy a 300 WSM.

If only I were rich and could just buy them all/

Oh, only 5 elk while I've been carrying one of the 243's, another 6 elk by my now 20 year old son, remaining elk by 13-14 year olds. My son's first elk was at 375 yds with the bull quartering towards us. Over the past 50+ years, between myself, friends, family, and guiding I've witnessed quite a few elk killed and have done a lot of "bullet necropsies". The bullet one chooses matters a lot more than the cartridge. So far, with a 100 gr NPt, the 243 has been a No Drama cartridge--something I can't say about a lot of other bullets regardless of caliber.......

And yes, the low recoil makes the 243 a hoot to shoot in a light mountain rifle, and I have a 243 AI I'm saving back for when I hit 70 yo, it might become my primary big game rifle. In the mean time, I stick with my big guns in 270W or 7mm08.

I have all three, if Elk hunting, I’d go 338.

Hanco: Is your 338 a 338 Federal?

I had a 338 Federal awhile back. I loaded 52gr of Ramshot TAC under the Barnes 160TTSX for 3007fps average and .75" groups! Use a 4" drop tube and crimp with a LEE Factory Crimp Die. Take a couple of sharp knives with you!

OR buy some Federal factory 338 Fed ammo with the 200 Trophy Copper bullet.

D. None of the above.

165 or 168 gr TTSX at 2700+ fps for an under 300 yard shot.

Bump up to 3,000 fps if you shoot farther.

Happy Trails

Which rifle/scope combo is the most reliable about retaining POA/POI? Which rifle do you dread carrying the least?

I would choose the rifle I'm most comfortable with and shoot the best.
338 Win Mag 225 grain or more is more than enough gun for any Elk. I've taken a couple with mine. Pretty impressive.
That being said, I'm a 30-06 guy.
Countless animals have fallen to my Model 72 Mannlicher Schonauer 30-06 with 180 grain Barnes Vortex and it has made a believer out of me and a number of my buddies. (The only friends that haven't followed suit, are the guys that think they need Creedmoors and short Mags. Hog Wash I say!)
Black Bear, Caribou, Lion, Eland, Kudu, Wildebeast, Whitetail, Mule Deer, Elk, etc.......A pleasure to shoot, a pleasure to carry, and a treat to look at!
Life is far too short to shoot an ugly gun!
Just the opinion of an opinionated old man!

Hmmm, not buying that... a "hammer?"

Do you have first-hand experience with that load on elk?

This would be my choice as well.

Yes, indeed. The TTSX at 2,700 fps for under 300 yards would be about like my .300 Weatherby at 400+. 150 to 168 gr TTSX put them down with one hit. Last 2 hunts = 2 bulls with one hit in the boiler room. I’ve also taken several big Mule deer with 165 TSX out of a .30-06.

Never not a good choice.


My preferred hunting load in 308 Winchester is a 155 Scenar running 2890 fps. Never let me down yet.

Cartridge choice is least of your problems when elk hunting. Any 6.5mm to .37 will work just fine. Finding a nice shootable bull, if that is your goal, and hauling him out of no man’s land will test your stamina and skills much more than your worry about use of a .30 cal 165 or 180 Partition or a .33.

You should sell the 308 that you don't love, as well as the 338 that you aren't sure about its purpose, and buy an all-conditions 30-06 that matches your wood/blue model. Then you have true redundancy ("one is none, two is one") and will become trusting of your overall setups. Shoot the identical good load in both. Stop messing with so many different chamberings/platforms that you don't truly like anyway. The 30-06 is ideal for the hunter.

.308 - 180

my next elk hunt with a rifle i am using will be my Mark 5 in a 338 Lapua > i want horse power to knock a bull down

Creedmoors and the like are certainly effective but so are .270s and .30-06s. The problem I see with so called wunder cartridges (Creedmoors come to mind here) is they have a bunch of market hype attached to them and people fall for that, and think they're instant snipers able to take game in the next zip code. A .270 or 06 exceeds 95% of most peoples ability at long range shooting and for most of us should be relegated to the range, not on game. Too many animals are wounded and run off to die a horrible death at the hands of these johnny come lately dummies.

Good luck with that.

it will be no problem i put a custom brux barrel on this rifle and its a ported barrel, handles for me real easy at my height and weight,its not a smaller person`s type rifle or recoil shy.

You missed the point...

Yep, Pete, you did miss the point. Have seen numerous elk (and similar-sized African plains game, which are supposed to be even tougher) that refused to be "knocked down" by magnum cartridges from .300 caliber on up. In fact, I have friend who once shot a big bull five times with a .340 Weatherby Magnum and premium 250-grain bullets before the elk finally lay down and died.

Am always astounded by big game hunters who believe in "knock-down" power with anything under .40 caliber with 400+ grain bullets--and even then I have seen bigger animals not react much to the shot.

308 165. I have a hard time finding the value of shooting 180s in a 308.

I can testify what a 300 mag, 180 gr NPT will do to an elk.

Next opportunity, my .338-06 may get picked. It'll kill'em just as dead and happens to be my current fav rifle. Would probably go with 210 NPT over a serious load of H-380. But, of course, that could change.

DF

Well said DD..

you are probably right ? i have not killed many bulls with a rifle i have shot more bulls with a bow over the years.but as you know a 338 Lapua cartridge is still a dang good elk cartridge as is 338-06. i do know and understand the difference between a cow ,small bull compared to a bigger bull,those older bull elk are dang tough to kill sometimes.with this new powder book i purchased from your wife and you called Western powders " and may i say at a good price too " it`s printed that with a 338 Lapua 28 inch barrel i can get around 3,600 fps. with a 210 Nosler Partition that should work just fine on any bull for me.

Believe I'd rather pack a 338-06 than a 338 Lapua. And, I don't expect to shoot a critter in the next county.

I'm gonna get in 338-06 range and let fly. I'll leave LR game shooting to others. Not my cup of tea.

DF

Are horses that stealthy they can get so close?

All it takes is one good kick...........

The lightest one of those if you are definitely not over 300 yards.
However that 210 Partition is pretty wicked. I have heard some pretty impressive things coming from a 338-06. I want one just for that bullet.

338-06 with 210 NP @ 2400 fps.

300 max, your Creedmoor will work as well as all three of the .308 options you list.

Of the choices you list. I would go with 308 with the 165 partition at 2700. Comfortable shot out to 350 or so. The 338 fed 210 partition would be better at 2600fps. I load my 338-06 with a 210 partition at 2600 (338 fed speed) and it is very accurate and thumps very well inside 300 yards.