Elk Caliber comparison

[No_Regerts]

The 6 is a magic little minx.

105gr Amax goes a long ways with no fuss.

 

[Mark W.]

My personal Elk load is currently a 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tip in my 30-06 my next rifle will be a custom built Savage 111 action with a E.H.Shaw .35 Whelen barrel so that I might go to a 225 gr Nosler Accubond This will become my go to Elk and Black Bear rifle/load

 

[edslhead]

 

[wcdubois]

Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations for 2016 on page 25: Legal calibers for elk with rifle is .24 cal or larger, handgun .24 cal or larger.
Military and FMJ bullets prohibited.
Its really all about terminal ballistics and shot placement.
How much energy does the bullet still have when it arrives on target?
I do like this site for general firearms info:
Elk Cartridges

 

[Koda]

Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations for 2016 on page 25: Legal calibers for elk with rifle is .24 cal or larger, handgun .24 cal or larger.
Military and FMJ bullets prohibited.
Its really all about terminal ballistics and shot placement.
How much energy does the bullet still have when it arrives on target?
I do like this site for general firearms info:
Elk Cartridges

thats actually a good article, even though he doesn't include the 25-06 as an adequate elk cartridge (but only because of its diameter). Although he highly recommends the .270, the takeaway from that article is shot placement, not caliber.

The result is that guys who can shoot and who put their first bullet into an elk's vitals think the .270 is a perfectly adequate elk cartridge; those who can't and don't think it is lousy. They often conclude that nothing less than a .338 Magnum will stop an elk.

 

[wcdubois]

thats actually a good article, even though he doesn't include the 25-06 as an adequate elk cartridge (but only because of its diameter). Although he highly recommends the .270, the takeaway from that article is shot placement, not caliber.

I wholeheartedly agree!

I just looked up the 25-06 in my Hornady 9th edition manual and see that bullet weight only goes up to 120gr.
3000 FPS on the hot end of the loads with a BC of 0.394.
Seems to be on the light end for large animals, but then, with good shot placement it will get the job done.

 

[3MTA3]

I wholeheartedly agree!

I just looked up the 25-06 in my Hornady 9th edition manual and see that bullet weight only goes up to 120gr.
3000 FPS on the hot end of the loads with a BC of 0.394.
Seems to be on the light end for large animals, but then, with good shot placement it will get the job done.

And a very tough bullet like a partition, A-frame, or grand slam

 

[clearconscience]

I know that the hunting video is sorta off topic, but watch how fast that bull elk drops after a perfectly placed arrow hits him in the chest.
I'm also jealous of the father, as my daughter likes to fish but not hunt.

Dang! That wound was a gusher! He was dead on his hooves!

The caliber question will always come up and people will always say you need more power, more bullet, etc.

People have been harvesting elk with 25-06, .308, etc for years, hundreds every year.

Maybe we should all be using a 50 cal barrett?

You need to be supremely confident in your abilities and know when not to take a shot.
If your using a smaller caliber then a 500-600 yard shot probably isn't a responsible one.

I was starting to wonder if my .308 was enough, but it's one of the most popular rounds for all around game. I know better than to shoot at an elk at more than 400 yards away.

Personally I think the 30-06 is a great all around caliber.
It just doesn't seem worth it to buy a .338 or big mag when your paying $5 a round and beating your shoulder up.

No different than the 9mm vs. 45 argument.

Shot placement is key.
Just get super accurate and go for head shots.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

If you shoot past 400 yards your best to have a mans gun.

 

[JRuby]

If you shoot past 400 yards your best to have a mans gun.

Please tell me what a mans guns definition is.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

30 caliber

 

[tac]

People have been harvesting elk with 25-06, .308, etc for years, hundreds every year.

Shot placement is key.

I shot my one and only Norwegian elk/elg/moose back in 1990, when our ski-instructor/interpeter/guide mentor on a mountain warfare course decided that as we were short of snow, he'd take a couple of us on a government elk cull. He was, of course, a licensed cull-er, as was his dad and grandad.

He took me over to the range, and gave me a battered-looking m/38 Husqvarna service rifle in 6.5x55 Swedish to get used to shooting. It was his truck gun, and had been his dad's while he was in service as a culler. It was VERY accurate, and had a kick like an electric toothbrush - I used to shoot an m/41B sniping rifle in biathlon events for almost twenty years, BTW.

To cut a long story short, we found a sad-looking elk in a clearing, standing looking at us through the trees, about 70m away, and he never moved from the spot while I put a 140gr Nosler partition bullet through both lungs and his heart. He dropped like a stone. I said a quick word to the GS in thanks for a clean death, we tagged him and cleared him up, and left him for the part 2 bunch of pick-uppers. We only connected with two more that day, both were taken by Geir.

'My' elk weighed just under 900 pounds, but he was in very poor condition, and was probably grateful to go.

The 6.5x55, with loads up to 160gr, has been taking these large animals since 1895.

tac

 

[Koda]

30 caliber

What about elk with a 30-30?

 

[JRuby]

30 caliber

thanks but therre are some 30 caliber cartridges i would not hunt elk with. To me its more than just a caliber in the decision.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Ok, I should detail further. I'd use the calibers below. It's a ford chevy deal though to me.

.300 win
.300 wsm
.338 win or ultra mag
.308
And one of my fav though, 7mm.

 

[JRuby]

alot of its personal choice but I get tired of people classifying cartridges. It is more about cartridge, bullet rifle and the shooters capabilities. I would hunt elk with a 7x57 with a heavy bullet but the shots i would take would be different than the shots I would take with my 9.3x62. I believe in hunting any game it is a duty to use enough gun to make a humane kill if for no other reason than respect for the animal.

 

[clearconscience]

I'm just going to get a Barrett 50 and know I have enough.
I'll just stick to under 100 yards to be safe.

 

[jbett98]

RPG is the way to go.

 

[clearconscience]

Or tannerite

 

[JRuby]

I wonder what purpose that accomplished. Death is a part of life but killing for entertainment i never understood. Maybe its just me