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My 308 did a magnificent smack down via the C5 vertebra of my elk. Instant death & nothing ruined.
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For elk go with 7mm rem mag or 300 win mag. The 7 will be a bit better for deer. The smallest most guys go out with that I have known is 30-06 most head out with The first 2 I mentioned.
Geezless.
OK.... not trying to argue here, but I don't want someone with only a .270 to think they can't elk hunt.
No doubt 300 Win mag etc work great. But if all someone has is a .270 I don't want them to think they have to sell the thing and buy something bigger.
I've taken 4 elk with a .270. Now I use either 30-06 or 7 mag. I didn't stop using 270 because it didn't work, just had more money to burn so I bought more guns.
Put the friggin bullet where it's supposed to go and don't pretend your a Canadian sniper and try to shoot it from half a mile.
It'll kill.
My 308 did a magnificent smack down via the C5 vertebra of my elk. Instant death & nothing ruined.
Didn't aim what I said at deer. What I said was Elk. I have had no issues taking deer with my 7 mag though and in the 23 years i have had and shot the gun I have had 0 malfunctions or failures with off the shelf ammunition. As to the 30-30 taking more animals well it came out in 1895 vs 7 mm mag coming out in 1962 with plenty of competition. But being as far as I know there isn't any record of how many animals are killed with each type of bullet every year so I can't agree with your statement. In fact one could argue by that logic a sharps 50 would be better gun yet since it was used to almost drive the buffalo to extinction. Or something in the 50 cal muzzle loading variety as they predate the sharps. See where I am going here? Both the 300 and the 7 mags are proven larger animal rifles. Yes they can make a mess of deer if you are not careful. But it is a risk I am willing to take. With that said I do perfer my 30-30 for deer but that is because of the open sights, being shorter, and being very great inside the 100 yds I am usually in. When it comes to elk shot placement is key but at the end of the day I would rather have meat on the table than a wounded animal in the woods. The magnum calibers do just that. I have seen them make up for poor shot placement more than once do to the animal being spooked or by someone's adrenaline getting the better of them. I never disputed the lethality of smaller calibers however if you can only buy one gun why not make it cover the most ground?Gramma killed a big Idaho muley every year with her 32-20 Marlin lever gun. (on left)
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It's shot placement. IMO beginners should stick to reasonable distances for their shots... a cannon is hardly needed for that. More deer have been killed with the old 30-30 than 7mag or 300, which (edit to add: IIRC) also have a history of bullet failure at high velocity close in shots on deer sized game. As one becomes settled down and more proficient, longer shots can be made but IMO todays' distances are not fair chase and result in too many wounded animals.
estimated 150 yardsWhat shooting range?
Didn't aim what I said at deer. What I said was Elk. I have had no issues taking deer with my 7 mag though and in the 23 years i have had and shot the gun I have had 0 malfunctions or failures with off the shelf ammunition. As to the 30-30 taking more animals well it came out in 1895 vs 7 mm mag coming out in 1962 with plenty of competition. But being as far as I know there isn't any record of how many animals are killed with each type of bullet every year so I can't agree with your statement. In fact one could argue by that logic a sharps 50 would be better gun yet since it was used to almost drive the buffalo to extinction. Or something in the 50 cal muzzle loading variety as they predate the sharps. See where I am going here? Both the 300 and the 7 mags are proven larger animal rifles. Yes they can make a mess of deer if you are not careful. But it is a risk I am willing to take. With that said I do perfer my 30-30 for deer but that is because of the open sights, being shorter, and being very great inside the 100 yds I am usually in. When it comes to elk shot placement is key but at the end of the day I would rather have meat on the table than a wounded animal in the woods. The magnum calibers do just that. I have seen them make up for poor shot placement more than once do to the animal being spooked or by someone's adrenaline getting the better of them. I never disputed the lethality of smaller calibers however if you can only buy one gun why not make it cover the most ground?
The 7 will be a bit better for deer. The smallest most guys go out with that I have known is 30-06 most head out with The first 2 I mentioned.
I never disputed the lethality of smaller calibers however if you can only buy one gun why not make it cover the most ground?
Shot placement always matters,
Because this thread is called "what do I NEED".
If someone already only has a 30-06 or 308 I don't want them to think they can't use it.
Now this nice thread is devolving into a pizzing match about gun size, and the mods will end up deleting all this back and forth drivel.
If someone has a .308 or .270 thats all they need.
Gut shot or butt shot with 338 is no better than gut shot or butt shot with 270 or 308. Shot placement always matters, and is only fair to the animal to shoot it humanely... or they don't have any business hunting.
Next someone will show up swearing you have to use 338 lapua or 338 edge, or 338 RUM.
Go ahead and use what you want, but please don't tell someone new they NEED a magnum.
Why does it bother you that I feel that way when it comes to elk hunting? If you are truly worried about the mods then why chime in? I made a simple statement gave an opinion at first. I was called out for having it. I read through and saw plenty of great advice and it is a good thread. There are plenty of other people on the other side on this forum so I gave a different view. It is what I feel should be used. I worked in a place where I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of hunters for the better part of 4 seasons. I saw the animals that were taken and one thing seems to be universally true. Most people are not the marksman they think they are. I have come upon the rotting carcasses of animals one to many times of guys who thought just that. You can use what ever the law allows. That is your right but for the larger game animals I feel a mag is the best option. Why is what YOU FEEL someone new needs more valid than what I feel? So I will leave it at that because you are right about one thing we don't need to do back and forth. So may your hunts go well and may what ever god you serve keep you.
I was called out for having it
or someone all camoed out with no orange on