Favorite Mid to Long Range Elk Cartridge

[CharlieNC]

Ive been a long term 300WM user and it does a great job. Built my first Savage as a 338-06 for a moose hunt and it did a fantastic job. That barrel was way too heavy so I sold it, but I sure would like another. It was very accurate and recoil moderate. Also heard great reports for 280AI.

 

[FN in MT]

Four hundred yds is my personal maximum range on elk. I respect the animal too much to risk wounding one with a shot I am not 100% sure I can pull off.

In the past I have killed elk with; .257 Roberts AI , 115 gr NP at 310 yds .280 Rem, 150/160 gr NP, four @ 200-300+ yds, one wounded bull at 555 yds.

.280 AI , 160 NP one at 410yds, one at 330 yds .338-06 225 gr NP, mature 6x6 at 330 yds

.375 H&H mag 300 Sierras and 300 gr NP, three at 250 to 330 yds

Pop both lungs with a decent bullet and it's all over. PLACEMENT is King. Too many hunters grossly overthink this. All but two of my bulls were one shot kills. Two stood there at the shot so I added another bullet or two. Though both were probably dead with the first shot.

The wounded bull was hit poorly with a .338 win mag, due to an off zero scope. After three hours of trailing him I finished it with a lucky shot at 555 yds.

My yardages are all LONG as we hunt elk here in large hay fields and rolling foothills. Distances tend to be long.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Personally I think that the 30-06 you have is just fine.. If you hand load you can get performance close to the over rated 300 WM.. Uses the same bullets etc .. The 06 has been around a long time and still gets er dun..FWIW I have killed a bunch of elk with a 270 and 130 grain Noslers.. And a few with a 7 ultra mag.. I'll stick with my 270..

 

[SS427]

How much recoil can the "old man" stand? And not just when he shoots the elk...but all the practice he needs to do at 500-600 yards if he actually expects to take a shot at that distance.

I know lots of people can shoot big magnum rifles well, but based on what I see at the range and my experience hunting, twice that many can't shoot them worth a damn. I think the .30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag is the optimum elk caliber for most people.

 

[gbp]

7-08, 260, 284 all good rounds based on your desires in the original post
it doesn't take a magnum to put an elk on the ground

 

[Comeback]

MARLIN MODEL 338 MXLR

"This is the lever-action "accuracy" version of the Marlin 336 chambered for the new .338 Marlin Express cartridge. It is a 42 1/2-inch long-range rifle with a 24-inch stainless steel barrel, fluted bolt, Ballard rifling, side cartridge ejection port, a hammer block safety, trigger guard plate, 5-round magazine, and semi-buckhorn iron sights. It weighs about 8 pounds when fitted with a scope and its laminated hardwood stock incorporates a deluxe recoil pad. "

It would be my first choiche...Hope it helps!

 

[swampshooter]

My AI improved rifles, 30/06 & .223 when loaded to approximately equal pressures only gain about 50 or 60 fps over the standard cartridges.
IMHO it's not worth all the expense and effort to fireform and buy special dies for the AI cartridges.
Either the 280, 284. or one of the 7 mags will do what you want to do without all the hassle of a wildcat.
I elk hunt every year and use either a 7RM or a 30/06, my hunting partner uses 270WSM. We both kill elk every year and can't notice any difference in killing power when the appropriate bullets are used. These calibers are much more alike than they are different. The mags do increase point blank range by approximately 50 yards, on paper at least. But out to over 400 yds. I use the same hold with the 30/06 as I do with the 7 mag. The differences are negligible.
If I make another elk cartridge rifle it will be a 284 on a long action. Loaded long it will equal a 280AI, but any difference in actual hunting or shooting is only in the mind of the user. Any of these cartridges will do a fine job elk hunting, 308, 30/06, 280, 284, 7 mag, 270 WSM or 7WSM. Take your pick, they'll all work well.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I've shot 30+ elk and I can tell you, out to around 600yds, a hot .375 is a hammer as is a .416 at closer ranges. I got tired of the recoil and shoot smaller calibers now but I killed about half of the elk I've shot with a .358STA (4 elk to 400yds and a moose at 450yds), .375-.358STA (a lot of elk to 650yds), and a .416Rem (5 or so out to 350yds and a moose at 125yds). The bigger calibers are hard on them and will collapse a elk with a lung shot, even with tough bullets. Smaller calibers don't do that without fragile bullets. Lately I've been using my 6.5-300wm with 140 Amax's at 3230fps (two elk at 125 and 50yds and a deer at 1006yds) and a 30-8mm with 210's at 3100fps (two elk at 250 and 400yds). I have a 6.5x68 Imp in the works as well as a 6.5saum and a 30-338 Norma Imp. so I might change it up and use one of those this year. Whatever the caliber it will most likely be with a Amax or Berger bullet.

I don't think you can go wrong with anything from 6.5mm and up. Put the bullet where it needs to go and then start the work because the fun is over when the knife comes out.

 

[CSM19Z5M]

I have both a 7MM Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag. They are the two best rifle calibers I have ever used for elk. The guys I hunt with favor the 300 Win Mag the most. I like the 7MM the best but for hunting elk at long ranges the 300 can't be beat. I have never lost an elk to either caliber.