Help me choose a elk rifle!

[JFrank]

I passed up a shot on a bull this last season, wasn't comfortable using my 308 as he was quartering away from me so behind the shoulder shot may have come out the brisket and not killed him clean.

 

[STOMP442]

.270 Win is probably the best one rifle/caliber hunting combo in existence. Just plain works. Not outstanding in any one category but good in every one of them.

 

[STW51]

Obv, you need a 6.5 Creedmoor. Just kidding. Never hunted CO, but public land is increasingly pressured in Montana, and I think most Western states post Covid. You may not get the ideal shot you want. I would stick with the 300 RUM. Lots of guys here are using Hammer bullets and swear by them. Partitions killed a few elk, though.

 

[Bill K]

30-06 with a 150-160 Nosler Partition or a Barnes in the same bullet weight area, would work very well on any Elk walking, with proper bullet placement.

 

[msalm]

Sounds like an opportunity to build or buy a nice 300 Win Mag. Put a smallish brake on it if you need to tame it a bit and shoot any well constructed bullet of 180-200 gr. In the Ultramag I use the 200 AB and the 180 in the Winny. I might use one of the Sierra GC’s next time...we’ll see.

 

[David Milisock]

I'm not criticizing but I am seeking enlightenment. At my age I've had built and shot a few magnums.

For those recommending magnums what in your opinion makes them superior?

 

[JSH]

270, 150 grain premium bullet, R26.

I have a 350 Remington Magnum on a model7 I picked up for a short handy timber rifle. It is lonely and needs a new home.

 

[rockrat]

Nothing wrong with the 270 or the '06 (165 partitions) would work well

 

[Tommie]

Don’t overlook Swift A-Frames.

 

[JASON50CAL]

Obv, you need a 6.5 Creedmoor. Just kidding. Never hunted CO, but public land is increasingly pressured in Montana, and I think most Western states post Covid. You may not get the ideal shot you want. I would stick with the 300 RUM. Lots of guys here are using Hammer bullets and swear by them. Partitions killed a few elk, though.

I would love to use one of my Creedmoor’s. I’m very familiar with its trajectory. I have 4 of them and shoot it more than any other caliber. Lol

 

[msalm]

For elk I like magnum 30’s, although I have shot 3 bulls with 30-06 and ‘gasp’ 180gr ballistic tips, one with a 7 WSM and 140 AB (deer load but did the trick) and 2 with the 300 WSM and 168 TTSX. The 300 ultra and 200 AB’s was awesome on 2 bulls but is a heavier rifle.
As to why shoot a magnum, as an out of stater with limited time, I want to take advantage of ANY reasonable opportunity, and a 300 mag offers just that. From 50 to 500+, even 600 they offer greater impact, penetration, and visible killing power.
I built my ‘ideal’ carry rifle several years ago with a 26” #4 Brux straight fluted, TI action, ADL bottom and a classic McMillan sporter stock (with a 1” Decelerator). With scope it’s just a hair over 7lbs and handles perfectly with the 2.5-10x50 Leica ER scope with a simple ballistic reticle. Just me and my idea of a hunting rifle. It’s a bit much in the prone position or range sessions but in the field does everything I want.

 

[Bill Score]

Any of those would perform well, so choose the one that you can practice with the most and shoot most confidently. You are correct regarding proper bullet selection, and I suggest you get a copy of Nathan Foster's Terminal Ballistics which has more data based info than you could ascertain from informal recommendations. Have fun!

Great book if you have the time to read it! Really opened my eyes to practical/ethical shooting distances, how bullets actually perform in hunting situations at different velocities.
I was in the same predicament last year. Ended up bringing a heavy 300wm and a light 270. I was going to let the first day of hunting (hiking) tell me if I should pack the lighter rifle. Ended up taking a bull at 41 yards with the 300wm opening morning. He walked 10 feet and dropped (215 Berger Hybrid moving at 2929). If I had to do it again, I would have taken the lighter 270 and spent my time practicing only on that, I think I was shooting 150 SSTs. Where I was hunting (NW Colorado) was pretty rough country with plenty of cover. The extra range of the 300wm wouldn’t really have been an option in most situations. One quick note, I had never shot off of a tripod before going out there. My guide (great guy, couldn’t have asked for better) told me that most shots in the brush are taken off one of those. I expected to be shooting off a bipod, but it was quickly evident that wouldn’t be possible and a tripod was the way to do it. Really wished I would have picked one of those up 6 months earlier and been practicing with it. Ended up being a non-issue, but it would have helped my piece of mind some.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Both the wife and I have killed a few dozen Elk with our 270's and 130 Nosler Partition. 270 gets the nod again this year.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Dropping elk clean, no running blood trails, require shoulder shots. If you shoot broadside "heart shots", it will be flip of the coin wether the elk moves off or not. Biggest runner I have had went about 40 yards, 1 shot standing, 1 shot running, 338wm 200 gr accubonds. One of the 2 zipped off the top of the heart, the other entrance was about 1" from the first. Neither bullet exited. About 125 and 140 yard shots. All my other elk(smaller rifles) never took a step, but I shot them through both shoulders.

 

[David Milisock]

Both the wife and I have killed a few dozen Elk with our 270's and 130 Nosler Partition. 270 gets the nod again this year.

A good choice, my State has a 27 caliber minimum or I'd go for my 6.5 x 55 with around a140.

 

[David Milisock]

For elk I like magnum 30’s, although I have shot 3 bulls with 30-06 and ‘gasp’ 180gr ballistic tips, one with a 7 WSM and 140 AB (deer load but did the trick) and 2 with the 300 WSM and 168 TTSX. The 300 ultra and 200 AB’s was awesome on 2 bulls but is a heavier rifle.
As to why shoot a magnum, as an out of stater with limited time, I want to take advantage of ANY reasonable opportunity, and a 300 mag offers just that. From 50 to 500+, even 600 they offer greater impact, penetration, and visible killing power.
I built my ‘ideal’ carry rifle several years ago with a 26” #4 Brux straight fluted, TI action, ADL bottom and a classic McMillan sporter stock (with a 1” Decelerator). With scope it’s just a hair over 7lbs and handles perfectly with the 2.5-10x50 Leica ER scope with a simple ballistic reticle. Just me and my idea of a hunting rifle. It’s a bit much in the prone position or range sessions but in the field does everything I want.

Makes sense if you're spending out of State money to extend the possibilities they don't give refunds for not filling your tag.

I built a 358 Norma Magnum years ago and I found it to be too much cartridge. I had 2 clean kills with it, 1 at 400 and 1 at 600 and shot through the animals. The 400 yard shot would have been OK with my 30 06, the 600 a no shot situation.

 

[INTJ]

.270 Win is probably the best one rifle/caliber hunting combo in existence. Just plain works. Not outstanding in any one category but good in every one of them.

You mean the 30-06 is probably the best one rifle/caliber hunting combo in existence. A 30-06 is a real step up in terminal performance on large game over the .270. I say that being a fan of both cartridges. Even Jack O' Conner ranked the 30-06 over the .270 as an all-around cartridge.

People think Jack O' Conner liked the .270 Win above all else. That wasn't true. The .270 was his favorite sheep cartridge and sheep was his favorite game. He certainly defended the .270 as elk capable with proper bullets, but when asked how he would rank a list of cartridges that included the .270, 30-06, and 375 H&H, he put the 30-06 above the .270. Someone with more time than they should have may be able to find that interview someplace on the Internet.

The 30-06 will shoot at 168 TTSX at 2900-3000 fps, depending on barrel length, and that handles most NA game very well. It will shoot 180 grain bullets at 2800ish, which also handle most NA game well.

And for that high in demand but extremely short in supply grizzly bear encounter, I'd much rather have a 30-06/180 than a .270 with any bullet.

 

[ebb]

stick with the 300 rum

 

[David Milisock]

You mean the 30-06 is probably the best one rifle/caliber hunting combo in existence. A 30-06 is a real step up in terminal performance on large game over the .270. I say that being a fan of both cartridges. Even Jack O' Conner ranked the 30-06 over the .270 as an all-around cartridge.

People think Jack O' Conner liked the .270 Win above all else. That wasn't true. The .270 was his favorite sheep cartridge and sheep was his favorite game. He certainly defended the .270 as elk capable with proper bullets, but when asked how he would rank a list of cartridges that included the .270, 30-06, and 375 H&H, he put the 30-06 above the .270. Someone with more time than they should have may be able to find that interview someplace on the Internet.

The 30-06 will shoot at 168 TTSX at 2900-3000 fps, depending on barrel length, and that handles most NA game very well. It will shoot 180 grain bullets at 2800ish, which also handle most NA game well.

And for that high in demand but extremely short in supply grizzly bear encounter, I'd much rather have a 30-06/180 than a .270 with any bullet.

The most interesting thing is as metallurgy, powders and bullets advance so do the usefulness of old cartridges.

With modern techniques the old girl is game for most anything. I'd prefer some heavy hitting 45 for a guide gun but that's about it.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Dropping elk clean, no running blood trails, require shoulder shots. If you shoot broadside "heart shots", it will be flip of the coin wether the elk moves off or not. Biggest runner I have had went about 40 yards, 1 shot standing, 1 shot running, 338wm 200 gr accubonds. One of the 2 zipped off the top of the heart, the other entrance was about 1" from the first. Neither bullet exited. About 125 and 140 yard shots. All my other elk(smaller rifles) never took a step, but I shot them through both shoulders.

Zactly