.268 too small for Elk?

[flatpickinfred]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the forum and I am looking foward to gleaning lots of info from this board. I live in Montana and have been succesfull for deer in my last two seasons. I going to hunt Elk this season and have this simple question. Do you think a .268 Win. Mag. Is too small of a rifle forhuntingElk. I relalize that I will need to hone in my marksmenship and make sure Ihave a good shotEtc. But I also want tomake sure that I have plenty of power and I'm notrunning the risk of not dropping an animal because I have too small a load. I hope I haven'tdon't look like too much of a green horn. But any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Fred

[bigbulls]

What exactly is a .268 win mag?

Do you mean .264 Win mag?

If that's the case then yes the .264 Win mag is plenty enough gun for elk and even moose. Assuming, of course, you select a properly constructed bullet for hunting elk.

It will fire a 140 grain bullet at about 3100 fps. A 140 grain 6.5mm bullet has excelent ballistics in terms of BC and sectional density which, all other things being equal, means more retained long range velocity/ energy and more penetration.

You should have no problems what so ever hunting elk with a .264 win mag. Assuming you can shoot. Of course going after elk is always a good excuse to buy another rifle if you want one.

[moosehunter21]

I am not sure ifbigbulls has ever hunted big bull moose... but a .264 mag is proably not enough of a cannon for moose. Elk maybe if you are close... but that is just my opinion.

[IMR]

I think after reading the posts on this forum all animals are bullet proof.But to a serious note the 264 win mag will be fine with proper bullet and MOST IMPORTANT SHOT PLACEMENT.I would not listen to half of what these rookies are saying.

[BareBack Jack]

The problem with .264 win mag is when it came out Winchester F-ed up.They loaded a varmit/deer round for it and with bullets 30 years ago they were not of the best desing so when Joe-blow went out with his super fast 264 with 120 gr bullet and went elk hunting.Now the .264 gets a bad rap as a elk gun,when in all reality I find it superior to the 7mm Rem mag,when you use quality bullets.With a 140 gr Nosler Partion bullet I would not be afraid of taking a elk out to 300+ yards.
BBJ

[Superpig]

The only factory loads I can find available are the 140 grain Remington Core-Lokt & the Winchester 140 grain Power Point. I wouldn't suggest either of these loads for elk. However, there is a new option available and this is Nosler custom ammo that has a 140 grain Nosler Partition load available. The downside is they run $50 per box. I also found a custom ammo producer called Conley Precision that show a number of premium bullet loadings in 140 grain. The downside there is you must order $100 worth of ammo at a minimum. I'm also assuming you don't handload since you called the rifle a 268 and not a 264. If you are willing to spend the money on premium ammo and become proficient with you rifle the 264 Win. Mag. is a good option. It will take elk as well as a 270 Win. and I know many who use this round for elk.

[GooseHunter Jr.]

.264 would be plenty for Elk and might be for moose with the proper shot placement......I actually have a picture with short write up about a lady killing a bull moose with a .257 Roberts!

[CapDog]

Considering I've dropped both Elk and Moose with a 6.5x55 sweede which fires the same bullet at sugnificantly lower speeds than a 264 mag I wouldn't hesitate to use it on those animals. Not saying if I was looking to buy an Elk or Moose rifle it would be my first choice. Just saying I wouldn't worry about using it. Like it's been said use a premium bullet.

[James B]

The 264 bullet has very good sectional density and can be had in weights up to 160 grains. I have seen elk shot with the 260 (ME) with 140 grain Barnes X bullets and also with the 6.5 Swedish Mauser. There is no need for a lot of speed with the 140 grain + bullets as is proven with the old Swede which takes many elk and moose every year. Therefore the 264, if thats what you have, will work well with good shot placement.

[ShatoDavis]

The 264 win mag is a hot rod. I love the cartridge. For the life of me I can't figure why it never took off like the 270. I guess the 264 needed a Jack O'connor. I love the ballistics and S.D. of the 140 g 6.5 mm bullet. the 264 is a winner and certainly will kill an elk or moose.

As an aside, I plan tobuild a 6.5x284 (same 264" bullet at2900-3000 fps)on a rem. 700 action. My plan is for amountain rifle. My dad built one when I told him about the cartridge. He took it on a trip to New Zealand. It performed amazingly on a Red Stag and Tar.