ORIGINAL: TUK101
I am not planning on using the said rifle for elk hunting, but rather I just want to know peoples opinion on it. The thought has crossed my mind though since it is the most comforatable rifle to carry for extended periods that I have. Where we will be hunting elk next weekend is very brushy and has little open terrain, so a brush gun would be ideal. Does it have enough power to take down an elk out to 100 yards? Or should I just stick with my .270 Winchester and use the 140 gr. Nosler ballistic tips that I worked up?
Well, people have killed elk, and much larger game as well, with a .44 Mag. handgun, so I see no reason why you can't do the same with a rifle firing the same load! In such a case, bullet placement is extremely critical! So try to get as close as you can. Pretend you are bow-hunting, and call him in to 30 yards or less. Then put the bullet behind the shoulder, where it won't hit a heavy bone like the shoulder joint, and try to shoot thru both lungs with the first shot! Usea hard-cast flatnose or one of those Nosler Partition pistol bullets, but not one that will bust up before it penetrates deeply! Avoid any relatively frangible jacketed softnose or hollowpoint.
I would NOT use a .270-caliber Ballistic Tip on elk-it tends to break up too quickly. It is a good deer bullet, but it is not tough enough for a bull elk, especially if you are close, where the bullet doesn't have a chance to slow down much before it hits! I'd use a Nosler Partition 150-grainer on elk in the .270 Win.