Anything from 6.5mm up to .375 have been and continue to be used for elk with excellent reliability. I personally have used seven cartridges ranging from .270 Win to .338 Win Mag and they have all worked well. I' ve seen elk killed with a few more, the smallest being the .257 Roberts.

Right now, I' ve settled on the .270 Weatherby Magnum as my " go to" elk rifle. It hammers elk out to all ranges, and I' ve shot five bulls with it and none have taken another step, even at 325 yards.

That being said, I am currently in the development stages of having a custom .338-06 built that I hope to use as a thick timber elk rifle. The .270 Wby really isn' t necessary for close range work, as it shines when you have some real estate to cover. I like the idea of the heavier bullet for the thick stuff, especially since there is a slight chance I may encounter grizzly where I' ll be hunting.


Whatever you choose, use heavy-for-caliber, well-constructed bullets of the premium variety and be sure of your shots. And don' t choose a rifle chambered for a cartridge that is so powerful and kicks so hard that you develop a flinch from shooting it off a bench. I' ve seen more elk lost to poor shot placement with big cannon than for any other reason. I' ve also seen many elk die after being hit fairly with a .270 Win. In fact, the elk I saw shot with the .257 Roberts didn' t go far before piling up real nice (although I don' t recommend the .257 Roberts as an elk round). Bottom line: It you can' t put the shot where it needs to go, you shouldn' t be shooting at all.