Youth elk caliber
 

getting ready for my 14 year old sons first cow elk hunt and was considering the .270 or the .308 . What is your opinion on these and which would you pick. He now is shooting a 30-30. The rifle will get a lot of deer hunting also.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

If I had to choose one of the two.it would be the 308win as it is a more suitable elk cartridge.I would also consider the 7mm-08,as recoil is mild ,and it will handle heavier bullets than the 270win.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Any of those three would work fine. I would shoot the 160 Grain Partition in the 270 and the 7mm-08 and a good 180 in the 308. All will double fine for deer. Good luck on his first elk hunt.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Well, I have taken elk with .270, but for your son I would go with .308.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Depends on how far the shot might be. Up to 150-200 yards, the 270 with 150 grain bullets should do the trick

If shots may be farther, then I would opt for the 308.

Also, a SIMs recoil pad is a great addition to tame the recoil.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

FYI...;)

http://members.tripod.com/sed88/rem7/

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Of those two, 308.
Good responses overall.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

I don't think the dead elk will ever know the difference between the .270, 7mm-08 or the .308. Assuming the youngster can shoot them equally well.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

I don't think a dead elkknows anything about anything.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Exactly! ;)

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

.308 Win. Good luck.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Hillarious,

A woman or a youth can hunt with a 270 or 308 but us big men need something with alittle more punch. I think it's time we put the prespective back in the logic of hunting. I hunt with a 300win alot not because it's the cat's meow just because the one I shoot has superb accuracy. And it's heavy enough I don't need one of those nasty breaks. I also hunt with it's little brother in the same style of gun in a 270 win. Both kill elk sized game dead dead dead. Both get the same amount of praise on accuracy. One has more power but it's not needed. Elk aren't bulletproof. Elk don't require a cannon. Opinions are what makes the world go round. So I get to spout off.

I personally don't care what a guy brings to hunt with. As long as he's accurate. I have lost my faith in guys bringing super mags on hunts. I have ran into very few that have owned them long enough to know the gun or be even remotely accurate with them. I'm talking horrible shooting.
I know some of you could probally knock the tick off a bears ass at 1000yds with a ultra mag but we're talking about logic so that's out. Personally someone that show up with a 270,30-06,or a 308 has truly given me a sigh of relief knowing that when the opportunity arises that guy will probally kill his animal outright. So if small calibers leave a bad taste in your mouth on elk hunting then you know how I feel when I say that super mags leave me wanting. I've owned them, shot them, and don't need them.

I write this because of people being mislead. That only a monster of a gun will kill proficiently.

How about this teach your children proper shot placement, teach them how to shoot accurately, and teach them that being a good outdoorsman and a shot is giving the animal they hunt the respect they deserve. If that don't hold water for ya then buy the kid a 300ultra mag and join the other half of the hunting world.

To those that shoot they're choice of caliber and shoot it well this does not apply to you.

If you can't kill it with a 270win than you can't shoot for crap. Range is open.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Well said cheerokee.;)

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Cherokee: You had me mad there for a second. I read that first line and thought "here we go, another guy who thinks you're not a real man if you're not shooting the newest/latest/greatest whizbang ultra mag..." Then it turns out that you were being sarcastic. Those are the same types who tell me that my .243 isn't adequate for whitetails and isn't really powerful enough for anything bigger than a coyote. But, I can put 3 shots inside a dime with it at 100 yards, and it's gotten the job done every single time I've pulled the trigger. So, I agree wtih you 100%. If you're usingaproperly constructed bullet and you can't kill an elk with a .270, 7-08, .308, .30-06 or the like, you're not choosing your shots or hitting your mark right.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Have you thought about a .280 rem??? or 30-06????
If neith float your boat and your dead set on a 270 winor 308 win,I would go with the .308 and 165 gr bullets like a Nosler boat-tail,Sierra Game king,Hornady interloc,or Barnes x.
BBJ

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Cherokee,

The original poster's criteria were pretty clear, "A" or "B".
Folks responded civilly (without much commentary).
The .308 was winning out 3-0 (with 3 non-commit sideliners).
There wasno commentary about "magnums" at all.

So, where along the waydid you manage to get your panties in a knot?

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Ah yes, the 280 rem. An all time favorite of mine. I absolutely love, love, love the 280. Maybe its because it was my second deer rifle and my first love. The 280 will deliver near 7 mm mag velocities with 270 recoil. It is a hunters dream. My 280 is superbly accurate for a factory rifle. I can truthfully say that every time I've broke the trigger on my old browning A-Bolt that I've had a short walk for recovery. I call it the meat wagon. When it speaks grab your knife and warm up the fire cuz dinners on. Oh did I mention I love my 280.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

I shot my firts elk with a .257 Roberts....but you cannot go wrong with the .270 or .308...we are getting out youngest boy one of those two...just can't decide yet.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

5= .308
0 = .270

8 = Non-commits [couldn't pick oneor strayed off topic to different cartridge(s)] or may not have hunted elk.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Thats not fair! A 280is a very viable option for his kid. You may be the "master" of your Elkamp, but your not master over this forum. The original poster may very well appreciate the suggestion. He may research a cartridge such as the 280 and find that it suits his needs better than his original options. Besides it ismore informative to expressyour reasoning for making a decision than it is to just bluntly give an answer.

OBTW I would choose the 270 over the 308. And yes I have hunted elk on three occasion. I've got two nice 6 points on the wall both killed on public land, as well as many other North American Big Game. But thanks for the dig none the less. You need to tone down your high and mighty rhetoric.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Shato,
I to have a warm spot for the 280,thats why I mentioned it.I find it heads and tails above the .308 winand 270 win..I'm not a big fan of either,but ifyou or Iwere going to be given a gun you rarely havea say in it.
My wife 2 years ago bought me a new rifle for Christmass,she could see the dispointment on my face when I looked the caliber of gun she bought me.I tried to act the part but it just something I had no need for.
She now takes me for walks through the gun department and when she see's me eyeing something she makes a mental note.

It might just be better to see what your son wan'ts,and by the way what do you shoot?(not you Shato I know that)
BBJ

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Let's face it, anyone who opts for a 7mm, whether it's the 7mm-08 or the 7mm Ultra Mag, is looking for high energy retention and flat trajectories, which means a .270 or a .30 of some sort would be the only logical alternatives for consideration. There is nothing inherently superior about a bullet that measures .284. Anything a 7mm can do, a .30 caliber of comparable sectional density and ballistic coefficient can also do. The catch is, in order to send a .30-caliber slug over a trajectory as flat as that 7mm bullet, about 20 percent more recoil is going to be generated.

There's no question that whatever the terminal range--200, 300, 400 or more yards--the .30 is going to arrive with more energy. The question is how much you need. A 7mm Rem Mag, for example, pushing a 150-grain Barnes XBT at 3,100 fps, arrives at 400 yards with nearly 2,100 ft-lbs of energy; that exceeds the 2,000 ft-lbs of delivered energy they say is required to make a good elk cartridge. Pushing a .30/180 Barnes XBT, which has comparable SD and BC ratings, at the same 3,100 fps from a .300 Win Mag would have it arching a slightly less flat trajectory and arriving with about 250 ft-lbs more energy. How important is that, particularly when you consider that in an 8.75-pound rifle, the 7mm is going to belt you with 22.8 ft-lbs of recoil, compared to the 28.5 the .300 delivers? That's 20 percent more recoil for a less flat trajectory and 15 percent more energy.

Another way of looking at it is that, based on similar recoil levels, you can be shooting either a .308 Win. or a .280 Rem, a .30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag, a .300 Win. Mag or a 7mm STW. In all three cases the 7mm produces clearly superior downrange performance in terms of delivered energy and trajectory at any given recoil level. You could say you get more buck for the bang.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Didn't mean to get something started. The two calibers I was asking about we looked at, at our local gun shop. Haven't really got our heart set on nothing yet. Those was the ones they had at the time. The Elk are in Kentucky and shots will not be over 200 yards for sure. Been within 50 yards many times. Wanting to pick a caliber that will also be a good whitetail gun after this, and maybe Elk again someday.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Don't worry, its easy to get something started here. We're all itching to give advice. If you really wanted to get something started you could have asked if you should get a 270 or 30-06. Then we would see some fireworks for sure!

Anyway, either cartridge you mentioned would be more than adequate for what you described. They are both fine choices. Add to that the many recomendations such as 7mm-08, 280 rem ..... and you have plenty to choose from.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

Shato,

from post #20:

I leave for theafternoon and the wheels fall off….
I’m familiar with a lot of your rifles and positions,
I know you’ve hunted and gotten elk....
We’ve been on threads before [you remember right?]

When one “counts things up”one hasto be specific as to howone counts orone gets “taken to task”.
There were three options within the quote below….

You seemed to think I placed you in the latter category.
Not so, 1 or 2, but not 3.

However, for purposes of counting them up,
You did NOT commit to answering the question posed, so....

I couldn’t count you as 270.
I couldn’t count you as 308.
I wasn't about to go listing more and endless categories, so....
“Non-commit” it was.

Personally, I would have loved toadvocate a 30-06…. didn’t; just answered the question. Didn't want to turn it into a pot luck dinner. Of course that is about what happened anyway with everyone bringing their own personal favorite dish.

Let's see, others yet to be bragged on.... 7x57, 284 Winchester, 30-40 Krag, 303 British, 30 Newton, etc.
================================================== =

FWIW --- Update:
4 - .308
1 - .270
7 - Non-Commits

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

I have no experience hunting elk. Both the 270 and 308 have taken elk with no problems. Myself I would rather have the 308 for a elk hunt. You can shoot a bigger bullet and I would rather have it if I had to take a longer shot. Which being your sons only 14 and his first cow elk hunt you might not want him takeing longer shots. If you can you might have him shoot both rounds and see what he's more comfortable with.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

EKM,

Sorry man, I was just having a bad day or something. It seemed like I was in an argument everywhere. No offense. Everybody just take what I wrote yesterday with a grain of salt please.

Peace

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

My great-uncle would always hunt every thing with a .308. He'd hunt his deer with it, elk, and a bunch of varmits. He'd go to Alaska with his buddies and his .308 (Whatever he couldn't hunt with it, he'd go with something bigger). He was a .308-believing man. I guess it must have been a good gun. I don't know the brand of rifle he had though.

RE: Youth elk caliber
 

jparker29..wil that 3030 with the new hornady cartridge get it done??? Iz the youngun comfortable with the lever?? Get them elk in closer or get closer to em