elk caliber??
 

Ive never hunted anything bigger than a whitetail and i was wondering if a 30-06 is an adequate round to cleanly take an elk??If so what brand and bullet would you reccommend?Im asking because im going to plan a late season cow hunt or maybe a bull hunt and i need to know if i need to invest in another rifle.Even though i think the wife may have other feelings about it..lol

RE: elk caliber??
 

30/06 loaded with a good 180 gr bullet is plenty for elk, but if you are looking for an excuse to get a new rifle go get a 300 Win, Wby, or WSM. 325 WSM and 338 Win are also fine choices, but might be a little large for most of you whitetail adventures. If it were me I would look really hard at the 325 WSM.

RE: elk caliber??
 

The 30-06 sprng. is a good ole elk round.Shoot 165-180 gr bullets of quality and design like Partions,Barnes,Accubonds and Hornady.They will cleanly take elk with proper shot placement.
Also like Justice said,if you are looking for and excuse to buy a new gun by all means do it.I favor the Big 300 Magnums and the Medium Bores .338 Win mag,.338 Ultra,.340 WBY just to name a few.
BBJ

RE: elk caliber??
 

What about a 150 Grain from the 300 wsm? Will it work just as well?

RE: elk caliber??
 

I would suggest a 338 WINMG, but I have just shot a 338 Federal and was real impressed with the simlar performance to the WIN MAG with a much smoother shot like a 180g '06.Good energy and knock downbeyond 300 yards.

RE: elk caliber??
 

30-06 should work great. Just use good bullets. Federal makes a 180gr nosler partition HIGH ENERGY load you could try. Practice anduse whatshoots well in your rifle.

RE: elk caliber??
 

You could probably get by with a 150, but I would personally use at least 165 with 180 being optimal for elk in a 300 WSM. I would step down to 150's for a fast deer round.

RE: elk caliber??
 

Thanks guys for all of the info..Ill probly go with the federal 180 grainers..

RE: elk caliber??
 

180 Nosler partition, you want something bonded or something with controlled expansion.

30.06 is good, as well as other popular calibers 300wm and 338wm...

that's probably the three most popular.

RE: elk caliber??
 

the first elk i shot was with a 30-06 and 180gr Hornady light mag. BTSP never took a step. MY son shot his first cow elk last month at 205 yards using a .308 and Hornady light mag 165gr BTSP also never took a step.
MY sons hunt will be on Elk Country Journal in Febuary.

RE: elk caliber??
 

Yes a 300 wsm with a 150 grain will work. Your probably better off with a 180 grain though. The bigger the bulllet, the better. It can help alot of time with a bad shot. Shot placement is crucial with Elk, they can go miles with a poor shot.

RE: elk caliber??
 

30-06's shoot 165's really well. Great all-around grain for deer and elk. Heck, I would use this oppurtunity as an excuse to get the 300WSM if I were you though friend. :)

RE: elk caliber??
 

I would say .30-06 out to 200 yards 180 gr Nosler Accubond or one of the other bullets that's designed to retail significant weight after breaking bone will get the job done.

I personally like the .300 Win Mag Tikka T3 sighted for zero at 200 yds can go out to 300 yards and possibly beyond under good conditions and well placed from well practiced marksman. Noslers I've come to like in this rifle. It got the job done at 299 yds. again this year on a nice cow Elk. The Accubond 180 gr took out the mid-shoulder bone and both lungs. She went 30-50 yards rolled over and that was it except for the hard work getting her off the mountain.

RE: elk caliber??
 

What M77man said. The 06 is a great elk caliber. The 165 grain will do the job, though the 180 is fine too. Do alot of shooting, know your limits, and stay within them....or as has been said, you can get another of the fine calibers and later use it to hunt grizzlies in Alaska (though the 06 will kill them too).