6mm Remington and elk
 

I was thinking about taking my 6mm Remington on a late season bullelk hunt.

I'm not new to elk hunting, or the 6mm. I have bigger calibers but, I'd like to take my Remington 600.

I have used the 6mm for bison culls at short range with behind the ear shots at it's shattered the spine with instant kills.

Let's here you experiences with the 6mm .243 and elk?

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

If you can shoot a bison behind the ear then you should be fine with a 6mm. It's where you hit them more than what you hit them with. The only thing that may come up is your rang willbe shorter but that's about it. I think it's funny that people will give there kid a .243 to hunt with but it's not enough fo an adult. Seems odd...

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

Back in the early 90s I was on an elk hunt & a guy in the lodge had his 13 year olddaughter with him using a .243.

Thegirl shot a nice cow at 60 yards, I guess. She went 30 or 40 yards and went down. Good lung shot.

Dead is dead, right?

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

I haven't met an elk yet that would sit there like a bison on a ranch and allow you to shoot them behind the ear.

Why on earth would you want to take a 6mm on an elk hunt, especially sinche you have other rifles? Sure it will work with perfect shot placement but you had make darn sure that bullet is going right where it needs to go.

I think a .270 is a pretty decent elk cartridge with the right bullets and i might even use a 25-06,but a 6mm is really pushing it IMHO no matter what bullet you use.

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

You have got to be kidding around???

You say you are not new to elk and you are not new to the 6mm.
We all know the 6mm is a deer & varmit round.

Match your gun to your game & relize that perfect shot placement does not always happen in the field.
I made a poor shot on a cow elk off a rock solid rest last fall. I was lucky & shefell in her tracks. Iwas shootinga 340-weatherby, that helped put luck on my side. I hit her too high & too far back. I am sure if I would have shot her with a 30-06, I would have had a long tracking job ahead of me.

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

People use .223's and .22-250's for bison culls all the time and elephant poachers use AK's in 7.62 regularly. That sure as hell doesn't mean that those are good hunting rounds to use for those animals in sporting conditions. My vote would be a resounding hell no. Elk are tough as nails and unless you're planning on only making head shots on animals that are calmly feeding or bedded at less than 100 yards you're odds of wounding and losing your quarry are too high. You have a responsibility to the animals that you hunt to kill them quickly and efficiently. If you have bigger calibers then use one. I don't use my .270 when I griz hunt, and I don't think you should use a little 6mm to hunt elk.

AK Jeff

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

I'd say, "Go For It!"... providing you meet the following criteria:

1) You have hunted with (not just shot) the6mm for > 25 years
2) You hunt with the 6mm the majority of the time: more than with all other cartridges combined.
3 You have a "pet load" you shoot from the 6mm, with big game (not varmint) bullets. You're not still experimenting
with loads, but you shoot one load, knowing full well where the bullet will go, and what it will do when it gets there.
4) You've personally harvested> 10 elk, with any cartridge, onnon-canned hunts.
5) You're fully prepared to pass on a shot due to distance, position of the game, or shooting through brush (which
you shouldn't do regardless of what cartridge you're shooting!).

There are well-documented stories of grizzled old hunters who consistently take elk, moose, et. al., year after year, with the likes of the .243 and .30-.30. The cartridge matters less than the ability to find & stalk the game. It seems, though, that once someone's acquired the experience to consistently get within shooting range of an elk, they've practiced enough with their weapon to put the bullets into the vitals EVERY TIME.

To put it another way, I'd rather be shot at by a newbie with a .338 WM, than a seasoned sniper with a .22lr.

And just to cover my bases, if you don't happen to meet the criteria above, grab a larger cartridge (.270 and up) for the insurance it provides, then get to the range & get comfortable with it.

FC

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

I'm a huge .243 fan, and feel competent enough with my Model 600 to chase elk with it. Elk are decidedly determined, but I've yet to see any elk hit in the vitals with any legal caliber survive. Every time I hear the word "extra insurance", I think "in casesomeone'sa bad marksman". And really, no amount of firepower's going to solve that - ONLY practice.

While you can buy a larger caliber, you can't necessarily buy the skill needed to use it effectively. I have belted magnums in my safe, too. The rifles I usually find myself carrying area .30-06 and a .243.

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

So if those are the 2 rifles you usually carry, and you feel competent enough with the .243 to us it on elk, for what critters do you use the .30-'06? Not flaming - just curious.

Thanks!

FC

RE: 6mm Remington and elk
 

And therein lies the rub.... there is always a new and never ending supply of "more of same" when it comes to this stuff.
It is a waste of fur, not worth a discussion.
Have a good life.