BareBack Jack

HB,
It's working isn't it?
I just think its funny that someone wouldwould useoradvocate the use of the bigger is better mentality on deer sized game but when it comes to elk,they sit in dark cornner of their house in their underwaer clutching their precious standard rifles,and attack anyone who uses or advocates the big guns.
Yes I may be a troll these last few days,but most pepole won't show true feelings until they are pushed into madness.

BBJ

homers brother

Well, at least you haven't lost your sense of humor! If you're having visions of armed people in their underwear, we might want to get you a referral to someone, though?

I'm not too familiar with folks here going "bigger" on deer, then saying "smaller" on elk. I've often been on the receiving end of a bashing though when I say things like, "a .243 is a great deer cartridge." Or, "a .30-06 will take any game on the continent." No, I'm not glued to either one of them. Yes, I own both. I'll often use a .30-06 for deer. I sometimes carry a .375 for elk. Just depends. Some days I just take a camera (oh geez, now I'm in for it).

Sometimes I just wish we could focus on something besides judging each other based on"gear."

James B

I have nothing against anyone who likes to shoot a Magnum rifle as long as they stay off of my six about not using one. I would be happy to use a 270,280,308, 30-06 or 45-70 for all Lower 48 big game. You can add The 44 Mag revolver, 35 Remington Contender and 50 Cal Muzzle loader to the list as well. I know all of these work. I have used them all for lower 48 big game. I have also used the 7MM and 300. Mags.

stubblejumper

An elk is about three times as heavy as a deer,so if the 30-06 is adequate for elk,it is obviously overkill for deer.

MinnFinn

.30-06 for Whitetail deer for years and on occasion .243.
.300 WM for a 300 yd shot at a mature Elk has been to ticket more than once for me.
I make no apologies.
I think people who like to be minimalists are more about stroking their own egos more than anything. So, they say, "I only needed a bah bah bah... to shoot my Elk, deer, bear, etc."
I say let them do as they want, as long as it's legal and ethical. I believe in doing what it takes to make it an ethical hunt, minimize the chance of a wounded, not found animal, without blowing the crap out of it.
These are the tools that work for me. If someone doesn't like it, too bad. That's your problem. Don't waste your and mine time with your self-righteous rants based upon your own biases.

npaden

I spent about 3 months trying to decide on the rifle to buy that would work for primarily deer, and the occasional elk and occasional pronghorn. I ended up deciding on my Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem Mag as my one all around rifle. So far after taking 2 deer, a pronghorn and an elk I have been very happy with it's performance. I think that by sticking with one gun I will be more comfortable and accurate with it. If I had an elk rifle I would probably go with a .300 Win Mag or maybe give in to peer pressure and buy a .300 WSM but for now I think my 7mm Rem Mag will continue to serve as my all around gun. Sure it is a little overkill on whitetail deer and antelope, but I can live with that. I think with the right bullet choice it is perfectly fine for elk and the elk that I shot this year agreed.

My friends son has a .338 magnum that he uses for elk hunting and he shot 5 times at an elk with it and hit it once in the guts and knocked off one side of his antler and missed the other 3 times at 150 yards. Of course I think that is more from him getting exciting than the caliber of the gun he was shooting!

I think there are folks on both sides of this arguement that like to stroke their own egos. Folks who like to brag about the "hammers" they are using, and folks that like to brag that they shoot so well that a .270 is all they will ever need to kill an elk. I think the majority of folks are somewhere in the middle.

Dirt2

I get sucked in to this debate more than is probably healthy. My "problem" with Big Caliber Guys is that the ones I know are way way more likely to wound stuff because they use their Big Gun as a ticket to take shots they just shouldn't take. I believe a lot of these guys have a testosterone-induced need to fill their tags, so they have never seen a shot they wouldn't take.

Early in their career they start with a .270, gut shot or break the leg of 10 elk with stupid shots and decide it's the rifle's fault. So they buy a 30/06, go and wound 10 more elk with equally stupid shots, decide it's the rifles fault again, and go buy a .300 Win Mag. This process goes on and on to .300 Ultras and .338s and I'm sure we'll be seeing a .338 Ultra Mag on the market soon!

If bow hunters can discipline themselves to only take shots within the very limited capacity of their weapon, then surely a guy can use a .270 responsibly for elk, or a .243 for deer. It's all a matter of self-discipline. Without it, you will wound game consistently. Period.

My two cents worth, again!

CAelknuts

I'm weighing in a big late on this topic, but it's been fun reading what everyone else shoots. Over the years, I've gone back and forth between heavy and light. I've shot game as large as Alaska-Yukon Moose and Zebra with a .270 shooting 150 grain bullets, and game as small as Blacktail Deer, Pronghorns and a Klipspringer with a .338 Win Mag. The smallest caliber I've ever shot any game other than varmints, is with a .25-06, and the biggest caliber is a .470 Nitro Express. After many years and many animals, sometimes shooting big guns and sometimes shooting small guns, I now mostly just shoot 2 rifles for 90% of the time I hunt big game. If I'm not using my .338 Win Mag, I'm shooting a .264 Win Mag. I shoot 225 grain bullets in my .338, triple shocks at this point, though I love Noslers and Trophy Bonded Bullets. In the .264, I've shot 140 grain Core Lokts for years, but am now trying some 125 & 130 grain bullets,Noslers and Triple Shocks,and like them a lot. I've got a few other rifles I'm playing with a little bit these days, including a .243 and .300 Rem Ultra Mag, but when out in the field hunting, I'm usually carrying either the .338 or .264.

I'm not much ofa believer in too much gun. Dead is dead, and big guns do that very, very well if you can shoot them well.

Of course, I carry a bow more often thana rifle these days.

Sangster

For me it comes down to the fact that I was only able to buy 1 gun. I wanted something that I could hunt deer, hogs, elk, pronghorn with. So...a Tikka T3 Lite in .270 WSM crossed my path at the right time and I bought it. Ideally I would have got a 30.06 but the timing was right and I was in the right place and right time to trade a 9mm handgun straight up for this nearly new rifle.

So....be it a 100 lb whitetail doe or a monster bull elk.........I'll be using a .270 WSM.

CAelknuts

Sangster, nothing at all wrong with any .270 caliber cartridge. You'll do well with that cartridge, and that Tikka is a wonderful rifle. I don't own a Tikka, but my son bought a T3 in .223 caliber, and I'm very impressed with that rifle.