Need Elk Hunting Info
 

I'm going on my first elk hunt this year, and I'm looking for a rifle. I've been told to try a 7mm Mag, but I was thinking along the lines of a .30-06. Can anyone with elk hunting experience help me decide?

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Cowboy welcome to the board . Your going to get all kinds of advise on that question .I will tell you what I use and that is a 300 win mag when I use a rifle .A 7mm mag is okay but not my personal preference. I have owned three of them at one time or another .Lots of luck .

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Myself and my partners have taken many elk with the 7mm mag and 7mm stw.We use 140 gr partitions and rarely recover a bullet.It may not be as powerful as some of the larger calibers but it does do a good job certainly as good or better than the 30-06.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

I've always used a Rem 700 BDL in 30-06 with 180 grain rem core lokts. Hundreds if not thousands of elk are killed by either round every year, I just prefer to hit them with a 180 grain bullet. (Plus the 30-06 is what I own)

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Flip a coin, you can't go wrong. I use the 7mm mag with a 160 nosler partition bullet.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

The best rifle/claiber for elk? Theone you own, the one you can shoot well, the one that you can put the bullet into the chest and shut down the essential boiler room equipment. All you realy need is to do an in/out sucking chest lung hit and the elk is yours. The only real thing other than that, is make sure that the hole is big enough. Anything thats 7mm to 338 in diameter shot at a distance that still gives a 1000 lbs of energy at the strike distance works.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Well Cowboy, it really depends on your shooting ablity. Both guns are great for elk. I use a 30-06, and my brother uses a 7mm mag. I love the distance shooting I can do with the 7mm mag, but I hate the kick and I don't take long shots at game, especially elk. The only other complaint I hear from my brother (and my dad before him) was the weight of the 7mm mag. Up here in Colorado, one extra pound feels like 10 at the end of the day.

Also you might consider what other use you will get out of your rifle. If you plan on hunting anything bigger than elk, then I'd go with the 7mm mag, but if elk is as big as you are hunting, then go with the 30-06 so you can use it on smaller game.

BM

...Rocky Mountain...

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

2 factors apply here. 1 what kind of country do you hunt, open, brushy, canyons etc. and the 2nd is how much recoil can you handle repetedly. a 06 is a elk killing machine under 200 yards and im sure has killed more elk then any other caliber. but when shooting out 300 to 400 yards you must get a bigger caliber. i have killed elk at 300 yards with my 7mm mag and would not hesitate to shoot 400. but i also practise at them yardages and know the drop of my bullets. a 300 or 338 are also excellent.i even have 1 freind who shoots a 375h&h mag but he wount shoot farhter then 250 with it. but you should see the elk drop. definately too much gun. on the other hand a 06 can be shot many times by women and younger hunter. and ive yet to see them shoot my hot loaded 7mm without flinching terrible. i say you must be able to shoot repeatedly because you must know your gun . in a hunting situation you will not feel the recoil of you gun. but to sight it in properly and get a feel for it you need to shoot at least 20 -30 shells a year.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Either cartridge will do the job. My dad, uncles, and grandpas have taken elk with both calibers with no problem. Its all a matter of what you have, like, and can shoot well. I also believe in the 1000 ft.-lb rule. Take your pick.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

i think a 30-06 will do just fine
where are you going elk hunting at?

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

i think a 30-06 will do just fine
where are you going elk hunting at?

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Thanks for the input everyone. Looks like I'll probably bring a 30-06 out to Montana this fall. It sounds like that should be enough firepower for elk, and I'll still be able to use it for coyotes and other varmints back here in IL.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Colo Wolf. Popular opinion is that you need at least 1,800 ft lbs of energy at the strike zone to determine your effective killing range for elk. For mule deer you will need anything 24 caliber of larger with 1,200 ft lbs of energy. The 7 mag with 160 gr Noslers is an effective rifle out to about 350 to 400 yards. A 30-06 with 180 gr Noslers has an effective killing range of about 300 yards. If you are just shooting thru the rib cage, a heart lung shot, you would not need as much energy. If you are shooting thru the shoulder thats when the 1800/1200 ft lb rule comes into effect. Hopes this helps. OUT.

RE: Need Elk Hunting Info
 

Thanks FlatTop, I've been doing some more research and the Federal 180 gr. Nosler High Energy Carries over 2100 ft/lbs to 300 yds. Federal also makes a Boattail Soft Point & the X-Bullet which both hold on to over 1900 ft/lbs at 300yds.