HuntingNet.com Forums

HuntingNet.com Forums (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/)
-   Big Game Hunting (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/big-game-hunting-6/)
-   -   Ultimate Elk Cartridge? (https://www.huntingnet.com/forum/big-game-hunting/350378-ultimate-elk-cartridge.html)

salukipv1 09-25-2011 10:22 AM

Ultimate Elk Cartridge?
 
Let's assume you have a trophy bull elk, 380" at 400yds, not the perfect broadside shot, it's late in the evening, next to yellowstone, if it goes 20yds into the broder of yellowstone you lose it forever/can't retrieve it, what would you want to be shooting?

jerry d 09-25-2011 10:32 AM

This is gonna be interesting!!!! Never having the opportunity to hunt elk but hopefully changing that soon i'd have to say at 400 yds.i'd let it walk. Because i'd would be using a caliber that at that range is beyond its capabilty.

HatchieLuvr 09-25-2011 11:09 AM

First let me say i LOVE weatherbys and my 300 mkv dlx IS an elk rifle. HOWEVER COMMA BUT to say the 338Win wont do ANYTHING the 340wby is laughable at best! I'd consider them equals... And both are perhaps the best for elk!!!

Sheridan 09-25-2011 12:20 PM

Worth a look;

http://elkhunter2.tripod.com/rifle.html


Voted for .338 WM.

I have both a 7MM RM & a .338 WM.

streetglideok 09-25-2011 01:39 PM

Thor's hammer, 375H&H. With the correct bullet, there will be a hole thru this thing, and it wont go far. Reality, the only two I would be reluctant to use for that shot would be the '06 and the 7mm mag, the rest, I wouldnt have a worry, provided I know I can do my part in the accuracy equation.

Colorado Luckydog 09-25-2011 01:46 PM

Hands down the 300 RUM. It is simply the best elk cartridge ever made. If you're a hand loader or if you shoot factory ammo, it's the best.

finnbear 09-26-2011 07:52 PM

A 30.06 would be more than adequate to kill that elk at that range...only a fool would pass up the shot!!! his size has nothing to do with the equation, the round has more than enough power to kill at that range , you have 22/24 in. to hit him in...the scenario doesn't say angling toward you or away....what's the 'perfect' shot????
the shot that kills yer elk is the perfect shot!!!! ya got one o them bigol magnum bangnums, use that ya go a 7mm, use that ya got a 30.06 use it...they all kill that bull!!!!!!!!!

Colorado Luckydog 09-26-2011 08:18 PM


Originally Posted by finnbear (Post 3853146)
A 30.06 would be more than adequate to kill that elk at that range...only a fool would pass up the shot!!! his size has nothing to do with the equation, the round has more than enough power to kill at that range , you have 22/24 in. to hit him in...the scenario doesn't say angling toward you or away....what's the 'perfect' shot????
the shot that kills yer elk is the perfect shot!!!! ya got one o them bigol magnum bangnums, use that ya go a 7mm, use that ya got a 30.06 use it...they all kill that bull!!!!!!!!!

Finnbear is right, if you are confident at that range. You have to know your bullet drop at that range and ballistic charts will only get you somewhat close. A 30.06 at 400 yards is dropping like a rock. You have to know what your rifle and bullet combination will do at that range. I passed on a 385 yard shot last year with a 30.06 with a short barrel. I had never shot this gun past 200 yards. My bad and it cost me a really nice elk.

That's why I love the 300 RUM. The other calibers will make the shot but will take much more practice. It is much easier getting good at a 11 inch drop than a 45 inch drop. It's not only easier but more consistent.

A 300 RUM at 500 yards is darn near doing the same thing a 30.06 is doing at the muzzle. Just saying.....

I'm not knocking the other calibers, I'm just very happy with the 300 RUM. It's the best. IMHO!

skeeter 7MM 09-26-2011 09:23 PM

The .338/340 screams perfect for elk and moose...JMO.

In regards to the RUM I don't believe it is of value for off the shelf ammo shooters. Personally if I were one who buys ammo to shoot the RUM wouldn't be a consideration. I reload so no problems but I still choose to haul out the .338 for the big boys

Wheatley 09-27-2011 05:43 AM

I picked the 7mm although I have shot an elk close to that range with a 270 and it still dropped it. Any of them work well, use what you got and call it good.

streetglideok 09-27-2011 04:57 PM

Sure the '06 can do it, but looking at the title of the thread, the ultimate rifle for this shot, its late, its a ways off etc. Only way I would choose the '06, is if that was all I was limited to shoot in my life. Far better rounds listed for the job listed and I own no less then 5 on the list. I'd choose the 375, the 300RUM, the 300 win, the 7mm rem mag, in that order. Now if I was one of those guys who cant shoot a magnum accurately, then the '06 is a no brainer. But, if I own it, Im going to shoot it well, or sell it.

buckinbowhunter 09-27-2011 05:24 PM

I absolutely love my 338 RUM. I wouldnt go elk hunting without it. I load my own 225 Swift Siroccos and practice with that gun out to 500 yards. We set up multiple targets and even measured groups for averages and made up cheat sheets. Some people might laugh but when your out hunting big game and they are out 4 or 500 hundred yards, you dont want to be debating on how high to hold. We laminated the cheat sheets and taped them to the stock with clear ducttape. If you take your time doing it it doesnt look bad either. Kinda off topic a bit but just saying that if you know your gun well enough and are confident in it, it is worth taking the shot. I would take that same shot with my 7mm RM.

Muley Hunter 09-28-2011 07:06 AM

I've hunted with the 30-06 since the early 60's. I've never felt under gunned once. Here's an article by Wayne van Zwoll who feels the same way.

http://www.rmef.org/Hunting/RifleCart/Rifles/30-06.htm

Blackelk 09-29-2011 05:08 AM

If we're talking ultimate elk cartridge up to 400-500 yards it's going to be pretty hard to beat the 378 Weatherby. It has flat enough trajectory for pin point shot placement and a ton of energy when it gets there. I've owned one, I didn't like paying $5 dollars every time I pulled the trigger. That was a major set back and I should of reloaded for it.

The is no substitute for proper shot placement. None, zip, zero. Practice and knowing your rifles trajectories are worth more than any amount of bullet weight flung down range. Elk aren't that tough until you blow a front leg off one and try to run it into the ground to get it killed. You better eat your wheaties for that experience.

Don Fischer 09-29-2011 06:20 AM

For me, 400yds is a long way. If you shoot and it runs off a bit, it's in the park. Now what? For me I let it walk. Maybe next time.

HatchieLuvr 09-29-2011 06:50 AM


Originally Posted by Blackelk (Post 3854339)
If we're talking ultimate elk cartridge up to 400-500 yards it's going to be pretty hard to beat the 378 Weatherby. It has flat enough trajectory for pin point shot placement and a ton of energy when it gets there. I've owned one, I didn't like paying $5 dollars every time I pulled the trigger. That was a major set back and I should of reloaded for it.

The is no substitute for proper shot placement. None, zip, zero. Practice and knowing your rifles trajectories are worth more than any amount of bullet weight flung down range. Elk aren't that tough until you blow a front leg off one and try to run it into the ground to get it killed. You better eat your wheaties for that experience.

:eek2: DEAR GOD when did elk become so tough? A 378? HOLY ISRAELI WEST BANKERS thats insane to lug around for elk. :eek2:

A 30/06 with a 180 TSX is MORE than capable of that shot, but honestly 95% of the flat landers taking that shot aren't capable and most have NEVER fired a rifle at a 400yd target before a hunt!

A 378? Really? :eek2:
HL

finnbear 09-29-2011 03:13 PM

Well around here we see a conglomoration of guns from 30/30s to the biggest I saw was a 416 rigby....but realy guys most folks here use 30.06, 270 and most shots are taken at usually 300yds or more with 4/500 yds being the norm....anyone that has hunted the sagebrush will agree that if U don't shoot at those ranges U might as well stay home cause ya just aint never gonna get an animal....just sayin

Muley Hunter 09-29-2011 06:09 PM

I took my elk this year at 70 yds with a primitive Hawken and PRB (patched round ball.)

I think some need to learn to spot and stalk. Instead of spot and shoot.

finnbear 09-29-2011 06:57 PM

Yes muley .....we all know U be the epitome of the great hunters an everone else don't know squat BLA bla BLA Bla cause iffn we aint doin it yer way we be doin it wrong....the great expert muley has spoken...I normally don't bad mouth others methods till I hunted their hunt....but in your long and successful career as a great hunter I'm sure you've hunted the wide open sage covered canyons in Washington state day in and day out..............................

Muley Hunter 09-29-2011 08:06 PM


Originally Posted by finnbear (Post 3854712)
Yes muley .....we all know U be the epitome of the great hunters an everone else don't know squat BLA bla BLA Bla cause iffn we aint doin it yer way we be doin it wrong....the great expert muley has spoken...I normally don't bad mouth others methods till I hunted their hunt....but in your long and successful career as a great hunter I'm sure you've hunted the wide open sage covered canyons in Washington state day in and day out..............................

If I was talking to you. I would have quoted you. Like I did here.

Do you feel better after your childish rant?

knowyourlimit 09-30-2011 02:26 AM

No .35 Whelen?

Blackelk 09-30-2011 03:09 AM

They said ultimate elk rifle and listed a bunch of magnums. I wasn't being outrageous. If it's going to cost multiple dollars per round and some serious bullet weight. Might as well consider most of those guns have a break too.. Might as well go with a serious hog of a cartridge. I never killed a thing with the 378 Weatherby before I sold it. I didn't even think that I needed it for anything in North America. Just for clarification.

In previous posts I've stated I'm pretty much a standard classic cartridge guy. One of my favorite elk calibers is the 270 win always will be. Truly there's not much need for anything over a 300 WM for anything up to 500-600 yard shots. Elk are not tough just some people seem not to shoot them in the right place and end up thinking they need monster guns to put an elk down. And if someone's favorite elk cartridge burns 90 grains of powder or more everytime they pull the trigger well I guess that's their money not mine. It boils down to don't take uncertain shots and know your gun well.

Muley Hunter 09-30-2011 05:19 AM

My only point was that there's nothing wrong with trying to get as close as possible. You don't always need to take a shot when you first spot an animal. Even the most powerful cartridge is going to drop a lot, and get blown around by the wind. A closer shot lowers the chance of a miss.

I'm not stupid enough to recommend a muzzleloader to someone shooting a powerful CF gun. That was not the point of my previous post. Even though that was lost on one poster.

I've been killing game since the 50's with CF guns. No matter what the range of my gun was. I still tried to get as close as possible to put the odds in my favor. Sometimes you can't, but I think trying is worth the effort.

elkdeerbear 10-08-2011 01:45 PM

For elk the bigger the bullet and caliber the better, as far as I'm concerned. 300 Win. Mag. and up.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:35 AM.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.