<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>There is no minimum caliber in Montana, Bigbulls ????????????? So lets just go out there with a 22 just because its okay. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote> Well lets get a grip here. The beginning question was is a .270 enough for elk, and yes it is more than enough. Maybe Montanna should adopt regulations that keeps stupid people from doing just that. And since you quoted the first part of that post what does a 12 year old boy or girl that can't handle the recoil from a 180gr 30/06 use on his or her first elk hunting trip. People have their own favorite minimum calibers for different game, but the fact is that any caliber / cartridge from a .243 on up will cleanly take elk all day long as long as the hunter respects his and the guns limitations. Choose a cartridge, (one of probably at least 50 or so) practice and go hunting!

I agree Bigbulls, we have stupid people here like everywhere esle, and you can bet at the next public Hunting meeting that this will be one of my suggestions that I'm going to bring up. Later, Bobby

Well Bigbulls, I don't agree with yer argument. Sure you can kill elk with a 243, but it ain't enough in most people's hands. Remindes me of the guy who says, &quot;a lot of elk been kilt by 30-30s.&quot; Yeah, but did you ever read 'bout an elk hunt back when the 30-30 was an advanced caliber? There was no concern at all about losing game. Bulls' antlers were taken but the meat was left to rot. Read Teddy Roosevelt's story about hunting the Two Ocean Pass area back in the 1890s. Pathetic by today's standard. Ol' Teddy would kill 6 bulls in a day and not take any of the meat. No wonder the animal was nearly annihilated. Wounding animals still don't mean a lot to some folk. Nothing wrong or &quot;stupid&quot; with respecting the game at the expense of some hunters. I don't think people too small or young or skilled to shoot a minimum 150 grain bullet moving 2800 fps from whatever caliber should be goin' afield. Let 'em learn to handle a substantial big game round first. The elk are too precious a resource. Hunters are a dime a thousand. I've seen 243 shot elk thet never were found. Seen one feller that thought he had missed, cause the bull just stood there, then ran off. He would have left without even looking for sign. Standards are set for good reason. Legal minimums often reflect values from a different time, or those of bureaucrats. Only unprincipled self-centered shooters take them as adequate.

BJ

Yes I know that the .243 isn't an elk cartrige, but with a hold together bullet and a hunter that knows the limitations of their equipment then it will work fine. I would also rather have my son use a smaller, lighter recoiling gun / cartrige that he can shoot well than have him use one that he is shy of shooting and flinches with because it kicks too hard. If he couldn't get the bullet to the target then the bigger cartrige isn't going to do him or the elk any good.