James B

260 on up. The 270 and 30-06 are both good elk guns. 7mm-08,280 and 7x57. & mag 300WSM and 300 Win Mag. I have shot several with each of the following, 270, 280 30-06 and 50 cal muzzle loader. Also with a 35 Rem. Contender.

Sharp Shooter

7mag!

JagerMister

I want to go Elk Hunting next year w/ wife and am trying to determine what would be the best caliber for her to shoot. She is not a large woman and I’m afraid she wouldn’t enjoy my 300 win mag at all or feel comfortable shooting a 30-06 either. I see here you all are saying a 270 is adequate enough for Elk hunting? She shoots a 243 now for whitetail hunting and loves it (plus she is a excellent shot too) so shot placement wouldn’t worry me too much. I just want her to have the knock down power for a clean kill plus not having to track it all over creation.

Thanks

Slamfire

Either the .260 or 7mm-08 will do, as there are heavy for caliber bullets available. The .260 has less recoil, because ballistically equal bullets weigh 20 grains less. A 140 grain .264 bullet is plenty. There really is no such thing as knockdown, some fall over and some don't, but, none go far without a heart or set of lungs.

gyt-r450

280!

TerryM

I would look at a 7mm08 or possibly a .308 win if she can handle the recoil. Load the .308 with a 165gr premium and it will help a bit recoil wise vs a 180. The fit of the rifle will have alot to do with felt recoil. Try and match her .243 and she may not notice the difference. Also if you handload download her practice loads so she gets a false sense of recoil and don't tell her. When she squeezes the trigger on an elk she will not even realize it as a .308 is not going to hurt her. Make sure she has plenty of eye relief on her scope. I suggest a leupold for that.

kapski

338 Browning or 300 Ultra Mag with nosler partion ammunition about 200 gr minimum. Both rifle put them down.



Good Luck and Be Safe

James B

If you can't do it with a 270 or 280 then more gun sure ain't going to help.

idahoelkinstructor

JagerMister, I had a co-worker several years ago that went elk hunting with his wife. She drew out on a very good and hard to draw tag. The area had a lot of elk with good trophy potential. Anyway because lack of money they only had 2 rifles, a .243 and a Magnum of some sort. I don't remember but it was a least a 7 Mag, or a .300 Mag, and she tried but couldn't handle the recoil very well at all. But she was a dead eye with the .243 and she shoot it a lot because the recoil was soft on her. Now a .243 is not the best for elk and not recomended, but if you use a premium 100 grain bullet and keep your shots broadside or quartering away, and under 150 yards or so it will work and kill elk. She used just that combo and killed a nice 340 class bull at 70 yards with one shot. Again the .243 is not recomended but will work and is considered a bit of a experts gun at best. I have a 2 year old little girl and a 3 year old boy. Hopefully they both continue to be daddys kids in 10 years from now and want to still do everything daddy does. Anyway I have thought about it a lot. I know that besides learning to bowhunt, that they will want to try rifle hunting as well. To be honest I am not worried about my son but with my girl I want a soft kicking rifle that she will not be afraid of and that will kill elk with ease at medium to short range. So far the best I can think of is a 7mm-08, its a excellent gun for elk within its limits of course. You might want to consider that for your wife.

James B I agree 100% with ya up to a point. I think that if you are a reloader and shoot a whole lot, along with being a experienced hunter. That a Magnum rifle will give you a advantage. A example scenerio could be like this. Pretend that you are on a hunt in a area with trophy animals and you have a chance at a once in a lifetime record book animal. But it is like 600 yards or maybe even 650 yards away. And you are proficient up to this range and further with the rifle you are hunting with. The shot is very doable for ya and its like a now or never situation. I would go for it provided I was prepared and practiced on a monthly basis at that range. Also provided I was using a Magnum of some sort, that is capable and has both the range reach and the KE at that range get the job done and make a clean kill. In that situation a lesser caliber wouldn't get it done. I myself have killed a spike bull elk at 700 yards away with a .300 Wby. Both my brother in law and father in law have kill elk at over 600 yards, with 300 Mags. All these ranges have been verified with laser rangefinders in the last couple of years. I admit I was lucky as crap to kill that spike bull. I was a very stupid teenager at the time, the herd of elk the bull was with didn't even know we were there. If I could have done it again I would have gotten closer, much closer. Even now with my .300 RUM I don't think I would shoot over 500 to 550 yards, because I now realise I don't practice enough at these ranges. Beside I have learned to call elk into me at any time of year and its fun to shot them at close range. My 5x5 bull this year was killed at 70 yards, and I called him into me out of the timber from about 200 yards away. He came into me at somewhere around 40 to 50 yards but it was so thick I couldn't see him very well. Only a few parts here and there. I didn't have a clear shot until he tried to circle me trying to find me, because he thought I was another elk. This happed on the 15 of Oct, it was opening day of general rifle bulls. Anyway back to my point there are some things a Magnum can do that a standard 06 caliber can't do. But I will agree that those situations are few and far between for most hunters.

Nontypically

Put some 150 nosler partition in that .270 and take her hunting!

there are some reduced recoil loads out now you can have her practice with, IIRC both remington and federal are selling them