I definatly fall in the middle on this one. I would never get a 277 anything because bullet choice is a lot more limited than it is with 284- so I am a 7 mag kind of guy. I would never get a 3006 becasue i have a 7 mag and a 308 and soon a 7wsm. i reload and 284 has the most verstility for me. But neither am I a 338 kind of guy- though I have one. It just seems unneccesary, like using a 30 06 on florida whitetails.

Yes I'm new to this board. I have been hunting going on 30 years.I have few firearms. ranging from .22, .270 (which you guessed), several 30,06's, several .50 ML's in-line and percussion, a .54 flint (on order), 30-30, .303 brit, .300 win mag, compound bows, crossbows and of course the 12 ga's n 16 ga. I have shot several different weapons during my military career as well. Of them the only one (not counting army )that hasn't collected game is the .54 as it hasn't arrived yet. Game here consists of bear deer, moose, birds etc. The only elk we have are not in huntable populations yet.

My point is nothing other than a .270 will do the job quite well. All of my centerfire and ML's have killed deer.The 270,303, 300 have done moose. We all know how well archery equipment can work. My rifle of choice for moose hunting is the .270. Will the other's work? Yes, in spades. More moose have probably fallen to the lowly .303 Brit than any other caliber.
Long before magnumitus struck the firearm industry (with some mighty fine marketing I might add), the 270's, 30.06's, .303's and the 30.30's ruled the roost. The .303 British are in Canada, what the 30.06 is in the US. Post WWII surplus. Lot's of rifles available and lot's of ammo to go with them.

I took issue with your comment:
" Go set up your elk camps like you do every year, use what you've found to work, grab your "thumper guns" and then just go SMACK THE CRAP OUT OF SOME ELK, just like you usally do---any angle, any bone, any time...."This sounds to me that shot placement isn't a high priority to you (although you clarify that in your later post that it is). You say I'm gonna burn on the archery/ML comment. But when I read your post , to me it sounds like it is magnum city or stay home.??? ML's and archery and especially .270 user's need not apply.

I don't claim that the .270 is the end all be all of centerfire rifles. But I will say that instead of taking that "any angle, any bone, any time" approach, it is more than capable of getting the job done.

EKM Yes I have been useing a 45-70 of late , Mainly because I now spend most of my time in the timber and there is little need for a scope or anything that is for 100 yds + , I have Killed Elk with 270 win, 30-06 358 norma and 375 H&H . I have had to help track more Elk down do to poor shooting by big bore shooters who have PPS because that are recoil shy.

Why is a 270 OK for ladies and kid but's not grown men.

I do respect you views on most things but this is not one of them.

Im with you Gotlost, I guess Ill have to resurrect the 6x7 I shot last year with my 7mm-08, after all the bullet only went thru both shoulders. Damn thing must have kicked the crap out of my freezer by now.

Bill can be a little rough around the edges for some adults. Bottom line he knows how to hunt elk.
IMHO You can not find a better teacher for a young hunter than Bill Hoppie.
Bill is the person you want to hire to put meat in the freezer. He is as good or better than any outfitter in the country.

I would love to exchange a few Hoppe stories on another thread or by PM'ing. I have been on the receiving end of rough from Bill. I have yet to hunt with him when he doesn't talk up .270's.

Feel free to PM me anytime you like. I have a couple of "wild bill" stories to share myself.

Magnum Shot Placement, Any: Angle, Bone, Time!

Huntaway,

This is directly in response to your "shot placement" concerns.

Actually just the opposite, I like unfettered shot placement into the boiler room a lot. I visualize the boiler room just like any small bore fan does, and with that image in my mind for final 2-5 seconds, here is what I see as the difference....

***any angle I visualize the target boiler room with out having to wait for ancient mantra: "Now stop, now turn perfectly broadside --- move nearside front leg slightly forward --- now don't move --- I need you to stand just so!" Rather, I see, I act, and the boiler room has "incoming" immediately! Now if he wants to give me the "white tail stance" then great I'll take it, but he better hurry up, I don't wait around much at all. Active (not casual) killer instinct AND using "matched" equipment allows for this rapid almost instinctive execution of this fairly simple act.

***any bone At my choosing, if he stops, the rest is good, the sight picture feels right (including the boiler room image), and its GREEN LIGHT, then NOTHING he physcially possesses can stop me or the round that is now on its way --- ribs, bones, shoulders, nothing --- in one side/out the other, mush in between --- no compromises.

***any time Time.... An elk hunt is typically 5 days of suffering interupted by 15 seconds of opportunity (hopefully the first day). Every second counts. Its actually PLENTY of time, IF you don't screw around waiting for this and that, AND you know what you are looking for, AND you've got the proper tools to execute with.

I almost always carry two elk tags, have a camp full of people, field dressing, quartering and packing the elk out with horses starts up rather quickly on most hunts, so there is no time to be screwing around waltzing the "whitetail two step" with the elk. On the other hand, some folks choose to HAVE to wait for things to be "just so" --- before they've got the GREEN LIGHT --- it is one of the ethical constraints attached to the choice of a ah, er, argh, ahem, "more mild" firearm when hunting elk or larger critters.

Problem is bad things can happen while you're waiting, especially on public land: he can turn and walk straight away, a herd of cows can step in and and engulf him, someone a 1/4 mile away can shoot at something else and spook them or someone can simply walk into "your scene" --- opportunity gone --- all for waiting for things to be "picture book perfect, just so."

Yep, I like shot placement a lot; like all the unrestricted shot placement I can get; like fully accessible boiler rooms a lot, hence I choose to "upgrade" my hunting tools accordingly for more favorable equipment.
=================

GotLost,

I'm sure you will not find this quote by me in this thread.

Our little gal in 2004 used a 30-06 at age 13 and approximately 100 pounds so I would hestitate to categorize rifle calibers by sex of the shooter (figuratively perhaps[i.e. "man enough to handle it"], but not literally). Our trusty Moderator ChristineB shoots a 375H&H as do a lot of the ladies who have done the testimonials for Barnes bullets. When it comes to recoil, whether with men or women, IMHO it is analogous to the old saying, "it is not the size of the dog in the fight, it the size of fight in the dog." That along with technique and rifle fit will pretty well manage recoil (assuming no physical/failing health issues).

I have an aquaintance that is going to hunt Colorado on a do it yourself next year..He has a couple of choices in suitable rifles but has chosen the 270 . . I could argue until I am blue in the face but that fool will take that gun anyhow seeing how as per him with a 140 grain accubond it runs right with the magnums...YEAH RIGHT. Damn half of the gun writers for even insinuating it is good enough and evidently he believes everything he reads in a magazine. He is a piss poor shot as it is and has never taken an Elk barely shot a few deer so he ignores practical advice. Glad it will be him and not me chasing poorly hit elk ..my hope is that one falls into his lap at 25 yards and he kills it cleanly..

EKM thank you I will take that as a compliment, I will say its the biggest rush when you are standing over a elk with a bow in your hand!