RE: Out west rifle need help
 

You have taken an elk with your 270win. I have taken an cow elk with 7mm mag. at 350yds. and hit her sqaure behing the shoulder.Took out both lugs and she went another 30yds.She stood there for 3 minuites before going down. I had the same thing on deer.Like wyotimberghost said. But if that gives you a reason to purchase a new gun by all means either caliber you mention will work as long as you can handle the recoil and place the shot well.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

I agree with timberghost and 700xcr. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your current whitetail rifle. The .270 is a mainstay in the elk woods, right alongside the .30-06. Elk are tough, but a well-placed shot with a .270 will easily do the job.

"Beware the one-rifle shooter"

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

Both rifles and chamberingswill definately work. Another option would be the 300WSM and you can get it in a shorter, lighter version of the Browning. Not sure about the Tikka. And you can also get either the 300 WSM or Win Mag in a few Savage Models which will be cheaper and just as accurate.
One other thing, if you are recoil shy you don't have to be macho and get either of these chamberings. The good old .30-06 may be a couple 100 fps slower than the 300s but is still more than capable of taking mulies or elk with a good 180 gr bullet.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

I was planning on using the ole .270 as a backup, but you all make good points. Its certainly any excuse to buy another rifle. I am far from recoil shy, it does not bother me and I have shot the calibres I was talking about but not had much experience past a little benchtime and research.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

Hey, leave him alone! he wants to buy another rifle ! : )

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

Hey 270 fanatics,


He's used the 270 and didn't get the results he hoped for. Now he wants something bigger. So be it. I get sick of the Recoil comments too. You would think that it was absolutely impossible to shoot good with a belted magnum. Newsflash Not everyone is recoil sensitive. And there are shooters vest with padding and new recoil pads all of which can greatly improve the felt recoil of some of the heaviest thumpers for range sessions. And as we all know you never fell it when shooting at game.

I don't dissagree that the 270 will do the job, as a matter of fact i have a 6.5mm that I'm certain would kill an elk provided a decent path to the vitals. But, Ihunt with a 338 wm for the same reasons he stated. More kinetic energy, large diameter bullet, and absolutely hammers elk out to 350 yds. At normal hunting distances itturns marginal angles into confident shots. for example i once had an elk present a severally quartering to me shot. He was basically facing me at 150 yds. To shoot I would have to shoot through the front shoulder/ brisket and still get enough penetration to take out the vitals. The wind was swirling and the bull was getting antsy, any moment he's was going to split. It was time to take the shot or not. With a 270 I'd have gone home with tag soup because I wouldn't trust the bullet to do the job. Carrying my 338 I had elk loin steaks on the grill at camp that evening.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

To me,using a .270 on elk is like using a .223 on deer-it can be done but not near as good as when a bigger rifle is used. Elk are tougher than people give em credit for,and we owe the game animal respest to kill it as quickly and as painless as possible. Chasing a elk-or any game animal around to put more shots into it is NOT respecting it.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

I've been with my wife on 2 cow hunts where she got her cow using her 270. The first was a 1-shot drop and kill. The 2nd was just a few years ago and she hit it too far back in the spine high. It ran off with it's front legs and we had to catch up to it and I finished it off. It worked, we got both elk, but I think if you have a choice, a 7mm or bigger round is a better choice. I have a 7mm and have taken 2 elk with it as well, neither was a 1-shot kill. I can't afford a new rifle but if I could I'd probably look at the 300 WSM pretty hard. I'm going to save my pennies for the Sako 85, probably in that caliber for my deer/elk/bear rifle. I think the 300 WSM is going to be the new 30-06 and should be around a long time. Of course, a 30-06 is a good round too but personally I like to have the flatter trajectory of the WSM if I have the option of a new rifle.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

If you already have a .270 I would look at the .325 WSM or the .300 WSM. Though there are several other ones that would work just as well. I'm going to use my .450 Marlin for elk when I go. With the Hornady bullets I can shoot 200 yard swith no problem and the gun is short enough if you hunt in heavy timber you can move it around easy.

RE: Out west rifle need help
 

I'm no fan of the .270. Never owned one, and I doubt I ever will. I like the flatter trajectory of my 7mm Rem Mag with heavier bullets. It has a definate advantage over the 270 if I ever need to take a 400 yard shot. But having said that, I disagree with the concept that you need a rifle that will blow right through both shoulders on an elk at 200+ yards. I have seen elk hit right in the shoulder by .270's and 30-06's (I did it with my '06 several years ago), and every time the end result is the same: elk are as good as dead if they lose the use of one of their front legs, so while the first shot may not kill them instantly, it only takes a matter of seconds to put another round in the chamber and finish the job. It's not like hitting an antelope or deer in the front quarter- they'll just keep on a running. Elk can't hardly move after they're hit in the front shoulder. That's why a lot of guys who've been elk hunting for half their lives will tell you to "crowd the shoulder" when you're shooting at elk.

And please don't try to come back with the "quick, humane kill" angle. Killing an elk that has had its shoulder busted usually only takes however long the hunter needs to jack in another round and get a steady rest. If everyone was truly concerned with killing animals instantly, they'd go for nothing but head-shots and they'd have nothing to do with archery hunting.