EKM

Quite a few folks talking the talk that haven't walked the walk....

Here is a poll that ran for over a year in the Big Game forum. The pollwas restricted to those who had actually taken elk (at any range), never mind any 500 to 600 yard stuff....
================================================== =

What is your current favorite elk cartridge that you personally have actually used to take elk?

You post, I'll run the tally:

Pretty Much By Power:
1 - 7mm-08-------------------------- ~1%
11 - 270 Winchester------------------13%
2 - 308 ------------------------------~2%
16 - 30-06 Springfield ----------------- 85% Use 30-06 Power or Greater
1 - 270 Winchester Short Magnum
13- 7mm Remington Magnum
1 - 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum
5- 300 Winchester Short Magnum
14- 300 Winchester Magnum
2- 300 Weatherby Magnum
5 - 300 Remington Ultra Magnum
2 - 30-378 WeatherbyMagnum
8-338 Winchester Magnum
6- 338 Remington Ultra Magnum
1 - 340 Weatherby Magnum
1 - 350 Remington Magnum
1 - 358 Norma Magnum
2 - 375 Holland & Holland Magnum
1 - 416 Remington Magnum
---
93

OR (SINCE "STANDARD" VS "MAGNUM" ISMAINLY A DIFFERENCE IN POWDER CHAMBER SIZE.... )

.277:
11 - .277Std.
1 - .277Magnum
-------------------------------12
.284:
1 - 7mm Std..
14- 7mm Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.308:
18- .308 Std.
28- .308 Magnums
------------------------------- 46
.338:
0 - .338 Std.
15-.338 Magnums
------------------------------- 15
.358 & Up:
0 - Std. Cartridges CounterpartsFor Any Of The Following:
2 - .358 Magnums
2 - .375 Magnums
1 - .416Magnum
------------------------------- 5
---
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OR

By Magnum Factor:
30- Standards (Including 15 - 30-06)
63 - Magnums
---
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[Stick Flippers: 4]
[Smoke Poles:2]

EKM

No 25-06's
No 280's
No 284's
No 6.5mmx55's

Not as favorites any way (let alone long range favorites).

And now we're talking of extending the range from the usual 50 to 200 yards on out to 600 yards?
At that range, all cartridges (including a "laser flat" 25-06)will be long in flight and dropping badly so the keywould bedoping the wind and figuring in the elevation drop AND having the bullet arrive with the goods to finish the job (with diminished velocity, energy, and penetration) andall of thiswith an INCREASED chance of the "holygrail of perfect bullet placement" being highly suspect (except on the internet of course).

Doe Dumper

EKM that poll is a year old. Bout time to run it again for chits and giggles.

EKM

Out of this group here, most likely not enoughof haveactuallytook their firstelk during this last season so as to make an incremental twit of differenceto the fundamentals of the matter.

andlan17

i dont know how many of you have actually hunted elkand i dont know what the normal shot in west central colorado would be, im a firm beleiver in good shot placement is all you need. you guys seem to meextreamly outgunned using .416 and .375 for long rang elk. you dont nessciarly need to make what is inside become outside. a high velocity 6mm-.25 or larger placed in the right spot will do the job more times than not. the .35and larger do not have the range to shoot at that distance.

linvillegorge

I sure would hate to lug around a .375 H&H or .416 Rigby while chasing elk in the Rockies! I was considering a .338mag at one time, but I don't want to lug that around either. I know you can get a Tikka T3 in .338mag, but a light weight .338mag would be a real bruiser.

eldeguello

I started out this answer firmly convinced that a .25/'06 is not an elk rifle. After a little research I have revised my opinion. A .25/'06 would be acceptable, in the hands of a superb marksman. A guy like W.D.M. Bell, who once killed an elephant with a heart shot at 600 yards using a 7X57mm Mauser with a 173-grain full-jacketed military bullet.

I would not feel bad if my only rifle was a .25/'06. And it is sufficient for all game in the lower 48, and most in Alaska as well. However, despite the fact that properly placed, it will kill elk quite well, I for one would not feel comfortable shooting at an elk with it at the ranges you mentioned. Actually, I would not recommend shooting at an elk much beyond 300 to possibly 350 yards with ANY rifle that can be fired from the shoulder.

The .25/'06 may justcarry enough velocity andenergy at 500 yards to doan acceptable job on an elk,IFyou were good enough to place the bullet properly at that range under field conditions. You'd also need to be a good judge of range, or have an accurate rangefinder.

If you fired a 120-grain .257 bullet, B.C. .435, at a MV of 3200 FPS (POSSIBLE with some powders in some .25/'06's!) zeroed in at 300 yards, the bullet will be +3" @ 100, +3.8" @ 200, dead on at 300, and -23" @ 500. At that distance, it will still be carrying 1500 foot-pounds of energy. But the question is, will the bullet, moving at 2400 FPS, still expand??

I think the .25/'06 would be acceptable for a stationary elk in the open up to 500 yards, IF you used the most streamlined, reliable-expansion 120 grain bullet you can find, and load it to a MV of3050FPS or more. But I would limit myself to a lot shorter range than that to be certain of exact bullet placement. If you are going to try this, PRACTICE A LOT AT 500 YARDS with your elk load!!

I hunt elk with a 7mm Rem. mag. and 175-grain bullets, and take no shots over 300 yards, and then only when I can find a rest out in the woods.

Here's a source of some info for you! All you need to now is your bullet's ballistic coefficient and weight, and MV.

P.S. If you don't like the .270, take a look at the .280 Remington. Load it right, and it is a great cartridge! Maybe the best we make in the U.S.

http://www.biggameinfo.com/index.aspx?page=%2fbalcalc.ascx

EKM

I invite anyone here in this threadwho can present credentialseven remotely equivalentto those of W.D.M. Bell to lay them out for review.

Folically Challenged

Shot placement is, indeed, #1. It aint everything, though.

A Geo Metro can get you around perfectly well. It can carry 3 of your friends, or maybe 300 or 400 pounds of cargo and none of your friends. It's got air conditioning, a radio, reclining seats... But how many Geo Metros do you see on a construction site? You need to match your tools to the job at hand.

Elk camps arepopulated withguyswho spend 7 to 14 days of precious vacation time, $3,000 to over $10,000 of their kids' college funds,not to mention the priceless goodwill of their spouses. How many .25-06 rifles does one see in elk camp? Not many. Given what's at stake, it only makes sense to bring a cartridge with a history of success harvesting the quarry you seek.

There's no doubt that the .25-06 is a great cartridge. It's perfectly at-home in a deer camp. But there aren't many folks willing to stake their elk hunts on them.

As for shooting at 600 yards... Just make sure you're practicing at 600 yards. It would also help to practice at the same altitude at which you'll be hunting, and in the same terrain, and with similar weather/wind conditions. Remember, the wind drift at 600 yards is farmore of an unkownthan the bullet drop. I'd plan onmany, many hundreds of rounds of practice before embarking on such a hunt.

FWIW, my guide outfitter in BC said they shoot far more elk in "self defense" than they do at > 200 yards. I took mine at 65 yards, and had one called-in within 10 yards. With the hunt, tips, airfare, shuttles, hotel rooms, and taxidermy fees, I'll be in for nearly $10,000. Accordingly, I used a .30-'06 with 165 grain Hornady Interbonds.

FC

DM

Well, he was a poacher, so that may be a bit hard to do today...

DM