Best Caliber For Elk
 

Hello I was wondering what the best caliber for elk is. I prefer a bolt action, and cannot spend a truckload of money. Any suggestions are appreiciated. thanks

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

There is no one best cartridge for wapiti.
I personally prefer a 338 WinMag. Have used a 375HH to good effect.
I wouldn' t recommend going below 30-06 power.
If you' ve hunted deer, just remember elk are not deer: triple weight double tough.
The cost between the same rifle in standard and magnum cartridges is seldom more than a couple hundred dollars.
If a couple hundred dollar difference in rifle cost is prohibitive then I recommend against wapiti hunting.
Even with resident licenses and six hour travel time it just is not a cheap thing to do.

Never Go Undergunned

EKM

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Anything from 6.5mm up to .375 have been and continue to be used for elk with excellent reliability. I personally have used seven cartridges ranging from .270 Win to .338 Win Mag and they have all worked well. I' ve seen elk killed with a few more, the smallest being the .257 Roberts.

Right now, I' ve settled on the .270 Weatherby Magnum as my " go to" elk rifle. It hammers elk out to all ranges, and I' ve shot five bulls with it and none have taken another step, even at 325 yards.

That being said, I am currently in the development stages of having a custom .338-06 built that I hope to use as a thick timber elk rifle. The .270 Wby really isn' t necessary for close range work, as it shines when you have some real estate to cover. I like the idea of the heavier bullet for the thick stuff, especially since there is a slight chance I may encounter grizzly where I' ll be hunting.


Whatever you choose, use heavy-for-caliber, well-constructed bullets of the premium variety and be sure of your shots. And don' t choose a rifle chambered for a cartridge that is so powerful and kicks so hard that you develop a flinch from shooting it off a bench. I' ve seen more elk lost to poor shot placement with big cannon than for any other reason. I' ve also seen many elk die after being hit fairly with a .270 Win. In fact, the elk I saw shot with the .257 Roberts didn' t go far before piling up real nice (although I don' t recommend the .257 Roberts as an elk round). Bottom line: It you can' t put the shot where it needs to go, you shouldn' t be shooting at all.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Although calibers from .243 on up(and in some cases even smaller calibers) have been successfully used to take elk on a regular basis I consider the 7mm to be the minimum caliber that I would personally use for hunting elk.The smaller calibers will certainly work but I just don' t have the confidence in them that I have in the 7mm and larger calibers.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

35whelen or 30-06sprg

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

280 Remington, 160 grain Barnes X bullets. drops them NOW.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

I would say to get a rifle that you can shoot well whatever the caliber. If you are recoil sensative then a 338 mag probably won' t be your best option. Something more like the 7mm-08, 308, 270, .280. or 30-06. Many people feel that elk are somekind of super animals but the fact is if you put a bullet into the lungs or heart then it' s going to die. I would however use a " hold together bullet" like the failsafe, barnes, nosler, A-frame no matter what the caliber as they do have heavier bones than deer but they are not super animals. These bullets will blow through shoulder bones and get into the lungs and in almost all cases they will exit the other side. If you are on a budget and already have one of these caliber rifles then you will be just fine with elk.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Some kind of .338 Magnum.: Weatherby, Winchester, Dakota, Laupa, or Remington. Good luck.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

a good elk gun would be 30-06 and if you don' t have alot of mony to spend look at a savage I have one like it very will and a 30-06 is grat for a lot of other game you mit hunt good luck

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

interesting.....I agree that the number 1 issue is using a good bullet regardless of the cartridge you pick. For me it' s a bonded bullet.....and I like A-frames...

Next, it' s the gun itself.....I' m very fond of light weight rifles and the Model-70 featherweight in .30-06 is a very elkworthy rifle. It' s almost as powerful as the .300 Mags and is available in a light weight gun. It is a fine elk rifle.

The 7mm mags and the .280 are the lightest calibers I' d recommend and the .338 mag is a high ender. Remember, it' s far more important that you can shoot it well and use a good bullet than the cartridge itself. A buddy uses a .300 Savage and it works for him!!!

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

The elk " hunters" I know use 30/06, 7 Mag, 300 Win Mag. All have bolt-actions in Ruger, Winchester, Remington and a few Sako. In use an 06 & have never had a problem. I use 180 grain bullets. You need to hit " em" in the boiler room.


I' ve worked site in days at the local gun range. This is where hunters can re-check their rifle from the trip & locals too. I' ve seen a lot of " flinchers" ----all have the super dubber Mags.

Get a 30/06

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Boy this is a tougher question than what is big enough for deer. Anything from the 257 roberts up would be better than ok for Elk in my opinion. Bullet construction will depend on a large extent to the caliber being used . Like every other mechanical contraption the skillset of the operator will determine if there is a successful conclusion to the shot. If you can stand the recoil and handle it well then the 300 mag / 338 mag class of cartridges is unbeatable...the 375 will thump them harder but I have never used one on Elk just going on hearsay on this and the track record this great cartridge has. Personally I use a 7 Rem Mag or a 338 and do not think twice about it.:)

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

If recoil is not an issue, .300 Win Mag with 180 or 200 grain Nosler Partition. Perfect for short range and the longest ranges.

If recoil is an issue, .280 rem with 160 Barnes X or 160 Nosler Partition, you can also shoot the 175gr effectively if the ranges are not going to be over 250yards.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Well, the best elk caliber would be a 45-70:)

However, since you specified bolt action, without costing an arm and a leg, look for a used 270, 308, or 30-06, and like mentioned above...choose a bullet construction that will stick together.

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

id like to have a 35whelen. though remington brought out that 600 revamped and called it the 673 or someting like that and its in 35remington. the 338-06 would be a good choice. and if you cant tell im pushing the 338+cals all in non-magnum configs. buy hey thats just me

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

I' m going on my first Elk hunt this fall in Colorado and I' m taking a Howa 1500 in .300 Win Mag loaded with 200gr Nosler Partitions as my primary gun. I haven' t decided which I will take for a back-up....either my Ruger 77 (tang safety) in .270 Win with 150gr Partition or my sporterized VZ-24 Mauser in 7mm-08 with a 140gr Partition. Suggestions? Can' t wait!!

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

If your just going on a once in a lifetime (or not many times anyway) elk hunt, I would stick with a 30.06. You don' t need a 300 or 338 magnum to kill an elk (but they do help sometimes :D) Personally, I use a 300 mag when rifle hunting for elk. I had to go out and buy better ear protection after the first trip to the range since I was flinching so bad after a few shots. When I get to go and do a late season cow hunt, I take my .270, and have never had a probem with them taking many steps after shooting. And that is my backup gun on rifle hunts too, although I' ve never needed it.

You sure can tell the difference at the end of the day between carrying a .300 mag (browning A-bolt) and a .270 (Colt Light Rifle)

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Well, from what' s in my safe the 06 with 180-200 gr partitions would be the first choice then my 6.5x55 with 160 gr RN would be next. As always bullet construction and shot placement would play a bigger role than caliber and speed.

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RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

Deadeye,
I respect a man who can admit he has hunted the entire trip without firing a shot. I' ve had years like that - if the shot (or the elk) are not there then they' re just not there - frustrating but sometimes it happens. I refuse to join the yahoo' s that you hear target practicing on the second day of the season because they are bored and want to " shoot" something before they go home on Sunday.

Better luck this year!

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: Best Caliber For Elk
 

I personally like the Remington Model 700, 30-06 and use 180 core-lokts when hunting elk. Its not a fancy gun, but its a gun that will do the job and is very affordable. I do not like the Ruger 77, 30-06 because of its weight, but its a great shooting rifle also, you just gotta put the shots in the bread basket. ;)