What caliber rifle would you buy for elk?

I

imskippy

New member
I would like to purchase a new rifle to use on deer and possibly elk if I get the chance what caliber is most common for this? I dont own any centerfire as of yet just a Rem 700ml in 50cal.
 
I'm making my first elk trip this year and I am building a 338 RUM. I can say however that I am building the rifle also for a trips to Africa and Alaska for big Bears in the next few years. If not for those other trips, I'd shoot my 7mm RUM or my .300 Win MAG. It is nice too, to have an excuse to build a new rifle. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Having said all of that, I'm a rookie, there are people on this board with a LOT More knowledge about elk hunting than me.
 
The most popular elk rifles in Colorado are 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag. These are followed closely by the 30-06 and 308. Not too far behind is the 270 and then is a plethera of catridges from the Ooober Magnums to the large caliber like 338's and 45-70's. Some use down to the 243.

My statistics on rifle choice is from gross ammunition and rifle sales over a 5 year period of time from the mid 90's to around 2000. I don't think it has changed much since then according to the local hunting guides.

So my choice for ammo availability and great choice in rifles would be a 7mm Rem Mag or a 300 Win Mag.

Keep in mind that a lot of hunters suffer from recoil flinch using "Magnums" and if you are one of these your better choice would be a smaller gun that you could shoot accurately.... to some hunters that means that the 243 is the best choice.
 
Im not an elk hunter but I would probably go with a 30-06. Managable to shoot, and plenty of knockdown power. Just my .002
 
I use the 270 and never have any issues. Of course I try to not shoot past 300 yards on elk. Osprey has the right idea, get a gun that you can handle the reecoil on and shoot well then adjust your hunting to it. I have seen many more people shoot guns too big than I have ever seen shoot guns to small. Again find a gun you can spend 1/2 a day shooting at the range and still feel good shooting it.

Case in point my dad shoots a 375 H&H for elk. He gets about 6 shots at the range before he is broke, both physically and money wise. It takes elk down, but on 2 in the last 5 years he has had a nice scope tattoo.
 
I have several rifles suitable for elk from 270 win up to 300 win mag. My favorite though seems to be the 280 Remington mainly because I love the rifle it is chambered in, a Remingtion 700 Classic from 1997. It does not kill me or my wallet when I shoot it and all the elk I have fired it at have gone down. Having said that I also use the 300 mag quite a bit and usually grab it first if hunting for big bulls. The extra oomph is nice if for nothing other than my own re-assurance. If this was my first center fire I would lean towards the 270 win, 280 Remington, 30-06 or the 7mm Rem Mag. They are all quite versatile and will all do the job.
 
The only rifle I've shot is a 30-06 at the range. Is this or say a .308 something to consider that would also be good for deer. I'm pretty sure I would prefer something I could spend some time at the range with and still not kill my shoulder or the wallet. I'm also considering something in .243 for varmint and deer aswell maybe I'll pick that up first and wait to get some decent range time before I go big.
 
I use a .30-06 for elk and deer and it's been a good round. Almost limitless possibilities if you reload too. I think that a .30-06 with a good recoil pad (limbsaver) is pretty managable. a dozen rounds, which is more than adequate to sight in your rifle, doesn't hurt like it did when I didn't have a butt-pad... I've started to reload 165 grain bullets and they are not bad at all compared to the factory 180 gr bullets.
 
Here in Idaho I hunt some pretty steep country and my favorite is the old 8mm Rem mag. Any of the three you have will work great. The Rums in any flavor have plenty of energy and range for elk.
 
With todays new bullets and powders a .308 makes a good elk gun,but if the gun is just for elk I would get something bigger like 300 Wthby mag .338 etc.
 
Most of the '06 based standard cartridges will work fine for elk be it the 270, 280 or 30-06. These will also make a better deer rifle than a 243. If the gun will be primarily for elk and not see much deer hunting, I would go with a 7, 300, or 338 mag, or a WSM. The 308 also works fine on elk (that's what I use) but a little bigger cartridge gives a little more piece of mind.
 
If the bullet is placed exactly where you want it you can kill them with a 22LR. That said I used my Rem.700 in 270 for a 1 shot kill. Neck shot. With the improvement in bullets I would feel a lot better taking a 270 again. You can't always count on the perfect shot/angle. If elk were the only thing hunted, I would probably go some bigger. Bullet placement, good shooting rifle, that "You" can shoot is more important than larger caliber....
 
For Deer and Elk both?

Then I would go either the 7mag or 300mag.
Both will do just fine - it's all in what bullet you are wanting to use.

I my opinion...there is need to go over a 300 mag for Elk, unless, you are wanting to shoot beyond 400 yards mostly.
 
Since deer are the main target with the possibility of elk something in the .270, 7-08, 280, 308, 30-06 will fit the bill nicely and not beat the heck out of you. Funny thing is when I started elk hunting hardly anyone I knew used anything bigger than a 30.06. A few guys toted .300 mags, but not many. Nowadays everyone seems to want to use the biggest cannon they can pack.

When and if you go after elk, use a stout, deep penetrating bullet and you won't have a problem killing elk with the cartridges listed above. I've seen many .277 150 grain Nosler Partitions exit on bull elk.
 
I think people have gotten out of hand with caliber selection. I have killed two elk with a 270 wsm seen my grandpa kill several with a 270. Its all about shot placement. Everybody now is packing a 300 or 338 or even bigger. I like the 270 or 06 just for the fact that when you go to the range your not bruised after five shots. My 2cents
 
I use to hunt Elk with a 7mm Mag but my new favorite Elk and Deer rifle is a Tikka T3 in grey laminate chambered in .300 WSM. Recoils about like my model 70 synthetic 7mm mag but has the punch of a .300 mag giving me the best of both worlds. Not to mention the fact that the tikka is a fantastic shooter. I usually go to the field with 180 grain Federal premium Barnes Triple Shocks which are deadly on any animal in North America except for maybe the big bears.
 
i use the 300 mag with 180 gr bullit. lots of folks like the 7 mag due to flatter shooting but my shots are normally under 80 yrds.
i prefer my bow to all of them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I prefer the bow aswell but I guess I just assumed my dad would want to go during rifle season but I think he may want to go during bow anyway.
 
imskippy
Good advice here. However, since you are coming out of New Jersey where there isn't a lot of room to hunt, I would make a couple suggestions.

1) I wouldn't buy a magnum cartridge as your first centerfire rifle. The recoil can be a real eye-opener if you haven't shot a centerfire very much.

2) I'd suggest something in the 30-06 family (.270, .280, 30-06) or the 308 (including the 338 Federal)

3) I'd suggest a lot of range time in order to become familiar with ballistics, recoil and distance estimation.
 
Back
Top