What caliber rifle would you buy for elk?

I have used a 25-06 for Elk with 100gr BT Noslers with no trouble. Every year many 12 year old kids begin their hunting careers, shooting a 243,6mm Rem,25-06 or even a 22-250 here in Montana. You dont need a 180-200gr bullet to kill an Elk. Truth is you shoot lighter recoil firearms better. Just PLACE YOUR SHOT! 25-06 has my vote. No matter which one you choose, practice with the rifle as much as you can. Good Luck!!!
 
I started out with a .243 but my father had the sense to not let me hunt elk till I could handle the -06,I have helped chase down 2 elk wounded with a .243,the first one took 2 rounds right in the boiler room at 150 yards,made it out of the hay field,across the neighbors place and into a ranch that is owned by a CA prik that wouldnt let us in to recover it.The second was hit in the lungs,ran out of the park down a ridge,up into the timer on the far side and never seen again.Use a proper round and chase less wounded elk,shot placement on works with a projectile thats going to get through to the vitals and/or do enough damage to kill them BEFORE they get so far away you cant track/recover them.
 
With a quality bullet and lots of patience to wait for the right shot at a reasonable range you can certianly kill elk with a 25-06. My kids managed one shot kills with .257 Ackley. A rancher friends wife borrow that gun to kill a cow elk and it knock it dead for her also. A 120 gr Nolser Partition bullet got the job done all three times. None of the three traveled more than a few hundred yards after being shot. My daugther hit hers in the lungs it ran maybe 140 yards laid down and died. My son shot his in the heart it went maybe 75 yards and fell over. Rancher's wife hit hers in the back and put it down on the spot. All were one shot kills. You don't need a heavy magnum or kryptonite to kill an elk. Shot selection is critical with the smaller rounds. However it should be with any round. Elk shot with even heavy magnums can travel a long ways when hit poorly. I have never hunted elk on hay meadows here but I have seen way to many elk crippled by guys shooting to far or just plain poorly with a variety of calibers. .243 is a pretty light caliber and not one I would reccomend but with heavy bullets and good shot placement I have watched a couple of elk fall to a friends daughters gun. One was shot three times the other was a one shot kill that traveled maybe 400 yards. My personal suggestion is a .270, .280 or a 30/06.
 
I am in the process of building deer points in Colorado. I plan to make a once in a lifetime hunt in a few years. Long story short, I have an acuaintance that is an Elk/Mule Deer guide down Gunnison way. They take some dandy Mule deer, and some decent Elk out of their areas. Really nice Mulies. I bought a Remmy 300 Ultra for the occasion.(Good excuse to buy a new rifle). Should we decide to do a combo hunt, I will be ready. I know my Otter-Six would be just fine. My 25-Otter would do in a pinch. Heck the old 270 would likely fill the bill. But,I doubt I will ever be able to go on this particular hunt again. Cost combined with the 6 to 8 points it will take to even think about a tag, will see to that. I want a flat shooting, hard hitting rifle using 180gr controled expansion bullets. I am basically recoil proof, and this thing will SHOOT! A little tweaking and it will go 1/2 MOA easily with 180 or 200 gr bullets. That's my choice for Elk and Mule deer. Now all I need are the preference points.
 
Mine either. 300 win mag is a great cal for all game, from antelope to elk. I know people that are successful with 243 for elk cows, not sure about bulls (I would not use it for bulls - that 100 gr bullet is not enough). Mostly look for your skills and put the bullet where it counts. One shot one Kill!

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120 grners out of a 25-06 at 200 for elk?Not in my camp.

 
If you are buying a rifle for elk hunting,that IS the topic of the thread then why would you consider buying a marginal caliber like a .243 of 25-06?
 
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I am in the process of building deer points in Colorado. I plan to make a once in a lifetime hunt in a few years. Long story short, I have an acuaintance that is an Elk/Mule Deer guide down Gunnison way. They take some dandy Mule deer, and some decent Elk out of their areas. Really nice Mulies. I bought a Remmy 300 Ultra for the occasion.(Good excuse to buy a new rifle). Should we decide to do a combo hunt, I will be ready. I know my Otter-Six would be just fine. My 25-Otter would do in a pinch. Heck the old 270 would likely fill the bill. But,I doubt I will ever be able to go on this particular hunt again. Cost combined with the 6 to 8 points it will take to even think about a tag, will see to that. I want a flat shooting, hard hitting rifle using 180gr controled expansion bullets. I am basically recoil proof, and this thing will SHOOT! A little tweaking and it will go 1/2 MOA easily with 180 or 200 gr bullets. That's my choice for Elk and Mule deer. Now all I need are the preference points.

Recoil proof, I claim to be pretty good when it comes to recoil myself, but recoil proof! whats your trick to that! I've been shooting RUM's for a long time and can shoot my 7MM RUM to 1/2MOA, but I'm far from recoil proof.
 
I have been acused of being a brick shy of a full load by my friends. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I guess I should have been a boxer.I kinda enjoy it. It excites me to a degree. Now, I am fully aware that there are serrious side effects to heavy recoil. Mainly detached retinas(sp). So I don't go for a ride on the 300 RUM every day. But I am usually the guy that people bring their 375s and 458s to to work up loads. You know, one of the worst "feeling" rifles I have worked with, was a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif Just didn't fit me I guess. I'm likely not right in the head /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif,but it makes it easier to deal with recoil.
 
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I have been acused of being a brick shy of a full load by my friends. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I guess I should have been a boxer.I kinda enjoy it. It excites me to a degree. Now, I am fully aware that there are serrious side effects to heavy recoil. Mainly detached retinas(sp). So I don't go for a ride on the 300 RUM every day. But I am usually the guy that people bring their 375s and 458s to to work up loads. You know, one of the worst "feeling" rifles I have worked with, was a Ruger 77 in 300 Win Mag. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif Just didn't fit me I guess. I'm likely not right in the head /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif,but it makes it easier to deal with recoil.



My buddy had that ruger,WOW did that thing KICK.I have heard the same thing from another former ruger owner about the same rifle.
 
Yeah, I had a 77 in 338 for a short while. Shot super. I had it bedded and floated, it loved 225gr Hornadys. That sumgun plain hurt people. Now, I had a mod 70 super Grade in 300 Winny, and it was a joy to shoot. My wife's 700 BDL 270 pinches me more than the Super Grade did. Her's is shortened up for a lady, so that likely has something to do with it. I worked with a 375 H&H in a Super Grade that was the same way. Good healthy push, but no real sting. The one that still defys the laws of physics, is the 458 Mark X Mauser I worked up bear loads for. I really poured the coal to them. No sissy loads, real going to Alaska or Africa stuff. It was built on a custom thumb hole stock, and wasn't as punishing as my 300 RUM. Go figure. I guess it is all in what floats your boat. You can't ignore the fact that Jack O'Connor killed a pile of critters with the 270 Win. I just like souped up stuff.
 
I once heard a guysay ask 20 mechanicswhat the best engine is and you get 35 answers. I think its thesame for a good elk/ deer rifle. Ask 20 hunters and you get 35 answers. Shoot something your comfy with. If you can hand a mag buy a mag if you can't don't. Itswhere you hit the animal that aplys the most of the time. I carry a christianson arms 300 mag thats ultra light. I only shoot it 5 maybe 5 or 6 times a year. But makes my pack in and pack out easy. So buy for what you are going to use it for. Range time and an occainal animal.
 
Only reason to consider the 25/06 is if you are really recoil shy or have a youngster or small framed woman that is once again recoil shy. I will agree with the .338 Ruger Model 77 as a really hard recoiling rifle. Had a client years ago with one. A classic for elk would be the 30/06 or the 300 mag. I currently shoot a 300 RUM but its way more than what I need for elk its really my backup for my pepper spray for Grizzly bears. I loved my old 270 Win with Nolser Partitions for years when that was all the gun I could afford. I just know its not enough gun for a big bear up close. As a guide my advice is bring the biggest gun you shot well out to 300 yards and your good to go. Just don't show up with a gun your afraid of and have only shot a few times.
 
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