What caliber?

[556shooter]

what is the smallest caliber you would hunt elk with and grain?

 

[Heavyiron]

7mm and 175 grain nosler partition

 

[memtb]

what is the smallest caliber you would hunt elk with and grain?

Cup and core: .270 Win. 150 grain with careful placement (no quartering away shots)
Mono: 25-06 100 to 115 grain

memtb

 

[Deleted member 103481]

What distance?

Is this an elk gun or a gun you would also use for elk as needed though not it's primary purpose?

Do you mean cartridge or are you acually meaning caliber?

 

[RevJim]

Cup and core: .270 Win. 150 grain with careful placement (no quartering away shots)
Mono: 25-06 100 to 115 grain

memtb

Same for me.

 

[upacreek]

I have taken a cow, and my brother took 2 cows with a .243 85gr BT. My go to elk gun is a 7mmRM. I did take a cow one year with s 444 marlin.

 

[Rifleman513]

I have a friend who between him and his brother have taken 6 or 7 elk w/ a 257 wby and 100 gr Barnes. My bull this year was shot with a 280 AI and a 140 gr AB.

 

[FIGJAM]

115 gr .257

 

[hunter67wa]

whatever is in my hands at the time.

 

[CUTTER1]

Put a minimum of 1500 ft/lb of energy into an elk with a well constructed bullet in the "vitals" and the vast majority of the time you will get the job done! I took 4 elk this year with 4 different weapons all one shot kills! With years of elk experience and over 100 personal successful kills and having witnessed a couple hundred more I hope my bad decisions on shot placement and weapon choices are behind me!

 

[Brad Quarnberg]

270 cal with 150gr Accubond Long Range bullet - I've taken elk with this combo but kept the shots under 350 yards and broadside, standing still shots

 

[Forcedoutage]

If I'm going on an elk hunt, I'm paying a good bit and driving over 1K miles. I'm taking .284 (280 Ackley or 7 mag) minimum with either a 140-145 gr mono or greater or a 160 gr accubond. I'd kill elk with less, but going for a dedicated elk hunt that's the minimum I'd take.

 

[antelopedundee]

If you can be assured of a shorter shot, a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs would work. Some areas in Montana require it. frankly I wouldn't pay serious $$ and use one to hunt. Also I believe that the rangers in Yellowstone or Glacier use them to take problem bears.

 

[BallisticsGuy]

Personally, I'd look at 6.5mm 140gn as getting on the small side of ok if I was in a pinch and the shot was close enough. I'd prefer something like a 180gn 7mm or .30 cal somewhere up over 200gn. Bullet construction would be the thing I'd pay attention to though. I've taken elk size game with a .338WM with 225gn tipped bullets at 300m and wasn't entirely stoked with the bullet performance as the bullet construction wasn't quite tough enough. Those pills would have been better on something a good bit smaller like a bear. There was plenty of power but penetration still suffered and it left almost no blood trail.