26 Nosler or 300 Win Mag

[ATH]

300WM all the way.

Focusing just on energy is misleading. Which is more likely to fully penetrate if you hit the shoulder? Calling opinion vs fact...I do consider it FACT that larger calibers kill better, though there are trade-offs which may lead one to use a smaller caliber in certain situations. I don't use anything under .3 on elk because I don't get enough days in the field to pass on >300 yard shots...I know plenty of people who do fine with 270s but they don't shoot past 300. I love my 300WM on elk but it's simply a FACT my 338 edge hits them harder.

I'll go so far as to say if I was hunting dark timber and shots were likely limited to 100 yards, I'd rather be carrying a 45-70 than anything else being discussed in this thread. There is no substitute for diameter driven at sufficient velocity....and a 45-70 within 100 yards is hard to beat.

 

[Hunterguy36]

It is less than optimal for elk when compared to the .300s at any range. Shooter should decide what they can handle recoil wise.


This is the only thing you said I would agree with because it it is factual. All the rest indicates your lack of experience. For the OP, go with the 300 if you can shoot it well it is a much better round for elk.

I'm not disagreeing that 300's are optimal bullets for elk as a matter of fact really any 30 cal bullet can do it because they do have a hard hit and Maybe the 26 is not considered ideal for you but the thing is out to 500 yards either one is going to put an elk down fine. In the end it comes down to shot placement. Everyone who knows anything about hunting knows that.

 

[Orange Dust]

Both will work. The 300 is a better choice. Choose a heavy low drag bullet 200grs or more and it is one of the very best choices you can make. Just the simple truth.

 

[Rifleman97]

Although I'm a huge fan of the Nosler cartridges (specifically the 28) I'd Have to say win mag on this one, just because of the barrel life difference. The Nosler has more powder AND a smaller bullet. If 500 is your max, then having some extra barrel life will make it a little more affordable to practice more out to that range and become a better shot.

Plus the brass and ammo is cheaper for the win mag as well. If you want less recoil, look into the 7mm rem mag. Plenty of horsepower for elk under 500 and less recoil than the win mag in my experience.

 

[06mauser]

Just some number to digest since I am sitting in front of my calculator and this thread is pretty interesting. I don't have a dog in the fight and agree with much of which has been said by all sides, ie Shot placement is key and being comfortable with what you have is also very important.

F=1/2(mass X velocity^2)

Using info from nosler for their long range ammo

26 Nosler - 142 ABLR, Range 500, Velocity=2633 fps: Energy=2185.5 ft/lbs
7mm Mag - 168 ABLR, Range 500, Velocity=2206 fps: Energy=1815.0 ft/lbs
300 WM - 190 ABLR, Range 500, Velocity=2186 fps: Energy=2015.0 ft/lbs

Someone suggested to use the .264 cal 147 grain bullet ELD and 30 cal 215 VLD
147 grain bullet at 3350: Energy=3662 ft/lbs
215 grain bullet at 3050: Energy=4440 ft/lbs
These must be muzzle velocities, I don't have the down range velocity to check the energy.

 

[Hunterguy36]

Both will work. The 300 is a better choice. Choose a heavy low drag bullet 200grs or more and it is one of the very best choices you can make. Just the simple truth.

Yeah that's true I can see why that is, but to be honest I may not actually have a place in this thread because I actually shoot a 7mm Rem Mag with a 150 grain bullet and it's worked for me for the last 13 years. I'll take that over the 300 any day Haha.

 

[Alibiiv]

Yeah that's true I can see why that is, but to be honest I may not actually have a place in this thread because I actually shoot a 7mm Rem Mag with a 150 grain bullet and it's worked for me for the last 13 years. I'll take that over the 300 any day Haha.

I wouldn't be too quick to say that you "don't actually have a place on this thread because I shoot a 7mm ReMag". We all have our opinions, and oftentimes may not agree on certain calibers, rounds, and performance; but, there's always room for one more person's comments and thoughts. That's what makes this forum so great!! I like the .270AI and the 35 calibers, so I just read and maybe interject sometimes, but never think that I don't have a place on here. On another thread, I made a statement about the .270WSM to be a very tough, all-around cartridge to beat. That post was made in my humble opinion. And.......that's when the fight started!! There's lots of good information that can be reaped from these threads. And.....if you can contribute, that's one more piece of information that someone can take away from reading the threads. I'm sure that there are many readers who feel the same about the 7mm RemMag as you do.

 

[Telford29]

300 win mag wins my vote out of the two. Why? Because it has worked flawlessly for me when I hunted elk with one for about 15 seasons. I have switched to a 7 mag solely because the older I get the recoil was starting to cause a flinch. Plus the 300 win mag just seems so USA to me for some reason!

 

[Hunterguy36]

I wouldn't be too quick to say that you "don't actually have a place on this thread because I shoot a 7mm ReMag". We all have our opinions, and oftentimes may not agree on certain calibers, rounds, and performance; but, there's always room for one more person's comments and thoughts. That's what makes this forum so great!! I like the .270AI and the 35 calibers, so I just read and maybe interject sometimes, but never think that I don't have a place on here. On another thread, I made a statement about the .270WSM to be a very tough, all-around cartridge to beat. That post was made in my humble opinion. And.......that's when the fight started!! There's lots of good information that can be reaped from these threads. And.....if you can contribute, that's one more piece of information that someone can take away from reading the threads. I'm sure that there are many readers who feel the same about the 7mm RemMag as you do.

Right I get that and I love this forum because there are always answers for me here I was just making an off hand joke about this thread in particular.