.260 Remington as an Elk Rifle

[Pecos7744]

A .260 is more than enough gun to kill an Elk at well beyond those ranges. I'm shooting the 6.5x55 with 120 GMX and wouldn't hesitate to take a shot at up to 600 yards. Maybe further.

 

[Pdvdh]

A 260 will kill an elk out to 2000 yds - if you brain them.

 

[Pecos7744]

I guess I should clarify. It doesn't matter the caliber used if you have poor shot placement. But with proper shot placement AND a good bullet in the 120-140 gr range that range will NOT pose a problem for that round. And no you don't need to brain shot them. I have had better result with my 6.5 vs my 30-06. I feel it it's a much more efficient round that simply puts the animal down. I researched changing out mine for elk hunting and everything coming back to if you have the confidence to put a good bullet where it needs to go then that round is more than effective enough for the job.

 

[ohiohunter]

I guess I should clarify. It doesn't matter the caliber used if you have poor shot placement. But with proper shot placement AND a good bullet in the 120-140 gr range that range will NOT pose a problem for that round. And no you don't need to brain shot them. I have had better result with my 6.5 vs my 30-06. I feel it it's a much more efficient round that simply puts the animal down. I researched changing out mine for elk hunting and everything coming back to if you have the confidence to put a good bullet where it needs to go then that round is more than effective enough for the job.

Your 6.5? 260.. or some other case? I'm guessing your 6.5 rounds had better sectional density or higher velocity at impact, I'm not sure how that would play into the equation...but again i aint so britelightbulb More details provided may explain why you feel you had better performance over your 06.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Your 6.5? 260.. or some other case? I'm guessing your 6.5 rounds had better sectional density or higher velocity at impact, I'm not sure how that would play into the equation...but again i aint so britelightbulb More details provided may explain why you feel you had better performance over your 06.

My .30-06 AI pushing a Berger 185 VLD at nearly 3K seems to hit pretty hard... Also, the ballistics are pretty solid, too. Hopefully this year I can drop a few whitetail with it to test that theory...

 

[Barrelnut]

My .30-06 AI pushing a Berger 185 VLD at nearly 3K seems to hit pretty hard... Also, the ballistics are pretty solid, too. Hopefully this year I can drop a few whitetail with it to test that theory...

You should get out there and test one of your rifles on an elk someday. I'm think any of them would work very very well. And it would be fun to read the thread where Mud kills an elk. So hope you have it in your future plans.

 

[MudRunner2005]

You should get out there and test one of your rifles on an elk someday. I'm think any of them would work very very well. And it would be fun to read the thread where Mud kills an elk. So hope you have it in your future plans.

I have always wanted to. That's the main reason why I bought my first 7mm STW back in 2002. But have yet to get the funds to make that happen. Maybe someday.

 

[Pecos7744]

6.5x55. I went to the round after studying BC and sectional density and several other factors.. But the original question was is a 260 adequate for elk, yes more than sufficient. They are big animals but a 6.5 bullet is different, it's hard to understand how efficient and effective it is until you have used one.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

Between my son and I we have taken 5 elk in the last few years with the 6.5 with bullets from 110g to 130g, all between 300 and 550 yards. I have also taken 1/2 dozen elk in the last several years with 30 and 338 cals. They all died nicely. I am a huge fan of the 6.5 My son two years ago shot his bull at 550 yards with a 110g 6.5 from a 6.5-06 at about 3400 fps. He had to shoot him 3 times. He was dead on the 1st shot. We just could not tell that he had been hit. The 30's and bigger simply hit harder. You can tell when the animal is hit. They move or hunch. I always shoot any animal with the expectation that they will travel after the hit. If they are calm they usually stand until they tip over. If they are tense they usually run as far as possible in the 5-10 seconds that it takes for them to die. That's pretty far at 30 mph. Unless you hit the central nervous system they do not drop. Period. There has probably been more elk takes with a .243 win in the last 100 years than anything else.

My final thought.....There is no replacement for displacement.

Steve

 

[ohiohunter]

6.5x55. I went to the round after studying BC and sectional density and several other factors.. But the original question was is a 260 adequate for elk, yes more than sufficient. They are big animals but a 6.5 bullet is different, it's hard to understand how efficient and effective it is until you have used one.

More than sufficient? Debatable, but I was hoping you could elaborate more on your experiences for us rather than tossing out a simple statement. Perhaps I shot this one elk at 700yds w/ 6.5 110gr berger high shoulder and he took two steps and died, or I shot this other elk at 200yds hit him in the hoof w/ my 06 and he ran for 20+miles... so by those standards a 6.5 is better for big game than a 30.

I think the 260 question on elk has be answered on this thread and several others multiple times over. The end result is as with any weapon: "within the shooter's capable range + within the bullet's effective range".

 

[gillettehunter]

I will disagree with Steve about the .243 having killed more elk than any other in the last 100 yrs. I believe that is incorrect. I have elk hunted 46 years. Elk camp has had from 2 to almost 20 people. I know of one,person that used a .243. The last 5 years there has never been less than 12 people there for opening day. Not 1 has had a .243. Broz helped over 30 people this year take elk on depredation hunts. Ask him what he prefers for elk. Then ask how many people brought a .243.
I have great respect for the .243. I used my sons in Africa when he borrowed my 7mm for a day of Kudu hunting. 1 shot and done on my Nyala. I watched him kill 2 Lechwe in 1 shot a couple,of days later. It can and will do the job.
In all of the elk camps,I have been a part of elk rifles start at .270. The 30-06 has historically been a favorite along with the 7mm mag and .270' s. 15 years ago the claim was more North American big game animals had been killed wth a 30-06 than any other caliber. The last 20 years that statement is probably not true. In the last 100 it probably still holds true.
Back to the OP. 6.5's have great sectional density and a huge selection of bullets. They will do basically almost anything the .270 will. I have killed a lot of elk with the .270. Just use some common sense on shot placement and enjoy your elk steak! Bruce

 

[Barrelnut]

I thought Steve meant to say the good ole 30-30 since it was introduced in the 1890s. The .243 is only about 60 years old. Looks like the 30-06 is now about 110 years old now though! So it might truly hold the record for most elk kills these days.

Long Live the 6.5! gun)

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I will disagree with Steve about the .243 having killed more elk than any other in the last 100 yrs. I believe that is incorrect. I have elk hunted 46 years. Elk camp has had from 2 to almost 20 people. I know of one,person that used a .243. The last 5 years there has never been less than 12 people there for opening day. Not 1 has had a .243. Broz helped over 30 people this year take elk on depredation hunts. Ask him what he prefers for elk. Then ask how many people brought a .243.
I have great respect for the .243. I used my sons in Africa when he borrowed my 7mm for a day of Kudu hunting. 1 shot and done on my Nyala. I watched him kill 2 Lechwe in 1 shot a couple,of days later. It can and will do the job.
In all of the elk camps,I have been a part of elk rifles start at .270. The 30-06 has historically been a favorite along with the 7mm mag and .270' s. 15 years ago the claim was more North American big game animals had been killed wth a 30-06 than any other caliber. The last 20 years that statement is probably not true. In the last 100 it probably still holds true.
Back to the OP. 6.5's have great sectional density and a huge selection of bullets. They will do basically almost anything the .270 will. I have killed a lot of elk with the .270. Just use some common sense on shot placement and enjoy your elk steak! Bruce

I'll stand corrected on the .243. Let's just say a lot. It was once a very popular caliber for everything.

Steve

 

[newtonian]

shot placement. A friend killed a large 6 point bull with a .22long rifle once, but no one would recommend that.