6.5 prc enough gun for elk

[h_1ag]

Asking if cartridge "x" or bulley "y" is good enough is like questioning if woman "z" is good enough to marry. If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't.

Confidence matters.

"Is a .338 Allen Magnum good enough for elk? I heard a guy lost one after shooting it just a little far back. I was considering getting one but now I'm thinking maybe .50BMG would offer a little more forgiveness."

Am I doing it right?

 

[Phil Rizzo]

If bullet construction and purpose aren't important to you then surely you would benefit by going LARGE.
It just may tilt the odds enough! Let er rip.

 

[memtb]

"Is a .338 Allen Magnum good enough for elk? I heard a guy lost one after shooting it just a little far back. I was considering getting one but now I'm thinking maybe .50BMG would offer a little more forgiveness."

Am I doing it right?

Perhaps incorrect bullet choice could be the culprit….not the cartridge.

A little too far back…..how far back? The liver is a "little" too far back…..but, is a very lethal shot!

"Way" far back is a bad shot obviously…..but, a large caliber, high performance cartridge can make an elk "sick enough" that a follow-up shot "may" be possible…..a very low probability with a small caliber cartridge!

The above comment is from someone, unlike some on this forum, who has made a bad shot (liver not hit) on an elk jumped in thick timber at a range under 10 yards. My shot hit too far back, but the elk was slowed considerably……offering a follow-up shot. Could a lesser cartridge/caliber with an equally placed shot…..possibly. However, I fervently believe than the larger, more powerful cartridge has a decided edge over a lesser cartridge ……a little extra insurance is rarely a bad thing! Bad things can and do happen…..it's up to the hunter to attempt to minimize a bad outcome! memtb

 

[h_1ag]

If bullet construction and purpose aren't important to you then surely you would benefit by going LARGE.
It just may tilt the odds enough! Let er rip.

Bullet construction should be important to anyone shooting any medium+ animal, regardless of cartridge. But I'll take an expanding 6mm all day over a big .30 cal FMJ.

"Purpose" is a bit more subjective.
CoreLokts are historically reliable and effective at creating lots of damage inside an animal at fast and medium speeds, and it'll also hit a target, just not with the same accuracy as "match" bullets.
Likewise- an ELDM, Barnes JHP or Nosler HTHP is better suited to the range, but it's still a copper jacketed bullet with a lead core that's going to expand and destroy an animal's insides, unless (like in your case) you're spinning it unnecessarily and excessively fast. OTM and FMJ is a different construction and those are unlikely to expand.

We know that animals weren't immune to projectiles before cup and core bullets came out. "Hunting" vs "match" isn't simply a binary choice based on how a box is marketed.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

Bullet design is my point.

If a bullet flies apart at x speed, dropping it 100fps below the threshold or going to a slower twist does nothing to change the fact that it's entirely too frangible for use on big game, in my eyes.
THERE ARE BETTER CHOICES to use.
However anybody can and will prove the world wrong and it will work.
Until it doesn't.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

FWIW - An older Hornady reloading manual specifically claimed that their A-Max bullets were appropriate to use on "thin skinned big game animals". I shot a fair number of whitetails with the 162gr A-Max from a custom 7STW. Hit on or behind the shoulder, they went down!

I also shot a pronghorn at 450yds with that bullet. The bullet hit the antelope broadside in the chest but the bullet came apart and the jacket (or core) zipped its entire stomach wall open and its entrails dropped out while it stood for a few seconds. From my position, high on a rock bluff, I couldn't tell what I was seeing. I certainly was shocked at what I found.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

FWIW - An older Hornady reloading manual specifically claimed that their A-Max bullets were appropriate to use on "thin skinned big game animals". I shot a fair number of whitetails with the 162gr A-Max from a custom 7STW. Hit on or behind the shoulder, they went down!

I also shot a pronghorn at 450yds with that bullet. The bullet hit the antelope broadside in the chest but the bullet came apart and the jacket (or core) zipped its entire stomach wall open and its entrails dropped out while it stood for a few seconds. From my position, high on a rock bluff, I couldn't tell what I was seeing. I certainly was shocked at what I found.

Dang Charlie.
At 450yds you would think it was slowed down and stable enough to act right.
Glad you got him

 

[TXTrained]

Ok the largest caliber I now own is 6.5prc … considering doing an elk hunt for the first time . Would I be better suited doing a 7prc or possibly even 300prc … I've never left the Hawaiian islands to hunt before so I'm thinking a 300prc might be a bit much on axis deer and pigs after… I chosen those calibers due to inherent accuracy of cartridges, I'll be using factory ammo as supplies for reloading suck here. Thanks

Yes it is.I killed a big bull with a little ole 130gr at 400 plus yards.

 

[cabelasken]

I've seen enough "bad" hits and enough bullet failures to make a promise to the animals I persue to use the best available combinations of bullet performance I can find, whatever the cost. Accuracy and terminal performance are at the top of the list. I think the current offerings are significantly better than what we used 30 years ago,

 

[TXTrained]

I've seen enough "bad" hits and enough bullet failures to make a promise to the animals I persue to use the best available combinations of bullet performance I can find, whatever the cost. Accuracy and terminal performance are at the top of the list. I think the current offerings are significantly better than what we used 30 years ago,

It pretty much all comes down to BULLET PLACEMENT.. People get carried away with bigger and faster bullets all the time. And yet Hunters continue to kill the same animal with an Bow & ARROW.

 

[memtb]

It pretty much all comes down to BULLET PLACEMENT.. People get carried away with bigger and faster bullets all the time. And yet Hunters continue to kill the same animal with an Bow & ARROW.

Can't argue bullet placement…..nor the bow and arrow results! However, as I said few ever talk about their failures.

A 22LR will kill anything in NA…..with proper placement! It doesn't mean that it's wise to use it on large game…..though, it would solidify one's standing as a skilled hunter and marksman! So is it the cartridge/bullet or poor placement when the animal is wounded and not recovered! memtb

 

[TXTrained]

Can't argue bullet placement…..nor the bow and arrow results! However, as I said few ever talk about their failures.

A 22LR will kill anything in NA…..with proper placement! It doesn't mean that it's wise to use it on large game…..though, it would solidify one's standing as a skilled hunter and marksman! So is it the cartridge/bullet or poor placement when the animal is wounded and not recovered!

You are so right. As a dumb kid at 13 I shot a spike with a Sheridan pellet gun from a hip shot.It the heart.He didnt runt 20 feet into the yaupon bushes.I didnt know I hit it until I heard the few leg kicks in dead leaves.
Ive never had a deer/elk run off.Most took a few steps if any.Ivee not shot anything past 400 yds except one antelope and it was quite a ways.
People that cant hit a 3 inch target at 100 yards dont need to hunt big game in my opinion.. Thats just my opinion anyway.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Bullet design is my point.

If a bullet flies apart at x speed, dropping it 100fps below the threshold or going to a slower twist does nothing to change the fact that it's entirely too frangible for use on big game, in my eyes.
THERE ARE BETTER CHOICES to use.
However anybody can and will prove the world wrong and it will work.
Until it doesn't.

You can't use target bullets being a poor choice as a blanket statement.

 

[Mike D Texas]

It pretty much all comes down to BULLET PLACEMENT.. People get carried away with bigger and faster bullets all the time. And yet Hunters continue to kill the same animal with a Bow & ARROW.

Not even a valid comparison.

Cmon man.