Elk Caliber?

[dfanonymous]

Bless your heart! I thought I'd die before I got out of a big canyon up on Nebo Loop with an old sporterized Enfield, '06, it was only 10 pounds! ha

I tell people I'm hunting, but really my rifle is just taking me for a walk in the high seirras. Haha

 

[MudRunner2005]

I was under the impression 7mm mag and up is a lot of overkill for hunting white tails in northern MN?

I shoot whitetails in Alabama every year with one... It stomps them like a lightning bolt.

 

[adk hunter]

I hunted for years with the ole .30-.30 savage 99. When I joined a camp in the big woods shots went from inside 100 yards to outside that. I also lost a yummy spike I shot in the rain at 100 yards. I then bought a .308 and reloaded every bullet known. Apples to oranges like the creedmore vs 300WM. I then fell in love with the romance of the .338 federal and have been smitten since!! We have two in kimbers in wood and a montana. My point is what a great hole you have before it even begins to open up and wow holy blood trail. We did a trip out west and saw two great bulls together last morning. worked all day to get on them but the WIND and BRUSH they were in at 700 YARDS. My guide offered his .280 AI and when I got all set snow squalls saved the bull for someone else. I then took a real hard look at how different our rifles really were. I had a great timber gun short and handy 2-12 firedot scope. He had a surgical weapon. I will have both the power and ballistics needed next time we come west. And to the guys that kill 3 elk a year thats not even nice say! Can't imagine.

 

[matt_3479]

She'd work, 400-500 I'd be hesitant on but it will work with a well placed shot. Little room for error though! Don't care how good of a shooter you are, you need to allow for error. Normally I was shooting 300. Win mag, and had a back up 7mm mag. 2 years ago my 300 crapped out and had already let a close buddy borrow the 7mm for the same hunt as his was in with the smith. So I brought a 260. Rem for moose. It is my most accurate rifle so I wasn't worried about not being able to put one down, but I wasn't prepared to take a 500 yard shot on a moose with a 260. I've taken it out too 1100 but if anything happened while out there, at 500 yards there's a strong chance I might just wound the moose.

I'd recommened keeping yardage to a minimum or stepping up in fire power

 

[remingtonman]

338-06 will do the trick. Great non magnum performer with 200gr pills

 

[223dude]

I shot a 5x5 last year at 642yards with
A 6.5 creed 143eldx. It liquified the lungs.
I would not hesitate to shoot a bull at 700yrds
With the 143eldx.

 

[FEENIX]

Go all out and get a 375 ruger
https://ruger.com/products/guideGun/models.html

I have a LA screaming for a .375 Ruger build.

 

[HARPERC]

.....My guide offered his .280 AI and when I got all set snow squalls saved the bull for someone else. I then took a real hard look at how different our rifles really were. I had a great timber gun short and handy 2-12 firedot scope. He had a surgical weapon. I will have both the power and ballistics needed next time we come west.......

Elk are hunted in wide variety of habitats, having a rifle suitable for the conditions is at least as important cartridge choice.
A poorly hit elk in the wide open spaces is easier to recover, than one in the rain forest.

 

[Rick Richard]

I know I am a 300 of some kind advocate for elk, but I am going to bring my 6.5 SAUM with me this year to New Mexico. It shoots 140 Bergers at 3075 fps and I think it will do the job if I keep it within reasonable distance.

 

[iowaelkbum]

All of my elk have fallen with a bow. I have never felt under gunned.

 

[JJMoody]

I built a 6.5 SAUM a year ago and hunted with it. It shot phenomenally well, packed nicely and even looked great. I just never got over how fast my .340 killed elk. Theyll all get it done, I have confidence in a big boom stick though.

 

[FEENIX]

All of my elk have fallen with a bow. I have never felt under gunned.

Darn good shot at 400-500 yards.

Is the 6.5 CM "enough" caliber for elk hunting out to 400-500 yards?

 

[Hand Skills]

Elk are hunted in wide variety of habitats, having a rifle suitable for the conditions is at least as important cartridge choice.
A poorly hit elk in the wide open spaces is easier to recover, than one in the rain forest.

This has been an exceptional thread. Lots of experience weighing in and, to my eye, a pretty healthy balance on the subject. I'm a young guy, and have only really hunted in Canada. While I don't have a great depth of experience, I have been lucky enough to hunt foothills, forests, and now plains. I've also spent a few seasons leading pack horses around the alpine. The more I develop as a hunter, the more I appreciate ^THIS^ sentiment. For me, terrain and conditions are to some extent more influential in my gear choices than the species I'm going after.

This year I'm headed to the boreal for elk. The requirements for this as I see it are a gun light enough to carry in my hands all day, and a bullet capable of controlled expansion and deep penetration. Headstamp is of most concern when it does not match barrel stamp

 

[Plinker147]

I have shot elk with 25-06 to 338 and about everything in between. All died, I have never lost one. I used just about every make and model of bullet too. Hers what I have learned.

Well placed shots kill an elk with 6.5 140 gr bullet just fine. We shot a 6x6. 3 yrs ago at 520 through the front shoulder. He wobbled around and we put another one in him and he fell over dead took about 30 seconds.

We were shooting depredation elk years ago and after we shot a bunch we quickly learned if we wanted the DRT use a 338. We could drive a truck to them they would face plant.

So 6.5 to 338 all work but the biggest difference is DRT or dead in 30 seconds. And when shots aren't perfect bigger holes are always better