Trying to decide on caliber

[ralphjunius]

Of your choices 300WSM easily the best choice and very adequate. Get it with a Winchester M70 action that Winchester 300WSM's come with and you can seat bullets out as far as practical, well over 3 inches. It shoots 180 grain bullets just as fast as the 300WM, but looses 100fps with 200g bullets that really are not needed. Plus if a reloader you don't have to deal with the belt. Just need to make sure that sharp 35 degree shoulder feeds and ejects.

That said, I recommend you be decisive and just go with a 338WM with 210g or 225g bullets. Much more versatile caliber. Go with Barnes, Swift, Woodleigh, Tipped Trophy Bonded, Federal Assent or other tough bullet with either caliber where hitting bone is a non-issue.

 

[TheLongRanger83702]

I have a 6.5prc for antelope and deer, next is to get an elk specific rifle. Looking at 300wsm, 280ai, or 7saum?? Thoughts?

.30 caliber.

 

[gator378]

Just bought one rifle a 300 Weatherby and learned how to shoot it accurately with handloads

 

[Lefty G-gear]

35 years of public land elk hunting with 17 taken, my preference is 30 caliber. I used a 30-06 and a 300 WM on all without a failure and great results.
300 WM vs 300 WSM I'll take the old school mainly because you can find ammo virtually anywhere in the world (if you plan to international hunt). Also some places in Africa a 30 cal easily meets the countries requirements.
JMO&E
If I hunted where big bears roam, the bigger caliber is my preference.

Ya. .300 WM ammo is cheaper, and rifles are easier to find.
I had a Ruger 77 that shot about 5/8" groups.

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[30378wbymag]

There is a reason Scandinavians have been smoking moose with the 6.5 Swede since 1894!!!!!,.

I've never had Smoked Moose before, Is it good,

yup especially the brisket!!!

 

[cabelasken]

I started elk hunting with a 284 win and that rifle took my first bull a 6x6 in Idaho. After losing an elk a couple of years later due to poor shot judgement with the 284, I moved up to a 300 WSM when they first were available. No more lost elk and judging from the penetration and wound channels, that elk I lost would have been in the freezer had I been using the 300 with a premium bullet. Now after almost 20 years of using the 300, I've gone to the 280 AI mostly because of bullet improvements. It can drive bullets of equal weight 60 to 100 FPS faster than the 284 and now because of improved bullet designs, you no longer need heavy for caliber bullets to obtain the necessary penetration to reach vitals from almost all shot angles. Now, I will say that even though you might select a 300 of some variety, I suggest you still select a premium bullet for elk sized game. I've had to help track several wounded elk that were struck by factory bullets from 300 WSM to the 300 Weatherby and some were hit very well and they still were able to go 3/4 of a mile or more from when first hit. And they never ever run towards your truck!

 

[284ackley]

I have a 6.5prc for antelope and deer, next is to get an elk specific rifle. Looking at 300wsm, 280ai, or 7saum?? Thoughts?

Stick with a 30 caliber. 300WSM is great. You'll get a bit more performance with a .300Win Mag. For the most from a .308 caliber you could go .300 PRC; .30 Nosler or .300 Rem Ultra Mag. But those are really not necessary unless you want an 800-1000yd gun. I have all those so aware of each pros/cons.
For bullets stick with Barnes 168 or 180gr TSX or TTSX as number 1 choice. Also 175 LRX, Other greats are Swift Sciroccos; Nosler Partitions and Hammer Hunters.

 

[FEENIX]

The Scandinavians are shooting Moose at 75 yds!

Yep, and they do not have many choices of chambering like we do here in the US. And yes, I have a 6.5x55 Swede.

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

These questions are always subjective. I built myself a 300 PRC, 8lbs finished weight. I was originally going to do a 280 Improved with an 8 twist barrel, but went with the PRC because it was near identical to a wildcat I did about 10 years ago and I couldn't find a .473 bf action that I wanted in time.

I would say that any of the 7mm 30-06 based, 7mags, 30 mags will get you where you want to be. I recommend that if you want to keep it as light as possible, short action cartridges will keep the weight down as much as possible in a short action. Ounces add up after a week in the mountains.

I dropped my 5x6 bull last fall at 350 yards with the 300 PRC. Only thing is after putting on about 65 miles in 6 days, a 7.5lb rifle would have been nice!

 

[Stetson05]

For me a lot would depend on whether you reload or not. 300WSM is great if you reload but hard to find components and ammo. The same goes for the other chambers. I would like a 280AI but I reload.

Honestly I would go with 300WM if you don't reload and 300PRC if you do reload. Bigger than those, ammo prices go up really fast!

 

[ducky]

Look at the SD difference between the .308 and 6.5mm bullets, you'll be amazed. There is a reason Scandinavians have been smoking moose with the 6.5 Swede since 1894!!!!!

While I'll agree 6.5 mm bullets have great SD it means very little these days. Monolithic, Bonded Core, and Partitioned bullets are giving great penetration from low SD bullets. Low SD bullets when larger calibers are used can offer advantages as well, like more energy transfer, larger wound channels, and more reaction from game at impact.

However, that same bullet technology has allowed smaller diameter and lighter bullets to punch above their pay grade as well. So there are always tradeoffs no matter what bullet diameter is used, just figure out your needs. I just find SD doesn't rank very high when selecting bullets anymore.

 

[Crusty Buck]

I have a 6.5prc for antelope and deer, next is to get an elk specific rifle. Looking at 300wsm, 280ai, or 7saum?? Thoughts?

I field dressed a nice bull taken with a 300 Savage within a 100 yards. One shot. I have a good friend who admitted taking a nice cow with a 22-250 when his dad grabbed his 270. It all depends on how far out you plan to shoot. I think your 300 WSM is a good choice. It leaves little to worry about.

 

[gnewton]

You have lots of opinions all are good. In my opinion.----- 300WSM. Short Action, Lighter weight mountain rifle. Are you going custom or off the shelf?

 

[Tcross]

Still don't see enough info from OP. Are you building a custom gun? Want off the shelf? Do you reload? How far are you comfortable shooting? Looking to have something for this year?
About ten years ago I was asking myself the same question. I had a capable rifle, and took Elk with it, but wanted something with a little more oomph if I needed it. The season was coming up, and a new Tikka 300WSM showed up at a gun shop. I bought it, thinking it would do until I built what I wanted In a year or so. Turns out it's the most accurate rifle I own and I've never looked back. The money I saved on a custom build bought a pretty decent scope. It can reach out there, and has, but truthfully, half the fun in hunting, for me, is getting as close to the animal as I can. But sometimes you just can't.