Elk rifle caliber

Rogue_wave said:
Hi to all. A small group of us are contemplating a horseback elk hunt in the next year or so. I don't know where yet, but the one guide my buddy talked to said we need to be accurate with our shots to 300 yds. Sounds fair, now I need some advice from those have hunted elk as to what caliber should I be looking at. I do currently have a .270 and a 30/06 that I use for deer. Elk being a larger animal and the longer possible distances, what would you recommend. Thanks in advance.


cheers


R/W
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Go with the 30-06. My first three elk were killed with that cartridge, using a 165 grain Nosler ballistic tip.
 
Question OP. If you are looking at a horseback hunt, maybe you ought to be considering also what packs best on horseback?
If you are planning on wearing the rifle on a sling across your back, a shorter rifle would be handier.
If you are planning on using a scabbard, then that opens up other Pro's & Con's to be considered...maybe favoring one of your existing rifles over another.
No expert on shooting elk, but I have packed a rifle on a horse ( and a pony...in my youth ). Bolts never were that popular for horseback carry ( usually a lever action) and cavalry weapons were usually a short rifle or Carbine (even in a bolt), there is likely a reason for that.
And good hunting BTW
 
Take your 30-06, pick a tough, quality bullet in the 165g to 180g range that shoots well in your rifle and practice shooting from field positions.

If you want a new rifle consider a .300 WM or .338 WM.
 
45ACPKING said:
30-06 has so many bullet choices it would make more sense to use that rifle, leave the 270 at home.
Spend the extra cash on quality optics and go over your clothing, boots, pack and see if yer lacking in those departments before worrying about an upgrade in rifle caliber.
30-06 is an extremely versatile caliber and with the right ammo will cleanly and efficiently kill any beast in north america if the shooter is up to task.

My 2cents
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The 270 will do practically anything the 30-06 will. Certainly the Elk wont know the difference. And pretty much every common caliber including .277, .284, and .308 cal have a wide selection of bullets of all sorts of makes and models. A premium bullet in any of these calibers will do just fine. The 270 doesn't throw as heavy of a pill, but it does have higher velocities for comparable sectional densities.

BongoBob said:
Take your 30-06, pick a tough, quality bullet in the 165g to 180g range that shoots well in your rifle and practice shooting from field positions.

If you want a new rifle consider a .300 WM or .338 WM.
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If you already have a 30-06, I say skip the 300wm. Sure, you gain something, but not enough to warrant a whole new rifle, especially if you are looking for something on the shorter side (300wm needs a longer barrel to see real performance and not just a big fireball/excessive muzzle blast.). Now, the 338wm on the other hand, THAT would be a good step up from the -06, but you are still probably dealing with a 24-26" barrel.

If you are specifically after a new rifle, that doesn't need a 24"+ barrel for performance, maybe look towards something a little bigger. 375h&h or 9.3x62 come to mind. Larger diameter bores have more space for powder to burn, so they dont need as long of a barrel. For this reason, a 338 doesn't need the same barrel as a 300 for maximum performance.
 
Nothing wrong with .30-06 or .270 for elk with tough bullets. But, we all need an excuse to buy a new rifle, and elk hunting is as good a reason as any. A good dedicated elk rifle is a .338 flavoured one. You pick the rest of the details.
 
from my experience along side other hunters at the kill, I'm not a 270 fan for BC elk or moose. long range mule deer 4sure . that's just me tho so don't flame me for my opinion, those guys may not have been expert shots with their 270's :) the worst situations involving tracking down a hit animal were the guys in our group shooting the .270's
mind you..... the last 3 moose and 5 deer I've killed were with one shot each from my 1911 vintage lee enfield no1 mk3 LOL

tho I just picked up a .338winmag for my northern bc hunts
 
Rogue_wave said:
Hi to all. A small group of us are contemplating a horseback elk hunt in the next year or so. I don't know where yet, but the one guide my buddy talked to said we need to be accurate with our shots to 300 yds. Sounds fair, now I need some advice from those have hunted elk as to what caliber should I be looking at. I do currently have a .270 and a 30/06 that I use for deer. Elk being a larger animal and the longer possible distances, what would you recommend. Thanks in advance.


cheers


R/W
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Lots of good advice has been given. I have to agree the best advice so far being get in the best possible shape you can and invest in good optics. Also if possible spend some time in the saddle before, not many things worse than being so saddle sore you can barely walk for the hunt.
I know my friends and family who do a lot of elk hunting would recommend you choose either of your current rifle based up one which shoots best and spend as much time shooting out to 300 yards and beyond from real world positions as you can.
 
Thanks all for your input. I currently shoot handloads of 180 grain accubonds out of my 06 and they work well. Just need more range time at the longer distances. I will definitely do some horse time before, and some "getting in shape" training. I just may see what my wallet looks like just in case I see a deal on something new. Lots more investigating as too what all this guide outfitter and his set up is all about. Again thanks for all your advice and time.


cheers

R/W
 
CZ 550 FS in 9.3x62, 8x57, or 7x57. 9.3x62 is best kept 200 meters and in.

cz550_fs_308win.jpg


Although the .270 and 30/06 is more than enough.
 
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For example 30-06 Hornady 165 grain SST Superperformance ballistics show just over 1700 ft-lbs at 400 yds with only 20" drop.
300 yrds the is 2000 ft-lbs and only 7" drop. Zero is at 200 yds.

Even the 20" drop is just about "hold on hair" too.
 
Go right to the 325 WSM and be done . No 30-06 can keep up and the recoil is not that much diff...
 
OP, your 270 or your '06 will serve just fine.

I have personally shot over 3 dozen Elk. They die from a decent bullet in the right place.
I very much doubt the elk have any idea what the diameter is. :)

That being said, close to half of my Elk have fallen to the 30-06. Also accounting for Elk have been the 264 Win Mag, 270 Win, 7x57, the 7mm Rem Mag
the 7mm STW, a 30-338, the 308 Norma Magnum and the 338 Win Mag.

Every Elk I have shot has been taken with Nosler Partitions.

Almost all shots were inside of 200 meters. A couple were approaching 400 meters, one was a full 450.
So far, no lost Elk. As has been mentioned, practice plenty. Get yourself in decent shape, and enjoy those elk steaks!

Regards, Dave.
 
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Eagleye said:
OP, your 270 or your '06 will serve just fine.

Every Elk I have shot has been taken with Nosler Partitions.

Regards, Dave.
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This man knows his stuff listen to him. ^^^

For me it would be 270 with 150gr partition or 30-06 with 165gr partition. If you can't manage with that a bigger whole in the barrel wont make any lick of difference.
 
hometownhero said:
This man knows his stuff listen to him. ^^^

For me it would be 270 with 150gr partition or 30-06 with 165gr partition. If you can't manage with that a bigger whole in the barrel wont make any lick of difference.
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really ? if the "whole" I mean hole in the barrel doesn't matter then how does a 243 stack up to your 270 or 30-06 ? just wondering where's the line if there is one . How does this work ?
 
Pines said:
really ? if the "whole" I mean hole in the barrel doesn't matter then how does a 243 stack up to your 270 or 30-06 ? just wondering where's the line if there is one . How does this work ?
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You need to read more carefully. He said a "bigger" hole than .270 or .30 won't make any difference, not a "smaller" one. Think a bit before you post.
 
rral22 said:
You need to read more carefully. He said a "bigger" hole than .270 or .30 won't make any difference, not a "smaller" one. Think a bit before you post.
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you read . lol...I'm asking what does the bigger hole of the 270 or 30-06 have over a 243 hole ? Because he is stating that the 270 / 30-06 hole has the same effect as a 338 . Why do they even make bigger hole's than the 270/30-06 ? I don't understand
 
My Moose at 250-300 yards dropped 20 feet from where it was when I pulled the trigger. That said, there is not much in calibre that can replace a properly place boiler maker shot. My Moose is not an Elk, but still a LARGE animal that will not drop without a good shot! A gun that you are confident with and can shoot at the distance you intend to be hunting at cannot be replaced by a bigger bullet shot by a bigger gun! Get the gun that you want and practice, then you will not be disappointed when the trigger time comes :)
 
hometownhero said:
More powder, more recoil, more noise.

243 winchester 688 yards. One shot one elk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY0w1c-gf18
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Actually the blast of a high velocity small bore like the .243 I find more objectionable than the boom from a .30/06, but the video is a great example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". There is nothing particularly admirable about shooting a fine game animal with too little gun, too far away. If you intend to stretch your elk shooting out near a half mile, there's better ways to go about it, and more powder, more recoil, and more noise are all required to get a 200 gr bullet out there, with the impact velocity necessary to do the job. If you're going to participate in the long range game shooting game, a 7mm magnum loaded with 180 gr Bergers from a fast twist barrel is where the ballistic capability necessary for long range game shooting begins.
 
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