Lowest recoil caliber for elk hunting??

kykamo

kykamo

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So i have an opportunity to hunt some elk in a new spot that requires longer shots since they're in wide open fields. So it might be necessary to reach out to 400 yards. I don't like recoil. i think my dads 7mm rem mag scarred me as a kid. i still cant tame that thing, but still try every year :p So whats the lowest recoiling caliber that can ethically take an elk at 400 yards if need be? Lets assume the rifle is 8 lbs and getting ammo must be very easy. btw im also partial to anything not 30 cal. i don't like 30 cal ballistics.

I originally wanted a 7mm-08, but finding the rifle i want in it is really difficult and finding ammo is proving to be a beach. So i started thinking about a 270 with reduced loads. What do you guys think the best caliber option is?
 
I will jump in however I am not a long distance hunter. All of my shots have been under 100yards. 400 yards is a long way to shoot an elk with something that doesn't kick much. Might have to look at muzzle brakes and recoil pads as an option. Other than that, 308 might work. Shoot them all day long without hurting. Elk hunters will be able to advise if the 308 is enough gun at 400 yards though.

cheers,
 
The issue is should be range-finding and trajectory.

I started hunting deer on the Prairies with a perfectly suitable Eastern deer rifle, a Remington semi-auto in .30-06 with a 6x scope. It was the wrong set up. The last deer I shot on the flats was with a .300 Win Magnum and a 9x scope. I chose that cartridge because its trajectory when zero'ed at 200m was about the height of the body. So, if I held on the hairy parts with a little elevation or depression depending on which side of 200 I was, I was confident the deer would drop.

FWIW, that 7.8lb (no scope) .300 WM rifle is for sale.
 
140gr 6.5x55mm Nolser Partition or Accubond, 2750 fps at the muzzle from a modern 6.5x55mm rifle and still doing about 2200 fps at 400 meters with 1500 flbs of energy at that range.

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Making a 400 yd. kill shot on an Elk requires a lot of practice, I'm sure you know that already.
Having hunted Elk, although at closer ranges if I were you I would not choose too light a cartridge simply because sometimes Elk refuse to die easily.
If your rifle is too light for the range intended, make sure you have good foot-wear because you may be chasing a wounded animal.... nobody wants that.
In spite of your recoil concern with the 7mm Rem. Mag. I think its a fine choice for your hunting situation..
 
Cartridges don't have ethics...but hunters should. You could keep dropping down further and further on the performance pole, and at each stop there would be someone waiting to say "Oh, you don't need that much power/recoil...I use a ### and it's plenty!" Has the .243 been mentioned yet? I bet that it will be if the thread runs long enough. But the more performance you sacrifice, the more cautious you need to be in choosing your shots, and the more willing you should be to pass up marginal shots...and of course the term "marginal" becomes broader and encompasses more and more shot opportunities the further down the performance ladder you move. A lot of easy 100 yard shots become marginal at 400 yards.

In other words, no free lunch. Have you considered altering your 7Mag to reduce felt recoil? Better pad, muzzle brake (can't believe I said that!), and/or simply adding a couple pounds of lead shot into the stock to increase the weight would all help...at the expense of weight, muzzle blast, etc. If you want a cartridge that is well-suited to the game, and not merely a barely-adequate choice, this might be your best option. Certainly your least expensive one.
 
Weatherby2 said:
View attachment 33187

Looks like a better choice then the 6.5 :)
Click to expand...

But, if you read the OP's first post the OP says he does not like recoil and wants something that kicks like a .270 with reduced loads.

Your quoted load has over double the recoil of the 6.5x55mm quoted one and well over what I am sure the OP wants!

I hardly would consider a 180gr .338 Fed as a light recoiling rifle for a recoil sensitive shooter. :)
 
I think a 6.5X55 with a bullet of 140 grs or heavier is appropriate, and represents an intelligent minimum for North American game up to 1000 pounds. Rifles chambered for this cartridge typically display fine accuracy and mild recoil.
 
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