.280 for Elk?

david doyle said:
most people are not fans of passing on shots that sub magnum calibers don't allow to be taken. You really can't argue that more is not better. If a premium bullet at 3000 fps is sufficient is'nt a heavier premium bullet going faster better???
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Passing on shots because you have a "sub magnum" :confused::confused::rolleyes:

What?????

god help the poor anemic non magnum calibres

Also, why did you reccomend the 450 if you're such a fan of speed?

I use 45/70, 30/30, 450 amd 7/08...no issues...
 
Magnums are nice but not necessary. I wonder how many big animals have been taken with the what the magnumitis crowd would classify as a piddly cartridge? 243 Win, 6MM Rem, 25-06, 257 Roberts, 260 Rem, 6.5X55, 270 Win, 7-08, 7X57, 280 Rem, etc, are all capable of knocking down an elk beyond 100 metres.

Although I usually carry my 35 Whelen for anything bigger than a deer, my puny, non-magnum, no recoil, and unglamorous 6MM has done a great job on a couple of elk and a moose, one of which was nearing the 300 metre range.
 
You know, I think that anyone who has seen a number of animals go down has seen an animal run what seems to be a long ways in spite of massive tissue damage...........it's going to happen, and it's not the cartridges fault. Wether an animal is hit with a 270win or a 375H&H dead is dead, and sometimes an animal has a buildup of adrenalin, or the heart has just beat; there is no mythical super animal. If you feel the need to impart as much energy on an elk as you would respectively on a deer with a 270win, you would probably have to go to a 375rem ultra mag...........goodness knows what you would have to use on an elephant! I don't think that they make a 700rem ultra mag. Yes, a 280rem is enough.
Mike
 
There is nothing wrong with the .280,.270,.30/06 for any member of the deer family that lives in North America. I was wondering how much game has changed physically in the last eighty years? Hunting conditions have changed
in some areas but not the game.
A few outfitters in my area say they are generally leary of the hunters that show up with the latest .325 Remchester Belchfire magnum.
A lot of the time they're afraid of their guns and don't hit well.
 
sealhunter said:
whoaaaaa,....what am I missing or reading wrong....

You turned the lungs to soup, poked a good hole in the heart,...but if it wasn't for the second spine shot, the aniaml would have gone a long ways...

If turning both lungs to soup, and putting a good size hole in the heart, is not enough,..please do tell what is?????

I have shot elk with a 45/70...450 and 30/30, and witnessed 30/06, 300ws,. 7mm rem mag, 260 and 280...

While the 450 and 45/70 did show the most impressive,.. all the others did the job very well, and not one animal that had the lungs blown and heart torn, went very far...
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Do share the photos please.
 
Thanks for all the posts. I knew this topic would get some strong opinions. A lot of informative posts. What I hear most people saying is that the .280 is plenty enough gun, but most people aren't comfortable using the 139 gr Interbond bullet. I should get a heavier bullet, or more premium bullet, or both. Using an online ballistic calculator, and the velocity I've chrony'd at the range, I'll be at about 1700 ft lbs energy at 300 yards. That should certainly be enough to dispatch an elk, assuming the bullet holds together/expands properly. Since the bullet is bonded, that should not present a problem. Any thoughts on that line of reasoning?
 
Huntin' Gun said:
Thanks for all the posts. I knew this topic would get some strong opinions. A lot of informative posts. What I hear most people saying is that the .280 is plenty enough gun, but most people aren't comfortable using the 139 gr Interbond bullet. I should get a heavier bullet, or more premium bullet, or both. Using an online ballistic calculator, and the velocity I've chrony'd at the range, I'll be at about 1700 ft lbs energy at 300 yards. That should certainly be enough to dispatch an elk, assuming the bullet holds together/expands properly. Since the bullet is bonded, that should not present a problem. Any thoughts on that line of reasoning?
Click to expand...

Use a good bullet and the .280 will kill an Elk a LONG way past 300 yds. You're fine.
 
I've got about 100 posts or so swinging around,... just about all state that I'm not a trophy hunter... horns, antlers etc.. don't mean a whole lot to me, but I do enjoy seeing other guys get theirs,..(the fact that I could care less about shooting the big buck or small buck, makes me a favourite hunting buddy;) )

I've never really taken many pictures of animals I've shot,... I shoot em, we gut em, cut em, to the freezer and have a few drinks. I know others who take 100 poses so as to ensure that all logos (scope, boots, binos, rifle, jacket, hat, sunglasses, etc) are visible.
I didn't even start taking any pics until 2005/2006 when I got a dig cam for xmas. I have only taken a few since getting that cam,..and that's more of Dad or friends then of the animals we're shooting..

My hunting buddy in GP has a few of us though, and I know there are elk pics in there,..

I move back to the Peace in 3 weeks, I'll scan them up...

any other requests?

I can give you GPS co ordinates for a 30/30 casing íf you think you can hike and know the mountains good...it has a note it that says "Mike was here"
 
sealhunter said:
I've got about 100 posts or so swinging around,... just about all state that I'm not a trophy hunter... horns, antlers etc.. don't mean a whole lot to me, but I do enjoy seeing other guys get theirs,..(the fact that I could care less about shooting the big buck or small buck, makes me a favourite hunting buddy;) )

I've never really taken many pictures of animals I've shot,... I shoot em, we gut em, cut em, to the freezer and have a few drinks. I know others who take 100 poses so as to ensure that all logos (scope, boots, binos, rifle, jacket, hat, sunglasses, etc) are visible.
I didn't even start taking any pics until 2005/2006 when I got a dig cam for xmas. I have only taken a few since getting that cam,..and that's more of Dad or friends then of the animals we're shooting..

My hunting buddy in GP has a few of us though, and I know there are elk pics in there,..

I move back to the Peace in 3 weeks, I'll scan them up...

any other requests?

I can give you GPS co ordinates for a 30/30 casing íf you think you can hike and know the mountains good...it has a note it that says "Mike was here"
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Nope. That was just about what I expected. Thanks.
 
The Interbond is a strong bullet with a bonded core. No reason why it would not do a splendid job on an elk. 280 is proven caliber, so put the bullet where it counts and a eatch it go down. That bullet should have no problems breaking bone...
 
troutseeker said:
The Interbond is a strong bullet with a bonded core. No reason why it would not do a splendid job on an elk. 280 is proven caliber, so put the bullet where it counts and a eatch it go down. That bullet should have no problems breaking bone...
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I'd use something else. But that's just me.
 
The .280 is a satisfactory cartridge for elk, or any other North American game, but if it was me I'd be looking for a heavier bullet. Then again heavy for caliber bullets are almost always my preference. If a 130 gr .270 bullet is good enough for moose, and many moose have fallen to the 130/.277, then certainly your 139s, that are essentially the same caliber (.277" vs .284") are fine for elk. I just think that a heavier bullet is a better option if you have something other than a standing broadside shot, or if a big bone is hit, and I prefer the 160-175 gr 7mm options.
 
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