400 Yard Elk cartridge . what's your Pick

Yeah Elk is the whole reason in building a 338 RCM I’m not sure I’d shoot an elk @400 yards but with the right bullet and powder combo is so it no problem. I’d prefer to call closer cause that for me is where all the fun happens :)

B
 
BlackRam said:
I have taken 2 dozen elk over the years, and 20 of these I recorded data on:10 different cartridges and a crossbow; 30% with non magnums
Various terrain types; thick brush to large open fields
Some were rifle I had at the time, some were rifle I chose to hunt that season with, others were just the rifle I chose to hunt with that day. There were some where I was primarily hunting other game or with another weapon and used what I had on hand when the opportunity presented itself.
270 Wby @ 100 yards
7mm Rem Mag @ 120 yards
6.5x55 @ 370 yards (was out after deer when opportunity for a cow elk presented itself - would not choose this cartridge for elk at this range again)
35 Whelen @ 60 yards
338 Win Mag (2) @ 180 and 5 yards
7MM STW (5) @ 475, 258, 90, 150 and 180 yards
358 Win (3) @ 60, 87 and 90 yards (all back up on archery hunts where couldn't get a shot within bow range)
300 WSM (3) @ 70, 242, and 175 yards
376 Steyr @ 150 yards
Crossbow @ 34 yards
280 Rem @ 120 yards
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I'm curious to hear more details on that long shot with the 6.5 swede. Was it a long day of tracking? Did it require follow up shots?

A typical 140 grain 6.5x55 is producing under 1000 lb-ft at 400m so you'd be pretty close to that limit at 370.
 
Northern Shooter said:
I'm curious to hear more details on that long shot with the 6.5 swede. Was it a long day of tracking? Did it require follow up shots?

A typical 140 grain 6.5x55 is producing under 1000 lb-ft at 400m so you'd be pretty close to that limit at 370.
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I was wondering the same too...what the load was and how it went down
 
35Whelen for me. I have a Swarovski with the BRH reticle that seems to be quite well calibrated. I would be comfortable reaching out to 500 metres with this combo and a 225 grain Bearclaw.
 
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338-378 Wby, cause we all know that “Nothing shoots flatter, hits harder or is more accurate than a Weatherby.” ;)
This chambering wields about 54lbs of free recoil...almost as three times as much as a 30:06.
Nothing like a bit of expensiveness I'd say.
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
With the 9 elk I shot, 7 was with the 30-06, 1 with the 270 Win. and 1 with the 7mm Remington Magnum. All were killed within 300 yards, however, the 7mm Rem. Mag. would be my choice for the 400 yard kill-shot, using 150 grain Accubonds.
 
FLHTCUI said:
338-378 Wby, cause we all know that “Nothing shoots flatter, hits harder or is more accurate than a Weatherby.” ;)
This chambering wields about 54lbs of free recoil...almost as three times as much as a 30:06.
Nothing like a bit of expensiveness I'd say.
Tight Groups,
Rob
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Ouch 54 lbs . Everyone with recoil is diff ..That's a smacker , good for you . I sorta think
"no pain , no gain " lol
 
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4fifty8 said:
My .416 Weatherby Magnum Mark V with muzzle brake has light recoil kicks like my .308, .338-.378 with muzzle brake should kick even less.
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I really hope you wearing earing aids and down there in your country starting a grass fire is a real possibility ...
 
I've got a 308 norma mag that would be perfect for elk but I would probably grab my lighter rifle, a kimber montana 7mm wsm with 150 - 160 gr nosler accubonds. I haven't shot an elk, I haven't drawn an LEH yet, its only been 32 years. :(
 
cjdawe said:
A set of good legs ,close the distance, or the patience to wait for a better opportunity is my best offer...we're too caught up with shooting distance
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Don't you know most guys on this site can make that 400 yard shot an a running elk through a tall grass field in the rain 15 minutes after sunset with factory sights ?
 
Only ever shot two Elk, one with a .416 Rem/300gr. X. And one with a .340/ 250 Nosler. Both worked very well but were under 200 yards. Ready for longer though..
 
Northern Shooter said:
I'm curious to hear more details on that long shot with the 6.5 swede. Was it a long day of tracking? Did it require follow up shots?

A typical 140 grain 6.5x55 is producing under 1000 lb-ft at 400m so you'd be pretty close to that limit at 370.
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The unalarmed cow elk was slightly quartering to across a large field when I shot her with the 6.5 at 370 yards. (The rifle I has that day as we were out mostly looking for deer, and unexpectedly came across the elk.) Hit her proper height wise, but only got one lung (Was trying to stay clear of the shoulder bone). The rest of the herd was milling about, but did not run off.
She laid down right away, but not flat out. I shot her one more time, again getting the same onside lung. She got up and ran with the herd, about 200 yards to the edge of the brush, and hung up there, as she was having troubles and was reluctant to jump the fence and and leave the field with the herd. I was now closer and gave her one more more shot (do not recall distance, but was probably about 200 yards). This one broke her front shoulder. She jumped the fence but was down about 10 yards beyond. I gave her one last round to finish her when I got to her a few moments later.

My load at the time was the max load of IMR 4350 with the 140 gr Barnes X bullet (Barnes manual of the day (1995). Never chronied the load in my Rem 700 Classic so not sure what the energy would have been at 370 yards. That load would consistently place 5 rounds into just under 1" @ 200 yards, and was just slightly better accuracy wise than the 140 gr Nosler partition load with the max load of IMR4350 in the Nosler manual of the day. I practiced with that rifle and load out to 400 yards on a regular basis (I would shoot about 500-700 rounds per year with that rifle, just practicing, and not including load development, sighting in and hunting).

Previously, I had shot a young bull moose with the 6.5 140 X Bullet combo at about 100 yards. It didn't go anywhere after the first shot and died after the third shot, about 5 yards from where it was first hit.

While bullets all hit vitals, and the one recovered bullet had expanded (shoulder shot on that cow elk), they just didn't seem to kill as quickly as the Nosler Partitions did. I didn't take any more game with the X bullet load after that in the Swede. Went back to Nolsers for hunting with that 6.5x55.

Today, I am shooting the Nosler AccuBond ammo in my LH Sako 85 Hunter. It produces 1/2" groups at 100 yards. At 300 yards it is supposed to have 1435 ft lbs of energy remaining and 1237 ft lbs at 400 yards. Definitely not distances at which I would shoot an elk at today with the 6.5, but I have learned a lot more about hunting elk and ballistics in the 27 years since I shot that cow elk (my second elk overall)!
 
Thanks for the very detailed rundown!

At almost 400 yards that must have been one slow mono.

BlackRam said:
Previously, I had shot a young bull moose with the 6.5 140 X Bullet combo at about 100 yards. It didn't go anywhere after the first shot and died after the third shot, about 5 yards from where it was first hit.
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Sounds like a few I've seen killed with 30-06 or 308 TBH.

The 140 Partition from a 6.5 is no joke though eh?
 
I think the first shot was good enough, after she bedded down and the fact that the rest of the herd wasn’t spooked, I would have sat and wait for here to expire… if the herd would have been spooked that is an other story!! But I’m with you, at the moment you never really know! Something similar happened to me on a bull moose, where it took me 4-5 shots to make hime go down!
 
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