Elk gun question

200250126

200250126

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Saskatchewan
I've managed to score a fair quantity of 150gr 300WSM ammo for pennies on the dollar. I do not own a 300WSM. I currently have a 270win and a 308.

Is it worth going out of my way to spend the funds on a 300WSM to shoot 150gr when I have 180gr for the 308? I only shoot 130gr from my 270 as I have lots of that on hand. Wondering for a hypothetical "elk gun". Ive previously shot a young bull moose and dropped him with one shot with my 130gr 270 so I'm not in the camp that believes you always need a magnum for large game. I'm aware shot placement, skill and reasonable distance are factors.

Tenda has a Savage 110 in 300WSM for $700 at the moment.
 
No one has ever had to convince me to buy another rifle…. If you have a pile of ammo, I say buy a 300wsm! Definitely keep your brass though as its getting harder to find these days!
 
The elk doesn't care (or know) about the cartridge fired at it. What matters is the bullet. So, if your .300Win Short Mag is a lightweight bullet, you are kidding yourself. As heavy a bullet, and as well designed a big game bullet are what I'd take to the woods for elk.
 
I think the .270 Winchester has killed a lot of elk... with no problems... it has plenty of punch and a flat trajectory.

Jack O'Connor was well known among shooters and hunters as a proponent of various cartridges such as the .30-06 Springfield, 7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby), and for his extensive knowledge of hunting and shooting, but especially for the .270 Winchester with which he collected all sorts of North American big game including the giant moose. Jack favored the 130 grain spitzer bullet leaving the muzzle of a 24 inch barrel at 3160 fps. The high velocity, flat trajectory and high sectional density of the cartridge made it a perfect mountain hunting cartridge and through his writings, O'Connor helped place it as one of the most popular big game hunting cartridges worldwide, for medium sized game, up to date.
 
im not a short magnum fan at all to be honest. Pretty sure your 180gr out of the 308 will work just fine on elk.
 
guntech said:
I think the .270 Winchester has killed a lot of elk... with no problems... it has plenty of punch and a flat trajectory.

Jack O'Connor was well known among shooters and hunters as a proponent of various cartridges such as the .30-06 Springfield, 7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby), and for his extensive knowledge of hunting and shooting, ....
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Jack O'Connor was a small-sized man and couldn't handle larger rifles or heavier recoil, especially as he got older. Naturally, he'd brag about what a great shooting cartridge something was, as long as he could manage. A younger, more muscled, or more well-nourished adult might doubt his advice.
 
200250126 said:
I've managed to score a fair quantity of 150gr 300WSM ammo for pennies on the dollar. I do not own a 300WSM. I currently have a 270win and a 308.

Is it worth going out of my way to spend the funds on a 300WSM to shoot 150gr when I have 180gr for the 308? I only shoot 130gr from my 270 as I have lots of that on hand. Wondering for a hypothetical "elk gun". Ive previously shot a young bull moose and dropped him with one shot with my 130gr 270 so I'm not in the camp that believes you always need a magnum for large game. I'm aware shot placement, skill and reasonable distance are factors.

Tenda has a Savage 110 in 300WSM for $700 at the moment.
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Define "fair quantity". 150gr is light for a 300 mag.
 
The specific bullet matters more than the actual weight. I would be disinclined to shoot at anything larger than a deer with a 150 gr. cup & core, but a mono or bonded bullet should be fine.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
Jack O'Connor was a small-sized man and couldn't handle larger rifles or heavier recoil, especially as he got older. Naturally, he'd brag about what a great shooting cartridge something was, as long as he could manage. A younger, more muscled, or more well-nourished adult might doubt his advice.
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Killed this bull at 560 ish yards with a 270 and 130gr bullets. He went nowhere. The biggest way to dispel stupid myths is to test them. The notion that a 270 can’t kill an elk qualifies.

3QacI4X.jpg
 
Four years ago I shot this bull elk with a 270 Win. 130 grain Nosler Accubond, one shot. I was hunting a particular whitetail buck and stumbled upon 7 bulls, one ended-up in the freezer. My son shot the buck I was pursuing.
https://imgur.com/a/o9lnI3Q
 
Unlike others, I have only taken 3 elk - first was perhaps a 250 yard off-hand shot with 308 Win 165 grain bullet - I hit that one too far back - I did get a corner of a lung and tore up the liver - was several hours tracking before I shot that one a second time, in back of its head. Next time that I was in that area for elk, I had a 338 Win Mag - 225 grain bullets - second elk shot at perhaps 100 yards, third one at perhaps 15 feet. Both of those I saw fall down and stay down. Those are the only three elk that I have ever fired at, although I assisted with the recovery of two more - my son used the same 308 Win and killed his with a single hit (we heard him fire four times, but there was only one bullet hole in the carcass); my Dad used two 165 grain rounds from his 30-06 - although either round would have done fine - the bullet holes were maybe 3 inches apart. So based on that, I would say your 150 grain 300 WSM is more than the 308 Win that I used, and less than the 338 Win Mag that I used. But you can kill an elk with it, if you are able to. My guesstimate would be 180 grain or 200 grain would be your preferred bullet weights in that cartridge, for elk. I have no experience, at all, with mono-metal bullets, so I can make no suggestions about them.
 
I've said it before, back before the internet, when Moose and Grizzly tags were over the counter, the 270 was considered to be a big gun.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
Jack O'Connor was a small-sized man and couldn't handle larger rifles or heavier recoil, especially as he got older. Naturally, he'd brag about what a great shooting cartridge something was, as long as he could manage. A younger, more muscled, or more well-nourished adult might doubt his advice.
Click to expand...

Elmer Keith was a small statured fellow too. Didn't seem to hold him back any. - dan
 
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