Elk Hunt: 45-70 or 6.5 x 55

Have you or your father hunted that area before?

How long have shots ACTUALLY been?

I've hunted moose in areas where there are opportunities for 600+ yard shots, but every year I shot mine at less than 200 yards, mostly around 100. Just because there may be opportunities for you guys to shoot 400 may not at all mean you have to.

I would reccomend the 6.5 x 55 with TSX's, but I would not shoot a big bull past about 250 yards unless you have extensive experience with that cartridge.
 
forget 400 yards it aint gonna happen with either rifle.

I love bcsteves 6.5 bullet work and trust his tsx choice BUT his results show gross underestimates for the 156-160 grain loads. I have plucked 6 156 grain bullets from the offside hide of big cow elk. They all started at between 2450 and 2650 and hit elk at approx 200 yards. That being said I also lost a beautiful bull with this load when I put two of them in a shoulder.

No one has mention an even better choice which would be the vulcan or Ornxy 156 grain spire point loads offered in Norma Factory loads iirc they get 2650 fps out of them. If they are in stock anywhere in canada it will work out cheaper to shoot them then to reload premium bullets. (if you count the 1xf norma brass as being worth something)

I'd bring both rifles and if hunting in the super thick bush (where the elk are 95% of the time) I'd be happy to have a 500 grain bullet capable of killing at all reasonable angles.

The end of the day it really only matters that he can pick the right spot to aim at and put the bullet where he wants it.
 
Are they calling in the rut or late season?

Order some Barnes Original SP at 2100fps and practice out to 200yds. If I was calling elk, I would take this as chances are you will be shooting well under that distance.

Otherwise RL22 and 140gr Partition or 120gr TTSX and practice out to 300yds. It is the wind not the drop that kills you out west.
 
Well, I overheard a salesman at wholesale sports in saskatoon say you CANNOT kill a bull elk with anything less potent than a 300 mag. That isnt a paraphrase, but direct quote. Yeah maybe we grow better feed here in SK leading to thicker bulls, but I couldnt help but join in the conversation there. My grandfather, a trapper by trade, shot every animal in northern Saskatchewan with a .22 Savage. He nearly sh!t himself when he got a 220 Swift after the war! A 6.5x55 with a partition and a good shot from a true hunters distance would be more than sufficient to turn its heart to jelly.
 
6.5 swede is a better choice for his needs in my opinion. The 45-70 has some trajectory limitations that the 6.5 does not.
 
I think this invitation may be the perfect time to expand the collection, if finances permit, to say a nice 300 WM, Wby, RUM. If this isn't possible then the Swede with 140 Parts and get as close as possible and forget 400 yds. It is possible to kill elk at 400 yds with the Swede, hell you can watch a girl kill a moose at 800 yds on youtube with a 243, but is it prudent and responsible? It is very easy to hit an elk sized target at 400 yds, it's a whole nother ballgame to kill it cleanly. Those shots are best left to those who do it regularly and practice regularly with cartridges capable of doing this kind of hunting and shooting.
 
I'm pretty sure the 6.5 has been used for the last 100 or so years in Europe to kill just about everything, from roe deer to moose. The easy answer is that if you feel you can't kill an elk at 400 yards, stalk closer, wait for it to come in, or don't shoot.

PS: The .303 British is also outdated and won't kill anything larger than a raccoon (and even then, will probably just piss it off).
 
....keeping in mind most "elk hunters" out west here just drive down a range road following the herds tracks in the fields until they can get within 200-300 yards I feel the 6.5 will do what needs doing... If your going out to no mans land and doing a lot of stalking over rolling terrain then shot distance is a 50/50 mix of very long range and very short range... The mix of scrambling a hundred yards up hill on your belly a big trophy bull in your sights and a stiff fall breeze? I would be looking for a cheap 30-06 or some form of magnum that spits out TSX's with malice and intent combined with a nice leupold BDC.

Elk are solid critters, lots of muscle, heavy solid bullets that make big holes are going to result in a lot less tracking for the hunting party...

Even a Salvage FCXP 300WM or 7mm are running around $400 at WSS rite now and are useable out of the box for elk... But the scopes on em are garbage.
 
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