Lowest recoil caliber for elk hunting??

c-fbmi said:
....IF YOU HAVE TO ASK WHICH CARTRIDGE WOULD BE THE BEST FOR DEER/ELK/MOOSE/CARIBOU OUT TO 400 YDS...........YOU SHOULD NOT BE SHOOTING AT GAME AT 400 YDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....
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LOL, Douglas, this needs to be made up into a bumper sticker or a T-shirt or something! :)
 
Sometimes people think this through too much. My dad is 83 and killed several elk with both a 308 and with a 270.
7mm-08
308
3006
270
270 wsm all are good choices and all kick to some degree. Fit is way more important than looks and it feels different with a scope on or off so trying it at a store doesn't always work. At 400 yards the 308 and 7mm-08 are marginal. Elk are tough and anyone that says they are not has either never shot an elk or else is talking from a storybook. I call them storybook hunters. Min for me is either a 30-06 or 270. Both good up to 400 yards with the right bullet.
 
I'm having trouble picturing how someone can shoot a .270 but not a 7mm Rem. There isn't that much difference, and neither is all that much. If a 7mm is beating you up, there's a problem in gun fit, stock design or a lousy pad that's making it painful. Recoil is about the same as a 30-06, and that isn't going to shake your fillings out. When I was a kid I thought a .270 was painful thing to shoot; and in that old Parker Hale it was. It left bruises, and a bruise doesn't form just because someone is a whimp. My kid started with well fitted rifles with good pads and was cheerfully shooting a .300 for moose when he was 14 and some big stuff for fun.

A .270 with starting loads has very little recoil, and if the topic was a low recoil, more effective substitute for a .243 it would be easy to get enthusiastic about it. Same with the 7/08. When its quarter mile elk, somewhat less so.
 
Many years ago, I know, I'm old now I developed a flinch. It was from shooting an ill fitting 308 with no recoil pad. Took me a long time to get rid of the flinch. A bad fitting 308 is just as bad as any 7MM. Agree with others that generally when shooting at game you don't feel it. Get a gun that fits or modify yours. When shooting from a bench use a lead sled. Ya I know some people are against them. Finally when practicing use double ear protection. It will save your ears and it won't feel nearly as violent.
 
What a ridicules question scared of recoil ??? concerned about access to ammo if u can't take the time to locate ammo snd or get out to a range and do some shooting maybe u should not be out in the field shooting at animals .
 
struff55 said:
What a ridicules question scared of recoil ??? concerned about access to ammo if u can't take the time to locate ammo snd or get out to a range and do some shooting maybe u should not be out in the field shooting at animals .
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The question was "So whats the lowest recoiling caliber that can ethically take an elk at 400 yards if need be?" It's OK if you don't know the answer. Maybe think about it.
 
c-fbmi said:
i think i have developed a few standard answers for this exact question.........which is asked here about 2 times a month.

1) if you have to ask which cartridge would be the best for deer/elk/moose/caribou out to 400 yds...........you should not be shooting at game at 400 yds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2) iron sighted 30-30 mod 94.........that way everything over 200 yds is safe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3) any rifle/cartridge combo you can hit a 6" circle with everytime at 400 mtrs and it arrives on target with at least 1500 ft/lbs and a bullet that will upset enough to transfer this energy to the animal !!!!!!!
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amen!!
 
Northern Amateur said:
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,
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what he said...308 is The epitome of efficiency
 
FoymountFarm said:
After 25 years of hunting moose with a belted magnum, I chose to move to a caliber with less felt recoil. My search for a replacement caliber ended up with a 270WSM (in a Browning A Bolt Mountain Ti). The 270WSM, using 150g Nosler Partitions, has lots of velocity and energy to take moose/elk out to my shooting limit of +/- 300 yds. The recoil feels similar to the 270 Win's I have owned and is certainly less than my belted magnum and my 30-06. Personally, I'd say the recoil is very close to my 308 BLR Lightweight. Within the distance limits I impose on my shooting, I have found the 270WSM to be the perfect compromise to the belted magnums for longer range shots at the big ungulates. If you can find one to shoot give it a try, I believe it is every bit as effective as a 7mm Mag, will hurt your shoulder less and cause less flinching.
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I find my 270WSM to be quite snappy behind the trigger. I do not shoot a lot of large caliber rifles but when compared to 12ga 3" magnum slugs I find the 270WSM recoils more. My 260 Rem shoots the nicest out of all my elk/moose capable rifles.
 
I would seek out other rifles to try in the 270 - 30-06 class, big cases like big bullets once you handload. I had a Rem 700 7MM Mag once that slapped me silly. Yet my go to gun is a 444 Marlin at about 7 pounds and a bit. I would also suggest you invest in some ammo and shoot a bunch. Nothing tames recoil like practice. A homemade sand bag between shoulder and stock helps a bunch for early practice. Also the PAST style wearable recoil pad is in order as well. They make super magnum versions. Field positions are much more forgiving compared to a magnum on a bench.

My answer to your question is 30-06, elk are big and tenacious. 400 yards is a long way and there needs to be something left. My advice is try all the strategies offered to deal with recoil of a decent power rifle rather than too light a cartridge. Quality autoloaders also tame recoil a lot. A nice used Browning BAR might be an option. I think some come with a brake. Some autoloaders aren't long range rifles in my limited experience but the Browning seems to get good reports. The older ones would be my choice like this style.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?fid=002B&cid=031&tid=001
 
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Can you shoot slugs from a 12ga? No, I'm not suggesting it's a better choice for elk at 400, but many complain about rifle recoil when they are already shooting 12ga slugs from a slug gun!!! I guarantee that a magnum 12ga slug has as much recoil as a .300 mag or even a .338 Win Mag! So, do some practising with a 12 non-magnum to get used to recoil, and then a 7 Rem Mag will no longer intimidate. A 7 mag won't hurt you! 20 to 25 ft-lbs is almost nothing! It's what we THINK about it, not what we really FEEL ! As others have mentioned, learn FIRST to shoot correctly standing on your own hind legs and even a .458 Win Mag won't hurt you.

In three months I'll be 80 and the only rifle I own that produces less than 40 ft-lbs of recoil is my .22LR! I have arthritis and I weigh 165 lbs. That's to help put things in perspective. For my up-coming bear hunt, my T3 Tikka in 9.3 X 62 loaded with 250gr ABs at 2700+fps will be used because it shoots .44 MOA. Actually, it shoots better than that... because it shoots better than I can. But I can consistently shoot .44 MOA with that load in a 7.5 lb rifle that produces over 40 ft-lbs of free recoil. If I can do it, ANYONE can learn to do better! If they want to.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca
 
Well thanks guys for your suggestions and advice, ill try to respond to some of them.

Just to clarify, im not about to just go shoot elk up at 400 yards without practice and confidence. So to answer c-fbmi, i dont see what is wrong about asking what caliber would be best for something, so i have an intelligent place to start when i practice to do it one day. I would hate to get to the point where i can shoot an elk at 400 yards but realise i have to little gun and have to buy another rifle. Rather just get the right one to begin with, which is why im asking for experienced people's opinion. Now your third point, that was helpful! Shoot 1.5 moa with the chosen caliber and make sure the caliber can carry 1500 ft/lbs at 400 yards. Thats good advice about the shooter and the caliber.

Why i asked this question is because i just learned of a new place to hunt elk that MIGHT require a longer shot since its open fields. So i would like a cartridge that's capable just in case. I would love a 6.5mm but it seems that the ammo would be a bit too much of a pain to find, so id rather just stick with a 7mm-08 if i go short action.

I always wear hearing protection when shooting and really appreciate all the tips and tricks for learning how to handle recoil because i definitely need to practice and learn. I will do them all! I just wanted to find a rifle that was easier to learn on, but that can still do what i think i might need to one day. cause i dont wanna have to buy a second rifle later one (ill do that just cause i want too ;p ).

Something weird about me is that i love shotguns. i can shoot a 12g all day, any day! dont mind the kick at all, but throw a scope on something that kicks and I SUCK! So just something i have to get over. Perhaps the rifles i have shot dont fit me well. My dads doesnt have a recoil pad and iv mostly shot it at the bench. So ill take all your advice and fix those things.
 
Go for a Bow and Arrow.
Fling some sticks or better yet a spear, yeah thats it a spear...
No felt recoil in either of those two instruments.
Seriously, there are several manufacturers of Reduce Recoil ammo , but how effective is it at actually ELk or Larger Ungulate Hunting distances ?
There is no free ride as mentioned before me with much more serious considerations.
Thank you Kevan for such a simple and direct common sense answer.
Rob
 
kykamo said:
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?
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A 7mm Remington magnum, 150 grain Nosler Accubond and a muzzle brake.
 
I think you just need a 243 and go find some deer instead. Basically you're looking for no kick, hits like a hammer at 400 meters, less than 30 cal, cheap ammo , easy to find ammo, did I miss anything?

If I said I want a daily driver that gets 50 mpg, comes in neon green, is convertible, and will be used to haul wood and the camper, maybe you'll see what I'm seeing with your first post. I'll assume you don't shoot a whole bunch, as you worry about ammo cost, and you don't get along with your 7 mm rem mag.

I'm curious when is your elk season, and how practiced up you'd truly be by then, even if you had a new rifle today.....
 
7x57 Mauser (heavier bullets) if shots are within 200yds. Further than that my personal choice would be an 8x68S. Since it's not a common calibre (which is unfortunate because it is an excellent round) I might tend towards something in the 7mm Rem Mag .300WM, 300Wby, 300RUM, 338WM category etc.
 
kykamo said:
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?
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I'll just go out on a limb and say that you have no business shooting at anything at 400 yards. You clearly don't know enough about rifles, shooting or hunting to attempt such a thing.

Buy a 270 and stalk closer.
 
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