Too small for elk?

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gobigorgohome

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I have my first ever elk hunt this fall. I own a 3030 win 94 and a savage 99 in 308. I was always told I need something bigger for elk. I picked up a tikka m65 deluxe in 300 win mag LEFT HAND as I was told that's a great elk gun. Well, it has a lot of recoil, almost too much. I have a limb saver being put on but am not 100% if I'll still want it. So here's my question, is 308 enough for elk? I also have a buddy coming and all he has is a 243. Is that enough gun? Or what? I've never hunted anything but deer before so have no idea. Any input would help!
 
I would think that if the 300 win mag has too much recoil for you, you won't shoot it well.
Go with the .308win and some 180 bullets.
Make sure you know POI if these aren't your normal weight bullets.

Or go buy a 30-06..................






cou:
 
A 243 or 3030 will work if a properly constructed bullet is placed thru the vitals. However more energy and a heavier bullet are more desirable. I don't believe you need a cannon but elk are tough animals that weigh 2-4 times as much as a deer. If you don't shoot the 300 well stick with what you know and shoot well. If the 300 beat you up go back to a 22 rimfire and work your way back up to avoid the flinch. Research the vitals and weight for a high percentage shot. Best of luck
 
Yeah .308 is good for elk depending on the range you plan to shoot out to. Like Looky said if it kicks too hard you won't shoot it good. Get some 180 ish bullets and go sight in. Play around in that weight range. My 30:06 wouldn't shoot 180's but 168 Bergers worked awesome. Actually it didn't like anything in the 150's or 180's so I tried the 168 and they were the magic ones for me. That is my moose/elk load.
 
Seriously, the .308 is PLENTY enough for even the biggest elk. I regularly use it for Moose, and black bear. Use a good bullet as that is the cheapest part of the hunt anyhow.
Or better yet, sell the Savage and the .300wm and get a bolt gun in .308 with a good scope. It won't cost you a cent, and you will have an excellent all around gun. (I've seen a couple of Savage lever guns get snow in them and not work when a moose came into view. (the snow fell from a loaded branch and there is not too much camming power in a lever gun to close the bolt with snow or other junk like twigs in the raceways.)
 
gobigorgohome said:
I have my first ever elk hunt this fall. I own a 3030 win 94 and a savage 99 in 308. I was always told I need something bigger for elk. I picked up a tikka m65 deluxe in 300 win mag LEFT HAND as I was told that's a great elk gun. Well, it has a lot of recoil, almost too much. I have a limb saver being put on but am not 100% if I'll still want it. So here's my question, is 308 enough for elk? I also have a buddy coming and all he has is a 243. Is that enough gun? Or what? I've never hunted anything but deer before so have no idea. Any input would help!
Click to expand...

for recoil I get the biggest recoil pad I can find in terms of surface area against your shoulder , then taper the edges down until they meet the stock .
this spreads out the recoil over a wider area on your shoulder .

then it you can get mercury recoil reducers that you install in your stock to soften things up some more .

with that said .

with the 308 , using barnes x bullets , I feel you should be able to kill a elk as far out as your able to reliably hit it in the lungs .


btw I thought it was mandatory to own a stw if you lived in sask ?
they make great elk guns , less recoil than a 300 mag , and shoot a lot flatter .
 
IMO... .308 - yes (but in a nice bolt action platform although the 99 will do it if you know the rifle well).

.243 - No... go bigger.



P.S - Your handle is "gobigorgohome"... keep the .300 WM and learn to shoot it comfortably.
 
I have a T3 30-06 that kicked like a 300wm, the limbsaver pad turned the recoil to 243 level.

Wait till you shoot it with the Limbsaver before you decide, i think that you will be pleasantly surprised.

The other question is the 30-30, 308, and 243. All of those will kill elk, were the issue comes is the range that they have sufficient energy. If someone sees the animal of a lifetime, beyond a ethical range for those calibers....do they have the self control to pass the shot?
 
I have killed many an elk with a 308 Win. and 180 grain bullets at ranges from 20 feet to just over 300 yards. Hit them in the boiler room and don't shoot them at impossibly stupid angles...because not even your 300 Win or a 375 H&H is going to punch through the stomach paunch on one or the intestines....and please...no stupid neck shots....You really don't need this months newest super duper fangled bullet....Most of the elk I shot where with good ole Rem Core Lokts. Hit them where you are supposed to and they will die...hit them wrong and...well they are tough mothers and will go places no man should go. I have seen that 1st hand on more than one occasion by other hunters who made a bad shot. As for the 243....it is minimal at best, elk have deep bodies, heavy bones and thick hides....yes it will kill an elk hit just right....but I would strongly urge your buddy to move up to at least a 270, or 7mm caliber of some kind or larger. As for your 300 the recoil pad may help some....but if you are flinching you are making bad shots...end of story.

Jim
 
On here, I seem to be the king of "you don't need a bazooka to hunt in NA" and it is true that I really push smaller cartridges and the '06 in general, but when my wife decided she wanted to move from deer hunting (with her .243) to elk and moose with me, then she got a different rifle. A P-14 I had reamed out to .303 Imp. Hits as hard as the '06 can. I wouldn't take a .243 on an elk hunt. I can usually pass on a shot on both moose or deer because they are plentiful around here and I'll just get one tomorrow or next week, NP... but I have to travel to get an elk and I don't want to have to let one walk away if it's the only one I see in a week.
 
There's no game in North America that requires a magnum of any kind to kill with one properly placed shot at reasonable distances.
A 165 grain hunting bullet out of a .308 will kill any game you care to hunt. Said hunting bullet does not have to be a premium bullet either.
Don't think the .243 is enough for elk either. Even with a 105 SP. Energy isn't sufficient for a 1,000ish pound animal.
 
I guess I'll wait and see how my 300 is. The stock is being fitted correctly to me as well as having the limb saver put on. Maybe that will help my issue. I to have killed black bear and deer with my 308, I think it's just as capable as any 30-06. But I'm very partial to my savage 99s. Although not the most accurate gun, you can't beat them. I've never had an issue with them before. Very fun and very accurate guns. I even took my 6 11" black best this spring with it!

 
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