Too small for elk?

sunray said:
There's no game in North America that requires a magnum of any kind to kill with one properly placed shot at reasonable distances.
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While this may be true, the .300 WM is an excellent cartridge in it's own right.
 
Stick with the 300, if you like it. Remington makes Managed Recoil loads for it that put it in the 308 range, if you don't reload. As far as cartridge selection, I have never hunted elk - although I'd love to, but I have hunted moose for an awful long time. I can't see elk being a heck of a lot tougher than moose. Seen them dropped with everything from a BP 44-40 to a 375 H&H. The 30-30 has killed wayyyy more moose than the 300WM has. Ideally, use a fairly mild handload in your 300 with a good 180-200 gr. premium bullet, and they won't stand a chance. Although your 99 is one of the nicest guns for all-round use, if you have an accurate one. I've seen some that I was never able to get even minute of pie plate accuracy out of.
 
Most of our Elk hunting here in BC is in prime Grizzly habitat.
My Elk rifle is a 375 H&H for that reason, that and the fact that its a darn fine cartridge...
 
nowarningshot said:
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?
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Don't like seeing those lumped together. The .308 packs more energy at 200 yards than the other two do at the muzzle.
 
Changing rifles for a big hunt is like borrowing a fancy camera for an important event.

The result can be a disaster.

The 308 is enough if you place your shot through the boiler room. And you are familiar with the rifle, so less chance of a boo boo.

243 is not enough. I would say the minimum is 260 or 6.5x55.
 
My 99 is no tack driver but was hitting tannerite at 200 yards, so she's good enough. With 6 rounds it's a very fine and nice little gun. And from what I've heard and been told, elk are way harder to kill then moose. I have my first moose hunt as well this fall, but it's a muzzle loader and shotgun only zone. I guess I'll try the 300 once I get it back. My 308 I've hunted with for 2 seasons so I do know it pretty well.
 
I flattened a 6 point bull elk with a 25-06 at 340 paces and lost a little 200 lb whitetail hit from 45 yrds with a .300 WM ( the only deer of many, many that I never recovered at all, tracked for 4 hrs until blood trail disappeared and couldn't distinguish his tracks from the many others in the bush)...perfect shot placement on the Elk, don't know where I hit the deer but it sure as hell wasn't good.
 
308 is fine. I have taken them with my 308. I would recommend Barnes ammunition. As with all hunting, make sure you are confident with your rifle, and practice your shot and shot placement. They are very tough animals and I have seen them run for extremely long distances after being shot with magnum level rifles..........The typical cause was poor shot placement. Also carefully consider your shot distance!
 
The .308Win can do the job inside reasonable ranges 200yards for sure,..but if you can handle 180's through a Savage M99 with it hard butt plate, alot of drop at the heel on your stock and a perfect place to put your thumb so it whacks your cheek as the rifle climbs due to the drop at the heel, surely you'll manage a ,300WM in a smooth shooting bolt gun???

Leave the .243Win at home. Really if that's all he's got and he ain't buying another rifle,..give him the .308Savage to carry while you tote the .30caliber Elk whacker.
 
In my opinion the .308 will do fine within any reasonable range. And I am not going to say with proper shot placement, that should be obvious. An animal shot in the guts with a 300 magnum is maybe lost or at the very least a hell of a pile of work. I think game animals must have grown a lot tougher in the last 30 years as the rounds recommended for killing them keep getting larger.
 
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I reloaded my dad with 165gr Nosler Partitions in his .308 a couple of seasons ago and shot a bull moose at 227 yards and dropped it dead in its tracks. During a hunting situation you probably won't remember the recoil but you will during range time. It's also good to warmup with a lighter caliber I find before shooting the big gun.
 
gobigorgohome said:
My 99 is no tack driver but was hitting tannerite at 200 yards, so she's good enough. With 6 rounds it's a very fine and nice little gun. And from what I've heard and been told, elk are way harder to kill then moose. I have my first moose hunt as well this fall, but it's a muzzle loader and shotgun only zone. I guess I'll try the 300 once I get it back. My 308 I've hunted with for 2 seasons so I do know it pretty well.
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They're not harder to kill, they just often behave differently after the shot, specifically they have a tendency to run until they're dead, much like a whitetail. The best plan is to use the largest caliber you're proficient with, so right now that seems to be your 308.
 
gobigorgohome said:
My 99 is no tack driver but was hitting tannerite at 200 yards, so she's good enough. With 6 rounds it's a very fine and nice little gun. And from what I've heard and been told, elk are way harder to kill then moose. I have my first moose hunt as well this fall, but it's a muzzle loader and shotgun only zone. I guess I'll try the 300 once I get it back. My 308 I've hunted with for 2 seasons so I do know it pretty well.
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Use your 308
 
The 99 in 308 is a classic big game rifle and has taken its fair share of north american big game including elk. The 308 is a fine elk cartridge if you do your part, look no further.
 
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