Too small for elk?

In your situation you'll likely be best served by the 308. Ensure that you maximize range time by shooting from field positions in your hunting clothes (I know...lame in the heat) so that you can be sure of making a lethal shot when the time comes. Neglect practice at your own peril.
 
Go with the .308. Recoil is manageable for a new shooter , it's got respectable range and power. Get a quality bullet such as a nosler partition in 180 grain, place your shot in the boiler room = meat in the freezer. The .243 IMO is too small of a bullet for a large bull elk. Elk are more tenacious than moose and can soak up lead and can put a lot of distance between you after the shot, the .308 would produce a better blood trail which you need in thick forest tracking. Good luck !
 
Hairy Krisna said:
No love for the Model 94 30-30 here? I have taken many a moose and Elk with my trusty model 94. Heck,..My first big game hunt with my dad when I was 14 landed me a decent size moose with minimal skills compared to what I have learned over the years I have in now.

Unless Moose and Elk have somehow magically gotten much bigger, much strong and grown thicker hide as a self preservation method to the hunters of days gone by,..I wouldn't hesitate for a second to harvest one with a 30-30. 10 of thousands of moose, tens of thousands of Elk and probably hundreds of thousands of Bison have been taken with a 30-30 and WAY less complicated ammo than what we all currently use.

Not all game needs a 300 win mag or a 338 Lapua to die. Having said that, I own both a 338lm and 300wm. Neither have taken big game.
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Never heard of a 30-30 being used on bison. I know that the 45-70 was the favored gun for the big bison hunts in the US after the civil war...
 
I'm like every one else said your 308 will do just fine and even 155 will work -160
i use a 264 at 142 grain and they drop . I won't use a 243 it is to light unless your partner is a target shooter and can pull off head shots .

the M65 is a heaven rifle to start not for this hunt but port the barrel , run the right weight bullet for the twist of the barrel
and put a jell pad on it
don't go with little ports / large portholes
that will long term take out the kick and the flinch right out
 
One of my old bosses was an old hunter for the Hudson Bay company he shot everything with .243 His father shot everything with .308 or .303 British His brother hunts everything with .270... Shot placement is the real thing and that is done with what you can handle and know.

I have 4 pins in my arm so all my rifles are very heavy and big caliber or light and small calibers. So my arm can handle it... as the recoil is what hurts my arm not the lbs.
 
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