Wife wants a cow elk - need input

[bearkilr]

Speaking of experience, my wife shot the Elk pictured above through the top of the heart broadside striking no bone at an awful long ways and his face hit the ground so fast he broke teeth. So it is not just "my opinion" and no a head shot is not "the only shot placement that drops them right there".

I can believe that YOU have never dropped an Elk struck broadside but that evidence does not make it a hard and fast rule for the rest of us.

The only blood I see on the elk in that picture is well ahead of the front legs, there's no heart there. I also see blood about 20 ft behind the elk. I have a hard time believing that elk bull broke teeth on a soggy alfalfa field.

Your story, stick to it. Nice bull BTW, I don't in any way want to take anything away from your wife's trophy.

 

[Noel]

Last fall a bull stood off to the side of a small herd in our back field. 328yds from the cross brace on our fence where I was leaning. Broadside shot put the bullet through both lungs and exited the far side. Hit ribs both sides. He spun 90 degrees to face me head on, planting his back feet wide and his front tight together, head held real low and ears drooping. Funny how you remember the details......... anyway he just stood there and would raise his head to the sky in an attempt to clear the cobwebs. He took one turning step to see if it felt any better and the second bullet went inside his facing shoulder and down he went.
The rifle? Oh it was my piddling little 7x57 with 154gr Interlocks.
I think you will have your wife well armed with the 7-08, almost identical.

Get her really confident with even a 22RF and it will help leaps and bounds. It certainly does me good to practice that way as I don't enjoy recoil or moreso the report and concussion from each shot, earmuffs or not. Working in a noisy work environment where it is in your best interest to jump when there's a loud boom, that trend follows me to the field too.
My wife will tell you it is really important for them to be having fun at it as well. Find a pace that works for her and you'll be having serious competition filling the freezer.
Happy hunting.

 

[todbartell]

No elk drops to the shot with a broadside heart/lung hit regardless of caliber. 15 yards broadside is certainly not a common distance for elk with a rifle. At a more average distance of say 150 yards, I think you would see some difference in performance from a 243 to a 375.

What's the attraction to using just barely enough gun? I don't get it.

well the original topic started with a guy looking for a suitable cow elk rifle for his small wife. A properly loaded 243 will work, if you can put the bullet where it matters, and that's all that matters. A 375 Mag in her hands will be no bigger hammer if the shot is placed in the front leg or liver or in the dirt.

I only started hunting elk in 2007 but I've seen five mature bull elk hit the ground with my own eyes, and been in camp to see the effect of what a properly placed bullet will do on probably ten more bulls. The longest tracking job was with a 338 Lapua & 250gr Accubonds, the shortest were bang flops with a 30-06.

the 6mm used in the pic above was in the hands of the hunter because he was a small 13 yr old boy. He shot the 6mm well, was able to get some good practice in before the season shooting water jugs from a sitting position, and on his first hunt he was lucky enough to get a beauty bull. Yes it was 15 yards but I am certain the 100gr Nosler Partition would not of bounced off at 100 yards

 

[crazy_davey]

No elk drops to the shot with a broadside heart/lung hit regardless of caliber.

Your joking, right? I sure hope so...

 

[John Y Cannuck]

No cartridge will drop a moose in it's tracks if it's bullet is poorly placed.
I know that the 243 will drop a moose, but fear a shoulder hit. Moose bone is many times that of lighter game.
I've taken moose with the 30-30, same deal, but heavier bullets and shorter range. Avoid shoulders, and bad angles it will work.

For someone first time out, I'd be nervous about buck fever making for poorly placed shots.

See if you can get her behind a 6.5X55, or 7mm08.

By the way, have you asked her opinion of the 308? or was that your feeling on her firing it?

Other options.

My wife uses a PAST recoil pad for her 308. Makes all the difference for her. The pad she's using attaches to her bra strap, and is invisible under her clothing.

 

[YoungGun85]

Hell theres an old man thats a customer of mine that shot a moose every year with a 32 RIMFIRE for years. In fact he did so until ammo became unavailable at cambodian tire. I can't see why any centerfire would be insufficient. Don't worry, just take the time to get a good shot and make sure she has practiced enough to make repeatable good hits in field positions. Good luck with the wife's Elk.

 

[bearkilr]

Your joking, right? I sure hope so...

Every elk I've shot through the lungs/heart has run. Perhaps people are misunderstanding me. In no way am I insinuating that you can't kill an elk this way, they just don't drop on the spot. That's been my experience with most every animal. A broadside shot where the bullet does not hit the shoulder or CNS does not collapse a big game animal.Perhaps I need to start using Bergers.

Regardless, we're way off topic. My choice would still be the 7-08 and bigger for elk.

 

[Ltbull01]

Hi Guys,
So my wife says she wants to go for a cow elk next year and its my job to find a rifle for the task. She currently shoots a 243 and handles it well. She fired a 308 and it seemed a bit much for her(shes 5'flat and about 110lbs) What would be the lightest recoil round you would take a cow elk with? I was thinking 260rem or 6.5x55 but its a pain to find in a budget rifle.

I think the 6.5 calibres are great for cow elk. I would not use anything less than 130 grain bullet in 6.5 for elk. My 260 shoots a 130 grain TSX at 2800 fps and I'm quite happy with that. Tikka manufactures a 260 Rem - in their product list anyway But you can get a 6.5 Creedmore in a Ruger. It is virtually identical to a 260 AND factory ammo is available for it. I think Ruger makes a 6.5 x 55 as well. There is always 7-08 and 7 x 57 too (140 grain bullets would be ok, easy to shoot) and there should be lots of rifles available in those calibres.

 

[Norma]

6.5x55 with Norma 156 gr Oryx would do the job.

 

[davemccarthy707]

Your opinion. I've shot many elk in the head, which is the only placement that drops them right there, other than a miss to the spine. I've also shot many elk dead center broadside behind the shoulder with everything from a 243 to a 458 and not one dropped at the shot. Unlike many on here, I'm speaking from experience. Whether you'd like to believe me or not is something I care little about.

I would never take any head shot on a big game animal . It is not ethical in my opinion. Heart/lungs shot and they are not going very far. That is from experience.

As for the OP. A nice 6.5x55 with some 140gr CT Remington core lokt (They are loaded pretty mild) will get it done. Even an old .303 sporter has pretty mild recoil.

-Dave

 

[bearkilr]

I would never take any head shot on a big game animal . It is not ethical in my opinion. Heart/lungs shot and they are not going very far. That is from experience.

As for the OP. A nice 6.5x55 with some 140gr CT Remington core lokt (They are loaded pretty mild) will get it done. Even an old .303 sporter has pretty mild recoil.

-Dave

I only take head shots at 50 yards and under and only when the head is turned sideways.
You're correct that a heart/lung shot elk won't go far, it's just been my experience that they don't collapse at the shot with that placement, as I mentioned in previous posts. I prefer to not hit the shoulder as it damages a lot of meat.

 

[chuck nelson]

The only blood I see on the elk in that picture is well ahead of the front legs, there's no heart there. I also see blood about 20 ft behind the elk. I have a hard time believing that elk bull broke teeth on a soggy alfalfa field.

Your story, stick to it. Nice bull BTW, I don't in any way want to take anything away from your wife's trophy.

That blood is tight to the front of the foreleg and tight to the rear of the rear leg. The blood you see is up hill and he rolled over once and we rolled him again. I think I know where that bull was hit as I pulled his guts out. And yes he broke teeth.

 

[7mm-08]

Can't go wrong with the 7mm-08 and proper bullets for deer,elk, or moose.Both myself and my wife shoot one.Light recoil,short lop in many rifles,and excellent performance.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Jordan Smith]

How quickly an animal falls is certainly affected by bullet construction. Just curious what kind of bullets you typically send through elk ribs, Alex? Maybe that has something to do with it. Like you say, maybe some Berger VLD's would change your mind

I think it would be safe to say that a shot through the ribs with no CNS or heavy bone hit is far from a guarantee that an elk will drop at the shot. They usually run with this type of hit. BUT, a DRT can happen.

 

[crazy_davey]

I think it would be safe to say that a shot through the ribs with no CNS or heavy bone hit is far from a guarantee that an elk will drop at the shot.

True.

They usually run with this type of hit. BUT, a DRT can happen.

It sure can, I have seen it more than once.

 

[Mighty Peace]

No elk drops to the shot with a broadside heart/lung hit regardless of caliber. 15 yards broadside is certainly not a common distance for elk with a rifle. :

Not trying to start a battle, I beg to differ. I prefer the larger calibers myself (300WM) but I took a large cow elk with my Tikka T3 LS 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds -1 shot @ 150-200m broadside -double lung and she reared up flipped over backwards and dropped.

But I have seen a large bull elk take 4 shots to the chest from a 338WM with 225-250gr bullets and it stood like it wasnt even phased.

Main thing is bullet placement is the key to everything..and it doesnt hurt to be shooting premium bullets too.

 

[two-dogs]

I know she'd be very happy and comfortable with a Sako A7 in 7mm-08! Don't be cheap, splerge a little. You're pretty darn lucky to have your honey as a hunting partner!

 

[bearkilr]

How quickly an animal falls is certainly affected by bullet construction. Just curious what kind of bullets you typically send through elk ribs? Maybe that has something to do with it. Like you say, maybe some Berger VLD's would change your mind

I think it would be safe to say that a shot through the ribs with no CNS or heavy bone hit is far from a guarantee that an elk will drop at the shot. They usually run with this type of hit. BUT, a DRT can happen.

I prefer bullets with heavy jackets/bonded, such as Barnes,Accubond, Interbond,Scirocco, etc. I like exit wounds with minimal meat damage

I'm totally set against using match/target bullets with thin jackets for hunting, even if the manufacturer claims for them to be hunting bullets. They have a tendency to literally explode on impact, especially at close range with high velocity calibers.

The potential gained accuracy with these bullets has little meaning for me in a hunting rifle. If I can achieve around 1-1.5 MOA with a well constructed bullet, that's plenty in my books.

When I think of what is referred to as a "DRT" shot, it means the animal collapses at impact, like with a head/CNS shot. I have yet to see that with a double lung/heart,rib only shot. They have either walked, ran or stood there for a while before getting wobbly and falling over.

 

[todbartell]

obviously you need a larger rifle

 

[bearkilr]

obviously you need a larger rifle

Not necessarily bigger, just better, something like a 300 WinMag without the recoil.
I'm thinking a braked 260 Rem with Berger 140's. If I'm too close,I'll walk in the opposite direction until I get to 1000 yards. This way I can take advantage of the caliber's superb long range trajectory. I can sense a DRT coming up. Thoughts?