# Favorite ELK Cartridge



## jeep_guy_4x4

*Favorite Elk Cartridge*​
.25-0632.48%.257 Weatherby10.83%.27097.44%.270 magnum (WSM /Weatherby)64.96%7mm21.65%7mm magnum (Rem / Weatherby)1714.05%30 -3021.65%.30897.44%.30-062722.31%.300 magnum (Win / Weatherby)2923.97%.3381411.57%.340 weatherby21.65%


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## jeep_guy_4x4

Favorite, please share experiance...etc


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## fishless

browning a-bolt, 7mm rem mag, norma brass, 160 grn nosler accubond, fed 215m primer, hodgdon retumbo @3120fps I left amount of powder out account of safety :sniper:


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## cbass

Lazzeroni warbird 7.82x.30. 180 grain nosler BT, 215 primer, reloader 25 @3666 fps. 7mm what :lol:


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## fishless

Pretty impressive cbass unfortunately Im not working with the same case capacity you are, but Im sure the elk wont know the differance :beer:


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## Van Wey

I got an elk tag for Idaho this year and I think I will be taking my 7mm Rem. Mag!! I have never really hunted elk before so it should be fun.


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## cbass

you got that right fishless, both hit extremely hard :beer:


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## Grouse Hunter

i wish we had elk here but we dont but if i did hunt them i would use a .308


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## .17remman

I use a .340 Weatherby loaded with RL-25 and 250 grain Sierra GK's. Muzzle velocity averages 3140 fps, around 6000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. As with any other caliber, bullet placement is the most important factor when taking an animal. I really like how efficient this cartridge can be when fired from my 28" barrel though. 15 grains less powder than a 
.338-378 Weatherby, and almost identical ballistics.


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## usmarine0352

*.338 WIN MAG. - .325 WSM - .300 WSM*

If you go out West, you know the Elk Catridge is the .338 WIN MAG.

But some new calibers that have come up are the new Winchester Short Mags (WSM)s. Any of these would be fine.

The .325 WSM is comparable to the .338 Win. Mag.

Any are good, for ELK I'd use a WINCHESTER FAIL SAFE bullet.

The BULLET is far more important then the Caliber.

Tell us what you decide.

:sniper:

[/b]


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## mallard

.17remman said:


> I use a .340 Weatherby loaded with RL-25 and 250 grain Sierra GK's. Muzzle velocity averages 3140 fps, around 6000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. As with any other caliber, bullet placement is the most important factor when taking an animal. I really like how efficient this cartridge can be when fired from my 28" barrel though. 15 grains less powder than a
> .338-378 Weatherby, and almost identical ballistics.


Sierra game kings???I have had these blow up on the shoulder blades on whitetail deer.I would use a accubond,partition,grand slam,etc.


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## .17remman

Sorry it took me so long to see this one.

I have had nothing but success with Sierra Game Kings in my .340. I have some friends who reload them for their .308 Win., and they have been pleased with the results as well.

Sometimes, a bullet does not fit a cartridge well. I was using 180 grain Barnes X out of my .30-378. They grouped very well and I thought I had the ultimate game stopper for this cartridge. Come to find out that the first Elk that I shoot with this bullet, it took 3 shots before it dropped. When I skinned the Elk, none of the bullets had exited, and only one had made it through the near side shoulder. This was at 150 yards. With nosler partitions in the same weight, it will shoot through an Elk lengthwise at 150 yards. Sometimes it is just trial and error, which I hate to do at the expense of making a game animal suffer longer than it has to.

Mallard, what cartridge were you using the SGK's out of?


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## mallard

I was shooting them out of a 7mm rem.My buddy was shooting them out of a 7mm STW.We both had bullet failures while using SGK's.Do they beef up the copper jacket with the 300 + calibers?I reloaded the accubonds and have had zero failures since.


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## .17remman

Mallard,

I have checked many reloading manuals and websites, and it does not say anywhere that the bullet jacket is thicker with the larger calibers. It may be that I have been lucky with the SGK's and you have not, or that your presumption is right that the bullet construction is different.


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## Plainsman

I have also had good luck with SGK in my 308. I used the 165 gr to match the ballistics of the 168 SMK that I shoot so many of.

17 remman I am suprised you had poor penetration with the Barnes X. They have shot through everything I point my 300 Winchester Mag at. Hunt1 had shoulder surgery one year so loaded 110 gr to minimum load in his 300 Win Mag. At 200 yards it went through a large buck like a hot knife through butter.


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## Mike_Ulmr

I shoot a winchester 300 Ultra Mag with a 28" barrel. It is a fast flat shooting gun. dad shot his elk with it a couple of years ago. i havent used it on elk yet hoping to next year. took it mule deer hunting last year, sweet gun. :sniper:


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## Mossy835

I stick with the more traditional 30.06, Weatherby Vanguard. My father just picked up a 300wsm so he could retire his old 30.06. Hopefully we can get a nice bull this season with it.


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## NDTerminator

For my upcoming elk hunt, my primary rifle is a Remington 700 LH in 338 Mag, using a handloaded 225 grain Interbond at 2750FPS. The backup I'm taking with is either a Remington 700 LH in 7MM Mag, using a handloaded 139 grain Interbond at 3000FPS, or a 700 LH 30-06 with 165 grain Interbond handloads at 2750FPS. I'm leaning toward the latter. These rifle/load combos shoot MOA or better.

For big tough critters I prefer big tough bullets in big calibers so the 338 Mag gets the nod to start this game. I would be completely comfortable with the 7MM Mag or 06' if I didn't own the 338, though.

My wife has killed a small herd of elk with her "big" rifle, one shot per customer. It's a Parker-Hale 30-06, through which she shoots 165 grain handloads.

As you probably noticed, I'm using Hornady Interbonds with all these calibers. All my testing and bench work leads me to conclude this bullet has the ballistic advantages of a Ballistic Tip combined with the terminal performance of a Partition. I've also heard nothing but praise for this bullet from guys who have used them...


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## T.R.

This very tasty cow elk was downed with two quick shots from an older Remington slide action rifle. Cartridge is the 35 Remington which is typically thought of as a north woods deer-getter. But the elk in this photo did not read magazine articles.

.308 and 30-06 are two very popular elk rifles with the hunters in my region of North America. They have twice the _reach_ of the 35 Remington which may make the difference between success and failure.
TR


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## Horsager

I am starting to feel like a broken record as this topic has come up on many message boards lately. But here goes. 300Win mag 200gn TSX @3000fps. I know from experience that 200gn partitions will shoot through an elk out to 500yds, I am anticipating similar performance from Barnes TSX's.

Backup #1 375H&H, 260gn Nosler Partitons @ 2900fps

Backup #2 270 Win, 140gn TSX @3100fps

I bring the 375 as a true backup elk rifle, I bring the 270 because we have deer tags too and I'll use it (270) if I get an elk and begin to hunt deer exclusively. I would have great confidence in making it a 1 gun hunt with any of these rifles, they could all easily pull double duty.

PS, for grousehunter, 3 ruffed grouse so far, but I've only been out 1 day.


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## Habitat Hugger

Current favorite (at least what I am currently using) is a .300 Win with 165 grain interbonds, before that Barnes 168 SLC's! 
But I've probably shot more over the years with a .270 and 150 gr partitions than anything else. Most important thing is shoot straight, and use a good bullet.
I shot my last moose with a single shot 6mm Rem. Wait for a good shot (or don't shoot at all!) place your shot with a good premium bullet, then sharpen up your knives cause the work has just begun!


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## ND decoy

For elk I have used 7mm mag STW, 338 mag. and 7mm rem mag. My personal favorite is the 7mm STW. It is very fast and very flat and I just liked that gun.

The .338 ultra mag is an elk killing monster. The only problem for me is that I couldn't see me using it for any thing else.

The guys that I elk hunt with all shoot the .300 weatherby mag. with excellent results.

From my personal experience elk hunting is like nothing else that I hunt for. It is more physically demanding and there are a host of other things come in to play elevation, packing in for a week or two, riding horses added with the fact that it is more expensive than the other hunts you will do and you may not get the chance to go back every year I am more likely to shoot a gun that is on the bigger side. Also if you make a bad shot a bigger gun will help you make up for the mistake. I spent more than half a day chasing a gut shot cow elk that one of my buddies shot with his 30-06 (He is now shooting a .300 wby).

Have fun on your hunt.


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## Habitat Hugger

I agree it makes sense to use a bigger caliber like any of the .300 mags. But a gut shot is still a gut shot, and an elk probably wouldn't know the difference between a 06 and .300 mag shot in the guts. Bullet placement is more important than a few extra foot pounds or a couple hundred fps at the muzzle! 
We all make a bad shot from time to time and a bigger gun might bash through bone and heavy muscle a bit better and under some circumstances make up a little bit for the bad shot , although if someone consistently shoots poorly with an 06, he'd probably shoot even worse with a big .300!
Thus my war cry - practise, practise, practise! In all shooting positions and ranges. Use enough gun, but not more than you can shoot consistently well! 
A well shot .270 will beat a poorly shot .338 any day, IMO.


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## Horsager

Devices like the "Lead Sled" and the like are excellent range tools, but, if one is intimidated by their rifle without one then they do you no good. If you're going to shoot magnum calibers, you need to acclimate yourself to magnum recoil. Muzzle breaks are not an acceptable option either, they are just too damaging to the unprotected ear. The exception to the muzzle break rule is those with the means to acquire digital ear plugs that amplify quiet noises and muffle loud noises. I would go a step further than HH and say I'd rather hunt elk with a guy who can shoot his 243 or 30-30 well, than a guy who's scared of his new 30-06. Jerking the trigger and anticipating recoil are two dead giveaways that you're shooting too much gun.


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## Habitat Hugger

Reminds me of a guy we hunter deer with last fall. He kept getting shot after shot with his .338 and at least a couple of these shots were with me and another fellow standing beside him. You could see an obvious flinch. This guys was a big guy, about 240 - 250 pounds and his testosterone wouldn't let him admit or even consider that he had developed a flinch. We told him to bring his 25 - 06 which he did the next day and still flinched with that, I suspect a carryover from his learned flinch with the .338. When two of us standing beside him pointed out his very very obvious flinch, he got mad and went home. We all got a chuckle out of it. 
Like a gun shy dog, I think he has to go back to basics and start all over again, .22LR, .223, .243 and so on to unlearn his flinch. 
I used to be able to shoot the .300 all day with 200 grain bullets, but lately my accuracy went south. For the heck of it I loaded a couple of dummy bullets and had a guy out at the range randomly put one or two in the magazine along with the real boomers. You guessed it! I was flinching. That's why I went back to a milder load with 165 gr bullets (about like an 06) and didn't use it till I had shot a lot of prairie rats with the .17 Rem, .223, 22 - 250 and .243. Even now I don't shoot it much for fear of relearning a flinch. Maybe I'm getting old and over the hill, but being over the hill sure beats being under it! 
Don't want to hijack the thread. Just about all the above calibers are great elk medicine. I think the .270, .280 and maybe the 25 -06 are minimal for elk, although well shot they are deadly. Elmer Keith used to say one of his best elk rifles was the old .45 - 70. Makes a big hole and a good blood trail if it doesn't keel over right away. 
Anybody use anything over a .40 cal hole, or bigger than a .375?


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## NDTerminator

Using the 338 and handload I posted above, a couple days ago I took a 340-3/8" 6 point bull with an estimated live weight of 950 lbs. I dropped this bull in his tracks with one round from the big 338 mag.

The shot was 240 yards at about a 20 degree downhill angle, with the bull quartered slightly toward me. I placed the shot in the center of his shoulder; it angled through the lungs and I found the perfectly mushroomed Hornady InterBond bullet (original weight 225 grains, retained weight 167 grains) under the hide over the offside rib cage. The entrance hole under the hide through the shoulder/rib cage was about 3" in diameter, and the lungs were simply devastated. You can't ask for better performance than that.

If I might add something, I'm 5'9 and weight about 180. I regularly shoot stuff like the 338 and heavy 45-70, and do so very effectively.
Yes big rifles kick, but this is something ANYONE can learn to master with plenty of practice. I'm also a firm believer in matching the caliber & load to the target animal and expected situation.

I might also point out that most of us shoot a ton of 3" and 3.5" 12 gauge waterfowl loads every season, and think nothing of it.
These loads recoil considerably more than a high percentage of centerfire mid & big bore rifles.

I heard it said once that the only way to learn to shoot rifles that kick is to shoot rifles that kick. That means not with a Lead Sled or some such device. I use a PAST recoil shield when I'm benching the big stuff, then put it away to practice precision shooting hunting practice...


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## ND decoy

Congrats on the nice bull.


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## NDTerminator

Appreciate it. I'll never look at deer quite the same way again. Took two days to cut up & package the meat...


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## Hardsell

I have a Sako in .375 H&H that I've had for a while, and I just picked up a Winchester in .338. My twin has been shooting the same .338 for many years very successfully on deer in MN. We are both 5'3, 115lbs, give or take a pound. 
I am a firm believer in shooting what you're capable of shooting. If you can't, you have to practice. Bullet size and speed don't really matter if you can't get on target. I also enjoying shoot .44's caliber handguns. I think it has to do with the fact that my father started me out really young. 
My dad has a pre-'64 Winchester in .458 which is really a very nice rifle and suprisingly easy to shoot.


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## duckchaser

BAR 300 WIN MAG ONE 5 POINT AND TWO 6 POINT BULLS


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## Snowshark

30-06 with 165Gr. Nosler partition at 2850fps. This has worked fine. 3 elk were good broadside shots, just about any load would have done it. The other I screwed up  and hit him broadside through the rearend at 350 yards. Tracked him for 3/4 mile and finished him. Anything other than a premium bullet and that elk would have run off and died. That is the thing that i would worry about the most.


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## notags

30-378 weatherby , nobody can touch this .1000 yd rifle to the right rifleman!!!!!!!!


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## wyogoose

I shoot two elk a year with the good old 7mm Rem mag, with H-380, fedral primers and 150 gr Swift Scirocco bullets. Never needed more than one shot each even out to 350+ yds.


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## notags

wyogoose said:


> I shoot two elk a year with the good old 7mm Rem mag, with H-380, fedral primers and 150 gr Swift Scirocco bullets. Never needed more than one shot each even out to 350+ yds.


i would never shoot a elk or moose with anythimg smaller than a 30 cal, its like catching a 10lb fish with 4lb test.


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## DakotaElkSlayer

I have a 6X6 hanging on my wall that fell to the .280Rem... Guess what? If you punch a hole through both lungs on the mightiest bull on the planet, he's a dead bull. Doesn't matter if he was hit with a .25-06 or a 416 Rigby.

Jim


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## notags

DakotaElkSlayer said:


> I have a 6X6 hanging on my wall that fell to the .280Rem... Guess what? If you punch a hole through both lungs on the mightiest bull on the planet, he's a dead bull. Doesn't matter if he was hit with a .25-06 or a 416 Rigby. ya ,but if u dont, 25-06 he runs away and dies sometimes days later....416 rigby hes down even if u hit him in the hind quarters.
> 
> Jim


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## HATCHETMAN

My fave's gotta be the good ol' under appreciated 8mm Rem Mag. Recoil is equal to the .338 win mag. An elk is a tough critter, and I've seen 'em run miles with clipped lungs, broken legs, etc. Even though it wastes a little more meat, I've found the best treatment on elk is a square broadside shoulder shot. Place a good bullet like barnes x, Nos PT, etc. through both front shoulders, and they're going down. They can still run very good on 3 legs, lung shot, gut shot, etc. But they CANNOT run on two legs.


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## iwantabuggy

Horsager said:


> Devices like the "Lead Sled" and the like are excellent range tools, but, if one is intimidated by their rifle without one then they do you no good. If you're going to shoot magnum calibers, you need to acclimate yourself to magnum recoil. Muzzle breaks are not an acceptable option either, they are just too damaging to the unprotected ear. The exception to the muzzle break rule is those with the means to acquire digital ear plugs that amplify quiet noises and muffle loud noises. I would go a step further than HH and say I'd rather hunt elk with a guy who can shoot his 243 or 30-30 well, than a guy who's scared of his new 30-06. Jerking the trigger and anticipating recoil are two dead giveaways that you're shooting too much gun.


What do you think of Savages AK muzzle break?

I have one and love it. I use the break when sighting in and shooting off the bench, for comfort. I turn it off when I hunt and there is no significant shift in impact. I don't notice the recoil without the break activated when I am hunting. Unfortunately, though, I've only had the gun for one season and I haven't had a chance to use it on an elk yet. Only a bear and a deer. I shot the deer from a prone position and still have no memory of the recoil.


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## Horsager

I've seen the AK muzzle break, I've never shot one. It would only take me one time of not remembering to close it, or it turning open on it's own for me to cut it off.

After shooting half a dozen rifles with breaks, and owning two BOSS rifles I can say I don't like breaks. The BOSS system was similar with a ported and a CR end, been down that road twice, the last one I bought is at the gunsmith's as we speak having the BOSS cut off.


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