Elk hunt cartridge

[fels340]

I have taken 5 bulls, all with a .340.   The first was with a 210gr Nosler Partition.   The others were with Barnes 225gr X bullets.  Both of these worked extremely well.  Shots were from 75-405 yards. I would not have any problem with using a .300 Weatherby.  Great caliber for elk.  I know that elk can be taken with much smaller calibers but I prefer the larger ones.   A .270 with correct shot placement will kill an elk efficiently.  However, when hunting, things aren't always ideal.  That's why I go for the larger calibers.  I have a .270 Weatherby that I have killed caribou with but I prefer the .340 for elk.  It's just a little more forgiving if things aren't completely ideal.  The .300 Weatherby would serve you well.  Don't let anyone talk you out of it if you like it and shoot it well.  Good luck with your hunt. 

[badsection]

I have taken 5 bulls, all with a .340.   The first was with a 210gr Nosler Partition.   The others were with Barnes 225gr X bullets.  Both of these worked extremely well.  Shots were from 75-405 yards. I would not have any problem with using a .300 Weatherby.  Great caliber for elk.  I know that elk can be taken with much smaller calibers but I prefer the larger ones.   A .270 with correct shot placement will kill an elk efficiently.  However, when hunting, things aren't always ideal.  That's why I go for the larger calibers.  I have a .270 Weatherby that I have killed caribou with but I prefer the .340 for elk.  It's just a little more forgiving if things aren't completely ideal.  The .300 Weatherby would serve you well.  Don't let anyone talk you out of it if you like it and shoot it well.  Good luck with your hunt.

  +1 My retired elk outfitter always said  "minimum" is 270 Win for a perfect angle and near perfect distance. I have seen more "imperfect angles and distances" than "perfect"  There ain't no such thing as too much gun. As I said before, take what you shoot best in a reasonable caliber with a good bullet!  My last trip was with a 300 Win Mag.  Bad angle and distance (cross wind) put a yearling in jeopardy . I passed! 

[truck driver + 2]

Just do your self a favor and use a premium bonded bullet or partition type that will perform well in the 300Bee.

[WA Mtnhunter]

The .300 Weatherby with any sturdy 165 - 180 grain bullet is one of the ultimate elk hunting calibers! I have put down elk dead right there with single hits with the .300 Roy.  Actually, I have used the 7mm Weatherby more than the .300 Weatherby on successful deer and elk hunts.  The .300 Bee is way more than adequate for anything in North America! anyone who says not is smoking something...

[buffybr]

badsection and jimincolo hit the nail square on the head, bullet placement is more important than bullet diameter.

When I moved to Steamboat Springs in the late 60's I asked this same question to the locals that I worked with there.  Their answer was either the .270 Win or the .30-06.  They commented that only the city dudes from Denver brought up big guns like the .300 Win to hunt elk.  I then killed my first elk, a 5x5 bull, with a borrowed .30-40 Krag, and I followed their advise and built my first centerfire rifle, a .30-06 that I then used to kill 8 of my first 10 elk.

When I moved to Montana in the mid 70's, my new hunting partner showed me a .30 Gibbs cartridge, and I thought that it looked so cool that I had my .30-06 rechambered to that cartridge.  I then killed 20 some elk and a couple of Shiras moose bulls with that cartridge shooting 180 grain Nobler Partition bullets.

The ballistics of the .30 Gibbs is very close to the .300 Win which I now think is an outstanding elk cartridge, one because it is flat shooting and has sufficient energy for elk, and two because I think it is about the most powerful cartridge that most people can shoot without becoming afraid of the recoil of their rifle.

Several years ago I retired my .30 Gibbs and built my dream elk rifle, a .300 Weatherby.  With this rifle I've killed bull elk with both Barnes TSX and TTSX 168 grain bullets, but I am now switching to 180 grain TTSX bullets.

[Spendit]

YEP - that's a 300 Bee throwing a 200grain factory ammo partition - New Mexico @ 10,000 feet - he has 150 yards looking dead at me......one trigger pull and zero movement. That was day 2 - I wont talk about day one and thinking my hunt was over after punching a hole in the ground with round one and two........

[Chris338378]

The .300 Weatherby will definitely do the job with quality 180 grain heads.  Personally my first choice out of my guns would be my .338-378 because it's very accurate and I know exactly where it's going to hit out to 400 yards.  My other choices would be my .340 Weatherby, .338 Winchester Magnum, 8mm Remington Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, or .300 Winchester Magnum.  They all will do the job as long as you place your shots well and use quality bullets.  The first piece of advice I would give anyone is use a rifle you can shoot accurately, if you can't do that it doesn't matter if you're using a .458 Winchester Magnum since if you can't hit it in the right spot you're either miss it or worse yet it'll run off and die a slow miserable death somewhere and in the end you might not get it.

[7mmweatherby]

Cal/ cartridge that deliver 1500 pds energy @ point impact and you shoot comfortably accurately and lots practice in different weather conditions with quality bullets put most elk on the ground every time

Could be 308 win to 338-378 wby what you comfortable with and good shot placement myself use 270 win or 7mm rem mag

[7mmweatherby]

Some classic calibers for elk
30-06 Springfield
300 savage
250 savage
30 wcf
38-55 win
45-70 government
270 wcf
35 rem
30-40 kriag
Iam sure there others around turn of century

[7mmweatherby]

Forget to mention 300h&h

[wyominghunter]

It is kind of a shame...I would like to hunt elk with a lever action, but it kind of puts you at a disadvantage.

It isn't easy to find the right elk area to make those rifles (and cartridges) a good option.

[jimincolo]

Thinking back over the last 4 or 5 years, there have been only 2 elk taken by our camp that could not have been downed with an open sighted lever gun. Over half at under 100 yards & most of the rest between 100 & 200. Three plus decades ago, I shot my first two elk with a 30-30 Trapper at 45 & 70 yards.

A Model 71 replica in .348 makes a dandy elk rifle. My .358 isn't too bad either. I have a hunting buddy who almost always carries his Savage 99.

There s just something special about carrying a lever gun in the mountains. It's a tradition thing for sure.

Jim

[7mmweatherby]

Now them classic calibers mentioned in previous post of not being up to par as far as today's cartilages well that got Roy Weatherby designing what we have today back in mid 40's improvement in ballistics and one best firearm design ever built Mark V Weatherby

I don't want take nothing away from our grand fathers lever action or single shots because that's what they had and made the most of it

Roy's superior ballistics back then and still to this day changed way hunt

Have good evening Mike
 

[wyominghunter]

It is extremely difficult to get on elk in thick trees and cover...they are really good in the thick stuff. Of course, not all elk country makes a 300 yard shot possible (no opportunity).

I'm competent with open sights to 100-150 yards (at least standard open sights), but I'm sketchy beyond that. I would really have to practice at 200 yards or more.

Plus...there is always that chance the 400+ class dream bull is standing at the edge of the timber...just out of reach of iron sights.

It is for that reason only that I don't recommend an (unscoped) lever action. Otherwise...I think they're extremely cool and nostalgic.

[truck driver + 2]

Saw an old add for Winchester Western ammo and in a Lever action the 348Win was the caliber of choice for Elk and large bear.