Favourite elk hunting cartridge

[257 ROB]

I was wondering what everyones favourite elk hunting cartridge was, please reply it will be greatly appreciated as I am going on an elk hunt this september.

[Huntbear]

.338 WM. 3 out of 4 of in our elk camp shoot em, and the cartridge is deadly elk medicine. Elk have dropped at 100 ft - 410 yards with one shot. We shoot 210 gr. Nosler Partitions, in handloads at about 2900 fps. We practice out to 500 yards during the summer, to keep our "shooting eye" in shape. A lot of guys can not handle the recoil of a magnum, and if that is the case for you, a .338 Federal, 35 Whelen, or an 06 will do the job nicely.

In case you have not noticed, I like the big bores for elk, as well as moose and bear. Others will work and have, I am just a fan of shooting the biggest bullet I can with the most accuracy, for big animals.

[257 ROB]

I am only 13 and the 338 wm would be too much gun right now, I shoot my dads 30-06 with no problem. I'm looking at the marlin xl7 in 270 win, I'd rather be able to shoot accurately then to have loads of power and no accuracy. I know a guy that shoots elk and moose with a 257 roberts, that is a little light for elk i think. What do you think of the 7mm remington mag?

[Tommy Gun]

How about a 375 Winchester? It's a"Big Bore"

[257 ROB]

In my opinion the 375 winchester was a failed design for its class.

[versifier]

Well, in open country you have a point, but in thick cover the .375 is hard to beat for large game. It was developed as a fast heavy cover rifle for larger game and it does that job very well. Recoil in a light lever action is quite managable (on a par with a .30-30 with 170gr bullets - MUCH more shoulder friendly than either .444 or .45-70 in a light levergun) and I know several moose and bear hunters who are very fond of theirs. It would certainly do the job on an elk within its range limitations, though it would not be my first choice.

[257 ROB]

The 375 H&H is a great cartridge, my dads friend shot a bull elk at over 500 yds, he had to shoot it twice because of hunter error.

[versifier]

Personally, I think the H&H is overkill for anything on this continent, with the possible exception of the biggest bears. Firing several in a custom Mauser was enough to convince my shoulder that it is not a "fun shooting" round. I suspect the ammo makers sell a lot more .375win to Americans every year than they do.375 H&H. Anywhere there is thick brush and short ranges, there are a lot of hunters who still rely on it and their trusty win94's to fill the freezer every fall. I seriously doubt the same can be said for the H&H, an amazing round in its own right, but one more at home in Africa than here.

Maybe the circumstances were exceptional, but in my book for most hunters, a 500yd shot at a large animal is not an ethical shot. Bullet drop (300gr bullet @2500mv) is almost eight feet at 500yds. The chances of wounding at that range are too great, and even if the hit is good, I have a very low opinion of the ethics of anyone attempting such a shot, even with one of the big new magnums with much flatter trajectories.

Around here (and I know our conditions are very different than yours), most hunters are hard pressed to pass the pieplate test at 100yds - I don't know of more than a handful that shoot regularly (practice) at greater ranges, and all of them are varmint hunters. I realize that it is generally not necessary here, but knowing how lazy and unprepared many are who call themselves hunters and take to the woods in the fall, I doubt many of them out where you are act much better. Most hunters that I know are not shooters - that is, their guns are tools that they take out and use every fall for a week or two. They do not shoot recreationally and the only "practice" they get is checking their sights just before the season opens. Sadly, with increasing urbanization in the southern part of this state and overdevelopment in what were once prime habitats for huntable game, fewer of the shooters I know bother to hunt anymore, or they go to other states. It's almost as if the hunters and shooters live in two different worlds. You are lucky enough to live where more hunters have to be shooters as they can't count on an easy shot at 35-50yds, but even so, a 500yd shot at large game using a cartridge with a trajectory like a softball isn't something I would be proud of - I hope that, like with hunters everywhere else, the range was increased in the telling over the years by a couple hundred yards to make a better story.

[257 ROB]

Actually we were with him when he did it, the 375 H&H is a little big but he doesn't mind shooting it and can do so very accurately under 1 MOA at 100 yds which is pretty good when he can do it all day long.

[kodiak1]

I got two the 40-70 Sharps Straight and the 40-90 Sharps Bottle neck
Both loaded with 370 Grain paper patch Bullets over FFg Black Powder
60 and 85 Grains Respectively.
300 H&H would be my third choice.

Ken.

[Huntbear]

I agree that shooting at 500 yards for most guys is not a good option. However, if you practice at those ranges, and shoot enough, it is a doable shot. I put probably 200 rounds down range with my .338 wm, every year. It is sighted in 2.5 in. high at 100 yards. That will let me hold top of back out to 400 yards and hit the boiler room.

Out west, 300 yard shots are not uncommon. Way to much open country for it not to be. However, in the timber, 50 ft. is not uncommon either. That is why I like bigger calibers, with big bullets. If you are recoil sensitive, try a .338-06 or .338 Federal. both recoil less than magnums but will shoot to 300 yards. However, nothing replaces lots and lots of practice with any weapon you are going to use for hunting.

The 7 mag is a good round, I am just not a fan of it for elk. I think you need .30 caliber or bigger. but that is just my opinion, and we all know about opinions.

[257 ROB]

He usually shoots about 500 rounds a year, which is a lot for tht 375. I usually decide which rifle im going to use tht year and then shoot 150 to 200 rounds, plus using it for practice on coyotes and other problem animals at the farm.