Long range elk cartridge

[eflatminor]

I've decided to build a rifle designed for Western elk that is capable with long range shots. What do you think is the ideal cartridge for this purpose? So far I've shortlisted:
8mm Remington Mag
338 Win Mag
350 Remington Mag
375 H&H Mag

What do you think? Have I missed one to consider?

 

[Rebailey]

Elk Rifle

.300 Weatherby Magnum with 200 gr. Nosler

 

[Bowtie]

#1 would be.30-378 weatherby or #2 .300 remington ultramag. But with the weatherby .30-378 factory loads you are talking $100 plus for 20 factory rounds. .300 rum you are looking at $50 to $70 for 20 rounds. I have a .300 weatherby, and I have hunted elk and mulies with that round for 15 years and love it , but if I was going to buy a new rifle I would probably go with a .300 rum. It has slighly better balistics than the .300 weatherby with factory loads. I do not reload so I base that decision on factory load info.

 

[Javelin]

.300 winchester mag is my vote for a long range elk/anything round.

 

[eliphalet]

Of your choices I would choose the 338.

 

[Javelin]

8mm Remington Mag
338 Win Mag
350 Remington Mag
375 H&H Mag

What is so alluring about these calibers? They are heavy, slow, and offer alot of muzzle energy... but thats the extent of it. I am just asking because for distance shooting you need quite a bit of velocity to keep a decent size bullet flying straight with accuracy.

 

[Harve Curry]

It would be helpful to know how far is a long range shot for you?
7mm STW is a good one. Pick the cartridge for how far you want to shoot.

 

[brian923]

i would say 7mm rem mag, and more better, the 7 STW. go to berger bullets website, and look for their FREE hunting with berger bullets DVD. its great. they use the 7stw out to 1000 yards with antolope, and shoot a lot of nice elk, around 600 yards. its really cool, and again, FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


edit... i think that you have to contact them v.i.a email and they will send you one. its worth it.

 

[birdbustr]

By the way I have a 7mmSTW and as much as I love it, the factory ammo is getting harder to find, so you probably want to be a reloader before considering it. Also, before anyone else says it the 7mm RUM is very close to the same ballistacally speaking. Eventhough the 7mm RUM has a little more case space for powder, both the 7mmSTW and RUM have more than enough room for powder to push 150gr bullets to 3400-3500fps.

 

[Phelptwan]

.348 Winchester

 

[Bwana John]

Umm, I shot my elk last year with a 7mm Mauser.

I KNEW I should have used the .375H&H!

 

[one-shot-one]

.338 rem ultra mag
.330 dokota

of the ones you listed i like:
1. .338 win mag (the elk round imho)
2. 8mm rem mag

 

[skinewmexico]

Where did this myth start that to hunt in the West you had to have a special, long range cannon. Elk were hunted almost to extinction with the 30-30. A 30-06, good ballistic chart, and a rangefinder will do you as much good as a "magnum".

 

[Charles S]

I've decided to build a rifle designed for Western elk that is capable with long range shots. What do you think is the ideal cartridge for this purpose? So far I've shortlisted:

First, what do you consider long range?

None of the cartridges you list are really truly long range cartridges.

The 8mm is the closest with ballistics very similar to the 300 Win Mag. The 338 Winchester offers little in improvement over the 30-06 as far as long range ballistics, it does however produce more energy with bullets of a little better sectional density, increased bullet weight, and increases frontal area.

The 350 Remington Magnum is not a long range cartridge and offers no improvement over the 35 Whelen. The 375 H&H magnum is not really a long range cartridge however it can be made to work in a pinch.

If recoil is not a problem, and I assume it is not since you are considering the 375 H&H magnum, then I would consider the 300 RUM, 300 Weatherby, 30-378 Weatherby, the 338 RUM, the 340 Weatherby Magnum, 338-378 Weatherby and the 358 STW. These cartridges also produce very significant recoil and a lot of muzzle blast. The Dakota and Lazeroni cartridges should be considered if cost is not an option.

If one is a little more recoil sensitive then consider the 7mm Remington Magnum, 7 STW, and 300 Winchester Magnum.

Honestly any of those mentioned cartridges produce adequate energy with bullets of adequate weight and sectional density to kill elk beyond 400 yards.

.348 Winchester

Offers no ballistic improvement over the 35 Whelen and is not really a long range cartridge.

Good luck.

 

[Eric F]

long range? how long? the 350 rem mag would land you in the unique catagory but it is not and to my knowledge ever been in the long range catagory. But it was never marketed that way either. 375 IMO is overkill
.30 is plenty if you push it fast enough. So with that if you want exotic try the 350 balisticaly speaking it can work but is not proven. #00 win mag and 300 rum would be easier to find ammo for and/or reload.

 

[ptrumble1]

338 Win Mag

 

[moosehunt]

Well, I made just exactly such. It's a .320 DGC. Shoots a .323 (8mm) 200 grain bullet at 3200 fps. With Barnes XLC bullets I've had shoot-throughs at 405 yards on elk sized game. It fits a standard (i.e. '06) length action. I designed it from scratch and have the only reamer. I would consider renting it, and would lead you through case forming, etc. Hornady has already made a set of dies, so that should help. I considered the .338 Win. the ideal elk cartridge for years. This is much better.

 

[1911NM]

Dunno, my grandfather and my father shot more elk with a 250 Savage than anything else. Dad inflicted me with a mean kicking light weight 30-06 when I was a kid, and I have never found reason for anything heavier while hunting the West.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I shot mine at 40 yards with an -06

I've decided to build a rifle designed for Western elk that is capable with long range shots.

What is so alluring about these calibers? They are heavy, slow, and offer alot of muzzle energy... but thats the extent of it.

I agree with Javelin, if you want long range accuracy I would think more on the lines of 7MM or 300 instead of .338 and up.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I have a question. If a .338 is a long range round how is a .375H&H not?

(Sorry guys I am a .375H&H geek!)

It gets the nearly the same velocity for the same SD as a .338.

My recommendation of the above are either a .338 or a .375.

With the edge going to the .338 in a nice light weight package. Of course the .375 is much more cool.

The .350 RM is not a bad choice either but it does lack in the velocity department fairly badly.

 

[culito]

Shot mine with .300 H&H, no problem

 

[H&Hhunter]

Get them all that'll give you an excuse to hunt at least 4 seasons for elk. you can try a new caliber every year!

 

[coelacanth]

"Western Elk" hunting can cover an enormous . . . . .

range of terrain types and hunting conditions. You've certainly chosen calibers which are up to the task of a clean quick kill on the largest elk but there may be a significant recoil penalty. Say you get drawn for an elk hunt in the rim country of Arizona - Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Altitude ranges from 7000 to over 9000 feet in the prime habitat range and believe me friend, some of that territory is very rugged. If you are fortunate your shot will come at well under a hundred yards across an aspen grove but you may well have to settle for a 400 yard shot with the sun glaring in your face assuming you get a shot at all. I say all this to remind you that your rifle will be carried a great deal more than it will be shot so you want to keep it as light as is practical. None of the calibers you listed are any fun at all to shoot in a light rifle. I still remember the time I touched off the then new .350 Remington magnum in Big Green's first offering. If you look closely you can still see the scar above my eyebrow. Owie.
The Canadians have been taking elk and moose for the better part of a century with the .303 British and the Scandinavians have been doing the same with the 6.5mm Swede and 7.62x54. I'm not trying to get you on the milsurp bandwagon but some astonishingly nice rifles for calibers in the 6.5mm through .30 cal. range have been made and they are generally easier to pack than the heavier calibers. I don't think there's any real advantage to be gained from carrying something as capable as the .375 for elk and I have never handled a safari rifle that I would willingly bring along for a daylong jaunt in the Rockies. They're just too heavy. My 2 cents worth - Good luck and good hunting.

 

[Leanwolf]

My cousin has killed 22 bull elk with his pre-'64 Featherweight Mdl. 70 Winchester, in .308 Win. He's killed them here in Idaho, in Colo., Wyom., and Mont. No problems.

I know an elderly man who no longer hunts who has killed over 30 bull elk with his old Savage 99 in .300 Savage.

Shot placement is the key.

FWIW.

L.W.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Say you get drawn for an elk hunt in the rim country of Arizona - Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Altitude ranges from 7000 to over 9000 feet in the prime habitat range and believe me friend, some of that territory is very rugged. If you are fortunate your shot will come at well under a hundred yards across an aspen grove but you may well have to settle for a 400 yard shot with the sun glaring in your face assuming you get a shot at all.

I shot mine in Unit #9. No 100 + yard shots there unless you catch them out in the open. ONly time we found elk up there was in the deep timbers.