The elk caliber thread

[BreechFace]

@MCMXI That's odd about the 270Win and the 130TTSX. What did the exit hole look like on the far side of the hide?

 

[JFrank]

I used these soft points the other day on a Whitey at about 120 yards, dropped him in his tracks.
Next time maybe he’ll get gone . Who knows,

just to stay on topic... get a 30-06 ...

 

[MCMXI]

That's odd about the 270Win and the 130TTSX. What did the exit hole look like on the far side of the hide?

Nothing stands out re the exit hole which was kind of unimpressive. But here's a photo of the heart ... basically exploded.

 

[BreechFace]

@MCMXI

Looks like a perfect shot, just no impressive shock.

 

[Garandimal]

I was with a friend from Hawaii a few years ago when she shot a white-tail buck at 165 yards using a .270 Win and 130gr TTSX bullet. She shot him right at the end of legal light and we were unable to find him that night. The next morning we went back to where the buck was shot and eventually found him about 150 yards away in thick brush. There was no blood trail but when we gutted him there was a hole through the heart but he still managed to run 150 yards. Had her .270 Win been capable of delivering more hydrostatic shock perhaps the deer would have dropped on the spot and bled out. Just a theory but it put me off using .270 Win or smaller for hunting deer and elk, particularly given that it was a perfect shot under ideal conditions with an excellent bullet, and a fairly small white-tail at that.

Barnes mono-coppers - especially in the < .270 caliber, need to be driven through heavy bone to do their best work.

A Partition - will shed its nose and really tear stuff up.

Not the fault of the cartridge.




GR

 

[JFrank]

Son in law hit this big white with a 270 WSM 140 Accubond over H4831sc Blew a 1 1/2 hole all the way through so we figure it’ll take down most any Elk out to 300 yards no problem

 

[WisBorn]

I worry about minimum caliber/cartridge. I think hunters read minimum and think ideal.

The minimum caliber/cartridge is one that can ethically kill an animal at a specific range.
The minimum caliber/cartridge you should use is the one you can shoot accurately. A round that is above and delivers more energy than the minimum caliber/cartridge that ethically will kill game at a specific range.

There is no such thing as overkill. There is such a thing as under kill - that's a wounded animal.

I'm not saying that you have to shoot a 500 nitro mag, but if you can shoot a 308 or 30-06 accurately why use a 243. My choice for Elk is a 7 mag or 300 mag. And if I win the lottery before the hunt I'll buy a 8mm Rem Mag but only if I can shoot it accurately.

Safe hunting!

 

[Aletheia]

I worry about minimum caliber/cartridge. I think hunters read minimum and think ideal.

The minimum caliber/cartridge is one that can ethically kill an animal at a specific range.
The minimum caliber/cartridge you should use is the one you can shoot accurately. A round that is above and delivers more energy than the minimum caliber/cartridge that ethically will kill game at a specific range.

There is no such thing as overkill. There is such a thing as under kill - that's a wounded animal.

I'm not saying that you have to shoot a 500 nitro mag, but if you can shoot a 308 or 30-06 accurately why use a 243. My choice for Elk is a 7 mag or 300 mag. And if I win the lottery before the hunt I'll buy a 8mm Rem Mag but only if I can shoot it accurately.

Safe hunting!

So, what you are saying is "Use enough gun"? That will never catch on.

 

[WisBorn]

So, what you are saying is "Use enough gun"? That will never catch on.

You are right USE ENOUGH GUN but the minimum is not ideal.

 

[Olon]

I was with a friend from Hawaii a few years ago when she shot a white-tail buck at 165 yards using a .270 Win and 130gr TTSX bullet. She shot him right at the end of legal light and we were unable to find him that night. The next morning we went back to where the buck was shot and eventually found him about 150 yards away in thick brush. There was no blood trail but when we gutted him there was a hole through the heart but he still managed to run 150 yards. Had her .270 Win been capable of delivering more hydrostatic shock perhaps the deer would have dropped on the spot and bled out. Just a theory but it put me off using .270 Win or smaller for hunting deer and elk, particularly given that it was a perfect shot under ideal conditions with an excellent bullet, and a fairly small white-tail at that.

I've had a muledeer run about that far after I removed his pulmonary and respiratory engines with a hot 30-06 yet every kill I've made with a 243 or 270 has been pretty much DRT with the same shot placement. As Max mentioned, each animal is different.

I take my .270 over anything else for deer bc it's the rifle I like the most, shoot the most, and shoot the most accurately. Hasn't let me down so far.

 

[H&Hhunter]

There has been a fad in the last five years to use smaller and lighter calibers on bigger animals. Accuracy and precision over horse power. There is some validity to that train of thought for the dedicated stand or spot and stalk hunter. What many people don’t understand is your caliber choice should be somewhat dependent on your hunting style. If I’m busting brush at close range in dark timber I really like something with some snort, bullet weight and a deep straight line penetrating bullet. Because many times in those situations you don’t get perfect broadside shots and I can make up for that with the right caliber/bullet. I’ve shot a number of hard quartering away elk at between 50 and 200ish yards. The shot being through the point of hip all the way through the elk lengthwise and out the point of the off shoulder. That’s where a .375 or a .338 with a good bullet really shine. I wouldn’t even think about using a 6.5 or .270 in those situations.

If I’m stand hunting or spot and stalk hunting where I have time to set up and pick my shot the .338 and .375 are still good choices for me because I shoot them all the time at range and am comfortable with them. There are however better choices for purpose built long range hunting. Get good with what you have, understand your limitations, use a good bullet and go hunt.

 

[MCMXI]

I've had a muledeer run about that far after I removed his pulmonary and respiratory engines with a hot 30-06 yet every kill I've made with a 243 or 270 has been pretty much DRT with the same shot placement. As Max mentioned, each animal is different.

I take my .270 over anything else for deer bc it's the rifle I like the most, shoot the most, and shoot the most accurately. Hasn't let me down so far.

You're absolutely right and sometimes we form a personal bias without a significant amount of data to support that bias (talking about myself here). The .270 Win has been used successfully for hunting deer and elk for almost 100 years so who am I to question it's effectiveness, but it's just not on my radar for anything. A .280 AI for sure, and although I've never owned a .30-06 Sprg. I find myself looking for an excuse to buy a T3X chambered for either of those cartridges, particularly after my recent experience with a Tikka T3X TAC chambered in .300 Win Mag.

Get good with what you have, understand your limitations, use a good bullet and go hunt.

There are potentially many reasons to chose a particular rifle, cartridge, bullet combination and sometimes and for some there are none but @H&Hhunter sums it up well here.

 

[Olon]

I find myself looking for an excuse to buy a T3X chambered for either of those cartridges

Sometimes "just because" is as good a reason as any

 

[Garandimal]

You're absolutely right and sometimes we form a personal bias without a significant amount of data to support that bias (talking about myself here). The .270 Win has been used successfully for hunting deer and elk for almost 100 years so who am I to question it's effectiveness, but it's just not on my radar for anything...

Well, if it ever becomes a "blip", and you handload?

The 160 gr. Nosler Partition, over a full load of RL-26, will do some very nice work.




GR