What is YOUR minimun caliber for elk

[leathermanwave]

For normal elk hunting what is the smallest caliber you would feel comfortable using.

 

[leathermanwave]

Despite My signature mine is 30 06 or larger.

 

[freakshow10mm]

6.5x55 Swede or 7mm-08 for rifle. I prefer 375 H&H Mag or 45/70.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Usual rule of thumb is, "Nothing under .30 Caliber, with the exception of the 7mm Remingrton Magnum."

My elk rifle is Bigfoot Wallace, a custom '03 in .35 Brown-Whelen.

 

[bailer]

I'm content with either my .264 or .308. In 2 months I'll be out chasing cows with my bow.

 

[Eric F]

50-90 sharps............oh wait you said minimun 7mm mag or equilivent for modern. For old stuff 40-60 sharps.

I am just a big fan of sharps.

 

[redneckrepairs]

I have taken elk with as small as 6mm rem . However my normal elk calibers are either .308 or 30-06 . The 6mm was a " spare rifle " situation where it was the only center fire spare rifle i had to take , not a real choice and the shot taken was under 200 yards . for myself tho either a .308 or 06 i am comfortable with , and ammo can be bought at a mom and pop store if needed . In all my elk hunting i normally take a fresh box of ammo ( 20 rounds and i buy two at the same time , one to tune sighting if needed ( and used for coyotes if not ) and one to take hunting ) . Ill load up for the day by loading the mag , and sticking a mag load +1 in a pocket , I figure i only need one or two but if i see a n animal gimping on 3 legs ill anchor him and wait to see if anyone shows up to put a tag on him . Running game ( no matter the number of legs that work ) at 400 yards or so are not fun to shoot . If a coyote will stand still out to 440 to 500 i can hit him well with the first shot . and i use that as a rule of thumb for big game . no more yardage and as a rule since the common .30s work well then no less caliber .

 

[MCgunner]

.308

 

[bailer]

The problem with these threads is that there's so much overlap in the loadings of various cartridges. Once it's agreed that a 7mag is acceptable, I can argue that my warm 130 grain Barnes load for my .264 is indistinguishable downrange. If I than say I'm comfortable with the .264 out to 300 yards, what about a Swede or .260 at 150 yards? A warm .270 would fall somewhere in between...

Screw it, I'm selling everything and buying an 06.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I'm no expert, but 6.5x55 swede bare minimum; preferably .270 win or bigger.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

the 6.5 would be fantastic, it has been used succesfully in Finland on Moose for many, many years.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I'll agree with the 6.5...I've never hunted elk with one, but I know enough about ballistics to safely say it would work fine.

My own preference though would be a 308 Winchester.

 

[rnr4me]

Minimum? .270 w/ good bullet placement. Usually I use my .06 Ack Imp.

 

[Pat McCoy]

.250 Savage or .45 roundball in muzzleloading season.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

30-30 or 45# recurve bow with aluminum 2219 arrows and Zwickey Eskimos.

 

[pbrktrt]

i'd bet more elk have been killed with the 30-30, 270 win, & 30-06 than all other calibers combined. as with any game, shot placement is the key.

 

[280shooter]

DITTO pbrktrt
I bet more elk were killed with 30-30 then any other cal.

 

[cjanak]

"i'd bet more elk have been killed with the 30-30, 270 win, & 30-06 than all other calibers combined. as with any game, shot placement is the key."

Way to go out on a limb there!

You've inspired me to claim that more pheasants have been killed with the 12gauge, the 20 gauge and the 16 gauge then all other gauges combined.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

Personal minimum 6.5 - actual preference .375

Personal minimum 6.5 which I don't own - actual current preference .375 mostly for the romance.

Depending on what was in the collection .270 or .30-'06 with good bullets and appropriate loads (loads depending on application I used a 742 in .30-'06 for woods/heavy cover rifle for a while and my bolt loads of 200 grain with H205 didn't work very well in the gas auto).

I've seen times I could have taken good elk with the High Standard .22 Magnum Rim Fire I've sometimes used for casual slaughter. I've also looked at elk skeletons from trophy animals and I'm more comfortable with an ample cartridge and a good bullet. As a practical matter in the current collection a .308 Carbine. I'd feel comfortable with a 6.5 Swede up but taking shots at closer ranges or picking my shots compared to cartridges that might carry more power farther down range. Lack of anything better I'd hunt elk with a .25-'06 but I'd feel handicapped by it.

 

[Leanwolf]

My .280 Remington with my handloads using a 160 grains Nosler Partition bullet. Usually I use a .338 Win. Mag., but have also had excellent performance from my .280 Rem.

Over the years, my cousin, recently deceased, killed 22 bull elk with his Win. 70 Featherweight .308 Win., using 180 grains factory ammo. He didn't have any problem, but he was an excellent shot, also.

FWIW.

L.W.

 

[Samuel Adams]

+1 on .30 caliber or larger however I know a guy that took one with a .243. He shot 5 times at over 200 yards. The elk walked into the woods and was found about 100 yards down a trail. All 5 .243 bullets went through the heart.

 

[mbt2001]

.257 Roberts...

Actually it is my favorite round all told, I think it one of the most underated rounds out there. Not a lot of recoil, can be had in light carbine rifles, brings the pain...