7-08 and 30-06 long range hunting.

[Swift One]

What are your guys' opinions on using the 7-08 and 30-06 hunting at ranges up to 500yds for Whitetail Deer and possibly Elk? can the 7-08 handle it on larger game like Elk?

[Coyboy]

Both cartriges are very acceptable for deer out to and beyond 500 yards. With the right bullets and as always good shot placement Elk can be taken with either cartrige.

[biff's reloading]

many elephants and buffalo in africa have been taken with a lesser cartrige, and i know either one would kill me if i was shot with em, and as long as the shot is well placed, im sure they would kill an elk as well. it depends on how good you plan on making the shot, and what if you flub up? that 7mm08 has enuf poop to git er done im sure, but do you? i doubt all those buffalo would have fallen to a 7x57 or '06 if the shooter hadnt made a perfect shot.

but then, if you plan on making the perfect shot so you dont need a big gun, why not just carry a light 243win or 25-06? i think that for long distance big game like elk or bears, a magnum of 7mm or larger should be the gun.

[Swift One]

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but then, if you plan on making the perfect shot so you dont need a big gun, why not just carry a light 243win or 25-06?

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Yes, I understand the old "kill the whitetail with the 22LR" theory. That is not what I am asking about. I am not trying to get away with the minimum amount of FPE necassary to harvest an animal. I am simply asking if the two cartridges mentioned were suitable for big game such as Elk.

I have been reading a lot about Elk hunting and it seems that a lot of the guides are saying that quite a few hunters arrive "overgunned" for the occasion. I have read that for Elk, anything from a .270 to a 300 Win Mag would be suitable for Elk size game. What I am wondering is if those cartridges (7-08 and 30-06) are suitable for 200yds and under or will they deliver the FPE needed at ranges of up to 500yds?

Biff's reloading,

You are right about shot placement. I think that a shooter owes it to the animal to make a shot at no greater distance than the shooter's own limitations to make well placed shot under field conditions.

[Coyboy]

Swift one, At 2700fps a 162gr a-max will have 1635fpe at 500 yards, assuming an altitude of 6,000 feet. All the gun writters in the world consider this minimum on elk. This same bullet would still carry over 1,000 fpe to 900 yards.

Want a stouter bullet? The 154 grain Interbond at 2800 fps will have 1533 fpe at 500 yards and still have over 1,000 fpe at 800 yards.

So is the 7mm 08 a 500 yard elk gun? yes. If I was hunting smallish bulls and cows I wouldn't have a problem carrying one. If after a trophy bull I would grab the 30-06 at a minimum. Shot placement has to be good, as with anything, it's just assumed your going to put the bullet where it needs to go.