Grizzly60
Well-Known Member
808hoghunter, go with the 300 PRC. You won't regret it. They're sweet with the brake.
6.5 prc enough gun for elk
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808hoghunter
Active Member
- Joined
- May 6, 2014
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Ammo is very hard to get on Maui… how does the 300prc do with short barrels… 22 is the max I wanna run
Grizzly60
Well-Known Member
Post 129 answered that for ya. I couldn't tell ya. I have a 26" on mine.
rellison312
Well-Known Member
I have a Jewell in my 300 wby and love it, my smith recommended it and happy he did.
30-378 Bee baby!!!!
txaggie1
Well-Known Member
If i'm going on a hunt which is costing me money for maybe a once in a lifetime deal and i have options for caliber, middle class gun with 130-140 grain bullets isn't coming to mind as my best option. That is not to say it wont do the job, believe it's been proven by many here to be just fine. Are you going to kill an elk or you going to kill a possible trophy?
I don't subscribe to the one gun for all mentality, who wants to own one gun. I have bigger calibers and they need to be shot too. I believe a well place 200 grain bullet does better than a well placed 140 grain bullet all things equal. Not sure that will be a statement which requires great debate.
Decide for yourself what is your best route not can it be done. People who shoot elk or larger game who do it regularly have a better idea and understanding of the typical hunt for the. Just because i shoot most my deer in the neck with a small caliber rifle doesn't mean you should or can. That is my typical daily hunt, allot of feedback from folks who live/hunt these animals regularly vs someone doing it 1x deal. My dream elk hunt will happen, it will be expensive and it will most likely be taken with a 300 or 340 weatherby because i have both, they shoot very well and well that's why they were purchased for large game animals. I don't shoot our 80-130lb deer with them either because it's just overkill.
Just remember that well placed shot attached to every statement, if it's not i would be sure your in shape and use to mountains and thin air. It might prove to be a long day - best of luck in your journey we hope it's memorable for you!
I don't subscribe to the one gun for all mentality, who wants to own one gun. I have bigger calibers and they need to be shot too. I believe a well place 200 grain bullet does better than a well placed 140 grain bullet all things equal. Not sure that will be a statement which requires great debate.
Decide for yourself what is your best route not can it be done. People who shoot elk or larger game who do it regularly have a better idea and understanding of the typical hunt for the. Just because i shoot most my deer in the neck with a small caliber rifle doesn't mean you should or can. That is my typical daily hunt, allot of feedback from folks who live/hunt these animals regularly vs someone doing it 1x deal. My dream elk hunt will happen, it will be expensive and it will most likely be taken with a 300 or 340 weatherby because i have both, they shoot very well and well that's why they were purchased for large game animals. I don't shoot our 80-130lb deer with them either because it's just overkill.
Just remember that well placed shot attached to every statement, if it's not i would be sure your in shape and use to mountains and thin air. It might prove to be a long day - best of luck in your journey we hope it's memorable for you!
Elk are shot at longer ranges these days, making the shot more practice-worthy and making a shot elk tougher to find. Elk are very game animals and can go quite a ways after being shot. Anchoring an elk with a larger diameter cartridge than provides good "blood trail" makes a lot of sense. Elk have very long hair that can absorb a lot of blood and diminish a good blood trail even with complete pass-thru. My 340 Wby was built just for that purpose. It has now been used on only six elk and one caribou, except for a few whitetail on which I wanted to use it. With 50 years of hunting to my credit, I really don't see ever using it again. But it gave me great confidence when I did use it as I knew I would find my animal. When the herd scattered, and elk are herd animals, tracking my biggest bull in the aspen draw, even with snow on the ground, may have been a problem without a good blood trail. He covered 350 yards after a good shot behind the shoulder at 400 yards. The Nosler Partition bullet passed completely through him and gave us a good blood trail to follow. He was bunched up in heavy cover but the larger cartridge allowed us to find him. Not finding an animal that you know you made a good shot on is your worst nightmare, and, for the traveling hunter, an anxious memory. The resident hunter has opportunities to continue looking for the animal, but not the traveler. Good luck!
ridgewalker
Well-Known Member
I am a firm believer in 30 caliber for elk. Since living in Colorado I have taken 17 elk (mostly meat cows) using 30-06 and 300 WM. As noted above you can kill one with a 223 (not legally here in Colorado). But if you're spending your time and money chasing a wonderful animal, show him the respect of a hopefully quick humane death by using enough gun.
IME&O you are making a wise decision stepping up to a 7mm. Use a tough heavy for caliber bullet that can get good expansion and penetration. You don't always have a perfect shot when a trophy shows up. IME it is often a quartering opportunity.
Best of luck in your pursuit! After the experience, you will likely be addicted to chasing elk.
IME&O you are making a wise decision stepping up to a 7mm. Use a tough heavy for caliber bullet that can get good expansion and penetration. You don't always have a perfect shot when a trophy shows up. IME it is often a quartering opportunity.
Best of luck in your pursuit! After the experience, you will likely be addicted to chasing elk.
Nipper
Well-Known Member
I'll take a 300 Win Mag. Every time. I'd rather be covered with a little more power and bullet weight. Just so I'm not second guessing myself.
19elkhunter51
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2008
- Messages
- 257
You can kill an elk with a .22 and I wager there have been a lot of elk killed with that cartridge. Is it what I would use on a once in a lifetime hunt? No.
I subscribe to the bigger, faster is better idea when it comes to elk. Don't know how many I have taken over the years but I will always believe that you owe to the elk to kill them cleanly and as immediately as you can. I started with my 30-06 then a 300WM, then a 300 Ultra Mag and I now shoot a custom 338 Edge. The Edge shoot 285 Barnes LRX into very small groups and the recoil is quite manageable. As should be, accuracy is the most important part of hunting elk. I don't care what you are shooting, a poor shot will not lead to a desirable ending.
Just my two cents and as usual, your mileage may vary.
Happy hunting and good luck!
I subscribe to the bigger, faster is better idea when it comes to elk. Don't know how many I have taken over the years but I will always believe that you owe to the elk to kill them cleanly and as immediately as you can. I started with my 30-06 then a 300WM, then a 300 Ultra Mag and I now shoot a custom 338 Edge. The Edge shoot 285 Barnes LRX into very small groups and the recoil is quite manageable. As should be, accuracy is the most important part of hunting elk. I don't care what you are shooting, a poor shot will not lead to a desirable ending.
Just my two cents and as usual, your mileage may vary.
Happy hunting and good luck!
nakneker
Well-Known Member
Hunted elk all my life and have 30+ bulls I've sent to elk heaven. Bigger isn't always better imo and the 6.5 PRC is plenty. My first elk rifle was a Remington 700 270, 130 grain core-lokts were deadly on elk. I help a lot of youth hunters on big game hunts every year, if they are young and small I have 6.5x47 I use that has several big game kills on it, a community rifle for these young hunters. Never have had a wounded animal, shot selection is important. I also have a 6.5 PRC and 7 Saum they can use, both are suppressed so recoil is mitigated a bit which helps them concentrate on the shot without dealing with flinch. I use the Saum for most of my own big hunts, it and the 6.5 PRC do a good job. We use LR Accubonds and Bergers. Shot placement over big cartridges every time in my book, to each their own. We use some bigger cartridges, we being the group I hunt but most of us are using Saums the last few years. With the brass situation I'd go 6.5 PRC today though.
To the OP. Ive been working in Hawaii for the last seven years, spend a couple weeks out of every month on one island or another. Just finished a year and half in Molokai, the hunting was a pleasant treat. We were just shooting axis deer for the meat, delicious. Gonna head over to Lanai next year and get a decent Axis buck, crazy how many deer are on those two islands. I've seen a couple black bucks on Molokai and got to run pigs a couple times too, lots of fun. Three years ago we did some wing shooting on the big island, I never knew you guys have the variety of game birds you do. It's a wing shooters paradise if you can find access to the land. I feel your pain on ammo, I always brought my own but reloading supplies and ammo are hard to get on some of those islands.
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To the OP. Ive been working in Hawaii for the last seven years, spend a couple weeks out of every month on one island or another. Just finished a year and half in Molokai, the hunting was a pleasant treat. We were just shooting axis deer for the meat, delicious. Gonna head over to Lanai next year and get a decent Axis buck, crazy how many deer are on those two islands. I've seen a couple black bucks on Molokai and got to run pigs a couple times too, lots of fun. Three years ago we did some wing shooting on the big island, I never knew you guys have the variety of game birds you do. It's a wing shooters paradise if you can find access to the land. I feel your pain on ammo, I always brought my own but reloading supplies and ammo are hard to get on some of those islands.
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I have been shooting a 6.5-06 for many years now and it is comparable to the 6.5 PRC. I few years ago I took a very large cow elk at 459 yards with a 130 grain Nosler Accubond. The elk didn't know I was anywhere in the country and I was able to take my time on a prone shot. The Accubond went through a rib behind the shoulder, destroyed everything inside and hit a rib on the exit side and left a quarter size exit hole. The cow dropped in her tracks and never took a step. The 6.5 PRC is plenty for elk if you put the bullet where it needs to be.
memtb
Well-Known Member
The key argument to your post is your very own statement…….Hunted elk all my life and have 30+ bulls I've sent to elk heaven
Those that have the opportunity to hunt elk every season ….also have the ability to carefully choose our shots and/or pass at anytime! To the person that may only get one opportunity for an elk, possibly handing out a lot of cash……he should use all of the tools available! Having a larger bore cartridge, and using a well constructed bullet …..simply improves the hunters odds by offering more opportunities for taking the shot! JMO. memtb
