Caliber for medium range Elk

[skipglo]

Whenever recoil or lack thereof is mentioned as a factor in buying a gun I always say....find a friend with a caliber 3 times what you are hesitant to buy ......shoot ten rounds...then get your 30 Cal and shoot ten more....you will wonder what the heck you were thinking....that and limbsaver pad will make all the difference! ( Oh....and a big boy set of undies!)

 

[FEENIX]

The 280ai is equal to the 7mm rem mag the 280ai with a good barns or Nosler partishon you can kill anything in North America. Except gristly

LOL!

 

[brotherbear67]

280 AI, 7RM or a 300WM would be my first suggestion, then any of the Weatherbys after that. Being that you aren't planning to shoot that far I would also recommend loading Partitions in the 280 or the 7 RM. And yes, elk can pack off lead. They are tough critters. If you want light recoil then go with a proven bullet for penetration and controlled expansion. Good luck.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Cant stand that. People thinking the 300 is so hard on the shoulder. You dont need a 215 grain bullet in it loaded to the max. Throw a 175 grain pill in there going around 2900 with a muzzle break on it. Kicks less than my ak. Stop being a bunch of edited

Nice 3rd post!

 

[Highvoltage]

308 win with 165 accubonds. It's pretty boring but works very well.

 

[John Polk]

OK, here is the scenario.....you are a medium range 0-600 yd elk hunter. You are looking for a rifle with moderate(light as possible without a brake) recoil, under 10lbs with scope and on a model 70 action.....

the real question is what caliber? 284 Win, 280 AI, 30-06(AI or regular).....or jump to the magnum bolt face and 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Wthby, etc..

thoughts?
It depends upon the terrain. If most your shots will be below 350 yards, then a 30-06 works beautifully. If you're going beyond 300 yd., you should look at one of the medium magnums. I use a 300 Weatherby under these circumstances.
Merry Christmas!

 

[DNADave]

I would think a 150gr bullet to 180gr bullet in a .270 Wby, 7mm Wby, or even a .300 Wby would have a mild recoil and be able to push a heavier bullet for elk if needed. For the .270 Wby and 7mm Wby, you might need a faster twist than the standard 1:10.

Shooting a 168gr Barnes in my .300 Wby Mag is a completely different story than a 200gr partition.

 

[Country Bumpkin]

Cant stand that. People thinking the 300 is so hard on the shoulder. You dont need a 215 grain bullet in it loaded to the max. Throw a 175 grain pill in there going around 2900 with a muzzle break on it. Kicks less than my ak. Stop being a bunch of pu$$ies!

What is the advantage of building a gun around a cartridge that you have every intention of loading down to (to avoid recoil). You are purposely Limiting the range of bullets you will likely shoot and whatever you do end up shooting will have less-than-ideal BC for that caliber.

if your goal is to shoot 177 gr bullets, why not build something in .284 so that you can practice with 140's and 150's, then shoot the heavies for hunting (which will have even better BC than the lites)?

it's been mentioned before, recoil is subjective; so while you might feel that the 300 win isn't too much recoil, others might. You might think they are being ******'s, but they might look at you shooting your thunderstick and think you are a big knuckle-dragging Neanderthal. we can all think that everyone else is crazy, but what's right for you isn't right for everyone.

I killed a bunch of mule deer and elk with a 300 WM and it was very effective. I had a 7RM built and have killed a bunch more critters. I found it to be just the right amount of recoil in an 8-1/2 lbs scoped rifle with no brake shooting 160's. i would build it again.

 

[Forcedoutage]

What is the advantage of building a gun around a cartridge that you have every intention of loading down to (to avoid recoil). You are purposely Limiting the range of bullets you will likely shoot and whatever you do end up shooting will have less-than-ideal

I wouldn't call a 170-180 gr bullet "loading down". Especially for a 0-600 yard gun. It seems now a lot of people are wanting to consider heavy for caliber bullets as the norm. There are better rounds for heavy 30 caliber bullets. Now maybe a 300 PRC would be considered loading down for a 170-180 but def not a 300 WM.

 

[Hespco]

Years ago I used a 338 mag then moved down in recoil to the 30 mags. Used them for few years & got tired of the recoil. They have been hanging on the wall now for years. Have never missed them. Went to a 6.5, take your choice. I have 6.5x308 wild cat , 260 Rem., 6.5x55. 6.5x06 & 264 mag.. Have taken elk with all with no problem. A tough deep penetrating mono bullet like the Barnes 120 gr or Hammer 121gr. They work. Light recoil , flat trajectory & total penetration even thru heavy bone.. Save your shoulder from later years of painful arthritis. Every time you fire one of the heavy hitters it does a small amount of damage to your shoulder joint & is accumulative over the years. Only you can protect yourself.

 

[James L Holzhauer]

7 mm Remington Mag has a much energy at that range as a Wetherby 30-378 and it will not kill at both ends

 

[Country Bumpkin]

I wouldn't call a 170-180 gr bullet "loading down". Especially for a 0-600 yard gun. It seems now a lot of people are wanting to consider heavy for caliber bullets as the norm. There are better rounds for heavy 30 caliber bullets. Now maybe a 300 PRC would be considered loading down for a 170-180 but def not a 300 WM.

True, but if you find yourself on a long range hunting forum, would you not assume that heavy-for caliber (high BC) bullets are more desirable for this crowd?

 

[COBrad]

It always makes me wonder when a majority of respondents to this kind of question, medium range elk caliber, are saying you need a magnum anything, and especially a 30 cal or bigger shooting heavy bullets... Really? How many elk have some of you shot, really. You don't need any magnum to kill elk at medium ranges, you need to shoot well, don't take questionable shots- with any cartridge at any range- and use a bullet sufficient to the task. Mostly you need to shoot well. IMO use a 6.5-284 up to an '06 and you will have a gun like the OP originally asked about.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

I've shot cow elk with 7mm-08AI it's pretty solid. 140gr Ballistic Tip (moly coated) out of a 24" lilja bbl @ 3080fps DRT past 400yrds
This round is a bit hard on brass. You won't get any more than 4 reloads out of them. But, it's a shooter.