Vote poll; Short action standard caliber for elk??

[Outcast]

Originally Posted by LJalberta

Yessir.

X3.
I wonder how many elk people have actually killed that think they need a magnum. I shot 11 bulls with a 338 back when I read the BS required energy crap, and none died any quicker than the last one with a 243 and 95 ballistic tip. I haven’t shot anything bigger than a 270 in the last 5-6 years and most animals with 6.5 and 6mm.

[Twisted Canuck]

Really, nobody needs more then a .223, or .243, or a 6.5 Grendel shooting a ballistic tip, to kill anything in the world. As long as all the circumstances and variables are just exactly perfectly right to accomodate that perfect shot. And that happens all the time in hunting. Just not for me.

Each to their own.

[byronick87]

Thanks all for the replies.
I’m gonna try and find a load for that 308 with a bonded or copper bullet before the seasons tarts but if no luck, I think I’ll dust off that 6.5 with the Barnes 127gr.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Really, nobody needs more then a .223, or .243, or a 6.5 Grendel shooting a ballistic tip, to kill anything in the world. As long as all the circumstances and variables are just exactly perfectly right to accomodate that perfect shot. And that happens all the time in hunting. Just not for me.

Each to their own.

Should be all you need for coastal brown bears. Wouldn't go over 400 yards though. Berger bullet should do the job if ballistic tips are getting too expensive. Personally I'd go .223 over a .243, save yourself 25 cents in powder


This thread is funny...and yet sad

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Should be all you need for coastal brown bears. Wouldn't go over 400 yards though. Berger bullet should do the job if ballistic tips are getting too expensive. Personally I'd go .223 over a .243, save yourself 25 cents in powder


This thread is funny...and yet sad

I don't see the sad part. I have been hunting for 55 years,in all that time I have lost one animal that I shot personally. A bull moose that I shot with a 1st generation Berger "Hunting" bullet out of a 7 Rem Mag, when I was about 25, so a very long time ago. Shot was about 60 yards and I saw it blow up on the hair right behind the shoulder where I was shooting. I could see the bald spot before the moose turned and took off. Tracked that moose for three days, after an hour, no blood at all. Berger had so many complaints about that kind of thing they dramatically changed the hunting bullet construction. It ****ed me off so bad, I NEVER used another Berger bullet again, target or hunting.

A decent bullet of any calibre, put behind the shoulder or in the brain pan, just plain kills. Now others have talked about smaller guns needing a quality shot and ensuring proper bullet placement, I hold to that whether I am using my 375 Ruger or a 243. I have passed up lots of shots, but I have also killed a ton of game with all manner of cartridges and muzzle loaders, and have never had to chase it anywhere.

[huntingfamily]

"You shouldn't choose a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right, you should choose one that will do the job when everything goes wrong"
- Bob Hagel

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by huntingfamily

"You shouldn't choose a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right, you should choose one that will do the job when everything goes wrong"
- Bob Hagel

The reason everything goes wrong is the hunter failed to do his job properly! A moose shot in the ass or guts with a 375 H&H, still isn't going to be recovered, at least not while the meat is any good. I have tracked lots of game shot by others, many for days. Everyone was due to poor shot placement and it mattered not how big the gun was.

The one exception to this would be charging Cape Buffalo, wounded bear and the like. In that specific case where waiting for the perfect shot is not one of the options, bigger is definitely better, but you damn well better be able to shoot large recoil under pressure.

This says it in much greater detail than I would but it is in my mind, spot on.

https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/r...e-magnum-myth/

[fordtruckin]

I use a .308 with 165gr accubond. Last elk I shot the bullet went through the elk and kept on going. Elk ran about 50' and piled up. Elk before that shot with same bullet took 2 or 3 steps and dropped. A 308 is more than adequate for elk but I don't know much about your Speer BTSP.

[Twisted Canuck]

That's a good article Dean, but I don't see it saying anything different then what the majority of replies here have said. You don't need an ubër magnum, the .308 will work fine, use a good bullet for the purpose, and put your shot in the heart/lungs. What has been suggested here that is different to that basic philosophy? The only disagreement I see is on bullet type/construction. We all have our own firsthand experience, and may have a different opinion on what is preferable. Hence, each to his own.