what caliber ammo do uou need to hunt elk

Elk, especially mature bulls, are incredibly large and tough creatures. As a point of comparing, information technology's not unusual for a big bull to weigh 3-4x as much every bit a big-bodied whitetail or mule deer. Stories also abound of poorly hitting elk running into the next null lawmaking with no signs of slowing down. For this reason, hunters going afield afterward elk with a rifle should exist fairly armed.

Yes, shot placement is extremely important when hunting whatsoever beast, to include elk. The saying "a smaller bullet in the correct spot is better than a larger bullet in the wrong spot" does provide sage communication.

However, that only tells function of the story.

We alive in an imperfect world and even the best shooters don't place their shots exactly where they desire every single time. It's a apparently and simple fact that a more powerful cartridge does provide a bit more room for error than a smaller, less powerful cartridge. That could be the deviation between a filled tag or a crippled and lost animal in the case of a borderline hit on an elk.

The elk don't ever cooperate either. Yous might only go ane opportunity at the bull of a lifetime and he might non present a perfect broadside shot at 200 yards. However, an appropriate cartridge volition give yous some more than options on the shots you can ethically have under realistic hunting conditions.

With all that in heed, my goal with this article is to provide you lot with a couple of adept recommendations on selecting the right caliber for hunting elk.

Keep in mind that this is not an spread-out list either. Countless hunters get afield each yr with other cartridges and have great success on elk. If you fall into that group, don't accept the lack of inclusion of your favorite elk caliber on this listing every bit an insult. However, if y'all're looking for a good elk burglarize, these 5 cartridges are a skillful place to start.

While choosing the correct cartridge is extremely important, don't forget most your bullets either. Afterwards all, it'due south the bullet that kills the elk. Regardless of the cartridge you utilise, pick a well-constructed, controlled expansion bullet like the Barnes TTSX/LRX, Nosler AccuBond/Partition, or Swift A-Frame/Scirocco (just to name a few). Those bullets will provide the terminal performance necessary to punch through the heavy bones and thick muscles of a large bull elk to reach the vitals from a variety of shooting angles.

Permit'due south go started...

7mm Remington Magnum

300 Winchester Magnum (L) vs 7mm Remington Magnum (R)

The 7mm Remington Magnum was a big commercial success for Remington when it started hitting shelves in the early on 1960s. Hunters fell in love with the high velocity, flat-shooting cartridge from the very outset.

However, the cartridge got a reputation amongst elk hunters every bit a "wounder" afterward a couple of years.

This was primarily because 7mm Mag mill ammo initially used bullets poorly suited to the high velocities produced by the cartridge. Those lightweight, thin jacketed bullets performed very well at the more than sedate velocities produced by the 7mm Mauser, only would expand far too apace, sometimes explosively, upon bear upon when fired at 7mm Rem Mag velocities (about 400-500fps faster).

In those cases, bullet penetration was terrible, sometimes non fifty-fifty reaching the vitals when striking a bone or a heavily muscled shoulder. The result was some horrific flesh wounds that were oftentimes not immediately fatal to the elk. Fortunately, that trouble has since been fixed and hunters now have access to an first-class option of high-quality 7mm bullets that perform very well on really big game like elk.

Hunters using lightweight 140gr bullets designed for deer hunting may still experience bug with poor penetration today, but the 7mm Remington Magnum is absolutely mortiferous on elk when using premium quality 160-175gr bullets.

All in all, the cartridge offers great external ballistics and very good terminal functioning with moderate recoil. Go a good quality burglarize chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum, or a cartridge offer similar operation like the.280 Ackley Improved , and you lot'll be well-armed for elk season.

thirty-06 Springfield

.270 Winchester (50) vs .30-06 Springfield (R)

It's over a century old, so the .30-06 is far from the latest and greatest affair. However, hunters have been killing elk (and all sorts of other game) with the onetime aught-half-dozen since it was first released in the early days of the 20th Century.

The cartridge doesn't have the center-popping ballistics of the mod super magnums, just the .30-06 is notwithstanding an extremely capable elk quotient at reasonable hunting ranges. It has significantly less recoil than almost magnum cartridges as well.

Indeed, simply about any elk outfitter would adopt to have a hunter arrive in campsite with a well-worn .xxx-06 that he or she can shoot well than a brand new magnum. Loaded with loftier quality 180 grain bullets, the .30-06 Springfield is a dependable elk slayer.

.300 Winchester Magnum

While the .30-06 is a great all-around hunting caliber, the .300 Winchester Magnum does provide a chip more than horsepower for hunters who want to wring a picayune more than operation out of a .30 caliber cartridge. Provided the hunter can bargain with the actress recoil that comes along with the .300 Win Mag, that extra ability tin come up in handy on elk.

Using the aforementioned .308" diameter projectiles as the .30-06, the .300 Win Magazine can either shoot the same weight bullet about 200fps faster, or shoot a heavier bullet at a similar speed. This results in a flatter trajectory, more resistance to wind drift, and more retained energy at a longer range.

There's also an outstanding selection of really skilful quality 180 grain, 190 grain, and 200-grain bullets for the .300 Win Mag that offer reliable penetration and controlled expansion on elk at virtually any reasonable hunting range. Add together it all up and you have an extremely versatile and effective cartridge

Not surprisingly, the .300 Win Mag is extremely popular and highly regarded amid serious elk hunters.

.338 Winchester Magnum

Since it first hit shelves in the late 1950s, the .338 Winchester Magnum has long been a favorite of North American hunters who need a serious rifle cartridge for serious hunts. The cartridge hits really hard at typical hunting ranges while at the same fourth dimension offering a dandy mix of a reasonably flat trajectory and manageable recoil (for many hunters anyway).

The cartridge shoots .338" diameter bullets that have approximately 20% more frontal surface area than the .30 caliber bullets used past the .30-06 and .300 Win Mag. The 225gr and 250gr bullets commonly used by elk hunters in the cartridge also accept a high sectional density, which helps with penetration.

So, those larger diameter bullets hit like a sledgehammer and penetrate well, both of which are platonic characteristics when dealing with less than ideal shot angles on elk. As long as you tin can shoot it accurately, the .338 Win Mag tin absolutely hammer elk.

Those same characteristics make the .338 Winchester Magnum a overnice cartridge to employ while elk hunting in grizzly state. In the unlikely issue that y'all need to defend yourself from a deport on your elk hunt, then y'all can take some condolement in knowing that the .338 Win Mag is likewise extremely effective on fifty-fifty the biggest bears.

Unfortunately, recoil can be an result for some hunters with the .338 Win Mag. Many hunters can deal with that recoil without any trouble, but not everybody tin. Some hunters are tempted to put a muzzle brake on their rifle to assistance tame that extra "kick." Yet, while muzzle brakes are effective at doing just that, they also raise the muzzle blast.

That cage blast can cause permanent hearing impairment to anybody in the immediate vicinity not wearing ear protection. The muzzle blast is especially severe for people standing next to you while you shoot (like your guide), so actually call back hard before putting a cage brake on a big magnum rifle. If you're struggling with recoil, consider stepping down to a less powerful load instead of using a restriction.

All that said, if you can handle the .338 Win Magazine and place your shots where they need to go, and so you lot can go afield with what may be the best all-around elk caliber in common use today.

half-dozen.5 Prc

Left-to-Right: 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag, half dozen.5 Cathay

The incredible popularity of the 6.5 Creedmoor has helped conductor in an unprecedented corporeality of interest in six.5mm cartridges among North American hunters in contempo years. Well, the half-dozen.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge (6.5 Red china) is essentially the bigger brother to the 6.5 Creedmoor and shoots the same weight bullet about 200-250fps faster.

In general, while they don't hit with nearly as much power equally the bigger bore cartridges we only discussed, half dozen.5mm cartridges like the half dozen.5 Creedmoor, .260 Remington, 6.5 Swede, and 6.v Cathay tend to use very high sectional density bullets that penetrate well and help them "dial in a higher place their weight."

Those smaller cartridges are likewise generally very accurate and have a very mild recoil, both of which help facilitate adept shot placement. When using bullets like a 127 grain Barnes LRX, a 140 grain Swift A-Frame, or a 143 grain Hornady ELD-X, the vi.5 China tin be darn constructive on even the biggest bull elk.

If y'all have a hankering to use a 6.5mm cartridge on elk, and so the half dozen.v Cathay is probably the best ane for the job. However, for all the strengths of the 6.5 Mainland china, it is not in the same grade as cartridges like the 7mm Rem Mag or .300 Win Mag.

Yeah, the six.5 People's republic of china will go the task done with good shot placement, but your margin of fault will be a niggling smaller and you should probably be more careful nigh which shots you lot do (and don't) take when using it.

As long equally you take the limitations of the cartridge and don't try to push the envelope with it, then the 6.v Mainland china volition serve yous well afield.

Header Photo by @toppriorityhunting

---

Like what you see? Yous can read more than great articles past John McAdams on the Big Game Hunting Web log  or subscribe to his podcast, the Big Game Hunting Podcast .

jenningstoret1941.blogspot.com

Source: https://exomtngear.com/blogs/article/5-cartridges-to-consider-for-elk-hunting