Elk rifle minimum question.

[catslayer]

I’ll be going in a few weeks with my .260 pushing 130gr Accubonds@ 2890fps. I feel it will be plenty of gun in side 400 yards.

I'm with this guy...

Keep it inside 400 and you'll do fine

Edit... I would take 2 guns... Cause you never know what might happen and having a back up in the truck could save a trip

[trjones87]

.260 Rem. Been shooting it extremely well and have confidence that the bonded bullet will hold its form and do everything it was designed to. I've yet to meet anyone that enjoys shooting a .300 mag.

its just one shot...hopefully....muzzle brake helps

yes ill be that guy from TX with the WM

I went on DIY over the counter hunt last season and had no idea what to expect. I left home with a 300wm Sendaro, 308 Savage Model 10, 270 Rem 700 and 12gauge Remington Model 1100. The 1st day of hunting I toted the 300wm, I'll never do that again.
The next day I moved into heavy cover and took the Model 1100 12g(the guys in our camp thought I was nuts). The following morning I killed my 5x5 with one shot from my trusty 12gauge. The state of Texas now lets you shoot deer with a pellet rifle for crying out load....My point is take what you are confident and comfortable with.

300wm wasnt the issue, the issue was 'sendero' those things heavy

[Radar]

22 Hornet = bang flops evertime and all day long

[deerplanter]

I’m heading to Pagosa for the 3rd rifle season and planned to take my 260 but now I am second guessing myself. I have plenty of other options but like the 260 because it is the model 7.

In for your thoughts.


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Where you hunting around Pagosa, we used to hunt the third season. Depending on the weather we have had success up on square top and on Devils mountain. If there is good snow high it will push them down. I used a .270 and my dad used a 30-06, just make good shots and be ready for a follow up as needed.

[Pauly G]

I am the guy who REALLY ENJOYS shooting a .300 Win & own .300RUM. I have shot this Rem 700 300 win since I was 18, now at 41 I have made changes to this same rifle as I learned how to be precise and what equipment change outs/mods will assist with proficiency. I have killed so many deer with this gun I cant count. I can say shot placement, breathing and form will all come into play, and you wont have to chase him far if he doesn't drop in his tracks. I would look into some Berger VLD's or Nosler Partitions and practice a lot with what ever caliber u decide to use. But if you don't handle .300 recoil well & want to use that caliber try a limb saver butt pad and a silencer or muzzle break along with a 2.5 -3lb trigger. Usually my adrenaline is pumping and I never feel a thing when it comes to live animals. But confirmed kills and having that rifle a long time made me a believer. I will shoot a box through her at the range and walkaway fine too. I would not ask what caliber to shoot until you ask yourself, what caliber do I want to practice with?...... Some dont like buying the good rounds that will make a difference either.. So there en-lies a whole different discussion. Me personally I look at a .300 WIN like I look at a 4x4 truck, I might not need it, but it is sure nice to have when its time to lock it in 4 LO!!!!! Good luck with what ever you choose!

[muddydog]

The op is questioning his caliber. That alone should be the answer. The 260 will work. I'd personally go bigger. 30.06 or 300 win mag. Bigger gun will perform better in a less than perfect shot. Shoot enough gun to allow for this. You may have a new world record in the crosshairs, that's not the time to question your weapons effectiveness.

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[brokeno]

I shot mine with 100 grain muzzy and neighbor shot a 508 inch with a 6.5 cm Like the other threads it's about where you punch the hole.

[bboswell]

Day 5 of an expensive elk hunt, 15 minutes of shooting light left. A big 6x6 steps out 300 yards away, quartering away from you, you have mere seconds to get off a shot. The shot will have to pass through a couple feet of paunch to take out a lung and bust the far shoulder. Do you want a .260 Rem or a .300 Win Mag in your hands.

This has always been my thought process and much of what separates the locals from us Texas folks on a week long hunt.

Elk aren’t hard to kill, provided a good broadside shot at 300 or in a 243, 260, Creedmore etc are fine. In fact a good friend shot a big bull 2 weeks ago with a Creedmore at 320 yards and got a bang flop with a solid behind shoulder shot.

BUT, if presented with a less than perfect shot you may wish for more horse power.

A year ago I would have said my 300 RUM my go to for elk, today I would likely take my 280AI with the 300 in back up. I like shooting the RUM but it requires ear pro due to muzzle brake and the AI does not.

[DBLHKUP]

6.5CM 143ELDx

[RifleBowPistol]

My Dad lives lives in Montrose. He said all the locals can tell where all the other hunters are from just by asking what round they are shooting. 270/308/243...they are locals that kill elk every year. 300 Win Mag/RUM Weatherby.....they be from Texas...

My buddies father who lived in Wyoming most of his life, hunted elk, mule deer and pronghorn all the time. Loved his 300 Win. Mag., that was his go to rifle, I think he had a 270 that he liked for the pronghorn, but I know he used the 300 for pronghorn also. I know the 300 was all he used for elk.

[bboswell]

6.5CM 143ELDx

That’s the right projectile for that round for sure

[RifleBowPistol]

As I projected many post up- consensus will not be what you get on a question like this. Valid points on both sides. Like I said, from an outfitter standpoint if I tracked a wounded elk for 2 days and the client used a 260 on a bull, I would blame them. If that is the largest caliber you have, then take it. If not, I wound’t take it.

Yep. We used to hate 243s and 25-06s, those two rounds caused us to track more deer than any other calibers for many years, with the 243 being the king of producing deer needing to be tracked. Yea, I have killed deer with 223 and 22-250, but back when we took people hunting, we would have handed you one of our guns before letting you use something as small as a 223, way too high of a chance we were going to be crawling through mesquite and prickly pear on hands and knees looking for tiny specs of blood for a good bit of the day.

Bring enough gun to cleaning easily get the job done from any angle out as far as you feel comfortable shooting game animals. You will be kicking yourself in the ***, if you only get one shot at a big bull and that shot requires you to shoot through some heavy bone or a lot of tissue. I would want something that will have a good chance of making a decent sized exit hole, so if it does not drop on the spot, there should be a better blood trail to follow.

[Dale Moser]

Also, if you’re recoil shy while shooting at an elk, you need to shoot more at paper and pigs. No excuse for that, I don’t ever remember feeling any recoil when shooting at anything that mattered.


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[sasqy]

Also, if you’re recoil shy while shooting at an elk, you need to shoot more at paper and pigs. No excuse for that, I don’t ever remember feeling any recoil when shooting at anything that mattered.


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This !!
And if you can’t handle recoil maybe you should just shoot a .243 the little girl in the video kills elk just fine with it .
I’ve never chosen which Gun for a hunt based on recoil scare .
Jmho

[Capt.Brown]

270, 308, 3006, is plenty of gun for anything in North America.