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Of what i know it is the 30/06 or .270
i use a 35 whelen good out to 600 yds almost same ballistics as 338 Win mag. without the recoil. only a 30-06 necked up to a .358 caliber.
shot a 5 point bull this year here in montana across valley from the house about 300 yds 2 shots.
I have used my .35 Whelen for many years and many elk. I also like the fast 7mm's and .300's for longer shooting. Gosh, there are so many good elk calibers. It is hard to say what is the best. Never hunted caribou, but I suppose anything that is the "best" for elk would be way better than that on caribou.
My personal favorite is the .35 Whelen, but that is not likely the "best" that there is. The best is the one you can shoot!
I was a guide in Colo. for a couple of years and the guy I worked for would'nt allow anything LESS than an 06.
I am a fan of the .308 family my self(.308/.30-06./.300 Win Mag.
Big O
The owner of the property we hunt in Colorado doesn't want anyone using a rifle smaller than a .270 Win for elk. He has a thing about wounding game and not recovering it.
I think the .30-06 will work very good
To WA Mtnhunter - Yea those smaller calibers wound the animals, and KILL your guides !
well what if I used a .270 with a 170 grain bullet with good placement?
I don't think I have ever seen a .277 bullet heavier than 150 grains. I see Federal and Remington do not have such a loading.
I could have sworn reading about a 170 grain in .270. It was either Cabelas or NRA.
Someone might make a 170 grain bullet, but I don't think you will find any factory offerings. It seems to me that it would be extremely long for caliber and eat up a whole bunch of case capacity. I don't think you could otherwise seat it out far enough to fit a standard action. I would go with a larger caliber if you need a heavier bullet.
I have'nt heard of a 170gr. either...150 max. The ghost of Jack O'Conner will tell you the .270 is just fine. It's true that there were not near as many choices back then though. I believe he used 130 gr. bullets. I've found that the 140 gr. is a good compromise between velocity and retained energy.
I would say that's the smallest cartridge I'd use, and you need to be able to call your shots.
.30-06, .300 Win, .338 Win are elk calibers to me. Necked up '06 calibers like .35 Whelen or .338-06 are great choices too. The new .325 WSM seems ideal, if it will stick around. As are .444 Marlin or .45-70 for timber hunting.
.270 Win is a perfect Caribou caliber. So are the 7mm magnums. I like a bigger bullet for elk, but they will do both.
Oh yeah... 8mm magnum is pretty rare but is probably tough to beat as an elk round. The new .338MXLR from Marlin with the new LeveRevolution ammo seems like a great dual purpose elk setup, but who knows if that will fly in the future, either.
.30-06 is your best bet
That 8 mm Remington Magnum will adjust your eye teeth too!
.30-06 by far! But of course, you can't kill an elk if you shoot it in the foot!
Recipes for Wild Game: http://www.cookedanimals.blogspot.com
Mathews Mustang bow set at 50#, carbon arrow and a PINK MUZZY!!!
Merry Christmas Everyone.
JB
I've got a .338/06 I look forward to trying! 210 grain Barnes TSX at 2800 should get it done.
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I was a guide in Colo. for a couple of years and the guy I worked for would'nt allow anything LESS than an 06.
I am a fan of the .308 family my self(.308/.30-06./.300 Win Mag.
To WA Mtnhunter - Yea those smaller calibers wound the animals, and KILL your guides !
Of what i know it is the 30/06 or .270
i use a 35 whelen good out to 600 yds almost same ballistics as 338 Win mag. without the recoil. only a 30-06 necked up to a .358 caliber.
shot a 5 point bull this year here in montana across valley from the house about 300 yds 2 shots.
Big O
The owner of the property we hunt in Colorado doesn't want anyone using a rifle smaller than a .270 Win for elk. He has a thing about wounding game and not recovering it.
I think the .30-06 will work very good
I've got a .338/06 I look forward to trying! 210 grain Barnes TSX at 2800 should get it done.
I have used my .35 Whelen for many years and many elk. I also like the fast 7mm's and .300's for longer shooting. Gosh, there are so many good elk calibers. It is hard to say what is the best. Never hunted caribou, but I suppose anything that is the "best" for elk would be way better than that on caribou.
My personal favorite is the .35 Whelen, but that is not likely the "best" that there is. The best is the one you can shoot!
I don't think I have ever seen a .277 bullet heavier than 150 grains. I see Federal and Remington do not have such a loading.
Someone might make a 170 grain bullet, but I don't think you will find any factory offerings. It seems to me that it would be extremely long for caliber and eat up a whole bunch of case capacity. I don't think you could otherwise seat it out far enough to fit a standard action. I would go with a larger caliber if you need a heavier bullet.
Oh yeah... 8mm magnum is pretty rare but is probably tough to beat as an elk round. The new .338MXLR from Marlin with the new LeveRevolution ammo seems like a great dual purpose elk setup, but who knows if that will fly in the future, either.
.30-06 is your best bet
That 8 mm Remington Magnum will adjust your eye teeth too!
.30-06 by far! But of course, you can't kill an elk if you shoot it in the foot!
Recipes for Wild Game: http://www.cookedanimals.blogspot.com
Mathews Mustang bow set at 50#, carbon arrow and a PINK MUZZY!!!
Merry Christmas Everyone.
JB
well what if I used a .270 with a 170 grain bullet with good placement?
I could have sworn reading about a 170 grain in .270. It was either Cabelas or NRA.
I have'nt heard of a 170gr. either...150 max. The ghost of Jack O'Conner will tell you the .270 is just fine. It's true that there were not near as many choices back then though. I believe he used 130 gr. bullets. I've found that the 140 gr. is a good compromise between velocity and retained energy.
I would say that's the smallest cartridge I'd use, and you need to be able to call your shots.
.30-06, .300 Win, .338 Win are elk calibers to me. Necked up '06 calibers like .35 Whelen or .338-06 are great choices too. The new .325 WSM seems ideal, if it will stick around. As are .444 Marlin or .45-70 for timber hunting.
.270 Win is a perfect Caribou caliber. So are the 7mm magnums. I like a bigger bullet for elk, but they will do both.
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