MC:

I am not arguing you can't kill elk with a .257 Roberts. My point is the .338 WM is a better caliber for elk.

What can the Bob do that a .338 WM can't? Nothing. The same is not true if we flip that around.

Why not a .243? Why not a .223 Rem? At some point, you are going to have to pass shots others would not take.

Just a comment nothing more.

The guide I use in Colorado for elk hunting uses a .25-06 and has for a long time.

My wife has killed one yearling elk with her .257 Robert's, it took two shots to get the job done but she did get it done.

With that said, if the shooter works within their personal limitations and the limitations of their equipment, the .257 Robert's will work, but from what I have seen a .25-06 or the .257 Weatherby would be a little better choice but that is just an opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
MC:

I am not arguing you can't kill elk with a .257 Roberts. My point is the .338 WM is a better caliber for elk.

What can the Bob do that a .338 WM can't? Nothing. The same is not true if we flip that around.

Why not a .243? Why not a .223 Rem? At some point, you are going to have to pass shots others would not take.

I tend to agree. I am lucky in that I have a safe full of rifles to choose from. My .257 Roberts is my absolute favorite whitetail deer rifle. I also have several much larger and more powerful rifles. My choice for elk or moose is my .300 Weatherby. Haven't lost one yet.

If I were going to use the .257 for larger game, I would certainly use a really good bullet, perhaps at least a Nosler partition. My handload with the Sierra game king 117 grain bullet would me marginal in my opinion.

I have got a fantastic .257 Weatherby that shoots a 115 or 120 gr. Nosler Partition lights out, I don't want to use it on Elk. Could I, sure but once again I have great respect for the great animal and chose chamberings much more capable for any situation encountered in the field. ----- I have taken Elk with 270 WSM, three different .300 Winnys, a .340 Wby, a .338 Lapua, two different .358 STA's. The key is shoot what you shoot instinctively and in my experience larger than .25 caliber. My minimum Elk chamberings is .270 and my WSM's shoot a 160 gr. Nosler Partition at 2900 fps and do quite well on Elk. I still prefer the larger stuff if the choice is mine. Good Shooting.

The 257 Roberts should work fine with 115 gr partitions or 100 grain all-copper hunting bullets.

I have learned that the single most important criteria for assuring a good chance of anchoring an animal so that it won't further than about 100 yards is wound channel size. This lesson was actually developed by an archeology team exploring the relationship between flint arrowhead size and size of animal hunted.

Bullets tend to expand to a consistent shape depending on their construction and impact velocity. Permanent wound channels, i. e. roughly approximating the amount of blood vessels opened, roughly correlate with the diameter of the expanded bullet and penetration. As a result, the method suggests the following threshold bullet weights should be considered for the larger Elk:

• Partition: ~110 grains
  
• Lead Free Hunting: ~100 grains
  

Read more about the methodology, calibration and archeology study here: Ideal bullet weights for hunting

The original guy who posted asked about an elk's reaction to a 257 caliber shot. Then we get the guys jumping on arguing against a 257 used for elk. Guys belittling other hunters like they "can't afford" a larger caliber. Guys saying they can take "marginal shots" because they use a larger caliber. Guys saying they can shoot a bull up his butt because they use a 338.

A good comparison to the OP's question is AZWriter's video-- where he shoots a broadside at 20-50yards bull with a 338WM and it runs. And the ONLY reason it didn't run over 100+ yards is because HE made a great second shot (which looked like a cns). If an elk is scared and shot in the lungs, heart, then he can run-- pretty much no matter what you use to shoot him. CNS them and they don't run.

Just because a guy shoots a caliber different than you doesn't always mean he disrespects the animal. It just might mean he respects it more than we give him credit for. I wouldn't shoot an unwounded elk up the butt, nor would I shoot an unwounded deer up the butt-- I don't care if I had a 338Wm in my hands. Respect for the critter is a personal thing and a topic for a different thread.

To the OP-- I've personally watched 12-15 elk be shot with a 257 cal rifle. Distances of 50-450 yards. Cows to mature bulls. One elk ran more than 10 yards and it only went 50 yards (double lung). Most get hit, hunch, wobble and tip over within just a few yards and in just a few seconds. Shot placement is key-- no matter the caliber.

Very well said MC
I agree with everything you said.

I too will not shoot and unwounded Elk or Deer up the butt just because I'm shooting a .338 and never would advise anyone else to do that either, it is all about respect.

The only other observation I had is it always seems that the biggest advocates of big cartridges on elk are from folks that don't live in elk country. Living in elk country I've seen a lot more elk hit the ground than someone who hails from a state with no elk.
I've seen elk fall to a variety of rifles and I can see no difference if they are shot well, I've seen elk shot with .243's up to .338's and a dozen cartridges in between and muzzle loader and archery tackle and nothing was more magic than another. If shot poorly you are in trouble no matter what size tool is in your hand.
I own many "suitable" elk rifles which I include my .257 Roberts in that category.

Killed about a half dozen or so elk with 257 Weatherby loaded with 100 tsx bullets. Never recovered a bullet and all dead within a few yards. I am sure it would work with 257 Roberts also. Not Ideal caliber for elk , but adequate. Have seen many elk shoot through the lungs with big calibers like 340 wby, run much further. They were dead on their feet and didn't know it.

Much as I love my Bob. I would use a 270 on Elk, but not a 257. Thats just me and where I personally draw the line. It is all about potential organ damage. A well placed arrow in the heart will kill an Elk in pretty short order, but how confident are you that you can hit the heart under whatever circumstances? I base my approach primarily on lung damage, and an Elk with minimal lung damage can still go pretty far. They arent bullet proof, but they are tough and tenacious. And I dont like letting an animal Ive shot get away. I actually prefer at least a 30 cal. To each his own.

For young ones or ladies I would advocate a 7X57, 8X57 or a 300 Savage over a 257 for Elk.

So, is someone having killed several elk with a .257 to be totally ignored?

I have killed elk with my .300 and .340 Weatherby's, .35 Whelen and .375 H&H. I have also seen people kill elk with .270's, .30-06's, .7mm Rem. Mags.,.25-06's and a .243.

Why do people have to be so damn radical? What works for one person may not work for someone else.

There are lots of us Xspurts.
In Algebra: X = the unknown quantity
In Plumbing: Spurt= a drip under pressure
Xspurt= an unknown drip under pressure

MC,
I wish you only the best..just happen to be of a different opinion.