Okie,

I've killed two elk with a 356 Winchester both with factory 250gr loads.

Penetration was complete and from the autopsy we assumed that bullet performance was good although no major bones were hit in either case.

Both were one shot broadside kills but I felt a bit undergunned and now my two favorite elk loads come from 300 magnums and 375 magnums.

If you are willing to wait for a good broadside, up close, and a good shot with steady nerves you're probably fine with a 356 levergun but I sincerely think you're operating in the "minimal range" and might benefit from a more powerful cartridge.

I like a 180gr Nosler Partition out of a 300 magnum for most shots and a 260gr Partition out of a 375 for BIG elk or those that absolutely need to be anchored. Elk can be easy to kill if they're undisturbed and unaware and shot cleanly through the vitals.

All bets are off if your first shot is sloppy or underpowered and they can then soak up a lot of lead and run pretty far. With elk hunted on public land in mountainous country this can be a real PITA!

$bob$

I'm returning to Colorado again this year for elk in the second season (post rut) and am thinking about using a Win 94 chambered in 356 win for elk. I've noticed most of these post rut bulls hole up in the timber on the sides of ridges.

So the 356 with 220 speer FP bullets seems like it would work out to 200 yards. It's only approx 150 fps slower than the 358 loaded with the same bullet.

Anybody have any experience with this caliber and bullet on elk?