well guys after fiddle farting around with my 270 weatherby for over a year now, its time to move on. what would be your first choice, for an elk/ mule deer hunt in open country? i am thinking either 300 ultra or winny. but am definately open to suggestion. thanks

I shot my one and only elk with a 338 WinMag. I've also got a 300 WinMag, but boy do I like that 338. Mine is in a mannlicher stocked carbine and even then the recoil is not bad, a little muzzle blast from the 20.5" barrel but not too bad. I'm shooting 250 gr. bullets in mine and it's actually kind of nice having that much bullet.

I'd be comfortable with either one to be honest, there's not much the 300 WinMag won't do with the right bullets. I'm not a magnum freak by the way, I also hunt with an '06, 308, 7x57, and 270, I'm a believer in using enough gun for the game. I know that any of the non-magnums I have would probably work fine with the right bullet and placement but an elk is a big animal and I prefer the extra insurance.

Mule deer & elk like to be killed with the 280 the most.

Theres no real need for the xtra recoil if those are the animals targeted. There is sufficient power and range out of the 280. If you are going to hunt moose or bison also I'd look bigger but that was not your question.

I've taken both with bow, muzzleloader, handgun, and rifle. I pick up what I can get tags for, what the country will be like, how big the animals normally run, and how energetic I'm feeling at the time.

When hunting the breaks, saddles, and timber; I'll use a handgun for mulies and elk. Early season, it's a bow or a muzzleloader. For open areas up to 200 yards (I've never had to shoot either at over 200 yards) it's usually my .280AI in a Ruger #1

For hunting with a greenhorn flatlander, I take my #1 in .338Win.Mag. If they make a bad hit due to "buck fever" I'll have cleared it with them ahead of time to back them up. The .338 with the right bullet will penetrate the biggest elk stem to stern and put them down. I've had to do it on occassion. Right now, I'd pick the .338 Winchester Magnum as the ultimate mule deer/elk caliber. Tommorrow may be different. I also like the 8mm Remington Magnum. Women can't decide on which shoes to wear. I have the same problem picking the ultimate caliber.

This is a tough one but i vote also 338 win. mag.
Several calibers would fit the bill as in 270 through 375h&h, above 375h&h i feel is too much recoil and below 270 not enough power to be in the ultimate category although below 270 will certainly take elk also.

I have taken several with a .300 Win, a .340 Wby and am presently shooting .358 STA's, with which I have taken the last two Bulls. A 250 grain North Fork bullet at 3100 fps, or a 270 grain North Fork at 2964 fps will do the job nicely. Good shooting.

I use either the .300 Win. Mag. or the .338 Win. Mag. for almost all of my elk and mule deer hunting, and I have for a lot of years. I like them because they do the job in a very convincing manner, yet they're more shootable for me than the bigger .300s and .338s are. Ammo and brass are more available as well.

Both of these cartridges shoot plenty flat enough with the right loads, and with bullets of equal construction provide about the same level of terminal performance. I like premium 180 gr. bullets in the .300, and I don't go heavier or lighter for any of the hunting I do with this cartridge any more.

Just about any good bullet weighing 200 grs. or more works well and performs well in the .338 Win. Mag., but a particular favorite of mine is the 210 Nosler Partition. It offers mild recoil, a reasonably flat trajector, and it just flat-out penetrates and performs better than it should even on paper. A good bullet to start with....

AD

You didn't mention how far your shots are but I'm like a lot of guys, I like the .338 WM. I like the 230 gr. Fail Safes. If my shots were consistently in the long range (over 300 yards) I would probably opt for the .340 Weatherby with 225 gr. Barnes-X. Although phurley's choice of the .358 STA would be very tempting.

Most of my shots are on the longer end of my scale rather than the short. 300 to 400+ make up most of them. i practice every month throughout the year and if conditions are good, i feel very confident in taking these shots. i have killed elk with a 338 win, 300 win, 270 weatherby. a few bulls under 100 but most late season cows are quite abit further. so i need a caliber that carries some energy down range. thanks for your input so far. mark

8mm Rem Mag. Flat shootin and hard hittin. 180 Nosler Blasitic Tips for long range deer. 200-220 Nolser Partition or Barnes X for everything else.

I've killed elk with everything from the .280Rem/AI up through .300 H&H, .338-06 and the .375 H&H mag. Most were in excess of 300 yds with only one under 200 yds. My elk hunting is more similar to antelope hunting. So ranges are longish.

As far as deer most anything from .257" on up will work fine.

Whatever you get isn't as important as placement. Anything from 7mm to .308" will serve as a nifty dual purpose rifle. I'd lean towards a .300 Mag. If recoil isn't a factor go with a .338 Win.

FN in MT

My choices in this order would be:

338-06
338 Win
300 Win

Good Hunting,

The bullet is more important than the cartridge. A 140 grain Failsafe from your .270 Weatherby will handily kill any elk if it is put in the right place.

I won't argue with the 338 opinions because there is alot of wisdom in what they are claiming. My ideal rifle would be a 300 WBY shooting premimum bullets. That said, I got my Elk last year with a 257 WBY. My 300 WBY started having accuracy problems in cold weather, and the 257 was the only rifle I had confidence in.

375

338 RUM?

UNLESS you are "living there" and can hunt on a regular basis then you have the time to wait for the "right shot placement" required with some of the lighter calibers.

IF you are like some of us "visitors" then you may only be briefly presented with a shot you would rather not take, but it is the last day and it is the ONLY shot you may have. THEN you need more then the .270 or even the .300s unless you are shooting a great bullet.

When distance is a potential factor and shot chances may be limited, I want to be able to take that shot from any angle and know it will work.
.340 Weatherby is the lightest I carry in those situations. IF thicker shorter shooting on bigger game....375H&H. big bullets make big holes and go long ways into bigger game. Never had anything clear the tracks it was standing in when hit with either.

Sorry, I'm confused. I thought he asked about a elk rifle.

So what would be the ultimate for a bigger animal like moose? The trend I'm seeing it would start with the 375's.

And then brown bear? Where would that start? 450?

And then ...

If it was just for elk and deer I don't even see the need for a magnum but of course it can't hurt.

This "I'm from out of state and need a bigger gun" stuff is fascinating. Those of us who live "in state" put a lot of time into small opportunities... in fact, I'd bet the average out-of-stater with a guide actually hunts about the same actual amount of time as a typical in-stater. Bull elk on public ground are hard to get on and the shot presentation is often less than ideal... no matter who you are or where you call home, enough bullet is in order. The 140 Failsafe in a 270 will do-in any bull elk as will a good 165 or 180 in a 30-06. The 300's are even better as they give more range and punch. The 33's are about perfect as they make a good leaker in the timber and often give visual indication of a hit. As much as I like the 375 H&H I can't really find any need for one in Montana. Guess I'm saying a properly loaded rifle from 270 to 338 WM is never wrong with the 300 Mag's and 338 WM nigh perfect.

My favorite dual rig is a .338-06/210grNP but I think it would be hard to go wrong w/ one of the .30 mags. I really like the .338mag in any flavor for elk but that's alot of extra gun to tote when you are out for deer. An 8# .30 short mag would be my pick if I were getting started & didn't have a few rifles already.

I really like my .300 Rem Ultra Mag. It shoots great (right out of the box.) I might be lucky but I had good teachers too. I think it has the desired flat trajectory and if you look at the down range knockdown power compared to some of it's closest competitors, it hits harder. Mines fairly new and has only killed one big game critter. I'll tell you this; that bear didn't know what hit him. Straight down.

Mark

In the area we hunt it's cross canyon shooting a lot of the time. I have used a 300 and a 338 Win Mag most of the time. If I didn't have an Elk gun and was buying a new one it would be a 338 RUM. If a guy can handle the extra recoil and practice to get proficient with it, the 338 RUM is an awsome gun.

338.06

Jeff

I would pick either the 300 or 338 win mags as the ultimate for elk and mule deer. In all probability though you could use a 30-06 your whole life on both without any problem.

Lots of great Mule Deer rifles, any of about a 100 would suit me fine..A 250-3000, 7x57, 270, 30-06, 308, or a 300 of some sort would be fine...

So if I can only pick one then I suppose the .270 WCF would be my pick.

OOps I didn't see the elk part, but it wouldn't change things much with me if I had to hunt elk with a 250 I would and did for many years..Shot placement and bullet performance being critical anyway regardless of caliber...

But again, if limited to only one it would be the .338 Win. with me closely followed by the 300 H&H with 200 gr. Noslers.

Ultimate? My pick would be .358" - providing it had a big enough bullet at high enough terminal speed.
I like the thought of being overgunned when hunting in big-bear territory. Dark fantasy I guess.

.340 Weatherby or .338 RUM shooting 210 Grain Barnes XLCs.

Geeeezzzzz! The 35Whelen doesn't even rate honorable mention? Dutch.

KK
by Joe Mac

quote:

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The .338 with the right bullet will penetrate the biggest elk stem to stern and put them down.

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It's in my opinion that it would be harder to do that at any range to a big moose.

There is definately an advantage with any of the 338's on elk over the 280 of course but I would not feel undergunned none the less. I think the 338 family would be the best for elk and moose though.

[ 05-13-2003, 02:15: Message edited by: boilerroom ]

338 Winchester Magnum. With a 300 Weatherby as a second choice.

30-06 is all you need for big game in the lower 48. I used to hunt with a 300 Win mag but I sold it and now hunt with a customized 30-06. I find that I enjoy shooting it more than a magnum, hence I take it to the range more often and thus I am a better shot. Also since I use it for antelope, mule deer and elk I am very comfortable with it and have the utmost confidence in it. I now use this one gun for all my big game hunting.

KK

quote:

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Does anybody think a moose is harder to kill than an elk? Sorry, BR, but you'ver raised this comparison before, even once earlier in this thread. Not trying to be argumentative, but I think there's a difference between big and tough.

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For the life of me I'm trying to remember where I have previously suggested that moose are tougher then elk. I have discussions on penetration on moose and elk and what not but can't remember your claim. I may be wrong but doubt it because I have experience with both and I know how shock proof a big bull elk can be. Maybe you can refresh my memory.

For the record, I plowed three 175gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claws into the vitals of a bull moose out of my 7mag and it walked back into the woods before giving up the ghost. I recovered two of the bullets which performed perfectly. I was surprised of the results.

All my elk and deer fall, these days, to a 370 gr maxiball @ 1500 fps. Nope, it doesnt pencil out...Another of the jaded here--no need to buy a gun that isn't that fun to practice with--I'd go for the ancient 30-06. Chuck

Any of the .300 Mag's (with my personal choice being the H&H) or a .338 Winnie.

My gun's would either be a 30-06 165-180 gr for the off chance that I may have to shoot over 200 yds- when in the Timber 454 Casull Lever 300 gr XTP-mag or WFN cast, for either out to 200 yds!Or my Win 94, 45 LC 300-325 gr out to 175 yds. Don't need anything more than these.

Ray (Atkinson),
You're a man of my own heart, a lover of older things: pre-64 Winchesters and classic cartridges like the .300 H&H. Those long, sloping beauties feed as smoothly as snail snot on a door knob. Love your choices!

Emotions aside, for a combined elk and mule deer cartridge, it would be hard to find fault with any of the .300 Magnums. For mule deer alone, the power isn't necessary, and for a dedicated elk rifle, it might be nice to have a .338 caliber gun, but for a combination gun I doubt that you would be displeased with a .30 Magnum.