Even if you had a safe full of 'traditional' elk calibers, would you take a 7mm-08 for elk?

Question:
Is the 7mm-08 an elk cartridge?

Choices:
Yes
No

 

Yes

+1

Yes, using a heavy TSX or A-frame and keeping it under 200 yards.

The 7mm-08 is a 100 yard cow cartridge.



Just kidding. I have never hunted with it and my elk rifle is a 300 Win Mag that has been replaced by a Hoyt.

At reasonable ranges (inside 250 yards), with good bullets and in the hands of a patient marksman, the 7mm-08 will do just fine on elk.

Actually two questions being asked.

quote:

Even if you had a safe full of 'traditional' elk calibers, would you take a 7mm-08 for elk?

Nope

quote:

Is the 7mm-08 an elk cartridge?

Yep

quote:

Originally posted by SDhunter:
Actually two questions being asked.

oops
you sure are right
poor choice of words

quote:

Originally posted by Duckear:would you take a 7mm-08 for elk?

A 7mm/08 is 100% an elk cartridge. I prefer my .375 but if a 7mm/08 was all I had I would use it with no problems.

SDhunter drilled this one.

Bell used the 7X57 to take hundreds of Elephant as well as many Cape Buffalo, of course it'll take Elk..

would I take it for elk? if that's what was in hand as I headed out the door, YES, but I would prefer a big bore.. but I **ALWAYS** prefer big bores.

Is it an elk caliber? without a doubt... Guys, the Swede's have killed "moose" (our elk) with 6.5 for 100 years... works great..

the 708 is a GREAT round,imnsho

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:
Bell used the 7X57 to take hundreds of Elephant as well as many Cape Buffalo, of course it'll take Elk..

..and the reason he used/switched to 7x57 was because the ammo was more reliable(in ignition) than the 6.5x54 stuff he had already used to take several hundred elephants.

quote:

Guys, the Swede's have killed "moose" (our elk)

Isn't this backwards?

Although my great grandmother, who I lived with in my younger years, came from Sweden, I don't speak a word of Swedish, but I thought the Scandivian countries have moose, which they call "elg", or something similar.

As to the question of the 7mm-08 being an elk cartridge, according to my 5th edition Nosler reloading guide, the same bullet shot from a 7mm-08 would have the same muzzle velocity that that bullet would have at 100 yds from a 7mm Rem Mag. Therefore, as has been mentioned, with proper bullet placement and at reasonable ranges, like under 200 yds, the 7mm-08 is an elk cartridge.

The 7mm-08 will of course kill an elk, but I would say "No" to your question. I would select a .338 caliber and go up from there.

Pffft. Dontcha know that the 7x57 is a far superiour cartridge for Elk?



7-08 is a fine elk cartridge, shots taken within reason. I wouldn't pull the trigger on a 500 yard Texas heart shot if you know what I mean...

quote:

Originally posted by Trax:

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:
Bell used the 7X57 to take hundreds of Elephant as well as many Cape Buffalo, of course it'll take Elk..

..and the reason he used/switched to 7x57 was because the ammo was more reliable(in ignition) than the 6.5x54 stuff he had already used to take several hundred elephants.

But that doesn't take away from the fact that it worked......optimum? Hardly, but it did work.

It's a high powered rifle. Hell yes it will kill an elk.

Shot a 6x6 elk year before last with a 7-08. Kimber Montana, Barnes 120gr. TSX. I was still hunting and spotted him bedded down in the shade. I got to 200 yards away and got a good rest. I shot once and he lifted his head. I shot again and he rolled over onto his side. He never got up.

One bullet clipped the rear of his scapula on the near side and exited right behind his off shoulder. I found the bullet about 2" deep in the hill behind him. The other bullet centered the near scapula, went through his chest and broke the big bone that connects the scapula to the leg on the off side. It was recovered under the skin. Both had good "mushroom" shapes.

Wife shot a cow @ 124 yds with a load that resembles 7mm-08 ballistics.

I'd call it an adequate elk cartridge but stop short of calling it a prefered elk cartridge.

It's worked with 160 Speer's (YES! Standard cup & core) for my wife. Two cows...with two shots. Both at 125-150 yds in the open.

And has worked for two young hunters as well. Both of those were closer shots one at all of 35 yds. Two shots...two dead elk.

It ALL comes down to PLACEMENT.

FN in MT

quote:

Guys, the Swede's have killed "moose" (our elk)

Jeff, our elk is a red deer. The Swede's alg our moose is a MOOSE.

The 7mm08 is as much a responsible elk cartridge as a 30 carbine, 7.62X69, or for that matter, a 22 short!

If you cannot shoot an appropriate rifle cartridge then don't shoot the game! If you do all you are doing is screw us and helping PETA!

This is hunting, meaning RELIABLY QUICK HUMANE kills (not meaning shooting an animal in the spine or brain which are both SMALL UNRELIABLE targets!) it ISN'T a f ing video game!!

Got a problem with that take up skeet and nothing else.

While not what I would choose for an elk cartridge, if it was the biggest hammer I had, and it was loaded with decent bullets, and the range was under about 300 yards, AND I was careful about and sure of my shot placement, it would be ok.

Unfortunately, those things don't always come together, so for a dedicated elk gun I prefer something larger such as a .338 Winchester, or a .35 Whelen, or a .358 Norma . . . . hey wait, I already have one each of those!

so loud and boomer in reverse you are saying that by using a 338,35 whelen or 358,you would pull the trigger even if you were not careful and sure of your shot placement and all the while shooting at something 300+ yds away???

Actually ravenr what the loud one is saying is valid.
With the rounds he is talking about and a premium bullet such as a Barnes there really are not many 'bad' shots that can be taken on an elk at three hundred yards or under 'also as he says'
As long, and this is the real kicker,, as long as that bullet hits vitals on its path through the elk.
Hopefully I am not sounding condescending, and if I am I apologize, but with the calibers he lists and a good bullet you can reach the vitals from any shot presentation.
Now a shot broadside through the guts is still just a shot through the guts, or a leg blown off matter not whether it was a whelen or a howitzer.
But as long as a man has a good idea of elk anatomy, and can shoot,, and no 300 is not even close to a tough shot for a man who can shoot,,
And can shoot that bullet so that it goes through the vitals or central nervous system, then while not as sexy as a broadside heart shot is still a viable option.

Especially when you have spent a great deal of money time and effort to get that rear end quartering away shot at the bull of your dreams the last day of the season.
I have taken the same shot and made it work, and so have many, many others.
But not with a 270 with a 130 NP..
But with a 338, loaded to its gills, pushing a good 225 to 250 grain Barnes X, there is nothing inside of an elk that can keep it from finding its heart, if you can visualize how to get there from here..

bucko, i savvy everything he was saying and agree on all points.i really was just stirring the conversation,i havn't entered this discussion as i have no experience with the
7mm08.
but it does take careful shooting and careful shot placement to thread the full lenght of an elk and shoot the heart out of him
wouldn't you agree?

Yep I sure would agree, and if I read correctly he most defeinately mentioned being careful about shot placement.

I voted yes, as the poll question was is the 7-08 an elk round.

Now in the post, it also asks would I take it if I had a safe full of other traditional elk medicine, well that answer is not likely. If I was doing a very deep back woods back-pack hunt and the 7-08 was an ultralight, well it fits the bill quite nicely. For normal elk hunting though, I'll use better suited calibers.

Why ravenr, from your question I figured you to be a Wyoming Lawyer! I know my location says Northern California, but from a Wyoming standpoint I am even worse, I'm from Colorado.

And yes, I've also been known to .

Take care.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by 30378:
It's a high powered rifle. Hell yes it will kill an elk.

+1

damn loud, i wasn't trying to pick a fight..
whad ya have to go and call me a lawyer,that
is hitting below the belt in front of the women and children.
as soon as i can breathe i'm takng the gloves off.
p.s. buisness card reads
BIG GAME GUIDE
summertime carpenter

If you have confidence in what you are hunting with, probably anything will work.

Thanks for the input.

My 7-08 is my go to for whitetail and smaller. I was working a deal on a 7-08 Ti rifle I thought I wanted for an elk trip next fall. But everybody not buying the rifle was telling the guy how it was worth soooooo much and it was quickly priced beyond what I would pay. Oh well, no biggie.

Time for plan B (for now at least).

There are 2 questions you ask:

1)

quote:

Is the 7mm-08 an elk cartridge?

The answer is no, it is not an ELK cartridge.

2)

quote:

Even if you had a safe full of 'traditional' elk calibers, would you take a 7mm-08 for elk?

No, that would defeat the purpose of having a safe full of traditional elk calibers.

The question wasn't actually asked whether or not the 7-08 would "kill" an elk. But, the answer is, of course it will, especially with a better bullet.

quote:

The 7mm08 is as much a responsible elk cartridge as a 30 carbine, 7.62X69, or for that matter, a 22 short!

quote:

The answer is no, it is not an ELK cartridge.

I disagree with both those statements.

quote:

If you cannot shoot an appropriate rifle cartridge then don't shoot the game! If you do all you are doing is screw us and helping PETA!

I love it when the testosterone starts flowing.
How does killing an elk with a 7mm-08 help PETA?

I hate to disagree but yet I must..
I say that YES it is most certainly an ELK cartridge.
You load a 7-08 up with a 160 or even a 140 barnes and you can damn near shoot through him lengthwise out to 300 yards.
Whats not to like?

quote:

Originally posted by bucko:

Whats not to like?

It's not a cannon. Everyone knows elk require a minimum of a cannon to cleanly kill them.

By danged your right! whatsoever was I thinking of??

The 7x57 flattens elk-sized game, so the 7-08 will as well. A 160 partition at 2700 fps or so is deadly and has penetration to spare.

This thread borders on the ridiculous.
If a .280 and a 7 mag are elk killers then so is a 7mm-08, 7x57, .284 Win etc.............
If you think otherwise you are being emotional and irrational!