With APPROPRIATE bullets there are probably 20 or more cartridges that would fit the bill, lets see;

270 Win,270 WSM, 270 Weatherby,7x57, 7x64,7 WSM, 7-08,280, 7MM Rem Mag, 7mm Dakota, 7mm STW, 7mm Weatherby, 7mm Ultra mag, 308,30-06, 300 H&H, 300 Win, 300 WSM, 300 Weatherby, 300 Ultra, 338 Win mag, 340 Weatherby, 330 Dakota, 338 Ultramag, 9.3x62........

If you hunt mostly deer and/or are recoil sensitive lean towards the front of the list. If you hunt mostly Elk or enjoy boomers learn towards the end. Use the right bullet for the right animal.

The main thing is to buy a rifle you like and can shoot well in a chambering that for whatever reason interests you. And then enjoy it! There are lots of right answers...........DJ

If your only hunting Elk,caliber selection is fairly easy.But if you are hunting Elk and Deer "Mulie and Whitetail" at the same time,the choice becomes more complicated.For example,A .338 is not to large for Elk but it is a mite big for an 80# Whitetail.
What single caliber and bullet would you choose for both?

I'm a die hard .270 fan so thats always the answer for me. It's never let me down yet.

That's easy, my 300 Weatherby loaded with 180 grain Nosler Partitions.

R F

I hunted for 20+ years with a .270.One heck of a Deer gun and it works on Elk if you do your part and use a good Bullet.I passed it on down the line and got a .300 Win Mag.It is a heck of an Elk cartridge but it can be destuctive on Deer sized game.I don't own one but maybe the 30-06 is the best for Elk and Deer in the same hunt.Power and the potential for meat damage just seem to skyrocket after the 30-06.

Jayco.

When you talk about meat damage, you need a tougher bullet to help with that part. No matter which gun you shoot, shot placement will depend on that also.

For me, the answer's easy:

.300 Winchester Magnum with premium 180 gr. bullets at right at 3100 fps. MV, and zeroed for 250 yds. In my experience this is an ideal load for mule deer and elk, plus a whole lot more.

By the way, a .338 Win. Mag. firing 210 gr. Nosler Partitions at 2900 fps. or better is no slouch mule deer/elk combination load, either.

Come to think of it, a 7mm Remington Magnum firing 160 gr. Nosler Partitions at 3000 fps. or a little faster isn't so bad it its own right!

AD

Why is a 338 too big for whitetail? If I had a 338, I would consider using 250 grain Nosler Partitions on deer and on elk. I don't think you would ruin a lot of meat with the 250 grain bullet on deer. Another option would be to use a Barnes bullet for both deer and elk. If you can get a Barnes 210 grain (or maybe even lighter) to shoot well, it would work fine on both deer and elk.

I don't beleive in shooting different weight bullets in one rifle. I don't want to adjust the scope between deer and elk season. If I was to use one rifle for both I would use one bullet for both too. The Barnes bullets will allow you to use a little lighter bullet since the retained weight will be close to 100%.

The caliber choice kind of comes down to how often you will be elk hunting. If you just elk hunt once in a while, you might want to get a 30-06 or 300WM. If you elk hunt every year, the 30-06 or 300WM would still be good, but you may want to consider the 338WM.

If you decide that you want a 30 cal, again I would see if a Barnes Triple shock will shoot accurately in the rifle and use 168 grain or 180 grain bullets on both deer or elk. If the Barnes won't shoot accurately enough for you, the Hornady Interbond or Nosler Accubond might be a good choice. I think I would go with 180's in the 30 cal if using lead bullets.

If you're worried about "overkill" on deer, even a 270Win would be adequate for a one rifle guy for deer and elk. If you can get a 140 gr X bullet to shoot accuratley, it should do fine on deer and on elk up to 300 yards. Just think, a lot of elk have been killed with 30 cal 180 grain Nosler Partitions; at about 60% weight retention, that 180 grain bullet turns into about 110 grains part way into the elk. A 140gr Barnes stays close to 140 grains all the way through (or most of the way) the elk. So, a solid copper bullet in a 270 can act like a much larger lead bullet than it really is.

I guess what I'm trying to say with all this rambling is:

1) If you already have a 338WM, you don't need another rifle to hunt deer. (No such thing as overkill in my book.)

2) You don't need another rifle for elk if you already have a 270.

3) If you already have a 30-06 or 300WM, no problem perfect rifle for everything.

4) If you are looking to buy a new rifle to do everything, you have to decide what you like and what type of hunting you will be doing because anything from a 270Win to 338WM will work with proper bullet selection. If you are going to be doing lots of hiking you may want a lightweight rifle. If you decide you want a lightweight rifle, then maybe the 270 would be the right rifle for you. A 300WM recoils quite a bit in a light rifle.

The andswer is easy the one I have in my hands when I have to shoot a deer or a elk any decent rifle and caliber 6mm or bigger well kill them both. Sure the shots on a elk well be more limited witha 6mm 100gr then a 338 or bigger. But If your hunting with one you should know the limits.


This said the 06 would be hard to beat as a all around cailber move up to a 300 mag if you think you need a a little more bunch out past 300. Move down to a 270 or 7x57 o5 280 if you need a little less recoil.


If you think you even need more bunch go up to a 338 or bigger even on deer they do not do much meat damage with good bullets. No matter what you use make a good shot and the critter is yours.

I think the 338 is perfect elk medicine, and I wouldn't worry about using it on smaller critters. The bullets seem to be slower expanding so they shouldn't be too much of a problem with meat damage.

However, like P Dog Shooter I'd be comfortable with anything from a 7x57 up. My 7x57 with the S&B 173 gr loads really shoots well and I'd be happy to take the right shot on an elk. At 165 yds last year this load went through both shoulders of a heavy bodied Japanese Sika with nary a problem.

If I was forced to just take one rifle to hunt both it would be either my 338, '06 or 300 Win since I'd be absolutely confident any of these three would fill my needs.

Jayco,

I promise you that the 338 is not overkill for deer. I have killed several Sitka deer with the 338 and meat damage was no worse than with a 270. I personally think it is the very best all around cartridge for the full spectrum of North American big game. If pressed to choose a bullet it would be the 210gr. NP. This bullet seems to be in a category all its own. It just flat works for everything.

Regards,

Mark

My vote goes to the 300s with a good 180gr bullet. The 06 works too, but I like the extra edge the 300s afford you. jorge

375 H&H with Nosler 300 Partitions sittin' on enough 4350 to give 2500fps or so.

Pull the trigger, get out the knife, and light the fire....

Sometimes we worry about the wrong thing. Any modern centerfire 6.5mm or larger will kill any elk that needs killing.

If I had to run around Central Idaho with one gun for deer, black bear and elk, I'd put together a 7.5 lb rifle with a 2x8 scope, in 308Win, and load it with 150 gr Barnes Triple shocks.

Of course, you would never catch me with just one rifle...... lol! Dutch.

Like has already been said...........unless you're looking to buy another gun, I wouldn't change what you've got. No......you don't need a .338 to kill deer. But you don't need a Z06 'Vette to go 55 mph. If you're looking to do the job on both elk and deer with less recoil, a 30-06 or .308 would be ideal. If I were limited to one and ONLY one rifle for the job, it would be a .300 Win Mag with 180 gr. Grand Slams.

I have used a .30-30 Winchester for years.

I've always been partial to the 7mm Rem Mag. My father, my brother and myself have all been doing most of our hunting with this caliber for years. My father bought one of the very first ones made in the early 1960's and I'd hate to try to compile a list of everything he has shot with it. I started shooting mine at 14 years of age.

I have personnaly taken 13 elk, 30 plus mulies, 5 whitetails, 7 pronghorn and a Mtn Goat with mine in Colorado. It's also been used on feral hogs, blackbuck antelope, and aoudad in Texas. It has also taken over 30 species in Africa including wildebeest, kudu, and zebra.

With a bullet weighing between 160 and 175 grains, I rate it as just about perfect on game weighing up to 700 lbs. That will include just about every elk ever born. There just ain't that many elk over 700 pounds running around anywhere. I've heard lots of people talk about them, but I've only seen a couple that "may" have gone over 700, and I've helped pack a lot of elk out of the woods in my 41 years on this planet.

I've also shot elk and deer with a 243 Win, a 6.5x55 Mauser, the 30-06, 350 Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, 375 H&H Mag and a 54 Cal muzzleloader. They all worked, and they all put elk and deer down, but if I only got to carry one for the rest of my life, it would be the 7mm Rem Mag.

Mac

Me ? My 8mm Remington magnum or anything between a .270 and .458. I agree with those who have said there is no such thing as overkill. I vehemently disagree with anyone who says taht the big bunker-buster rifles ruin too much meat. The latter is due to either a)incorrect bullet (too frangible given the velocity and distance), b) bad shot placement (driving any bullet through the shoulders is going to account for some meat loss), or c) both "a" and "b".
A .338, if you have one, is a great choice as is the .270 if you have one of those instead. If you are looking for an excuse to buy another rifle (I am always being creative in that particular area), then there are a plethora of 300 magnum rifles from 300SAUM to .30-378 and to choose from and a whole bunch of non-magums as well as magnums on either side.
I did just buy a Remington 700Ti in 300SAUM for my Dad to use in an upcoming high country Colorado Elk hunt. I chose this for it's light weight and downrange punch for the Elk hunt and for him to use in our yearly whitetail hunts in upstate NY.
Good luck and stay well. Now this is a great dilemma to ponder and get advice on.
Paul

If your hunting medium and large game at the same time then one has to carry the rifle that will handle the most difficult chore.

I say the heck with meat damage and all that. I do it all the time with the 358 on deer. It must hit a lot harder than any 300 magnum does at long range when the deer is only 60 yds away. Know what? They just fall down and stay there. That's my main concern.

Of course heavy kickers and heavy rifles are a "cost" but use enough gun.

Everything that has been said here is true and reflects good advice. But I agree with Allen Day and some of the others here that a .338 Win Mag, shooting 210 Nosler Paritions, is hard to beat as an all-around rifle. The .338 brings a little (or a lot) more authority to the task when it is needed, but is not by any means too much for deer sized animals. I have killed more than a few elk, Oklahoma deer, and caribou, and a couple of black bears and a moose, using a .338 Win.Mag. and .210 gr. Nosler Paritions. It is hard to beat as a good all-purpose rifle. The .338 is not overkill on any of these animals, including 80 pound whitetailed deer.

One number, one name: 35 Whelen.

I use a 300 ultra mag with 165 grain barnes triple shocks, i have how ever killed alot of mule deer with a 338 and it worked very well. I wouldnt say it was overkill at all. cheers!

Mine is a .338-06 W/ 210grNP but if you are a deer hunter, sometimes elk hunter, it's hard to beat the old .30-06 or 7Rem.mag. Load 150s for deer or 180/160 for elk.

I dearly like the .375 H&H loaded with the Barnes 235 gr. X. I doesn't do as much meat damage as my .300 H&H does with the Nosler BT. If I couldn't take the .375 my top choice would be my .300 H&H with the 180 gr Barnes XLC.

The driver would be the best elk cartridge. It would kill deer.

I would go with my 300 WSM with a 160+ gr. something or other for the bullet. (I've always thought 150 gr. was good enough for elk in a 30 caliber, but when I hunt elk Im serious so I don't go that light. The idea of seeing a 6 x 6 run off limping doesn't do much for me.)

If I had to only choose one it would be what I used for 25 years without any failures or lost or wounded game.
Pre-64 Westner 264 Win Mag

my vote goes for the .308 caliber in either .308win or .30/06sprgfld chambering.

For me it is the 30-06. It just plain gets the job done as long as the shooter hits the vitals. Ammo is so cheap that it allows pleny of practice without going broke.

Elk and Deer - The exact reason the 7mm RM became such a hit in the West. It has the power, the reach and the accuracy all with reasonable recoil.

As an "all around" cartridge for B.C., including Elk and our four species of deer, I prefer a .338 Win. Mag. to anything else. Of course, I have big game rifles from .243 Win. to .375H&H, plus hot-loaded .45-70s, because I "need" them......

I have found less meat damage with the .338 with 250 PTs. than from my 270s, etc. I also prefer to carry a big gun when hunting as we are experiencing a substantial number of hunter-Grizzly confrontations here.

as far as i see there is no such thing as too much gun,but there is such a thing as not enough gun.there are some instances as you just can't get any closer than 300 to 400 yrds to an anminal,without spooking it.if you don't have enough gun to put it down at that range then you just have to walk away.
i'm taking my 8mm mag on a muledeer, antelope hunt this year,with my 257stw as backup gun.as for meat damage just hit them in the ribs behind the front shoulders.who cares if you blow a fist size hole there.

.300 Ultra Mag loaded with a 180 gr. Barnes Triple Shock.

Savage M99 chambered in .300 Savage

.338-06 or the .280 rem. that is all.

I would like to vote for a caliber that I don't own but one that is owned by a few of my friends. It has already recieved several votes. The caliber - 7mm Rem Mag; the bullet - 160 gr Nosler Partition. Flat shooting enough for the deer in wide open spaces, powerful enough for any elk, and other bullet manufacturers have been trying to beat the Nosler for decades - it's just too perfect a bullet. You could also probably substitute the 7mm WSM if you just had to or really thought those little Kimbers were the cat's meow.

Worry about whether you have enough gun for the Elk, then whack the deer with it. I have taken Elk with my .300 Win mag, my .340 Wby and my .358 STA. They will all serve your purpose nicely. I have a buddy that has been taking his Elk for 20 years with a .270 Winchester, it and he never failing to bring home the meat. Take your choice, but shoot enough with whatever you choose for the shooting process to become instinctive. Good shooting.

I've had a Ruger M77 .30-06 since I was 15 years old, and it's killed plenty of elk, deer, and antelope. As with any rifle, it all comes down to shot placement. I know people who have killed big elk with .243s and moose with .270s. I also know people who have had to shoot elk 4 or 5 times with .338s to knock them down. That's a good reminder to me that no matter what caliber you go with, you've got to know how your rifle will perform and practice enough to be confident in your shooting ability.

While I am not a huge fan of the caliber I would say the 7mm Rem Mag is quite possibley the best given your criteria. I would, like the others choose, a 300 WM, I really like the idea of the *mm rem Mag just to be different and that one you could use lighter(185 grain) bullets too just like the 300WM. If I'm going on the hunt, and I can't get a new gun, I'm taking my 308 loaded with Barnes 168gr XLCs over max load of Varget or BL-C2

I guess my vote is 7mm Remington Mag. but not what I'd personally use.

I'm really not an elk hunter, but I would choose my 7mm Rem mag, it is comfortable to shoot, and bullet quality is only getting better. I suppose I could pack my 300 win mag, but I enjoy shooting the 7 mag. Chasing only mulies on down, I would use 139 to 150 grain bullets, chasing both muley's and elk, I would load a 160 grain bullet, using the TSX if it shoots in my 7mag, havent loaded that one in it yet.

I have a safe with a batch of them. However, the ones that seem to get field time anymore are

6.5 x 55,
6.5 x 57
7 x 57
30/06
338/06.

The mags collect dust. Should get rid of them,but we all know why we don't get rid of accurate guns, whether we think we still need them or not.

I don't need kids, but I am not going to get rid of my son.

I'd like to give the 270 and honorable mention also before i close.

Cheers and Good shooting
Seafire