quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
To put it in its proper perspective, you're gonna travel 1000+ miles, spend a sack full of money, and take a rifle that would be only effective under ideal circumstances.

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Originally posted by wasbeeman:
To put it in its proper perspective, you're gonna travel 1000+ miles, spend a sack full of money, and take a rifle that would be only effective under ideal circumstances. As posted, it isn't like you can say, oh well, I'll come back next week.
And too, are you dedicated enough that if a royal shows you his ass as he flees through the dark timber are you gonna give him a tip of your hat and watch him out of sight?

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Originally posted by carpetman1:
tc98--I fully agree with you. If the shot isn't right, you pass and the animal won this time. I have NEVER passed a shot that I would have tried had I had a bigger rifle. If it aint right it aint right. If I wouldn't shoot a "royal" I'd pass on a spike too.

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This does make me laugh, but I understand that most, would not watch him flee. But to answer your question, I would pass any shot that would be more than me, or my rifle are capable of making. I love the hunt, and I would love to drop the hammer on a big one. But I will pass if the situation isn't right.

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Originally posted by Lamar:
I have shot deer with both of the 25 calibers.
I didn't have quite enough velocity with the Roberts to open the hornady 120 enough to impress me.
and the 25-06 opens most bullets too quickly for my tastes.
if I were gonna try it I'd use a premium bullet that has a controlled expansion as heavy as your rifle will shoot.

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Originally posted by jfromswk:
I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Eads, CO. for 35 years and hunted alot. They hunted elk every year for many years, he carrying a 257 Rob. and she a 243 Win. They had a good success rate. BUT; when he was able to afford it from the HUGE profits of dryland wheat farming in eastern CO. he moved up to the 7mm Rem. mag. and later to a 338 Win. mag. He often told me there was no better elk caliber than the 338. He also killed his biggest 6X6 with the 257. Go figure. If you need a howitzer, shoot a howitzer. If you want a sling and a stone, so be it. After all, it worked for David. Placement is everything after all. If I ever get the chance to go, I'm carrying a 300 Win. Mag. It's the biggest I have.

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Originally posted by tjroberts:
Well my friend you have hit on another point !
1st a Dakota model 10 in the Bob, sounds like a truly excellent DEER rifle.
But a single shot quarter bore for elk ?
No way man. Not me anyway.
I once helped butcher an elk that took 5 180 grain 06s 1 through the lungs 2 in the heart and two lesser hits. I was told the bull went 200 yards before falling over. ...tj3006

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Originally posted by tc98:
I know, we never know what our circumstances will be, and we never know how an animal will react, or how murphy's law may kick in.

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Originally posted by Samuel_Hoggson:

quote:

Originally posted by tc98:
I know, we never know what our circumstances will be, and we never know how an animal will react, or how murphy's law may kick in.

You have come to what is certainly the best decision.

I struggled to politely express my concern earlier in the thread: "I would pass any shot that would be more than me, or my rifle are capable of making. I love the hunt, and I would love to drop the hammer on a big one. But I will pass if the situation isn't right."

The assumption here is all the chance elements are in the chase, and the shot is nothing more than a simple execution during which nothing can go wrong. Well, maybe. Maybe not. Most here could easily come up with some possible reasons why this might not be true......ranging from animal moves as sear is about to release to bipod or rest sags slightly at same moment, etc., etc.

You don't need to invoke a suboptimal presentation, or an element of desperation, to someday be very relieved you had some extra power and/or penetration and/or blood trail.

They say there's no drunk worse than a reformed drunk. Decades ago I was "into" seeing if I could get away with _________ (fill in the blank). Judgment comes from experience, but experience comes from bad judgment.

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Originally posted by carpetman1:
We worry about a 25-06 being enough and people take them with bows.

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Originally posted by carpetman1:
We worry about a 25-06 being enough and people take them with bows.

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Originally posted by jfromswk:
I think tc hit it on the head in his last sentence; "bigger equals better odds", PERIOD! But that comes with all kinds of caveats. If the rifle weighs too much, bigger is not always better, but it does keep you closer to camp. If it kicks more than you're comfortable with, bigger might mean wounded and running. Unless you're on an expensive lark, a 1000 miles away hunt should mean you want the ODDS to be in your favor as much as possible. Those going on that kind of hunt will probably research and invest the time and dollars to do it to the best of their ability and gun shooting prowess.
BUT there are umpteen bookoo number of plain ole deer hunters out there who are neither gun savvy or caliber knowledgeable beyond what works for them, and they are in the majority, just not here on AR. And the reason the industry sells 10 to 1 or whatever, of 270's to 338's, is the same reason most will take whatever they have to hunt elk as they hunt deer.

Some will not see an elk, some will get their elk, some will wound and not recover their elk, and some will not hunt more than a mile from camp after the first day's walk at 9000 ft. Hunting should involve much more than just the shooting, but that is what we seem to focus on here a great deal. Nothing wrong with that, but like all hunters in every genre, (including spear hunters again), we all like to increase the odds in our favor as much as possible.

"Bigger equals better odds". Shoot what you have, hunt like the dickens, get 75 yrds closer if you can, and put a big one in the boiler room and see what happens. Anything can happen. It's hunting.

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Originally posted by tc98:

I must ask this question to all of you guys that have taken your wives, or daughters on an elk hunt. Did they go, armed with a 7 mag, .270, .30-06, 300 mag, or maybe a .243, .257 Roberts, or a 6 mm?
Just sayin, there's a lot of preaching sometimes, that is tossed out the window when the need arises. (Not intended, or directed at anyone), just curious.