I'm guessing this is the best place to post this. I am getting a dta srs and I am trying to decide what caliber to get for elk hunting. I always grew up using a 7mm rem mag for all of my hunting in Montana, But I figured I might ask around since I could chamber this barrel in what ever caliber I want. I am curious about some of the WSM My only real concern is what is barrel life like. thanks for any input.
Hunting & Fishing Elk hunting caliber
- Thread starter mt_mac
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The 300 SAUM barrel life is supurb and with just about any of the nice 175-210 gr high bc hunting bullets, you're looking at a great elk smasher...but don't count out the 7mm Rem Mags potential. If you've got the tools to load for it already...use it.
I have yet to kill anything but paper and steel with my 338 Lapua. But, I plan on taking elk, moose, and the like with it. Barrel life should be better than the 7mm Rem Mag. Good selection of bullets too. J
Much to be said about accuracy which breeds confidence which in turn helps with accuracy. Quit looking for a caliber to make up for flaws. I've lotsa rounds behind the 300 wizzum and 7 wizzum both will do more than you need. Both are gnats ass accurate and both are addicting. More horse power doesn't make up for poor accuracy or shooting ability. Much to that ;-)
Oh sir, you have a great problem to have. DTA has plenty of factory options that will work just fine, the good old .308 has taken three elk for me. Last year I tried my brand new 7SAUM barrel (not DTA but SAC) and it dropped an elk as good as one could hope. The 7wsm is a better choice probably in the DTA, but there is always the good old 300wm. Obviously if you are going to have one made then there are plenty more options; 7mag,7-08,338wm,300norma,338norma,ect. This year I plan to use my new DTA .260 barrel, quite excited. Good luck in your quest for success!
7-08, .270 & 30-06 all in stock form have been dropping them for me & a pal out here for the last 40yrs.
Been on three gun hunts,never killed yet! Should have carried a handgun! Honestly I always thought a good velocity 180gr or better was a good choice.
I have taken elk with .270Win, .300Rum, and some 400gr arrows. All have done the trick. The two rifle loads both went less than 5 yds. The arrows went about 40-50 yds. each.
My daughter also took her elk with my .270Win. DRT, not even a step.
I am building a 7mm for longer range deer/elk hunting as we speak. Thinking about the 7mmRem Mag and the 7mm STW. I have had both in the past, and loved each. Leaning towards the STW just for kicks (but with a muzzle break, that kick will be tamed somewhat). I don't plan on shooting thousands of rounds through it, as it will be a large game long range hunting rifle only, so barrel life is not my main concern, but the STW will eat up a barrel faster than the 7mmRem Mag for sure. Maybe twenty shots/year after break in, load development, and sighting in.
In my opinion, anything accurate in the .260-.308 caliber range is more than sufficient with ethical distances and shot placement for elk. Some say the .257 is up there, but that is a little light for my tastes. .338 is a choice too, but damn, that is a lot of bullet. But, dead is dead, and a correctly placed .338 should certainly do the trick.
Bullet construction and shot placement....that is the key to a dead anything. Of course, even a leg shot with a .50BMG will most likely kill an elk.....it will tear it right off and leave a great blood trail, if there is any tracking to do.
My daughter also took her elk with my .270Win. DRT, not even a step.
I am building a 7mm for longer range deer/elk hunting as we speak. Thinking about the 7mmRem Mag and the 7mm STW. I have had both in the past, and loved each. Leaning towards the STW just for kicks (but with a muzzle break, that kick will be tamed somewhat). I don't plan on shooting thousands of rounds through it, as it will be a large game long range hunting rifle only, so barrel life is not my main concern, but the STW will eat up a barrel faster than the 7mmRem Mag for sure. Maybe twenty shots/year after break in, load development, and sighting in.
In my opinion, anything accurate in the .260-.308 caliber range is more than sufficient with ethical distances and shot placement for elk. Some say the .257 is up there, but that is a little light for my tastes. .338 is a choice too, but damn, that is a lot of bullet. But, dead is dead, and a correctly placed .338 should certainly do the trick.
Bullet construction and shot placement....that is the key to a dead anything. Of course, even a leg shot with a .50BMG will most likely kill an elk.....it will tear it right off and leave a great blood trail, if there is any tracking to do.
I would stick with the old 7mag it will do everything you want to do. With a ton of bullets to load in it
We have taken several elk even at ranges past 300 yards with a .270 shooting 130 gr. bullets. Mostly all were one shot kills and DRT. As mentioned above there is no substitute for good shot placement which comes with practice. I have seen too many folks at the range with magnums who don't run enough rounds through the rifle because they don't like the recoil. That will translate to poor shot placement in the field. If you want a large caliber magnum you want to have brake installed.
FWIW, I've been on 1 elk hunt and killed 1 elk. It was mature 6x6 bull and fell to 1 180gr. Nosler Accu-bond from a 300WM. Hit it right behind the shoulder. Bullet broke the off-side shoulder and was found right under the skin.
Look at SAC to build custom calibers for your new DTA.
Mark Gordon is a GREAT 'smith....
Mark Gordon is a GREAT 'smith....
I have hunted with a 300WM for 35 years. Never has it failed to do its job. A 260 rem is also a great choice. Shoot what you feel most comfortable with. Shot placment is more important than caliber.
7 mag works well on elk. 300 win, 300 RUM, 7mm RUM, 7mm STW... I like the 7 mag and 7mm RUM. How far are you planning on shooting? That would be the biggest question. With all of the new bullets out these days, you can shoot a lot of different calibers and get away with it. 260, 25-06, 6.5-06, 308, 30-06, 270, 338.... all of them will work just depends on how far you want to shoot. But since you live in AK, I recommend a magnum cartridge.
I would go with the 300WM, very versatile. All the guys in my camp run 300WM or WSM's. I killed a bull with my 300WSM at 724yds a couple years ago, average shots on elk here in Wy are between 200-300yds. Just keep it simple and get something versatile, even the good old 30-06 is phenomenal elk fodder.
300Win Mag or bigger; it has the best bullet selection out there. Get a 1:10 twist so you can use the bigger projectiles if you desire. You can also download based on what you are shooting like Remington does with their power level stuff in 300RUM. In theory, you could go from shooting 220gr SMKs in the 2850'/s range all the way down to subsonic. Or sling out a 130gr varmint load at 3600'/s. Lots of versatility
I use a 7 mm mag. It was passed down to me, it adds more meaning to the hunt
I am also a bow hunter and I agree that is my thrill to but when rifle season starts in MT the bow goes away unless it is a archery only area. I have shot elk with 30-06, 7mag, and .243 the only reason I even brought this old question up is my curiosity with the newer calibers such as WSM or SAUM I'm just trying to figure out if it is worth trying something new and I plan on using Mark Gordon at SAC for my custom caliber.
I'd say go with a 308 or 300WM. The 308 will do it under about 400 and will be cheaper to shoot and have the barrel last longer. But if this is a dedicated gun, nothing wrong with the 300WM
300 win mag. cant go wrong with a round thats easily bought at most stores.
The WSM in my opinion seeing them is use is the 300WSM. But again its still a 308 diameter bullet meaning while there is a good selection and Americas fav diameter, the diameter is not the best. I would stay with 284 diameter but if wanting something different, 338 is the best in my experience seeing this diameter kill on Alaska game. 338 (340wby) had the best or worst wound channel depending on perspective followed by 284 (7mm Rem mag). Both of these flew straighter than a 300mag. If I was still hunting or wanting something new or different, I would look at 300WSM punched out to 338 diameter.
Again, hunting, guiding and outfitting in Alaska, every year hunters show up to camp with no ammo, dump their ammo in the river, bog, etc. Being able to ask your hunting bud, hike to the next camp or into a bush village, 30.06, 338 and then 300 will be the most found ammo. I have seen guys show up with their hand rolled super killer special round and TSA took their ammo, now what. Left in on the kitchen table packing. Again now what. After dropping 15K on a hunt off to town to buy a new rifle if your guide does not have a rifle for you. Hunting in the states I am sure this is less of an issue unless you have hand rolled no factory ammo. Just food for thought.
Again, hunting, guiding and outfitting in Alaska, every year hunters show up to camp with no ammo, dump their ammo in the river, bog, etc. Being able to ask your hunting bud, hike to the next camp or into a bush village, 30.06, 338 and then 300 will be the most found ammo. I have seen guys show up with their hand rolled super killer special round and TSA took their ammo, now what. Left in on the kitchen table packing. Again now what. After dropping 15K on a hunt off to town to buy a new rifle if your guide does not have a rifle for you. Hunting in the states I am sure this is less of an issue unless you have hand rolled no factory ammo. Just food for thought.
I have shot many elk with a 30-06 using 165 gr. BT Nosler bullets. I am a believer that the load should exert it's energy in the animal. Not exit. This combo stays in the body cavity and puts them down right now.
Having tripped the trigger on 1000's of WSM reloads. The 7 and 300 are more than versatile and more than willing to help you. Pure versatility to 1000 yards 300, if you want more than 1000yards 7. Although as of late the .30 cal department isn't "sexy" any more due to the 6.5's and 7's my favorite cartridge until now is the 300wsm. HOWEVER, and it's a big one...... the 6.5-06 has stole my heart.... it'll run with the 300 winny to 1K if'in you drive the 139's and 142's at 3000 fps and you can easily....
You need to fire your guide!
I've always been very happy with .300 win mag for elk.
We go each year with one 30-06 and one 30-30. Nothing special, both work fine used right.
I have seen a few rocky mtn elk taken with a .270, I was surprised at how well they do with 130 grain sst.
Also surprised at .257 weaterby and 6.5x47L . Don't overlook smaller caliber bullets with high section density, they perform very well.
Also surprised at .257 weaterby and 6.5x47L . Don't overlook smaller caliber bullets with high section density, they perform very well.
I would suggest you look at what else you would want to do with the caliber. Like most would say shot placement is key but any of these calibers will take an elk. What i ask is if you invest in a new caliber, would you want to try to stretch it out to elr, shoot some comps, shoot some smaller game,...? That might help you in your decision bc just how many shots a year do you get to take at an elk? Fwiw i like the 7mm. I have a 7wsm and would love to take it elk hunting. You could also look into a 280AI, it has intrigued me a lot as well for a nice hunting rig.
took this guy at 496 with a 300wsm. I was shooting the barnes 165gr... cant remember as the rest they do not make the bullet anymore. it had a blue coating and no lead core. the bullet passed through the elk from chest cavity and out the pelvis. if you look close the I shot the antler with it and it deflected the bullet a little. i am on the left my buddy is on the right. if you look below my buddy's hand you will notice the notch out of the antler. his head was down hill and he was looking back at two other elk that were his size.
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300 WSM dropped this guy at 900. Now that Accubond will soon be available in a Long Range version in 30 cal 210 grain with a .730 BC, I would use the !;10 twist DTA 300 WM. Pretty hard to beat and ammo is in every elk town in the US if a Zombie attack begins right before elk season.
you cant beat the 7 mm rem mag or the 300 win mag / wsm. but that is my opinion! depending on recoil you should be fine with either and as idaho1 pointed out the .30 cals in the 300 mag with high b/c are awesome.
.270 and .308 have always done well by me. I have gone 300wm once, it worked, but it was probably more than I needed to spend.
My dad has taken several elk with a 7mm Rem Mag from 500y and in. Not saying it won't knock them down at farther distances, just being honest. I've taken one small bull at 660 with a 300 Wby and two other bulls with a 338 LM (one at 289y and one at 609y). I will say this, the 338 LM shooting 300g SMK's puts them down with authority. I am self admittedly prone to bigger calibers though. I had a chance to take a BIG bull with a 270 early on as a teen but couldn't close the distance so I lost him. Swore I'd never be under-gunned again!
The 300 WSM would be excellent. Recoil almost the same as 30-06, but power close to the 300WM. I know some Alaskans who favor the 325WSM, mostly in the event they run into a brown bear while hunting other game. However 300WSM would probably be easier to find ammo to purchase if you were in a bind.
This has not been my experience with the 30-06's and 300wsm's I've shot and I've owned rifles chambered in both. Maybe it's just me, but I can shoot 2-3x as many 30-06 rounds off a bench than 300wsm rounds comfortably, in similar sporter weight rigs. I still own 30-06 rifles but no 300wsm's...although I do have a 300WM. It's a pussycat with 200 and 208gr bullets when running a suppressor and IMO not as bad as my old 300wsm when I'm not using the suppressor but to be fair it does have a 24" Rem varmint profile tube on it.
My go to elk rifle is my .325WSM. Usual load is the 220gr Sierras, but I'm messing around with the 160TTSX's for fun right now. I have also dropped elk with a .308 as well.
I put in for cow elk in Az this year. If I get drawn I'm going to be using my .338-06 shooting a 225gr accubond over RL15 @ 2630 fps.
a lot of people will swear that you need a magnum for elk but that is not the case, magnums are great for elk but not any better than say a 308 06 or 270, what really matters is shot placement and confidence in your shooting, coming only from practice. If you and your rifle are capable of moa groups than the elk will not know what he is hit with if the shot is good. heck you could shoot an elk with a 308 at 600 yards and it will still cleanly kill so long as you do your part and put it in the right spot. The advantage to non magnum calibers is the barrel life and way less recoil.
Depends on terrain and cover. For short range work, 375 H&H. Long range, 300 WSM.
Great thread. I got drawn! Bull late fall hunt. tough country and to hear some guys talk I am undergunned with a 30-06. I don't feel I am to 500 yards. I will shoot a variety of rounds in practice before I go but I am pretty well equiped with Berger 155's, Barnes X's , Sierra 180 GK, and a few other assorted choices. I am pretty stoked to get drawn!
The tough part is scouting, terrain and weather. Some one can control, but some can't. If I was building a rifle, i might consider the 6.5 x 06, been leaning toward the .260, but the 6.5 x 06 is a pretty darn good round withouth being a "magnum."
The tough part is scouting, terrain and weather. Some one can control, but some can't. If I was building a rifle, i might consider the 6.5 x 06, been leaning toward the .260, but the 6.5 x 06 is a pretty darn good round withouth being a "magnum."
Wow, this thread is packed full of overkill! Last I checked, Elk dont wear armour.
I've takne them with 30-06, 300 Win Mag, and the last one I took was with the .375 H&H. THe next will likely be with a 404 Jeffery just because I can. THen again I may sell off the 404 barreled action, and get another .375 H&H
I personaly believe the 375 H&H is about the ultimate go anywhere do anything rifle. Trajectory with a 270gr bullet is for all practicality identical to a 30-06 using 180's, and you can have plenty of engergy on target. The load I was running was giving me 5100 Ft Lbs at the muzzle with no pressure signs even at temps of 120 degrees.
I personaly believe the 375 H&H is about the ultimate go anywhere do anything rifle. Trajectory with a 270gr bullet is for all practicality identical to a 30-06 using 180's, and you can have plenty of engergy on target. The load I was running was giving me 5100 Ft Lbs at the muzzle with no pressure signs even at temps of 120 degrees.
300 WM best all around round out there
I suggest you find your supply of ammo, or if you reload your supply of brass, bullets, powder and primers - then pick you caliber. So much ammunition and reloading components have dried up that not having the supplies of what you want to shoot will make a huge difference.
For an elk dedicated rifle it does not get much better than the .338 WM. Truth be it though the internet makes them out to be armour plated and kids and woman kill them every year with 243, 260, 7-08..........
