Cow elk rifle

[Chingon]

I don’t know why people are so scared of it

Because they haven't tried it. Full stop.

And when looking at it side by side with a magnum cartridge it just doesn't feel like it has the wallop factor. All the "margin" talk fails to account for the fact that accuracy nosedives when shooting from field positions, and bigger cartridges recoil more than smaller ones, exacerbating non-perfect positions. A lot of people don't realize how much the rifle moves before the bullet exits the bore. Magnums move more than small cartridges, period.

 

[BuzzH]

If you miss judge your wind and stick a 77 tmk on the shoulder the tmk is making it through an elks scapula. Which isn’t a thick chunk of bone. I don’t know why people are so scared of it

Dont have to worry about that in Wyoming, cant hunt elk with 22's.

 

[BAKPAKR]

Trends are funny things. What trends have passed through over the years? Which did you love and which did you hate? Which should stick and which should not? I know which @mtmuley loves and pledged allegiance too.

I can’t imagine a tiny TMK holding up well on a rib bone, let alone a scapula. There has to be lines. I shoot them out of my 22-250 for coyotes and love them, but elk?

What’s the equivalent brown bear medicine? 6.5 prc?

I feel like Rokcast is infecting our water. 22’s will rule the world!!!

“What’s the equivalent brown bear medicine? 6.5 prc?”

There is a large group on a certain forum who would say there is no need to go to a big cartridge like the 6.5 PRC as the 77 gr TMK out of a 223 would work just fine (and then point to 600+ pages that includes photos of mostly deer)…

 

[mtmuley]

“What’s the equivalent brown bear medicine? 6.5 prc?”

There is a large group on a certain forum who would say there is no need to go to a big cartridge like the 6.5 PRC as the 77 gr TMK out of a 223 would work just fine (and then point to 600+ pages that includes photos of mostly deer)…

I think all those guys should go brown bear hunting with a .223. mtmuley

 

[CaptainChilders]

Which others? mtmuley

Barnes has their light for caliber tac-tx bullets that are supposed to expand at low velocities. They make them for 300 black out, 6.5 Grendel, and 6 arc. Pretty impressive out of the 300 blackout on hogs. However I have been doing some load development with my 308 and 300win. 120 out of the 300 is supposed to get around 3700fps. I’d imagine their going to expand going that fast!

 

[brockel]

I think all those guys should go brown bear hunting with a .223. mtmuley

You pay and I’ll go

 

[Brad]

I have a tag for cow elk on the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico this November. Have a couple of rifles in the safe that I'm considering. The first is a 280 Ackley Improved with 139 grain Barnes LRX. The second is a 6.5 PRC with 127 grain LRX.
With 3/4 of a century behind me I'm not wanting to pack a heave rifle but want enough to do the job efficiently.
What sage wisdom can you'll provide? Opinions, pros and cons?
I do have a 30-338 Win Mag but that seems to be way over kill for this hunt.

Given the lack of information it's kind of tough to answer. I think it would come down to the specifics of the rifle, not the cartridge it's chambered in. Which is lightest? What scope is on each? Which do you "truly" shoot better? Elk rifles are carried more than they are shot for sure, and packing comfort matters. Like hell it matters!

Personally, I think the 6.5 PRC is one of the most "perfect" cartridges to ever come out. It's essentially a 270 Win in a short action with rifles twisted perfectly from the factory. Its short, fat case with 30* shoulder give it an inherent accuracy advantage, and of course 6.5mm bullets are uber slippery. Cut the barrel to 18", put a can on it and you've got 24" 6.5 CM speeds with less recoil. I say all that, and I don't even own one.

I spent my 30's carrying magnums for elk, then started wising up at age 40 (apparently I'm not a quick study). For me less recoil is always better. I turn 65 this month, and these days a 6.5CM is my idea of a great all-around elk rifle lol.

Were I starting out all over again, I'd have two identical rifles - both identically scoped, and both suppressed with 18" barrels. One a 22CM, and the other a 6.5PRC (or 6.5 CM).

But there will always be a 308, and 270 Win in the closet lol. I just have a stupid affection for the NATO Potato (308 Win), and the 270 is the quintessential Western USA cartridge (I can smell sagebrush when I pick one up lol). None of that is really practical, other than if a guy wants cheap factory ammo these two are at the top of the list.