Minimum Elk Caliber. what do you think it is.

[rjthehunter]

100% sure about that… There’s no flies on the .243 for killing elk.

I agree, but I've seen gut shots anchor animals. Not just with a 338 though. But speaking generally I'd agree.

 

[DFS]

I’ll go ahead and say it elk are impenetrable I would start with a .33 caliber and go up from there. The big iron elk needs a caliber that hurts your shoulder.

 

[DFS]

They are hard to put down don’t quit shooting until they quit moving.

 

[Leterbuck86]

common sense wins everytime, any caliber works

 

[mtmuley]

Sounds like you might be ok

No, the .300 Remington Ultra Mag is not "too much" gun for elk
; it is a powerful and effective cartridge for hunting large game at various ranges, though its high recoil is the main drawback. The key is whether the shooter can handle the recoil and place accurate shots, as shot placement is more important than the specific caliber.

Pure sarcasm on my part. These threads are great. I'm dragging the cannon into the woods today. mtmuley

 

[Ringbill27]

I would say I’d go as low as 7mm08 but I’d only go as high as 30-06. Not going to beat myself up and go bigger. Both with the correct bullet will work well to 400yds and that the range I would like to stay in.

I get the small cartridge craze right now. The data is there. From what I’ve gathered they work well with the right bullet in a rifle you’ve practiced with. So it’s a shot placement, bullet selection and confidence thing.
I shoot the bigger cartridge just as well and just as much as the little ones so I’m going to use the bigger cartridge. I’d like to say 6.5 creedmoor as the low but I just got it and don’t have enough time behind it to make an educated decision.

 

[Dan-06]

I know 2 different families that use a243. They don’t go hungry either. My daughter uses her 25-06. She has never needed more than 1. Wife uses her 6.5 Swede. It just works. I’m still using my 1972 model 70 , 30-06. Bagged over 30 head.

 

[geetar]

A lot of this is situation based for me. I recently heard Randy Brown on MeatEater podcast talking about when he lived off the land in a remote cabin near the Yukon / Alaska border that they would shoot everything from grouse to moose with .243 or .257 Roberts. Thats a guy who is out there all the time. It's his home area. He knows the terrain really well and is probably gonna try to get closer vs taking long range shots. For me I'm an easterner who gets about a week to 10 days out west each year. Often in different areas for different animals depending on what tags I get. I'm not bringing a small gun for elk. I'll take my .300 Win but that's probably more about me maximizing my limited opportunity than it is " needing " a big gun to kill the elk. I don't know that this perspective holds any weight the thread just got me thinking about the different viewpoints.

 

[Brad]

There is more blather and outright BS spewed about the hardiness of elk than perhaps any other big game animal. Were it not for "the best grizzly pistol" and "the best elk rifle" discussions, I think the internet would be virtually empty

 

[brockel]

I’ll go ahead and say it elk are impenetrable I would start with a .33 caliber and go up from there. The big iron elk needs a caliber that hurts your shoulder.

What if we have become recoil Sally’s and smaller calibers hurt our shoulder?

 

[brockel]

My answer depends on which bullet construction direction you lean

 

[howl]

It's not the kill. It's the recovery. Minimum to kill is whatever's legal. But are you going to find it and where will it be?

 

[mechanic1908]

I guess we might talk about for what Elk, big Roosie's in the Pacific North West, Cow elk in Colorado.

Lots of variation in size and shooting distances. What do you say?

375 H&H ? J/K A lot would depend upon the range and the shooters skill level I would imagine

 

[mtmuley]

What if we have become recoil Sally’s and smaller calibers hurt our shoulder?

I think this had happened. So far, I haven't caught the Sally syndrome. mtmuley

 

[HandgunHunter]

You guys just keep arguing about which rifle to use…..

 

[brockel]

You guys just keep arguing about which rifle to use…..View attachment 393536

Did you throw it at the elk to kill it because that’s the only way I’m hitting something with a pistol. So I like to pack the heaviest one I have so it really hurts when I hit them with it