My buddy recently bought a Christensen Arms Ridgeline chambered in 300 PRC just for a future western hunt. Having seen what it did to a hog and deer this season, I have little doubt as to its terminal performance. If I ever get to go, I’d probably rely on my .30-06, although my 6.5 Creedmoor would probably get the job done just as well. By the way, I’m in CT too. I don’t claim it as home, but here I sit for the foreseeable future.
.280 Remington. Or .280 Ackley.
Last edited by Trigger; 12-06-2021 at 10:54 PM.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master"
I’ll probably spend a month or two out there next spring, thinking of checking out Utah, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Thank you pandemic for remote working.Originally Posted by Nephrology
Back on topic, seems as though any of the posted cartridges would be just fine. I’m dropping 6.5 PRC from the conversation mostly because I don’t want to be associated with the 6.5 mafia. But seriously I’m leaning towards the 7mm, though the 30 cals (300 WM and 300 PRC) will probably get another look as well. I’m sure 30-06 or 308 would be just fine but considering I am going to be investing a good chunk of change into this I don’t want to limit myself when the reality is I don’t see a reason to not go with a magnum cartridge.
The recoil and blast don’t concern me with the magnums as I’ve shot 60 rounds through a 300 WSM in a sitting. I’m more concerned with ammo cost and availability and the 7mm RM always seems fairly available.
I've used .30-06 for quite a while. It's certainly adequate for elk... somewhere I have a 180gr Accubond that I took from under the off-side hide of a good sized cow I shot at 425 yards. If you know your dope, it's plenty of gun. The only reason I stretched that shot out, was because I had a huge boulder that was the perfect angle to set my pack down on, and get into a semi-standing, sorta-prone, lean over the rock, perfect benchrest steady position. I had plenty of time to rest and get ready for the shot, as the herd was not going anywhere, which was a good thing, as I was out of cover, and moving closer would have sent them over the ridge. I had a good idea of the range, dead calm winds, and my pick of several perfectly broadside cows that were not moving. Two shots, two hits to the boiler room. Second shot was redundant, but she was still standing when I came down out of recoil, so I sent another.
I normally keep shots under 300 if at all possible. I know my dope out to 500 by heart, and have made some decent longer shots (that cow, another cow at 300, a nice mule deer at 350, etc)... I really want to get as close as I possibly can before I take a shot. I've held my fire on bad angles, and let good animals walk because I didn't feel right about the shot. I've also spooked game, trying to move to a better, closer position. IMHO, under 300, .30-06 is plenty. If you know your dope, I think it can be stretched to 500. Somewhere between 300 yards and infinity, it turns into "shooting" more than "hunting", IMHO.
That said, hard to draw limited entry tags, longer shots, wind, bad weather, and wounded animals do justify harder hitting guns somewhat. I wouldn't want to be trying to make follow up shots from the rear of a nice bull I wounded, with something like a 6.5 CM... even with really good bullets. But, I also have a buddy that has shot a small pile of bulls with a .270 using basic cup and core old school bullets. He used to shoot a .338WM with 250gr Partitions, so take that as you will. I've really been thinking of a 6.5 CM or a 7mm-08 for a bit lighter short action gun, because hiking around at 10,000 feet will make you start counting ounces in your hands or in your pack. I think with good modern monolithic or bonded bullets, the smaller calibers are probably adequate, if you can shoot well, and don't take crappy shots. Plenty of guys buy fancy magnums, but then never shoot them, because they are not fun, and expensive to shoot. Those guys miss a lot of shots they might have made with a gun they can actually shoot well. In the right hands, a magnum is certainly going to give you an edge. If I was bothering with a magnum, I'd not look at anything smaller than the 7mm Rem Mag, caliber wise.
Biggest takeaways: Elk are not bulletproof, make good shots, know your personal limits with your equipment, practice a lot, caliber matters a lot less than putting them in the right spot, use proper bullets for whatever caliber you use, and finally... CARDIO! Packing elk out is work.
I've never hunted elk, but I love the .270 Win and heavy caliber bullets. That combo is overkill for the deer around here, but if I were going to hunt elk, I would find it hard to resist a Winchester model 70 in 6.8 Western.
.300 Win mag seems like the best answer to me. If I ever get a shot at an elk it will be only by great effort or expense. Picking an optimal rifle cartridge is wiser than chosing an adequate one.
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Being in the PNW, I have hunted Elk on many occasions.
I have seen .308, 30-06, 7mm mag and 45-70 personally used. Many Co-workers swear by their 300 win mags. The 30s and 7mms are real shot placement specific in their performance. The 45-70 took a chest cavity shot and was literally DRT.
The last Elk I shot was with a 7mm mag. The round just zipped through the neck (back to front) and he just ran. I was trying for a spine shot as it was running in a straight line perfectly away/no angles involved from only 40 yards away. I didn't want to shoot him in the butt. Just barely missed the spine. It took awhile but we tracked him down and got my tag filled.
I decided I wanted a bigger cross section, first thought was 45-70, but decided I wanted a little more reach if I needed it. ETA: Long shots are rare in my area.
I now have my 35 Whelen which is just a necked up 30-06 case to 35 caliber. 200 grain average bullet weight and has a ballistic arc similar to .308. I haven't been able to actually try it out, but looking forward to the opportunity-recently lost my Dad, he was the driving force for us...
It's a bit off the radar but ammo was available easy online till the foolishness happened. Luckily I found a store (GB) doing a clearance on Federal Fusion at $19 a box, just had to buy 11 boxes. That will arguably last my lifetime since I don't plink with hunting ammo.
Moral of the story, I'm thinking there may be something to the old timers saying a big bullet will put them down best...
Last edited by xtrtsqrt11; 12-07-2021 at 06:12 PM.
For bolt action rifles, I think any cartridge driving a bullet 6mm or larger, 100 grains or heavier, at 2700fps or faster will work just fine for almost any kind of Western hunting.
I appreciate all of the feedback thus far, just to help frame the conversation a bit here are the calibers offered for the rifle I am looking to buy. 270, 7mm-08, and 30-06 aren’t an option. Going to a LA is a .3lb weight penalty (7.2lb overall).
I do have a Marlin 1895 which would be a blast to hunt with but I don’t know if getting within in that rounds effective range is a possibility where we’re going.
Any of the long action calibers and premium bullets. Depends on where you hunt, vast majority of mine have been 250-350 yards, this year was a hayfield heard at 373. The extra energy makes a difference past 250. The weight difference on the rifle is insignificant.
I buy into the idea of common ammo, hence I would go with the standards: .300WM or 7RM. (Not sure the .338 is necessary for anything that doesn't require travel through/over/around Canada to get to. And even then probably not necessary.) If something happens to your reloaded ammo, you should be able to buy some that will get the job done anywhere that hunting ammo is sold, at least in normal times. And you're better off with them in non-normal times for the same reason, just moreso.
I like that they have the 1:8.5 twist on the 7RM. Most of those are the traditional 1:10, which may not be enough to shoot the zoomier 175-gr-ish bullets like NAB and the like.
If I ever move out west and decide my .308 isn't enough, I'll probably have a 1:8 barrel made for a Tikka in 7RM.
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