Looking for recommendations on a caliber for Elk - Finally got around to booking a trip, good reason for a new gun.

Currently have a Browning X-Bolt in .270, and Remington 700 in .243. If I had to pick a favorite, the 700 over the X all day, though the X is nice. I did have the stock recall issue with it (synthetic crap turning to sticky mess).

What's the go to? Caliber & Make

Have a 300 Rem Ultramag available, but who wants to borrow when I need a new gun anyways?

I shot my elk with a 28 nosler at 425 yards. First one dropped him and sent a second to make sure he was down since it was rough country. I really like that round.

.270 with 150 grain nosler partition will work all day. Just depends on how bad you want a new gun

Might as well round out the collection with a 7 or 300 mag. Tough to beat the value of a tikka t3 light, then you can blow your budget on the scope

28 Nosler, hells canyon speed. Lot of gun for the money.

There really isn't a go to caliber IMO. Shot placement is key and proper bullet selection. If you are just itching for a new gun, I would go with 7 mag or 300 win mag as mentioned above. My favorite calibers right now are 7mm PRC and 6.8 Western (X Bolt). Light, consistent and ammo is starting to be plentiful. I lean more to the 6.8 but that is just personal preference. If you are into podcasts, look up Joseph Von Benedict on The Backcountry Hunt. He is a wealth of knowledge and covers all calibers on big game and also what projectile to use.

If you had no rifle I would say 30-06. But since you already have a .270(which will work fine by the way) I would suggest a .300 Win Mag. Either one.

30-06 is the most versatile cartridge in the world and more fun to shoot than a .30 mag. And if you get a 30-06 you can still get a .300 mag when you book a moose hunt later on.

agsalaska said:

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If you had no rifle I would say 30-06. But since you already have a .270(which will work fine by the way) I would suggest a .300 Win Mag. Either one.

30-06 is the most versatile cartridge in the world and more fun to shoot than a .30 mag. And if you get a 30-06 you can still get a .300 mag when you book a moose hunt later on.

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and a 180grn pill from a 30-06 will drop a moose all day and has for many a decade.

I would take the .270.

Actually, I wouldn't.

1. I would buy a new 300 Win Mag (Weatherby Vanguard for no really good reason. Should buy a Tikka and skip step 2 and 3).

2. Order a McMillan Edge stock to put on it that costs $150 more than the gun to save 10 oz of weight.

3. Bed it.

4. Mount a Leica 2.5-10x42 scope on it. First in Talley LWs, then in Vortex Pros.

5. I'd spend a crap load of money trying to figure out the best load for 180 gr. Barnes TTSXs with IMR 4350, IMR 4381, RL 22, RL 25, IMR 7828, and one other I can't remember, only to spend a crap load more money on it developing a just as good load for the 165 TTSX.

6. Eventually I'd settle on 73.0 of IMR 4381 (after working up safely in my gun of course) and a 165 TTSX.

7. I'd move the Leica to my Tikka 223 and buy a Zeiss Conquest for my 300 Win mag.

8. 5 days before the season I would admit I don't like the recoil of the 300 Win and go buy a burnt bronze Vanguard in .30-06 to stick into the McMillan after the elk season.

9. I'd take both the .30-06 and the 300 Win on a 5 day Rifle Hunt in New Mexico, with the 300 Win being my primary rifle, though I'd carry both.

10. I'd go shoot a 5x5 bull on the last day of the 5 day New Mexico hunt at 323 yards with my 300 Win.

11. Then I would realize, and publicly admit, that I could have made the same shot with my 7mm-08, 270 Win, or 308 Win.

12. Then I'd sit and think about how I needed another rifle....

If I were buying one today, I'd get a Seekins Precision Havak Element in 7mm PRC and top it with a NEAR Alpha mounts and a Swarovski z5 3.5-18x44 P BT.

You'll be much more likely to tag an elk if you spend the money buying ammo to practice shooting from field positions and working on your fitness.

CT'97 said:

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agsalaska said:

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If you had no rifle I would say 30-06. But since you already have a .270(which will work fine by the way) I would suggest a .300 Win Mag. Either one.

30-06 is the most versatile cartridge in the world and more fun to shoot than a .30 mag. And if you get a 30-06 you can still get a .300 mag when you book a moose hunt later on.

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and a 180grn pill from a 30-06 will drop a moose all day and has for many a decade.

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Of course it would. But then he wouldn't buy a new rifle.

Throw a bonded or copper bullet in that .270 and you have your elk rifle.

If you want to get a new rifle just to get a new rifle then there are tons of options. You already have the heavy deer cartridge and light cartridge covered. I would go .30 cal or above since you already have a .270.

300 winmag, 300 PRC, .30 Nosler, 338 Winmag

Tikka is hard to beat these days. Tons of aftermarket accessories. If you are dead set on Remington Action then Bergara will work. Or go custom.

NRH ag 10 said:

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You'll be much more likely to tag an elk if you spend the money buying ammo to practice shooting from field positions and working on your fitness.

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Ain't that the truth! After doing a bunch of elk hunts, I can say with certainty that physical fitness is the biggest factor to success behind just being in the right place at the right time. Elk hunting is hard work, and it only gets much harder once you have an elk on the ground. I've never felt I was in good enough shape on any trek into elk country. Each trip into that high steep country kicks my ass!

That said, you will never catch me talking a guy out of buying a new rifle. It's hard to argue against any flavor of the 7mm or .300 magnums. If you don't hand load, go with 7mm Rem Mag or .300 Win Mag. Although I'm a huge 7mm fan, If forced to pick one, I'd opt for .300 Win Mag and shoot whichever 190 - 200 grain controlled expansion bullet shoots best out of your rifle. But honestly your .270 will work fine. As always, the key is good bullet selection and good shot placement.

agsalaska said:

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CT'97 said:

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agsalaska said:

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If you had no rifle I would say 30-06. But since you already have a .270(which will work fine by the way) I would suggest a .300 Win Mag. Either one.

30-06 is the most versatile cartridge in the world and more fun to shoot than a .30 mag. And if you get a 30-06 you can still get a .300 mag when you book a moose hunt later on.

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and a 180grn pill from a 30-06 will drop a moose all day and has for many a decade.

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Of course it would. But then he wouldn't buy a new rifle.

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True enough! I'm just a 30-06 fan so see no problem having a .270 and a 30-06. Throw in a 25-06 and have the whole family of cartridges.

I always carry my Ruger no. 1 in 30-06 for elk. Great round

This about 1000 blue stars. Very good advice.

There is good reason that Chris Kyle liked the .300 Win Mag.

300 Weatherby Mag

AgDad121619 said:

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.270 with 150 grain nosler partition will work all day. Just depends on how bad you want a new gun

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This. Killed my first elk with a Remington Mod 700 in .270 shooting Remington 150gr. Core-Lokt.

AggiePetro07 said:

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I would take the .270.

Actually, I wouldn't.

1. I would buy a new 300 Win Mag (Weatherby Vanguard for no really good reason. Should buy a Tikka and skip step 2 and 3).

2. Order a McMillan Edge stock to put on it that costs $150 more than the gun to save 10 oz of weight.

3. Bed it.

4. Mount a Leica 2.5-10x42 scope on it. First in Talley LWs, then in Vortex Pros.

5. I'd spend a crap load of money trying to figure out the best load for 180 gr. Barnes TTSXs with IMR 4350, IMR 4381, RL 22, RL 25, IMR 7828, and one other I can't remember, only to spend a crap load more money on it developing a just as good load for the 165 TTSX.

6. Eventually I'd settle on 73.0 of IMR 4381 (after working up safely in my gun of course) and a 165 TTSX.

7. I'd move the Leica to my Tikka 223 and buy a Zeiss Conquest for my 300 Win mag.

8. 5 days before the season I would admit I don't like the recoil of the 300 Win and go buy a burnt bronze Vanguard in .30-06 to stick into the McMillan after the elk season.

9. I'd take both the .30-06 and the 300 Win on a 5 day Rifle Hunt in New Mexico, with the 300 Win being my primary rifle, though I'd carry both.

10. I'd go shoot a 5x5 bull on the last day of the 5 day New Mexico hunt at 323 yards with my 300 Win.

11. Then I would realize, and publicly admit, that I could have made the same shot with my 7mm-08, 270 Win, or 308 Win.

12. Then I'd sit and think about how I needed another rifle....

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*in my Butthead voice*.......you said......bed it......

My dad dropped a cow elk at about 150 yards with our 270. Like others have said, shot placement is the key.

Agreed with just use your .270 or use as an excuse to buy a nice stock and good sticks / ammo to practice with.

How about a 6.5 Bleedmore? :-)

If I was buying a new rifle for high country hunting 7mm PRC would be high on my list:
https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=57577
https://aprifles.com/products/apr-custom-7-prc

Just bought the Tikka T3 Lite in .300 Win Mag for my October NM elk hunt. Worked great and you'll appreciate how lite the gun is. My only suggestion if you go this route is have a trigger job done on it. I didn't have time to do one and the trigger is way too heavy out of the box. Apparently you don't even have to take it in to a gunsmith to do a trigger job, but can order a lighter spring for it on Amazon and it cuts the pull in half from out of the factory. I'll be doing that myself this spring when I get a chance.

Go with the king of the Elk Cartridges. 338 Winchester magnum. You will not be disappointed. It is a true step up in rifle power. You can kill everything in North America and it is ideal for all African game except the largest of the big 5.

When shooting between mountain passes in windy conditions that 250 grain bullet don't move much at longer ranges. You will know when it hits an animal also.

For those that would complain about its recoil Im sorry you just should not be shooting. Its just a little more than a 30-06. My mom just took one on safari to Africa she is 66 and weighs 110 pounds. It's not a bench rifle its a hunting gun.

Any of these will work. 300WM will be the easiest to find ammo.

7mm Rem Mag
28 Nosler
7mm STW
300 Win Mag
300 WSM
30 Nosler
300 RUM
30-378 Weatherby (my fav)
338 Win Mag
33 Nosler
338 RUM
340 Weatherby
338-378 Weatherby

I'm not going to make a recommendation just yet, but would want to first know how far you will be shooting (or how far you feel comfortable shooting) and whether your reload or not. Might also ask what kind of terrain you will be hunting in, as to whether you will need a light rifle set up or will something a little heavier be OK, and whether you will ever want/need this new rifle for something larger also like moose/brown bear.

7mm Shooting Times Westerner

Took my Wyoming elk at 700 yards in 2017.
New Mexico Muley at 749 yards in 2021.

Great round and history.

Some of you need to learn how to read. OP wants a new gun, already has a .270 - why the F are you recommending a .270?

I bought a Winchester 70 Classic in .300 WSM for my elk, it dropped it just fine with a 180 grain Accubond.

As others who can read have said, it's far more about shooting ability and knowing the limitations of whatever round than it is anything else. When I lived in AZ, anything from a .243 on up was used to take elk just fine.

Hard to go wrong with any .30 bore rifle, and since you don't have one - I'd go with that in whatever caliber you want, be it .30-06, .300 WSM or .300 Win Mag (I prefer the WSM because it's a short action but that's me). Beyond that - put the time in on knowing what the gun can do at ranges you expect to shoot at, and that ranges from 25 yards where a 10x scope does no good all the way to 500+ yards. Last time I hunted in CO, wish I had brought my .45-70 lever because I was hunting in timber with very few shots over about 75 yards.

CorpsTerd04 said:

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Go with the king of the Elk Cartridges. 338 Winchester magnum. You will not be disappointed. It is a true step up in rifle power. You can kill everything in North America and it is ideal for all African game except the largest of the big 5.

When shooting between mountain passes in windy conditions that 250 grain bullet don't move much at longer ranges. You will know when it hits an animal also.

For those that would complain about its recoil Im sorry you just should not be shooting. Its just a little more than a 30-06. My mom just took one on safari to Africa she is 66 and weighs 110 pounds. It's not a bench rifle its a hunting gun.

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Or get that covered, too, by picking up a .375 H&H!

Did I put those funny shapes yall call letters in the right order? I can't read....

Your reading comprehension needs more work, like your practice and fitness.

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For those that would complain about its recoil Im sorry you just should not be shooting.

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I've seen elk killed efficiently with everything from a .243 on up. I've also seen guys believe the big bore stuff will make up for their lack of proficiency, and that just isn't true. So my rules for elk guns are such:

1. Buy something you will practice with and become good with.

2. Pick a caliber that you can get shells for in the average backwater town most elk hunts start from. Stuff happens, and where it might not be the perfect load for your rifle, at least you are not on a sight seeing trip because the airline lost your bag.

Only on texags would you ever see someone recommending a .243 for elk hunting. I love this place.