What Rifle Ought to You Tackle Your First Elk Hunt?

I by no means require any encouragement to purchase a brand new rifle for an upcoming hunt. However then once more, I’m what’s technically often called “fiscally irresponsible.” One query I ceaselessly get from hunters happening their first elk hunt is what rifle to carry. As completely satisfied as I’m to half with my very own cash, I’m even happier to spend different’s hard-earned lucre. That stated, my recommendation to those people is commonly to not purchase a rifle particularly for elk and to as a substitute take one they already personal and are acquainted with.

Web Elk Specialists: .300 or Bust

Specialists lurk in each nook of the web, and elk rifle specialists are almost as widespread as specialists concerning handguns for safety towards bears. One widespread statement from these elk-aficionados is that elk are remarkably robust animals that must be pursued with cartridges larger and extra highly effective than what you’d use on a whitetail or mule deer.

To this crowd, the .30-caliber magnums (and up) are the place it’s at. The .300 Win. Magazine. is the place to begin of the dialog. Different cartridges that make the grade embody the .300 Weatherby, .300 WSM, .300 Rem. Extremely Magazine., .300 PRC, and 30 Nosler.

A typical premium .300 Win. Magazine. load is Nosler’s 180-grain Accubond with a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2950 fps and a muzzle vitality (ME) of 3477 ft.-lb. Within the 30 Nosler, MV jumps as much as 3200 fps (4092 ft.-lb. ME), which is true on the heels of the .300 Weatherby and .300 RUM, which checklist 3250 fps because the MV for the 180 Accubond (4220 ft.-lb. ME).

The .300 PRC takes a barely totally different strategy with a design that’s optimized for heavy-for-caliber bullets with increased BCs and decrease MVs. Hornady’s 212-grain ELD-X has a MV of 2860 fps and ME of 3850 ft.-lb.

Outdated-Time Powerful Guys Favourite Elk Rifle: The Large .33s

Going a step additional, you’ve got the great .338-caliber bullets out there within the .338 Win. Magazine., 33 Nosler, .338-378 Weatherby, .338 RUM, .338 Lapua, and the brand new .338 Weatherby RPM. The .338 Win. Magazine. used to carry the title for the best choice in the event you had only one cartridge to hunt the world—and nonetheless does in some hunters’ eyes—and even at this time is a power to be reckoned with in elk nation.

Most .338 Win. Magazine. ammo hundreds bullets weighing between 200 and 250 grains, with the 225-grainers being the candy spot. The 225s sometimes have a MV of 2800 fps and ME of 3917 ft.-lb. The muzzle velocities and energies solely climb from there. The larger .338s shoot 225-grain bullets but in addition propel 250- and 300-grain bullets with ease.

All these .30- and .338-caliber thumpers do excellent work on elk, and the larger .33s even pack sufficient punch to take harmful African recreation. However would you like a rifle chambered in a single for elk, notably in a rifle the place weight goes to be a priority?

The argument for these cartridges is that as a result of elk are a lot bigger and more durable than deer you want a bigger bullet to interrupt by way of bone higher, to deal with less-than-ideal shot angles, and to make the most of the higher killing capability of the bigger bullet diameters.

Whereas these arguments have some benefit, I feel they’re overstated by their advocates, notably in gentle of at this time’s higher searching bullets. This logic is the product of a bygone period the place bullet efficiency was spotty and to deal with that deficit an even bigger cartridge and bullet justified the tradeoffs.

For these too younger to recollect, bullet failure was a professional concern. There have been loads of fundamental cup-and-core designs that didn’t maintain collectively very effectively and whose terminal ballistics had been inconsistent. A few of these bullets would fragment violently on affect with an animal’s shoulder, particularly at shut ranges when the projectile was nonetheless carrying a number of velocity, leaving a gory floor wound that wasn’t immediately deadly. And a few bullets would fail to broaden in any respect, penciling by way of the animal with out damaging sufficient tissue to kill it outright.

In that context, bumping as much as a bigger cartridge and bullet in your elk rifle was an affordable treatment.

The most important draw back to those rifles is the quantity of recoil they generate and the issue folks have taking pictures them. It’s laborious to overstate how important this may be. I’ve watched and coached numerous hunters attempt to sight-in and shoot their magnum-caliber rifles and most battle mightily, even those that take into account themselves skilled hunters and marksmen—to say nothing of the beginner on their first elk hunt.

These shooters usually shut their eyes on the shot, flinch with anticipation of the set off break, maintain their rifle in a death-grip, or fail to firmly place the recoil pad of their shoulder—none of that are conducive to good taking pictures.

A muzzle brake may help mitigate a few of this, however the extra muzzle blast can contribute to those points as effectively. It definitely isn’t a cure-all.

The Proper Reply: Take Your Deer Gun

I’m not going to get into the argument of how low you’ll be able to go together with cartridge choice for elk. There are many locations you’ll be able to learn in regards to the 6.5 Creed for elk elsewhere. However you shouldn’t really feel hampered within the least by bringing your favourite deer rifle on an elk hunt.

Requirements just like the .30/06, .308 Win., .270 Win. and the newer 6.5 PRC will all serve you effectively on elk. Simply make certain to make use of hundreds with acceptable bullets and also you’ll be good to go.

Within the .30/06 I’ve killed elk and moose with varied 180-grain bullets and I’m a giant fan of the Accubond on this weight. At 2750 fps, the 180 AB has 3022 ft.-lb. of ME and even stodgy old-timers would have a tough time arguing that it isn’t sufficient for a mature 6×6 bull. Different bullets to contemplate are Federal’s 180-grain Fusion and Remington’s new Core-Lokt tipped.

A remarkably correct, and efficient elk rifle spherical is the .308 Win. with 165-grain Accubonds. At 2800 fps, this spherical delivers 2871 ft.-lb. of ME. The 130 ft.-lb. distinction from the .30/06 won’t ever be seen by any elk or different animal.

The .270 Win. has confirmed itself as a consummate Western huge recreation spherical over the a long time and is simpler than ever with a few of at this time’s premium searching projectiles. The 136-grain Federal Terminal Ascent is one among these best-in-class bullets and at 3000 fps generates 2718 ft.-lb. of muzzle vitality. If the considered a 136-grain bullet appears a bit of gentle, you’ll be able to step it up with a 150-grain Nosler ABLR at 2850 fps and 2705 ft.-lb. ME. Each bullets will penetrate deeply and broaden reliably even on longer pictures. And so they shoot flat and have very manageable recoil.

The ultimate instance I’ll spotlight is the 6.5 PRC, which is optimized for .264-in. diameter heavy-for-caliber bullets and throughout the transient time since its introduction in late 2018 has racked up a formidable observe file on Western huge recreation together with elk.

The ammo choices in 6.5 PRC have been quickly increasing. Hornady’s 143-grain ELD-X at 2960 fps (2783 ft.-lb. ME) was the primary searching load, and I’ve tagged a number of elk with this bullet. However different producers have jumped into the combo. Federal has their 140-grain Fusion (2925 fps/2659 ft.-lb. ME) and 130-grain Terminal Ascent (3000 fps/2598 ft.-lb. ME). I haven’t killed an elk with the 130-grain TE, however have used it on aoudad, that are moderately massive, and a pair deer with devastating impact and wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a bull with it.

Nosler has each their 140-grain Accubond (2900 fps/2614 ft.-lb. ME) and 142-grain Accubond Lengthy Vary (2900 fps/2651 ft.-lb. ME) in 6.5 PRC and I’ve had good expertise with each bullets by way of accuracy and terminal efficiency.

Now these aren’t the one lighter cartridges that can work. There are all of the magnificent 7mm to select from (7mm Rem. Magazine., .280 Rem., .280 AI, 7mm SAUM, and many others.). And an argument will be made for the quarter-bores too, just like the .25/06 and .257 Wby. Magazine.

Why Smaller Can Be Higher for an Elk Rifle

Some great benefits of these small cartridges are that you simply in all probability already personal one, and, secondly, will have the ability to shoot it higher than the massive .30s and .33s.

By the use of comparability take a look at the chart above displaying the comparatively recoil that every cartridge generates in an 8.5-pound rifle. When you think about {that a} .30/06 is on the higher finish of what most hunters can tolerate and shoot effectively with 25.1 ft.-lb. of recoil, the problems with the magnum rounds turns into obvious. It isn’t that these huge boomers are unimaginable to grasp. They’re with observe. However they require work and energy to take action. And the hunter who brags about taking pictures the identical field of ammo for the previous three seasons whereas shouldering a magnum hasn’t put in that work and doesn’t shoot almost in addition to he thinks he does.

Learn Subsequent: Greatest Deer Searching Rifles of 2022

Talking of observe, with all that cash you’ll be saving by not shopping for a brand new rifle, you’ll be able to spend money on a pair hundred rounds of ammo and up your expertise. That is the place going lighter will actually pay dividends.

Not solely will you not beat your self to items attempting to shoot a heavy gun, however you’ll arrive in elk camp with a bonus that not one of the magnum shooters may have. Specifically, you should have mastered your rifle and have the ability to put a shot on track when it counts most. So long as your bullet is as much as snuff, that elk will probably be yours.