what caliber is better for elk

[Buckskin]

147 grain "Choosing the .270 Win due to a higher SD 150-gr. bullet for much needed penetration and higher velocity as a bonus.

A .308 Win shooting 150-gr.'s is too light for elk and caliber, but in the .270, the smaller diameter changes things a lot. "
 
 
Whaaaaaa whaaaaa?? Since when do we opt for a smaller caliber for big game like an elk???  And 150s are not what I would chose for an elk hunt either. Idiotic to say the least.

[147 Grain]

You missed the question which was basically which 150-gr. bullet is better - a .270 or .308?

The 150-gr. .270 Win will penetrate better every time over the lower SD of a .308 Win.

Granted, I'd prefer a .308 with High Energy Federal 180-gr. Partition slugs, but that wasn't the question.

[Buckskin]

I checked the question and it asks nothing about 150 grain slugs.
It asks which is a better elk gun 270 or 308.
And if you wanted to use that 180 partition, your not going to get that in a 270.

[Savage .250]

.308 or 300 winmag. I don't consider the .270 as anything more than a varmint round, and that's from experience.

                                                                                                                 Jack O`Conner will haunt your hunting grounds forever.    :lol:

[victorcharlie]

In my perticular situation, the .270 would have to be better as I don't own a .308.......

Yep I agree, Jack O'Conner is rolling over in his grave!

[Buckskin]

Jack was not that sensitive.

[cobrad]

I've not used either, but I have seen a heluva lot of folks kill a lot of elk here in western CO with their .270's. Not too many with a .308, though IMO they are up to the task. My daughter uses a 7-08 quite successfully.

[Slamfire]

Jack was not that sensitive.

I don't know about that, he did say somethin' like, "I don't know why someone would put 150 grain bullets in his .270 makin' a 7mm (Mauser) out of it. The 130 grain bullet is the best all around for the cartridge". :shock:

[Coyote Hunter]

dancoman -

All but one of my elk have been taken with a 7mm Mag, and all but one of those with a 160g Speer Grand Slam.  Last year I switched to a 160g North Fork and my buddy switched to a 160g Speer Trophy Bonded.  My recommendation for the 7mm Ultra Mag velocities would be a bullet in the 160g to 175g range in a Swift A-Frame, Speer Trophy Bonded or North Fork package, all of which limit expansion - I’ve seen too many pictures of Accubonds, Interbonds, and Scirocco’s that were what I consider over-expanded.

With the .270 WSM I would choose a 150g bullet for elk, and once again I would choose a bullet that ensures limited expansion.

As to the expected range, be ready for a 300-400 yard shot and practice at both of those ranges if you can.  But chances are very high that if you take an elk it will be under 250 yards.

[targetguy]

I shot a 500 pound cow elk this year with a 165 grain grand slam out of my 308 and she went 30 yards and piled up.  the shot was 280 yards and the bullet went through both lungs and exited. The 308 is actually faster than the 30-06 with bullets up to 165 grains according the speers reloading manual.  If its farther than you can make good hits with a 308 then you dont need to shoot it.

[rickt300]

I haven't shot an elk with a 308 but I have used the 30-06 and the 270 a bunch. One thing about elk you have to hit em good or it doesn't matter what you hit em with that said my favorite elk bullets are the 150 grain Speer hotcor out of my 270 and the 200 grain hotcor out of the 30-06 with a noticable edge in bone breaking ability going to the 30-06. I shoot behind the shoulder with the 270 and the 150 grain hotcor has several times traversed the chest and broken the far shoulder bone. I sort of feel that the 308 pushing the 200 grain Speer bullet at a bit over 2400 fps would be some superior to the 270 at ranges under 200 yards. But I have never lost a well hit elk though some have traveled a couple hundred yards before they went down.

[Coyote Hunter]

I've been taking elk cleanly with a 7mm Mag and a 160g Grand Slam for over 20 years.  I have no doubt that a .270 Win and a 150g Grand Slam would work any differently - at least not so anyone or the elk could notice.  Longest range was 350 yards and that was a pass-through.

With good bullets like the Grand Slam or Partition, or better bullets like the Trophy Bonded, A-Frame or North Fork, I wouldn't worry about using either cartridge.

[Mikey]

rickt300 - I'm sure glad to see someone shooting an 06 with a heavy bullet.  I had a thing one time for 190 grainers in my 06 and loaded them to the max (2800'/sec) with loadind data from my Hornaday handbook - and man were they ever hard hitters.  

For a long range Elk rifle, if I was limited to a choice betwixt a 270 and a 308, I wouldn't choose either.  If I was going with a long action for the 270 I would get an 06, period.  If I was going for a 308, I would still get an 06.  People will say - 'Oh but, the 308 is faster with fingernail clippings, the 270 was Jack O'Connor's favorite and yada, yada.  

Geez, for that matter I would gladly whiz off Ol Colonel Whelan and use one of my 8mms shootin' 200 grainers (LOLOLOL).  Just Mikey here.

[jdt48653]

all of the above cartridges,and my 264 with 140 s.p`hornadys


 remember back in the old days when the 30/06 set every record know
to man!

[Slamfire]

all of the above cartridges,and my 264 with 140 s.p`hornadys

Watch out there, these folks don't wannta hear about the penetratin' qualities of the 6.5, and them looong bullets.  :-D

[nomosendero]

The 308 is actually faster than the 30-06 with bullets up to 165
grains according to Speers Reloading Manual.

Well I just looked in 7 other manuals & it was slower. It is always good to
look at other sources. Did the 06' in the Speer Manual have a "slow"
barrel? Was it loaded to lower pressure? Who knows & who cares. In
bullets of 165 grains & lower the difference is not great, but the 308
is NOT,NOT,NOT faster!!! And besides, unless I used a Barnes TSX, why
would I not want to use a 180 Grain or heavier bullet, especially for big
Bulls? And when you talk heavy bullets, the 30-06 pulls away big time.

I like both cartridges & they will work, but I usually use a very accurate
.300 WM for Elk. I just think we need to be real here.
Thanks:  

[Coyote Hunter]

dancoman –
I’ve used a 7mm Mag with 160g Grand Slams at around 2850fps for over 20 years.  Recently I switched to the North Fork 160g bonded core bullet, which is very similar to the Speer Trophy Bonded but with external grooves, and my buddy switched to the 160g Trophy Bonded.  If I had an Ultra Mag I would undoubtedly go with a North Fork, Speer Trophy Bonded or Swift A-Frame – a design that will allow rapid expansion but provide a positive mechanism to limit it.  This mechanism is the solid shank on the Speer and North Fork and the cross-member in the A-Frame. Most likely I would select a 175g weight for the Ultra Mag.

For the 270 I would choose the same bullet for the same reason, but in a 150g weight.

If you plan to take a 400 yard shot, be sure to practice at 400 if you can. If you cannot, chrono your loads and get a ballistic calculator (“Point Blank” is free at www.huntingnut.com).  Use the calculator to compare the actual trajectory against the theoretical at various ranges, preferably at 100, 200 and 300 yards.  Zero your rifle for Maximum Point Blank Range for a 6” diameter target.  And use a range finder – distances can be very deceiving in the mountains and it is not at all unusual to be off by 50%.   If you don’t have a range finder learn to use your Duplex Reticle as an optical range finder.  Practice those long shots, and not from the bench – use kneeling, sitting or prone positions, shooting sticks, or improvised rests (boulders, tree trunks, etc.).  Practice, practice, practice!

[Mikey]

momosendero:  I checked my Speer manual as well and found the 308 to be all of 9'/sec faster than the 06 with the 165 gn bullet - that sure ain't gonna be enough of anything to have me go from an 06 to a 308, especially when the 06 really turns on with the heavier bullets.  Just my thoughts.  Mikey.

[SuperstitionCoues]

My choice is a 7mm WSM with a Sierra 160 gr. HPBT Gameking, or a .30-06 with a Sierra 180 gr. BTSP Gameking.

My 2 cents.

[jim21]

My son is the elk hunter,I'm the deer hunter.We both use 30-06s

[Mr. Joe]

I had to dig this up...sorry guys.  If somone cannot cleanly kill an elk or moose for that matter with a .270 or a .308 they are a slob hunter.