6mm Remington and elk?

[Bear Wallow]

I'm thinking about taking my 6mm Remington on a late bull elk hunt.  I have a residence tag and have killed other game but not elk with it. 

What are your own experiences hunting with a 6mm, .243 and elk?

[Ruskin]

I know of a young man(8-9) that took an elk with a 6PPC.  Shot placement.  The first shot killed him.  The second only to plant him.

He was taught to shot by an army ranger(grandpa).

[petemi]

I traded my 6mm Model seven in on a Ruger .308 because it didn't kill deer, in my opinion, adequately.  It's not shot placement. That was the same. The .308 has taken at least a dozen whitetails and only one went 75 yards.  If you're going to expend the time, money and effort on an elk hunt, take tools fit for the job.  You can probably kill an elk with an air rifle, after a while, if you shot him enough times through the eye.  What's the Point?  The greatest part of hunting is sportsmanship, being in the field, and above all humanity.  Hunt with an adequate weapon at all times.

[beemanbeme]

I agree with petemi. 

[yooper77]

No problem.  Using a good 100 grain Nosler Partition it is completely doable within reasonable range.

Since you are questioning it on here, you need to ask yourself if you are confident enough in your ability to place the proper shot.

Also, check the minimum caliber size allowed for Elk in the state you will be hunting.

yooper77

[dukkillr]

I always ask the same question in these situations... WHY?  Can you kill an elk with a 6mm?  Yes, of course you can.  You can kill an elk with a .22lr as long as you, "pick your shots" and "put the bullet where it's supposed to go"... blah blah blah...

But, of course, things in the field don't always go the way you want them to.  Not long ago someone was posting here about the ethics of trying to shoot a running deer at a great distance that his hunting partner had wounded.  He was using some cute little cartridge that would work just fine on the Internet, but wasn't powerful enough to be much use for that situation. 

Why not shoot a caliber designed for elk sized game?  A .270 would be my minimum, and a 30-06 or .300 WM would be better.  You just never know what you'll be called upon to do, and if all hell breaks loose and you're trying to kill a wounded elk at 300 yards you'll be happy to have a gun designed to do that.

[NONYA]

Why do SO many people ask the same question OVER AND OVER,if you are asking you already know its not an ideal pick for elk,you just want the usual group to tell you its going to work and everyone else to suggest you use a proper caliber,then you will listen to the usual suspects and use your (17hmr-25-06) anyways.

[beemanbeme]

I also agree with Nonya.  And Dukkllr.  And anyone else that sez, No! No! Don't do it!  You can drive a rail road spike with a tack hammer but, as Dukkllr sez, why?   

[Ruskin]

I understand the points presented; however, when teaching a young shooter, I think it is important to instill in them confidence in their equipment, themselves, and not develop bad shooting habits.

I have watched the young boy shoot.  He is very mature due to the instruction from a ranger from the Korean War.  He was with a guide and his grandfather when he took the elk. They would not allowed him to take a shot that he was not capable of. The guide had seen older shooters make mistakes that should have been addressed at the range.  He was very complementary of the lad.

We often get more gun than we can handle.  We develop flinches.  We think that a large caliber will overcome our short comings.

My best advice would be to use what you have been trained and tested with rather than taking a howitzer which you are afraid of.  Additionally, with confidence shot placement should not be a problem.

[NONYA]

And the suspects speak...nevermind the fact that the elk is the strongest member f the deer species in north America,lives in the roughest of terrain,often requires a longer shot than most game and can soak up a ton of lead,properly placed but with inadaquate penetration than almost any game in NA.Convincing a young hunter thathe can kill anything due to shot placement ,regardless of his caliber choice isnt proer instruction.If you are going after elk get a damn elk rifle,who here cant handle the recoil of a 30-06?I started shooting one at 14 and I was a small kid,my little sister started shooting a 7 mag at 16,if you cant handle the recoil of an adaquate rifle hunt deer.

[nomosendero]

And the suspects speak...nevermind the fact that the elk is the strongest member f the deer species in north America,lives in the roughest of terrain,often requires a longer shot than most game and can soak up a ton of lead,properly placed but with inadaquate penetration than almost any game in NA.Convincing a young hunter thathe can kill anything due to shot placement ,regardless of his caliber choice isnt proer instruction.If you are going after elk get a damn elk rifle,who here cant handle the recoil of a 30-06?I started shooting one at 14 and I was a small kid,my little sister started shooting a 7 mag at 16,if you cant handle the recoil of an adaquate rifle hunt deer.

I agree. A 6mm is too dang light. In reference to the boy that is 8-9 years old, if he is still too small for a bigger gun, I would restrict him to shooting Deer until he is older & bigger & then get him a 270 as a minimum for Elk.

[beemanbeme]

Let's see, you teach a young shooter confidence in his equipment, himself, and to avoid bad shooting habits.  I didn't see anywhere in there: a respect for the quarry; an awareness that what you are shooting at is a live animal that deserves to be put down as quickly as possible if for no other reason that the quality of the meat.  This isn't some hot dog trick to see who can pop the furtherest balloon. We're talking about a live animal. 
If the kid can't shoot an elk rifle, he shouldn't be elk hunting! And, IMO, that would be a minimum of a 7x57 or a 7-08 loaded with 160's and limited to 150 yards.
If all of us folks that shoot elk rifles flinch, how do we kill so many elk?  Do WE often get more gun than WE can handle?  Do WE develope flinches?  Maybe WE need to spend more time at the range. Big gun or pop gun, it'd help us all. 

[the lone gunman]

My brother in law has one gun. A remmie mohawk in 243. I have seen him take whitetails farther away than I would have even taken the shot. Many turkeys, 2 Pa. black bears. 1 Canadian black bear. Dont ask if the cailber is good enough. Are you good enough? ( by the way , he used 75 grain hp always )

[Freezer]

     A while back I read an article in GUN DIGEST MAGAZINE about too many people wanting to express their ability to shoot small bore rifles at large game on the net.  He considered them fools.  At first I found the article rash and offensive but as I thought about it the man is right.  If your going to spend allot of money on a hunt you can afford to get a rifle in a cartridge that was designed to do the job.  To take the chance of wounding an animal is criminal.  Sometimes things happen but it makes no sense to invite trouble.
     That said 6.5x55 would or 260 Rem would be as low as I'd go but would much rather have a 280 or 06

[weasel]

As much as I love shooting 223 & 6mm, I'd opt for something bigger. My M-70 30/06 w/Boss recoils like my 6mm, my 14 yr old neice shoots it, earplugs and muffs in place. Having chased wounded elk for the better part of a day will make a believer in shot placement and a big hunk of lead.