What is your Go-To round for Elk?

[couesmagnet]

The front bumper of my dodge diesel going 80 miles an hour always does the trick.

[Shedhunteraz]

Bow tech insanity cox

Victory vap1 398 gns with G5 striker broad head. Did some serious damage sat am

[Coach]

Never hunted bull elk with a gun but in a few hours I'll be trying because I screwed up my app and got my second choice - late rifle 3A/3C. Was supposed to be archery 3A/3C.

 

I've got a plan, but it has to pay out in the first 45 minutes of light, or I'll be quail hunting near Roosevelt by the afternoon.

[4Falls]

Good luck this morning Coach. Im betting we see some pictures in a few hours.

[Dan]

Long range 338 edge 300gr OTM berger 101gr of R-33 2950fps. Under 300yrds 30/06 180gr accubond 56gr IMR 4350.

[Zeke-BE]

 

If I was hunting today I would have my tikka .270 140 grain accurbond, W760 (52 grain) 3,010 fps with a inch grouping at 200 yards.

 

I shoot 140 gr AB's with 53 grains of W760 in my Tikka T3 and it's sub-moa , but my rifle chrono'd at 2,985 fps. I use the set up for Coues but wouldn't hesitate to take that rifle elk hunting either.

This is proof that every gun is different! I was shooting 53 grain and chrono it at 3,060 fps. Every others shot I would miss paper! That was 6 inches. I backed off a grain and it shoots like a champ!!!

[Zeke-BE]

 

If I was hunting today I would have my tikka .270 140 grain accurbond, W760 (52 grain) 3,010 fps with a inch grouping at 200 yards.

 

I shoot 140 gr AB's with 53 grains of W760 in my Tikka T3 and it's sub-moa , but my rifle chrono'd at 2,985 fps. I use the set up for Coues but wouldn't hesitate to take that rifle elk hunting either.

This is proof that every gun is different! I was shooting 53 grain and chrono it at 3,060 fps. Every others shot I would miss paper! That was 6 inches. I backed off a grain and it shoots like a champ!!!

[Coach]

Good luck this morning Coach. Im betting we see some pictures in a few hours.

Thanks 4Falls. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. I was able to take a huge bodied, small racked old 6x6. They did just what I expected they would and I was presented a good shot, but he decided to die in the bottom of the deepest, most nasty canyon I could dream up. It took my oldest son and I about 6 hours to quarter, bone and pack out. It was straight up in every direction with rolling rocks and dead blow downs from the fire. Hardest pack out of my life, and I've had a couple tough ones.

 

But we got it done, so now I can say I've taken bulls with rifle, bow and muzzle loader. Ironically, the bow and muzzy were easy compared to this.

 

In the spirit of this thread, my 165 Accubonds did NOT perform well at all. This elk should have been dead 200 yards from the road. If I ever shoot a bull elk with a rifle again I'll be shooting something heavier.

[4Falls]

Good work Coach.

[Whitesheep]

Two proven rifles/load come to mind. My first pick is a Weatherby Accumark in .340 running either factory ammunition (250 gr Nosler Partition) or hand loads that duplicate the factory load. The second proven Elk harvester is a Marlin XLR .444 Marlin shooting factory 265 grain Hornady FTX for which I can duplicate the factory load with hand loads. Either one gets the job done. I prefer the .340, but the .444 is easier to carry. BTW the .340 is also a dandy sheep rifle and my avatar was taken with this rifle. There are many very good Elk rifles and what ever you use, best of luck.

[murfys69law]

A reload of my own. My 300 Win mag Browning Medallion grade shooting a 180 grn Rem cor-loct, 72 grns of 4350 IMR with a CCI mag primer at 3240 fps. Never had an elk step more than 2 feet after shot.