Elk guns

[Spitzer]

I disagree with the last paragraph. I've seen many moose shot repeatedly with smaller calibers and not go down, holes all over.

I believe large caliber or not, hunters must target shoot throughout the year, not 3rds from the bench just before the season starts to check their if their scope is still on. Around here I'd bet 95% of hunters do that very thing. For some, a box of cartridges lasts for years! Most of your average hunters have never been trained in "proper" shooting techniques.

Out of that 5% that do target shoot throughout the year, 3% shoot just from the bench. That leaves only 2% that target shoot throughout the year that add many different "real" shooting positions and conditions.

Yes, I agree that hunters should hunt with what they can handle to be accurate. Magnums do not make up for lousy shooters, nor do smaller calibers. Any caliber you buy, should be shot a lot so that rifle becomes an "extension" of yourself. Keeping sharp on shooting skills can also include praticing with a .22lr. Train hard, fight easy. So the saying goes.

 

[nobuckkev]

I shoot a 165 gr .30-06 nosler tip for everything. Haven't gotten a shot off at an elk yet, but my buddy has been shooting his .270 for the last 20 years and gets one every year with no problems. he has had to hit em' twice before though just to save some tracking time.

 

[340mag]

no Im not takeing this personally,THIS IS JUST TO RE-STATE SOME POINTS

like I said before
"it really depends on the ranges you are likely to be shooting at and to some extent the size of the largest game your likely to shoot. far to many people think thier equipment allows them to take shots at extreme ranges, learn to get in close for a precise shot placement and the caliber of the rifle becomes somewhat less important, stretch the range and it becomes much more important, if your shooting at ranges where you can,t keep all shots in a 6" circle your too far to shoot!
I started hunting elk and more or less specialized in ELK hunting for the last 33 years, I started with a 30-06 but even with perfect shot placement and premium bullets it failed to produce exit wounds from some good hits. now they were all good kills, and Id be the first guy to say your better off with a 30-06 you shoot well than a 338win mag you flinch with, but some elk, in fact most elk hit with the 30-06 traveled 40-50 yards after impact, some slightly further, and keep in mind I won,t shoot untill Im possitive of a good precise shot placement. I swapped to a 340 weatherby mag and 250 grain bullets, about 25 years ago, and since that time Ive always had good results on ELK in that most fall within a step or two of the impact point and I get exit wounds, and huge blood trails that are extremely short.(most less than 10 yards) "

I rarely kill ELK at over 140 yards, 250yards is almost the longest range I can even see ELk where I hunt, and a single shot has dropped most within 10 yards, if you can,t keep all shots in a 6" circle your too far to shoot!
now Im a bigger guy at 290lbs and 6'3" but I can ACCURATELY shoot that 340wby even off hand into a 6" paper plate at 200yards and yes I shoot OFF HAND at least 100-200 shots a month,EVERY month in PRACTICE, CONSTANT PRACTICE AND LEARNING HOW TO USE A SLING, A GOOD BI-POD WHEN SITTING OR PRONE,A NATURAL REST LIKE A TREE LIMB IF AVAILABLE, a RECOIL PAD IN YOUR VEST,AND A MUZZLE BRAKE MAKES A HUGE DIFFERANCE IN YOUR SKILL LEVEL

 

[target]

I have used a 22-250,243;30,06,270-338,340,338-378 and even took a few cows with my (LAR 50 BMG WOW was that something to see) it was like hitting them with a train! out of all these calibers. The 270 and the 340 are my favorite choice they both do there job very well

 

[arizona jim]

I have killed 3 elk with my 30-06 from 45 yds. to 300 yds. None took more than 2 shots. That said I would have felt better on a couple of them with only 15 min. before dark if I had something like the .338-06 or .35 Whelen. Luckily the farthest one traveled after shot was only 150 or so yds. I use 180 grn. Winchester "Fail Safes".

AZ Jim

 

[Enforcer]

I've hunted elk 6 times with 4 kills all bulls.I'm a lever action man and use only levers on my big game hunts.
Heres what i used on my 4 kills.

Winchester M88 in 358win(22in), 225gr Speer at 2550fps-3248fpe
Winchester M71 in 348Win(24in), 220gr Barnes XFN at 2470fps-2979fpe
Savage M99A in 375Win (22in),225gr Speer SP at 2300fps-2642fpe
Winchester M1895 in 303 British(28in), 215gr SP at 2255fps-2395fpe

All one shot kills with no tracking needed,and no follow up shot needed either.No shot closer than 60yds and one as far as 335yds.Its levers or nothing for me.Enforcer

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Chose a Ruger 7mm Mag 20+ years ago, no regrets.

Between my buddy and myself, we've taken 6 elk in the last 4 years, all with 7mm Mag 160g Speer Grand Slams loaded to 2850-2900fps. Closest was 100 yards, furthest was 350. All one shot affairs except for last year I used a finisher to hasten the inevitable on my bull.

This year the 7mm Mag is staying home and my Marlin 1895 is going - with North Fork 350g Bonded bullets loaded to 2181fps, Point Blank Range of just over 200 yards for a 6" kill zone. My Marlin 375Win will be going as a backup and for mule deer.

For people who aren't victims of the lever-bug, .270 or 7mm-08 up through a .375 are fine for elk, with the .300's and up being increasingly more forgiving.

 

[BlackTimber]

In all this reading the 358 Norma Mag is never mentioned, Why? I had the oportunity to shoot one last week. I fell in love. I was shooting my friends and the first 5 shots were under a 3/4 group at 100 yrds. The recoil felt less then my 7mm, maybe it was just the excitment??? But I think that this gun would make BIG MEDICINE on elk. You could even use .357 bullets for deer and tone down the powder.
Any thoughts, am I crazy????

How does this gun compare to the infamous .340 because that is the other calliber that I'm looking at?

 

[340mag]

the 358 norma mag is basically the 338 win necked up to .358 dia. its an excellent choice but not all that popular as a factory chambering.
now Im not sure why it never caught on like the 338 win but the performance in there, perhaps the lack of heavier jacketed bullets when it was first introduced might have had something to do with it?

http://www.chuckhawks.com/358norma.htm

but ID build a 358 STA or a 358./378 mag if I had a full length or extra lenth action and wanted a .358 bullet in a belted case magnum

http://members.aol.com/vennarcd/Guns/Gun_C...CAL_35-STA.html

http://www.real-guns.com/Commentary/comar31.htm

 

[BlackTimber]

What is the recoil like on that 358-378, compared to the 340 and how hard is it to get/make your brass?

 

[340mag]

340 mag has about 24lbs-45 lbs depending on gun weight and muzzle brake use
358/378wby would be about 35lbs-68lbs lbs depending on gun weight and muzzle brake use
358/378 case are very easy to make from 378 weatherby mag cases but I can see no advantage over the far more comon 378/338 weatherby

WBABRASS 303. . . . . .30-378 WBY MAG CAL. . . . .$35. 00 (EMPTY BRASS)

 

[wmidbrook]

Might as well hunt 'em with a .50 too I suppose. Personally, I wouldn't take such a shot but the fellow that did works for Wyo G&F and is a heck of a shot. The conditions for attempting such were reportedly about as good as it gets.

Anyway, I'm pretty much hooked now on archery hunting the rut for 'em. But, I sure wouldn't pass up a Wyo elk elk tag if I get lucky and would go for a half archery/half rifle hunt.

 

[dennis59]

hmm odd no one has mentioned the 8 mm remington magnum for elk..i purchased one when they first came out and have taken 3 elk with it all one shot kills ranging in yardage from 160 to 380.. oh well to each his own

 

[340mag]

Originally posted by dennis59@May 15 2003, 09:59 PM

"odd no one has mentioned the 8 mm remington magnum for elk..i purchased one when they first came out and have taken 3 elk with it all one shot kills "

the 8mm mag is NOW a very nice combo for ELK but its ballistics are slightly lower than the 300weatherby and ulta mag with which it competes and no new rifles are now made 8mm mag that Im aware of. its lacking in speed for bullet weight (paper ballistics)(in the real world its the 300 mags equal)and for some reason it never caught on, I personally think its mostly because it holds no big improvement over the 300weatherby mag, and does not have the bullet weight of the 338/340 magnums or the flat trajectory of the 300 weatherby, thus its not and advantage in either direction, plus when it first came out there were very few 8mm bullets that did not fail at those impact speeds, I remember one magazine test hunting trip where they had to repeatedly shoot large game to get a good kill , hornady came out with a 220 grain shortly after that to improve performance but by that time word was getting around (whether true or not) that the performance stunk!

 

[BlackTimber]

Just thinking out loud here and since I don't have a reloaders book I'll ask the question.
The .358 is my new love afair. Now the question is...
Would there be a considerable improvment to justify what I would call a .358/340 weatherby?
A 340 blown out to axcept a 358 slug. Or is the .358 STA a better choice?

 

[340mag]

since your going to need minor case forming anyway both the 358sta and 340/358 will have almost identical performance, almost any full length magnum case from 300H&H-458 lott could be used