308 question?
A buddy of mine asked me wether a 308 was enough rifle for an Elk. I say no but he thinks it is. I am worried that as slow as it will be with a 180gr pill that it may not pack enough punch.
What does evrybody else think?
What does evrybody else think?
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It is fine. Shooting the bullet into a place that causes death is the key to dropping any animal. Shooting accurately, knowing where it will hit out to 300 yards and hitting there will kill any elk with a 308 and 180 grain premium bullets.
A gut shot Elk hit with a 375 H&H magnum is going a lot farther than a Elk hit through both lungs and heart with a .308.0 -
Agreed, Accuracy is more important than caliber, too many people try to make up for a lack of marksmanship with a bigger gun. To use a self defense quote" a hit with a .22 is better than a miss with a .44" 0 -
A .308 is more than enough gun for elk although I prefer a 7mm08. It used to be that if you were elk hunting you took a .270, if you wanted to go overbore you would take a 30-06. Now days people think you need a 338WM for shooting a 90lb Coose Deer. The animals didn't become bullet proof, the cartridges didn't become less effecive, what has happened is that people have swallowed the gunwriters sudjestions for far too long.
He will be very happy with his .3080 -
I would hope so- Keep the bullet weight in the 165gr Range and you will be running about the same as a 30-06 or .270 150gr. (Or as I call close enough). 0 -
Thanks for the info guys. I hadn't heard of anyone using one so I thought I would ask. I will be using the only big bore I have left a 7mm Rem mag. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by csjs1194
Thanks for the info guys. I hadn't heard of anyone using one so I thought I would ask. I will be using the only big bore I have left a 7mm Rem mag.
Watch for the man that owns only one rifle, chances are good he knows how to shoot it very well!
Good luck on your hunt!0 -
quote:Originally posted by bpost
quote:Originally posted by csjs1194
Thanks for the info guys. I hadn't heard of anyone using one so I thought I would ask. I will be using the only big bore I have left a 7mm Rem mag.
Watch for the man that owns only one rifle, chances are good he knows how to shoot it very well!
Good luck on your hunt!
Thanks bpost0 -
Nothing underpowered about a .308 elk rifle. As stated, it is all about shot placement. Dad's rifle was a .25-35 and he killed more elk with that than I ever could hope to. I like a .280 now, but killed several with a .300 Savage, and more with a .30-06. A friend of mine uses a .257R and .25-06. Elk are not pushovers (they can go 200 yards with both lungs completely destroyed). But if you put one in the boiler room, they won't be going too far. We tracked a bull for 4 days with a solid hit in one front shoulder once--the shoulder was shattered, but he kept going until we could put him down for good. Get to know your .308 and you will do fine. 0 -
I have heard of old timers using .22's to kill elk. Again shot placement is paramount. My partner uses .308 and swears by it. I personally think bigger is better. 0 -
With a good bullet the .308 has enough "power" to kill an elk out to about 400 yds. I say "power" because it's the kind of standard that a lot of people go by. I personally go by how well you can place the bullet.
My opinion is the .308 will kill an elk as far out as the shooter can see and shoot comfortably. No need to go bigger than this with anything from a 165 to a 180 gr. bullet. This is far step up from what a lot of oldtimers used and that was 30-40 Krags and 30-30's. They have nowhere near the power a .308 does.
One thing I ALWAYS see is when people go bigger, their range/sighting groups do too. I've seen a lot of 6" groups with a rifle I can shoot 'two holes touching and one right next to them'. Shoot what he can shoot comfortably. Don't get sucked into the "bigger is always better" game. If he doesn't feel a .308 is big enough then go to the 30-06. Don't double jump it and go to the .300 WM or some other Magnum.
Just focus on hitting the target as precisely as he can.0 -
It just so happens that the biggest rifle I own is a 308. I have never once felt under-gunned with it. In the old days, shooters had to compensate for poor-performing bullets by using heavier ones. The Krag's 220-gr roundnose is a perfect example. A big glob of soft lead at the front guaranteed expansion and all that weight guaranteed that enough mass would remain to penetrate even if much of the bullet came apart. The whole "retained weight" issue stems from those days.
Today's bullets would be viewed as magic or witchcraft by those guys. Weight is no longer as important, either before or after. Even standard bullets are substantially better, but the premium bonded ones, the monolithic ones and the multi-core ones are phenomenal. Pick any one of those if you feel the need for added confidence, but the 308 is more than equal to the job.
When the question of "enough gun" for elk comes up, I always remind the questioner that thousands of elk are taken every year with arrows.0 -
The Swedes favor the 6.5X55 for moose, elk, reindeer, etc.
I'm hardly an expert hunter; however, at the end of the day, an elk is essentially built like a big deer and is fairly thin skinned compared to bear, rhinos, etc.
Shooting an elk in the heart/lungs with a .308 will be more than adequate. I'd suggest that a .308 is to elk what the 30/30 is to deer- perfectly adequate, if not a real rip-snorter.
As said, accuracy is the key. I'd feel fine with shooting an elk or any other game in the Americas except for brown bear or polar bear with a .308 if I knew I could hit the vitals area. But then I'd be fine with doing the same with a 30/40, 30/06, 8X57, etc.- any of the combat cartridges or similar commercial rounds developed over the years.
In an ideal world if planning an elk hunt, would I go larger? Probably. I'd probably get something in .35 Whelan, just because I've always wanted one, but I'd not feel undergunned with a .308.0
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