Elk caliber

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laterilus

New member
Myself and a couple friends are planning an DIY elk hunt in CO this fall for the firearm season. I am wondering what would be the low end of the bullet weight for elk.
I will be taking a Rem 7mm ultra mag. I have a box of 140gr nosler partion,too light? I have a half box of same in 160gr. I understand 160 will work better than 140 but is 140 too light. I will need to buy a few boxes of ammo and there's alot more 140 out there vs. 160 in nosler partion.
Thanks for any input and tips!!
 
Even with the Partition bullet, I think 140 is too light. The Partition bullet is designed to retain about 65 to 70 percent of it's weight so you should start out with a heavier bullet. Elk can take alot of lead. I shot a cow elk this past fall with a 300win mag 180 gr Partitions at 80 yards. The first shot went through both lungs and she just stood there acting like she wasn't hit. I could see the blood pumping out of her so I knew she was hit well. I put another one in almost the same spot but she was quartering away alittle more and I hit the far shoulder and she dropped. You just never know about elk. Key
 
Dude the 140 will work fine. I have taken a ton of elk with my 140gr bonded hornady bullets. They work great in my 270 out to the 400 yard mark as long as you hit the vitals. Few hints, always follow up every shot. The guy above said that he hit one that did not even flinch with 300. My father went extreme and hunts with a 375 H&H. Even with a 220 or 240 grain bullet I have seen turn and look at us only to tip over a few second later. If you have and like the 140 grain bullet, it shoots well out of your gun then use it. Know the limits of your ability, and the guns ability. Keep shot range reasonable and kill an elk. I have seen way more elk die at the hands of a 120 to 160 grain bullet than I have heavier bullets.

The state requires a minimum, but since you can use a 6mm here for elk you will be fine with 140gr. Again it is the bullet of choice out of my 270. Hit lungs heart or back and it will be game over.

Shoot lots get accurate, shot at angles, run 100 yards take 3 shots, etc. try and play out the various scenarios.

Also I love helping DIY with any and all questions. I know the Colorado Laws pretty much inside and out. Just PM and I will let you know all I can.
 
Since they use the 6.5 X 55 round a lot in Sweden for moose, and I've never seen a round over 140 grains, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work just fine coming from a .270.
 
I think the Nosler Partition is a great bullet and out of any of the 7mm mags the 140gr should kill just about anything you want to shoot.
Put it in the boiler room and grab your knife.

Good luck to you and your party.



ELKS, that is very cool of you to offer your assistance. There needs to be more of that in this world.
 
I shoot the 7mm ultra mag and reload the hornady 175 grn sp. I have shot a moose at 539 yards and both bullets went compleatly through the the animal. The 140 are a good bullet but at the speed that the ultra mag shoots at is might blow up on entry. I would stick with the 160 and above. Every bullet has an operating range that they will open up nicely at. on most bullets it is inbetween 2500 and 3000 fps give and take a hundred fps. the reloading manual says the 140 grn bullets are comming out at 3400-3500 fps, that is way over the construction speed of the bullet. mabey if you shoot long distance it would be a good bullet. but for anything over a deer I would go to a 160 and above bullet of good construction.
 
I don't shoot 7mag, but some of the guys i hunt with do and they get fine results with the 140 on elk. At that velocity and weight range in the 7mm, the quality of the bullet is very important. I'm a partition lover and would not hesitate to go with a 7mm in 140 partition.
 
the trick to elk is don't stop shooting tell the elk is on the ground. a hard hit elk can still go a long ways.
i took my cow this year with two shots from a 270 130 gr.
if she would have stayed on her feet i was ready to shoot her again.
 
Originally Posted By: PredburnerAn elks vitals are really not that much bigger than a large white-tail.....

Seriously? That is one of the dumbest statements I have heard in a long long time. From my experience the heart size on an Elk is over 50% bigger than that of a mature mule deer. With out actual numbers the liver is easy 50% bigger than a mature mule deer. I would be willing to bet the lung area of an elk is probably the size as the entire front 1/2 of the average whitetail.

What are you basing your experience off of? How many elk have you handled?
 
Thanks Guys lots of good stuff to digest and think about. Elks, thanks for the advice,very helpful!.I passed it along to my buddy took a few times of reading it to get the gist of it, but we did. I think I am gonna go with 160's,can find core lokt's pretty easy on the net for a doable price. Just gotta get the bother a rifle. I have a 30/30 and acess to a 30-40 krag, thoughts?
 
Ok, an elk is roughly 2.5x the size of a deer and somehow there vitals are close to the same size, really?? Deer that big in OK or are the elk that small???

Anyways, your 7 RUM w/140g PT will work just fine. Its not a LR getter, but out to 500-600 yards you will be fine...

If you want to take advantage of your 7 RUM, stick a 160g AB in it and your good to 1K. Sounds like you dont reload, but if you did, you would have A LOT more better options..The 160 will hit harder, penetrate deeper, and drift less.

Reguardless, with elk, shot placement and a good bullet is always key. Like others have said, elk can and will go a long ways with a good lung hit, dont matter what caliber your using...Best bet is to use a magnum, good heavy bullet and break the shoulders IME...Keep shooting till they hit the dirt anyways, because you dont want to chase elk...They go to the deepest darkest dam hole they can find and it aint no fun gettin them out.
 
I've killed around 10 elk in 12 years I've been hunting them, couple cows, 6 or 7 spikes, and my 6x6 I got last year. Even the cows and spikes are 2x the size of a deer, and a big bull, shoot, kinda hard to miss them...

I'd say a good 15-20" circle or square on there front half of there chest will take care of business...

I've shot elk with 7 RM, 300 Win mag, 300 RUM, and 338 EDGE. All but a couple have dropped DRT with shoulder shots out to the furthest of 915 yards w/the EDGE. The others were still dead on there feet, but like I and others say who actually kill elk and see elk killed, you keep filling them full of lead till there on the ground and not moving!
 
Here ya go.....Vital area

Pronghorn antelope = 8.5"-9"
Small deer = 8.5"-9"
Medium size deer = 10"-11"
Large deer = 11"-12"
North American wild sheep = 12"-13"
Mountain goat = 13"-14.5"
Caribou = 14.5"-15.5"
Elk = 14.5"-15.5"
Moose = 18"-21.5"
 
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Find what you can shoot comfortably and accurately. I use a 7mm Rem Mag if I am going for elk alone. My last elk was taken with a .243 100grSP. (target of opportunity) Use the rifle you are most comfortable with and you should do fine...
 
Originally Posted By: PredburnerHere ya go.....Vital area

Pronghorn antelope = 8.5"-9"
Small deer = 8.5"-9"
Medium size deer = 10"-11"
Large deer = 11"-12"
North American wild sheep = 12"-13"
Mountain goat = 13"-14.5"
Caribou = 14.5"-15.5"
Elk = 14.5"-15.5"
Moose = 18"-21.5"


Oh yes the numbers from the great Jack Connor. Those numbers are for vertical range only. In other words from top to bottom it is 4 to 5 inches of more vertical area. Now you never mention the fact that there are an now add in the fact that you have that same 4-5 inches over 20+ inches from front to rear and you will come up with 80+ more inches of kill shot area. The distance from the liver to front lungs all adds up to a much bigger kill zone.
 
Originally Posted By: laterilusThanks Guys lots of good stuff to digest and think about. Elks, thanks for the advice,very helpful!.I passed it along to my buddy took a few times of reading it to get the gist of it, but we did. I think I am gonna go with 160's,can find core lokt's pretty easy on the net for a doable price. Just gotta get the bother a rifle. I have a 30/30 and acess to a 30-40 krag, thoughts?

Both would be good if you limit your distances. My mom shot a 30/30 for several years. We used to hunt timber more and had lots of close thick shots. I currently have a 30/30 and am thinking it will take my next rifle elk. I would suggest looking at the lever ammo from hornady. The 30/30 will never be a great long range gun but keep it under 150 yards and it will work. The 30-40 Krag is also a decent candidate if you limit your shots. We have a WWII issue Krag that I was looking into using for the sake of trying something different. I do not have my reloading manual, but I think the numbers looked promising, if I was willing to limit my distances. I would say which ever he shoots better.
 
"I would suggest looking at the lever ammo from hornady." It was my understanding this ammo in 30 caliber is for antelope and deer, not stout enough for elk but I don't know for sure. Key
 
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