.308 cast bullet for elk

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I've been hunting elk for 60 years and know elk aren't bullet proof but they are tough especially when poorly hit. Yes, you can KILL elk with smaller calibers I've seen it done, but personally I don't think a 30 caliber cast bullet, especially a round nose, to be adequate for elk under any except perfect conditions and that seldom happens. The only elk I've taken with cast bullets have been with a 50 caliber in-line muzzleloader using a 380 grain flat nose conical. It works, but nothing like my go-to 375 H&H with partitions. I've never lost an elk, but nearly did while I was still shooting a 30-06. I made a bad hit late in the day and didn't recover the animal until 2:00 pm the next day. I have no desire to repeat that experience. Elk deserve better.

Just my $ 0.02 worth.

I made a bad hit late in the day on a whitetail and did not find the deer until morning. It suffered all night and the meat was tainted with stress hormones. It still bothers me. The thought of this happening with a magnificent elk, all that tainted meat, is awful.

[Bigslug]

The 178 grain tumble lube, gas check Ranch Dog from NOE is a GREAT .308 Winchester bullet, that is dimensioned specifically for the .308's neck and SAMMI throat. My Ruger Scout LOVES it.

But as has been said, unless you're specifically looking for a challenge or are limited in your gear for some reason, I'd be looking to optimize the kill potential with jacketed at higher speeds and /or bigger rounds. Elk are not easy - little sense in making it harder.

[popper]

H.S. friend from Grand Lake,Co uses his 06 (probably not cast) for elk for years, so it works. Moose is different.

[beltfed]

For Elk, this magnificent animal deserves a quick, clean death.
ONLY cast bullet setup for me fore Elk would be my '86 Win loaded
with one 500 gr RN up the spout and the magazine filled with my 385 gr FPGC
clocking 1800fps. This is the setup for short range in the Black Timber.
Note this was Elmer Keith's setup, too.
And a "borderline" cast bullet choice would be my 358 Win loaded with
250 or grain Paper Patch bullets clocking 2350fps. Again, short to moderate range.
Otherwise, my choice for overall is my 300 Win Mag with 200 gr Nosler Partitions.
beltfed/arnie

[waksupi]

For Elk, this magnificent animal deserves a quick, clean death.
ONLY cast bullet setup for me fore Elk would be my '86 Win loaded
with one 500 gr RN up the spout and the magazine filled with my 385 gr FPGC
clocking 1800fps. This is the setup for short range in the Black Timber.
Note this was Elmer Keith's setup, too.
And a "borderline" cast bullet choice would be my 358 Win loaded with
250 or grain Paper Patch bullets clocking 2350fps. Again, short to moderate range.
Otherwise, my choice for overall is my 300 Win Mag with 200 gr Nosler Partitions.
beltfed/arnie

I've killed several elk with the .358 Win, never had one go more than 30 yards. I would easily trust it at 200 yards with my 265 gr. at 2200 fps.

[white eagle]

I think the one I killed in Idaho with my 358 winchester went 10 yards
1 shot with 250 gr Hornady spire points with a case full of 2015
this is before I was into cast boolits as a matter of fact my guide
outfitter talked to me about this site when he heard which caliber I was using

[Three44s]

Except under very ideal conditions I would much rather use a bigger bore fo elk and cast.

My .338-06 would be better in cast. The .35 Whelen or better still the .375 H&H barrels I have yet to screw onto a Savage bolt gun would be better still.

My .02 worth

Three44s

[cowboy4evr]

It's interesting on what calibers is the best / necessary to kill elk . My ex brother in law several years in a row drew an elk permit for Northern Az . Everytime he took his 243 . He always got his elk . I will add that he was a very careful shooter , regarding distance and angle of shot . He never lost or had to chase down his wounded elk . He was an " ex " but my friend till the day he died . RIP Larry , Regards Paul

[Jim22]

Alaskans consider a .30-06 with 180 grain jacketed bullets to be minimum for Alaskan Moose. They tend to be bigger than elk in the lower 48 although the Roosevelt Elk on Afognak and its nearby islands can get nearly as big as Alaskan moose. Most hunters hunt the state with larger calibers, though. I used almost exclusively a .338 Win. Mag.. I would not try a moose or an elk with the .30-06 or the .308 with cast boolits.

[fatnhappy]

I'm still slightly miffed Kimber stopped chambering rifles in .338 federal or .358 winchester. What I really wanted was a montana in .338 fed, but had to settle for a .308

When I shoot out that barrel it's going to JES.


sorry for the thread drift.

[mattri]

Used to work with a guy who had killed a LOT of elk, southwest WY.

Was a good ol boy with a 30-30 in the scabbard, all he'd ever had.

.308 is .308, he ate well.

[memtb]

A key component to this story......he lives with the elk. He could be much more selective on shots than many elk hunters.

For the person that may only have one opportunity at a shot on an elk, on a once in a lifetime elk.....that hunter should be using the biggest, baddest cartridge using the best bullet available that he is very competent with! For the non-resident.....elk hunts are expensive and may only happen once. I live here, pass on elk every season, sometimes “eat my tags” by having passed on easy shots on an elk I didn’t want. The majority of my elk could have been taken with substantially less cartridge/bullet than I use. Yet.....I still chose to use a cartridge with much more horse power than that of the average elk hunter. If “MY” once in a lifetime elk presents itself....I want a cartridge/bullet that will more than do the job, from any angle, out to what I consider the range limit of my capabilities. The cartridge/bullet is capable far beyond “my” capabilities! memtb

[Randy Bohannon]

This ^^^^^^^^

[tbpollard]

I guess all of this is assuming the 308 in the 1:10 twist? I'd image 168-180 would be the sweet spot.

[Goofy]

We have no elk in Floriduh, but I have a .45-70 which is adequate for buffalo. Yes Virginia, we do have some buffalo. Aren't high fences neat?

[farmbif]

ive had good accuracy with Lyman 311299 in both 30-06 and 308 but velocity was about 2000 fps. all I know about elk is what ive read and watched in videos.
I think if I was going elk hunting I would want to be pretty darn sure the animal could be killed quickly.

[Elmer Fudd]

I have killed several elk with the 308 and 165 Hornady BTSP. This bullet is soft enough to expand in elk lungs at 400 yds. I still hunt a lot with that bullet in the 308, but I have realized that whenever I shoot at an elk, the chips are down already. Animals turn, winds gust, other things get in the way: branches, critters, tree trunks.
I don't intentionally shoot elk-sized animals with a 308 anymore. I am a gun guy, so I have several for each pursuit. This is a luxury, I know. But I opt for 35 caliber or larger for 400# plus animals. Just my preference based on experience. An appropriate 35 cal bullet cast from the appropriate alloy will kill from bad angles, etc. A soft 308 bullet will limit your shots, or it ought to.
I did once shoot a muley at 80 yards straight away. Missed the cheerio by a half inch, but the 165 Hornady BTSP was under his lower neck skin. He did a faceplant at the shot. Could you do this with a bull elk? I would not even dream of it, unless the animal was already wounded.
I have seen the 165 Grand Slam be effective on a cow elk. I missed another cow that day with a 338 Win and 225 Partition, which is an effective bullet/round for elk, in my experiences, if you connect with vitals. Shooting into the snow with a larger bullet does not fill one's freezer.

[memtb]

Elmer, we follow similar principles with big game hunting. Only I make mine a bit simpler.....one rifle/cartridge/bullet for “all” of my big game hunting. Unless....I’m on a somewhat specialized hunt, where I will be using my handgun or perhaps my 45-70! memtb

[dakota]

I would not use a 30 caliber cast bullet on elk. Al Miller wrote an article in Handloader quite a while back. He wrote that the smallest diameter cast bullet that he would recommend for deer was .375. He shot a deer with a cast bullet in his 350 Rem Mag and lost the deer. He found it later after the meat had rotted. I think I would be fine with deer using my 375 Winchester and cast bullets. If I had only a 375 and had to use cast bullets, I would use it on elk, but I'd prefer something larger.
I would feel that my 45-70 or 45-90 would be perfectly capable for elk using cast bullets

[MOA]

All my elk have been killed either with my 06 or my 375 winchester Marlin. 06 with a Nosler 180 partition and the 375 had a 250 grain j word flat point. But.........if I were to use cast in a 308 it would be with a lot of load development and the 210 grain Lyman cast round nose. Here's my 300 Weatherby.