best big game round

[4gunfun]

300 win mag would be one of the best rounds. I would say way better than .308

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

.270 WSM

[ridgewalker]

The theory from many years ago was that you needed a minimum of 1800 ftlbs at the target (animal) for elk.

If you are a trophy hunter, I'd highly recommend nothing less than a .300 Win Mag if you can carry the weight and handle the additional recoil. Use 180 grain top quality bullets (example: Nosler partition, Speer Grand Slam, Woodleigh, etc.) I have shot several with it and it does an awesome job.

I have used a 30-06 for everything from blue grouse, turkeys, bobcat, coyote, jackrabbit, antelope, whitetail, mule deer and of course elk. It does an excellent job. It is a rather heavy also Win 70.

Now I am going to carry a .308 Kimber (plenty of power to 300 yards and very light to carry).

If you hunt heavy brush and only to 100 yards or so, almost anything will do. If you might need to stretch your shots, use something that has plenty of power out to the animal. If you are only a meat hunter, you may not need the power.

As Robert Ruark said in his great book "Use enough gun" and shoot it in the right place. You will always regret it if an animal is lost.

[SouthPaw]

700 Nitro express. There was even a deal on ammo at gander mountain. 20/$200.

[revor]

I like 6.8 for deer and smaller, .308 for the bigger stuff. I never expect shots out past 300 yards where I hunt.

[CO Hugh]

Most important thing is hitting the target and putting it down in one shot and a couple of steps. Take your pick from 270 either winchester or Weatherby, 30-06, 7mm mag, or any others. I have seen them all kill elk clean as long as the shooter hits well.

The only difference between various cartridges is how fast they drive the bullet. The 270s and 7mms are pretty close to each other, only difference is the velocity. For under 400 yards, I'd like to try a 7-08, I have never shot one or seen it used but it seems that it would be a great youth round.

Craig Boddington recently wrote some good articles on selecting the right bullet for each caliber and it was insightful.

Plus I have noticed that if you look online at photo postings, 270 Wins and other cartridges considered too small for elk kill a lot of them. I heard a clerk at a gun store once say the rife will kill an elk as far away as you can see it. That is probably true of almost any modern round, your physical limitations will hinder you more than the rifle's limitations.

The critical factor is not the cartridge but bullet selection, use a high quality bullet like a Barnes X and most calibers should work.

[budda]

Im new to the forum but my thoughts on it is that 30-06 is one of the most popular round for a reason and you could walk into any hunting camp and some one would have ammo for it if you needed it. It is a good flat shotting round with good hit power, aswell.

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

7mag will kill anything in north america

[Wiggity]

700 Nitro express. There was even a deal on ammo at gander mountain. 20/$200.

That was .470 NE!!

[Danimal]

14.9 SOP

But seriously, the best round that you can use is the round that complements your hunting style and the terrain that you are hunting in. It does you no good to have a rig that will drop a moose from 800 yards if you are hunting in wooded terrain or where there is a lot of oak brush and you only have 1-200 yards of visibility. (Turns out that elk like that type of terrain in my experience) Scout out the ground that you are going to hunt and decide on the max range that you are spotting animals. If you are 0-400 yards, .308 or 30-06 are perfect. If you are thinking that you need to shoot further than that you are better off with a magnum, but in all honesty you should be able to close to within 300 yards if you are doing it right.

Most importantly pick something that you shoot accurately. My little brother is a "big man" so he bought a rem 700 in 338 RUM. The gun kicks your ass so bad every time you shoot it that I would take a .243 before I took his gun because I could thread the bullet where I wanted it instead of praying to God that I would have use of my right arm after I took the shot.

Pick the gun based on how much hiking you want to do with it, and pick the caliber and chamber based on how far you need to shoot to take the animal. An elk with a .280 diameter hole through his heart is just as dead as one .338 magnum puncture.