Elk hunting with a 308

[bowhuntordie]

my dad and i are going out to colorodo this november to go elk hunting. he has a 308 sighted in with a 165gr. bullet. he wants to know if he should go up to a 180gr. or if he is fine with how he has it...and also do you think the 308 is enough gun to take a big western bull?

[SNAREMAN]

I would want more gun (7mm,300mag)but the 308 will work.I would go with the 180's in a good "stout" bullet,fail-safe,nosler partion ect..

[DANIEL MARK ZAPOLSKI]

it's all about BULLET PLACEMENT,:D but the 180 will help with knock down.:coolgleam

[FireDoc66]

For what it's worth, I hunt Colorado every year.

I shoot a 30.06 with a 165 grain round.

My last 3 elk have gone down on the first shot with that round from ranges of 160 to 275 yards.

Placement is key.

Good luck to you on your hunt! You'll never forget it! :)

[8iowa]

I also hunt elk in Colorado every year, Four of them have fallen to my 270 using 140 grain bullets. No elk will be able to tell the difference between a 30-06 and a 308 Winchester. It is important to use a rifle and load that you are comfortable with. It would be a mistake to buy a "big boomer" before the hunt and then take it out into the mountains. By all means, the 165 grain bullet is plenty.

[swampbuck]

never hunted elk, but I would have absolute confidence in my .308 for elk. I use 165 gr for deer and 180gr for bear. I would probably go with 180 gr.

[SevenMaryThree]

My 140 grain .270 Winchester Failsafes worked great.

As long as he's not taking Texas Heart Shots at bulls 650 yards away, he'll be fine.

[Belongtothewoods]

The .308 will be enough like everyone said, "placement is key". But personally if I was using a .308 on elk, I would go with 180gr. Good luck!

[2tundras]

Can I ask what bullet your tossing out there? I'd think thats an areawhere you can up your odds/comfort level a bit.

[7MM Magnum]

Huntin' wapiti with a .30 caliber,... use a 180 grain class projectile all the way and practice with them so you are accustomed to their trajectories and point of impact. ;)

They WILL vary a bit from your 165 grain!

I use use 180 grain Barnes TSX's and Nosler Partitions with my .300 Ultra and 162 grain Hornady's for the 7mm Mag.

[bowhuntordie]

Can I ask what bullet your tossing out there? I'd think thats an areawhere you can up your odds/comfort level a bit.
i believe he uses federal 165gr. boat-tails.

[FireDoc66]

use a 180 grain class projectile all the way

Less than 24 hours, thank you. Won $20 off that bet. :)

Regardless of what you or your Dad use bowhuntordie, good luck and have a blast! :)

[srconnell22]

I shot mine here in MI with a 30.06, 180 Grain Remington Core-Lokt Soft Point.

I would probably go with a 165 grain out west simply because of the shot distances...thats just my opinion.

[EYESON]

I did alot of the same research on this topic when we went out west elk hunting last fall, because my dad was going to carry his 30-06. What I found is alot of elk fall every year to alot of calibers the 270 being very popular. The most common statment made by alot of elk hunters, guides, and books that I read was that you are best to have a cartridge that geterates 2000 ft/lbs of energy at the point of impact. So for example the 30-06 with 180 gr. bullet will delivery about 1800 ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards (if I rember correct). Again as stated shot placement is everything. Look at the ammunition manufactures web sites all of them will have the ballistics for there bullets and weights there. Then look at the bullet that matchs the game you want to hunt. With that being said all of the worries didn't matter as my dad shot his elk through both lungs at 125 yards. It did continue to run the second shot anchored him because he hit him in the opposite shoulder. Elk are tough animals and the one guid warned us that a single lung hit elk will run along way until he goes down.

[TNL]

I did alot of the same research on this topic when we went out west elk hunting last fall, because my dad was going to carry his 30-06. What I found is alot of elk fall every year to alot of calibers the 270 being very popular. The most common statment made by alot of elk hunters, guides, and books that I read was that you are best to have a cartridge that geterates 2000 ft/lbs of energy at the point of impact. So for example the 30-06 with 180 gr. bullet will delivery about 1800 ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards (if I rember correct). Again as stated shot placement is everything. Look at the ammunition manufactures web sites all of them will have the ballistics for there bullets and weights there. Then look at the bullet that matchs the game you want to hunt. With that being said all of the worries didn't matter as my dad shot his elk through both lungs at 125 yards. It did continue to run the second shot anchored him because he hit him in the opposite shoulder. Elk are tough animals and the one guid warned us that a single lung hit elk will run along way until he goes down.

Probably the best advice here yet. Look for energy. You need to know at what range that energy drops off and not go beyond it. 308 can kill a nice bull and so can a 243, but that's not respecting the animal's size. Go with enough gun...at minimum get a 180gr. NP or the like. And be mindful of placement and range.

[steelsetter]

operation in Africa where one guy walked into a herd of elephants and started piling em up.

He shot the first agressive one that was about to charge him and then literally climbed on top of it and started taking the others down as they came at him.

His shot placement was excellent and he had no cripples from what I saw.

His "Elephant gun" was a FN/FAL in 7.62 (.308)

I will always remember watching that and saying to myself that guy has brass balls, and that .308 is one bad ass S.O.B in the hands of an experienced shooter....

If anyone can find that clip on-line anywhere (as I can't) it is worth watching.

It was a long time ago, but I believe the details I noted are accurate from memory.

[M1Garand]

Probably the best advice here yet. Look for energy. You need to know at what range that energy drops off and not go beyond it. 308 can kill a nice bull and so can a 243, but that's not respecting the animal's size. Go with enough gun...at minimum get a 180gr. NP or the like. And be mindful of placement and range.

The 308 will work. As long as you match the bullet to the game and place them where you need to, it'll do the rest. I have heard of issues of the 180's not expanding well from the 308 with certain bullets. Keep in mind, many 180 bullets are designed to withstand velocities several hundred fps faster than the 308 can generate (various 300 mags). How will they perform for you at much lower 308 velocities on a 200 yard shot? Something to consider. Not all mind, you but my first recommendations would be go with the 165 grn in something like a Barnes TSX or NP (Federal loads both).

If you were to use a 180, the NP would be a good choice. Federal makes a high energy load with the 180 NP that is advertised to slightly exceed normal '06 velocities in that bullet. There's also a few other bullet designs that should do well, but I definately wouldn't go with some of the tougher bullets designs in that weight bullet. Don't bet too caught up on energy. Energy isn't what kills, the damage the bullet does is.

[efw]

my dad and i are going out to colorodo this november to go elk hunting. he has a 308 sighted in with a 165gr. bullet. he wants to know if he should go up to a 180gr. or if he is fine with how he has it...and also do you think the 308 is enough gun to take a big western bull?

I'll echo what the gent above me said. Go for it, but pay close attention to shot placement.

One of my good friends goes out West annually and has taken elk regularly. He shoots a BAR '06 running 165 gr Hornady BTSP Interlocks. Swears by 'em. They work for him.

I'd personally run whatever shoots most accurately in that rifle... Accubond, Interbond, or Partition have all been mentioned and will serve you well out to 300 yards if you practice.

Good luck!!