30-06 enough

[YATYAS]

Originally Posted by kswalleyer

I always find these conversations about bullet size interesting when I think of all the animals I have killed with rifles, or a 350 gr arrow travelling at 275 FPS....(which flat stones em).

get close and whak em within the limit of whatever you are shooting. if thats a 6.5, 300WM, '06 so be it. know your limitations and hunt within those limitations. Its not hard to get within a 100 yds of an elk in timber. many of their travel routes are repeated every year by the old cows. Very few can make an off bench shot with a rifle past a few hundred yards. few years back I watched a guy gut shoot a big buck at 175 yards. I was on a bipod set right, shot it through the heart at 275 yrds with a 243 and it dropped in its tacks. it greenscored 175. I had spent a lot of time late summer with that gun/bipod/ hand load combo. I shot a 169 just a year later at 250 yds leaned up against a tree. I had been practicing that shot as well.

I dont take shots much past 300 yards unless im prone, no wind, animals are calm, perfect conditions...which is never in KS.

Now ringing steel at 800 yds? sure! no biggie, there is no living animal on the other end.

I am glad you covered that a 243 will kill a deer because it will. I would not use a 243 for an elk because there are just better options, especially with a 30-06 sitting in the gun safe.

The original post asked if the 30-06 was big enough for an elk or bear. Of course it is but if he wants to buy a new rifle, maybe the old one is not accurate, there are better choices.

If it is so easy to get within 100 yards of elk in timber, don't you think the success rate for hunting elk would be greater than 15%? Public land and DOY hunts are around 10% success.

[kswalleyer]

Originally Posted by YATYAS

I am glad you covered that a 243 will kill a deer because it will. I would not use a 243 for an elk because there are just better options, especially with a 30-06 sitting in the gun safe.

The original post asked if the 30-06 was big enough for an elk or bear. Of course it is but if he wants to buy a new rifle, maybe the old one is not accurate, there are better choices.

If it is so easy to get within 100 yards of elk in timber, don't you think the success rate for hunting elk would be greater than 15%? Public land and DOY hunts are around 10% success.

I should have said if you hunted hard youd get a chance.....We hunted hard, never was it easy...where we were on public land our numbers were aroud 40% in a mix of timber/ parks...that was 15 years ago. we went in 5-7 miles and stayed all week, hunted dark to dark. I think maybe the road hunters and statewide data may bring that % down? a 243(for deer not elk) also has less recoil which makes shooting accurately easier...My Elk gun was a 300 WM and I had a .270 a back up. guy I hunted with killed elk every year with a 06 out to about 200 yard max.

on one of the the catridges mentioned, I built a custom 6.5 CM which I shoot steel at 500-1500 yds. . great cartridge. light recoil. easy to shoot all day. My 300 WM is not a gun I enjoy shooting all day!

[Sportdog]

Originally Posted by kswalleyer

I always find these conversations about bullet size interesting when I think of all the animals I have killed with rifles, or a 350 gr arrow travelling at 275 FPS....(which flat stones em).

Of course you are right but think of all the fun we would miss if not for these discussions……..

[kswalleyer]

Originally Posted by Sportdog

Of course you are right but think of all the fun we would miss if not for these discussions……..

yup! sitting here watching the chefs, not another thing to do at the moment....

[ColoGregS]

KSwalleyer You almost made me pull my hair out, when I read that it is easy to kill an elk. But, you then redeemed yourself.

I shoot a 300 H&H because it is inherently more accurate than I am capable of shooting at long range with heavy bullets. I choose to shoot Hornady bullets in mine and the gun likes them and when recovered from elk, they have great weight retention. The only Hornady bullet that didn't perform perfectly for me, was because of my issue.

I had a bull that I had called in standing facing me @ 85-95 yrds. He was in dark timber so I took the frontal shot and I pulled it or the bull turned, as I was pulling the trigger. That bullet traveled through 3 ribs and fragmented. Apparently one of the fragments was large enough to cause serious damage to the left lung, but the bull still traveled probably 250-300 yrds. He left a blood trail that was easy to follow, but I beat myself up the entire time, thinking about shot placement.

[grizzley]

Which Hornady's, I have used Hornady FB Spire Points for years in multiple calibers and they get the job done and are also accurate.

[Pjones56]

Professional Elk guide for 22 years, 10-15 hunters per year. Granted many were not real experienced hunters, but the best shooters and the cleanest kills ALWAYS came from shooters who could execute proper shot placement at the moment of truth. Within reason, caliber was irrelevant, except most shooters who aren’t really experienced can’t handle the 30 caliber magnum recoil well enough to execute at the moment of truth. I’d take a well placed 25 caliber bullet all day long over a poorly place 300 win mag bullet.
No doubt the 30/06 has killed more NA big game than any other caliber.

[tewwbulltom]

I own a300 win mag, 30.06, 308. Like every on said an o6 will bring down whitetail, placement all important, recoil and loud. A very big deal.partician bullet really very important. But maybe not?
An 06 has an effective kill range of 175yds, 300W 225. This means that the energy is enough to bring down game at those ranges. Now let’s see what happens at extended ranges. When I first got the 300W, I was a speed freak so I went to a 150 boat tail. First 8 pt buck at 50 yds, I knocked the buck right off his feet. My entrance wound was 6” blast. What happened, was bullet was going so fast that the shock wave just before impact, blew the bullet up but still had its energy so it still killed the deer. Same thing happens w an 06 loaded w. Core lock. There are three 06’s in my deer camp they all shoot cheap bullets and had the same issue...whole shoulders were garbage. They all bad mouthed the 300 but was shooting federal premium 180 nosi at$40 and had way better results. It wasn’t the gun it was the bullet!

Now your out west for elk,moose or bear. Any gun will put down an elk at 150 yds. W a particiion. Now you see a 6by at 300-400 yds. You take the shot an the elk walks away. Why? The 180 has lost the necessary energy to expand and goes right thru and the beast is now going away to be found or not. The solution would be a 150 bt, which would be going faster w a soft point and you might just have a kill shot because the energy would be expelled in the animal and not just passing thru.

I’ve been told that a 300 Weatherby is the perfect gun for out west at $70/ box. When I bagged A big moose in Mn. our dnr states that wanted 30 caliber. Not a 30 30 and they stated a smaller round wasn’t going to put a moose down and they report that many hunters just kept shooting putting holes in a walking dead moose. My 1200 # bull was first hit at 70 yds. W 300W/180 no’s which staggered him w a bullet right in chest looking straight at me. I put another round in right between the eyes and he fell down hard. A boat tail would have failed but would have worked on an elk at 400.

In closing it should be you want a kill shot to drop your game right now , not blood trail. Gun up, choose the right bullet and know what your effective kill range is. My 300W was beast to shoot until I went to a heavy laminate stock which was much better at 9# and pushed you back but didn’t smack you back, but real load in the mountains.

Of course I could be wrong....just ask my 110# wife....she shoots the 06!

[Hat Trick]

Originally Posted by ootwestguy

Deer season is getting close, and I have a black bear and elk tag. My dad gave me an older bolt action in 30-06. I am thinking about trading for one of the newer ones like 6.5 creedmore or something to have a modern gun. I don't want to be under gunned if a giant steps out a long ways away as I need some meat in the freezer

Do a little research. A 6.5 creed is no where near the “power” of a 30-06.

An 06 has been killing deer, bear, and elk for 100 years. No way I’d trade on something if my dad gave it to me.

Buy some ammo, learn that rifle and use it! If you want a more modern one, buy one later.

Btw…what is the gun? And what do you think a more modern rifle will get you this one doesn’t?

[Hat Trick]

Originally Posted by RMBin303

The weakness of a 30-06 isn't knock down power, it is range. The bullet really drops after 300 yards.

The weakness of many long range hunters, is they take shots they don't practice. If you're not practicing shots over 300 yards, you have no business trying that shot in the field at a living, breathing, feeling, game animal.

LMAO!!

Tell me how much farther it drops.