.308 for elk

[aorams]

Hi forum!

Looking into buying/building a lightweight mountain rifle for elk. I'm very interested in hearing evidence for or against using a .308 for this purpose. I've hit the google school hard on this topic but I'd like to hear personal experiences from those with substantial anecdotal evidence.

Thank you!

 

[elkguide]

As an elk guide, I watched elk shot with a lot of different calibers, 25.06, 30-30, through the .27's, .30's, and all the way to the venerable 45.70.

I would much rather have a hunter come into camp with his old .270 than I would see him come with his brand new .300 Ultra Mag. As long as you limit the distance you shoot at, a .308 will do the job.

My preference will always be a .30 caliber magnum though.
I shoot a .300 Win Mag.
An elk is one tough animal and can absorb a lot of energy and still walk away.

 

[Deertick]

I've come into possession of a Ruger Compact Mark II in .308 ... my father won it in a raffle before he died. I took it out last year and killed a cow elk and, later, a bull. I used Barnes TTX 168 grain bullets for both. My son shot a pronghorn buck with the same. Due to the sentimental value, it's my new favorite rifle. The compact size is great ... I'm done with toting a long-barrelled heavy rifle around when this lightweight rifle will work fine. No compromise on accuracy at "reasonable" distances of <350 yards, and I don't anticipate using it past that, anyway.

 

[bbrown]

Yup - buy quality ammo and know your limitations as far as yardage and it's more than capable. Set up a Tikka SuperLite in .308 last fall, dialed in with Nosler Accubonds and took a cow and a bull with it. Both died just as quick as any elk I have taken with my .300 WM.

 

[6mm Remington]

A 300 WSM with just a bit more pop than the 308 yet build-able on a short action might be the ticket. My son has one and it isn't bad in the recoil department at all. Winchester Model 70 EWSS and it's pretty light. About the same price and everything else for that matter would be the same caliber on a Montana Rifle Company Extreme Weather. They build a great product.

A .280 AI on either of those would be sweet too! Best of luck.

 

[BruinPoint]

I did something similar with a 7mm-08 for elk. No regrets and several dead elk so far. I'd do the same with a .308 in half a heartbeat.

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[Jason Snyder]

If someone can't kill an elk with a .308, the problem certainly isn't the caliber. I'd have no qualms whatsoever about using one.

 

[realunlucky]

Becca shot her brown bear with a 308. Great testimony of trusting a cartridge to its fullest.

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[aorams]

Oh boy! Thank you everyone! This is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for! I currently shoot 180 grain accubonds out of a Tikka T3 in 300WM (26" barrel). Loaded it weighs 8.5lbs and it has handily killed the two elk I've shot with it. I would like a shorter barrel(20" would be perfect) and to get closer to 7 pounds, but I'm nervous about losing 500fps or so moving down to the .308. Would shooting a bullet that expands at a lower impact velocity such as the accubond lr be a good way to compensate for the loss in velocity? I'm not excited about shooting that light of a rifle in a magnum or short magnum cartridge as I'm not the most experienced shooter in the world and have some recoil anticipation.

 

[BruinPoint]

With a stiff load of Varget or Big Game (if you reload) you'd be in business with a 165 Grain original Accubond.

 

[bcimport]

I shoot an 18.5" barrel 308 with either 200gr NP or 165gr GMX depending on what I'm chasing. It would be awfully hard to go back to a long barrel again. I've never enjoyed shooting critters at long range and this is a great set up for 400 and under.

 

[hobbes]

Something to consider.................

This may not be a problem if you load your own and maybe this wasn't a problem everywhere, but I struggled to find factory 308 ammo back a couple years ago when there was such a shortage of ammo. (I'm not sure if it was a shortage or just a lot of hoarding going on.) Maybe that won't happen again, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm not sure if the same applied for handloaders. During that time there was 270 and 7-08 everywhere I looked, which were the other two rifles that I was considering when i bought the 308 for my son to hunt with.

 

[luke moffat]

I have been using the .308 since I first started hunting big game up here in Alaska some 20 years ago now (I am getting old!!!)

To date I have still seen more moose, caribou, and deer taken with a .308 than any other cartridge just cause thats what I hunted with for the longest time as well as what my wife still hunts with.

I have also seen several interior grizzly bears, dall sheep, mountain goats, and most recently my wife took a 9'+ brown bear on Kodiak a little over a month ago with a single shot from her .308 win. Placement is paramount.

All this said I have never shot an elk, but unless they are super animal I would think if you keep your ranges sub 400 yards you shouldn't have an issue if you use a decent quality bullet and put it where it should go.

 

[nirvanafan]

I've never shot an elk, but, I've done tons of research. I'll be taking my .308 to chase the elk in CO this fall. Get a good quality bullet/round and you shouldn't have any problems. I plan on buying a couple boxes of Nosler AccuBond and Partition and seeing what groups best.

 

[Randy Newberg]

I have a wall full of 6x6 bulls that evidently did not get the memo that a .308 Win is not a good elk caliber. A .308 Win is pretty much what I use on all my elk hunts these days. I have four .308 Win. Each has a slightly different preference in bullet choice for best accuracy. Two of them prefer 180 grain and the other two prefer 165 or 169 grain. The all love Nosler Partitions or E-Tips. Trying different loads will probably get your accuracy dialed in even better when you find the load your rifle prefers.

 

[gwm]

I have killed a couple of bulls with my 308 shooting 165 Accubond handloads. I am confident with this round and will continue to shoot it. Figure out an accurate load and have at it. Good luck!

 

[robtattoo]

I asked this exact question a few months back & the resounding opinion was that a .308 is damn good elk medicine.
I personally went with a Savage model 11 Lightweight Hunter. Switched out the stock for a plastic version off a model 16 (& sold the original for $150!) to shave a couple more ounces & topped with a Vortex Diamondback 2-7x33 scope, the whole shebang weighs less than 6lb.
I handload & I'm shooting 168gn Partitions at around 2750 fps over a mid-range load of cfe223. I'm more than happy to take a shot out to 300. Further than that & I'll crawl closer

 

[aorams]

I have a wall full of 6x6 bulls that evidently did not get the memo that a .308 Win is not a good elk caliber. A .308 Win is pretty much what I use on all my elk hunts these days. I have four .308 Win. Each has a slightly different preference in bullet choice for best accuracy. Two of them prefer 180 grain and the other two prefer 165 or 169 grain. The all love Nosler Partitions or E-Tips. Trying different loads will probably get your accuracy dialed in even better when you find the load your rifle prefers.

Thank you Mr. Newberg! It was actually your show that motivated this project!

 

[robtattoo]

Here's a swift ballistic table of what a .308'll manage at 2690 fps with a 165 Partition & a 4" high, 100yd zero......

 

[JP100]

Shot a Wapiti bull this year with my 18" barreled .303 with 180gn soft nose. Needless to say he died. .303 British believe it or not are very similar performance wise to a .308.
A .308 will be perfect if you use the right bullet and dont try to shoot too far.