7mag or .308 for elk?

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

Bullets over headstamps.

Fully in agreement here--what ammo do you have more of, and therefore will practice more with, between now and season? And almost equally as important, what is the bullet type?

 

[hunting1]

308 for me every time due to the rifle is only 6-lbs. and has a 22" barrel so easier to move around in blow down.

 

[CoStick]

I shot an elk with a ,308 and it went about 5 yards and dropped. I tracked my buddy’s elk shot with a 7mm mag 2 miles, but we did get both animals.

 

[BPollard]

7 mag, no question. 308 will kill an elk, but if you would like to take a shot over ~350 yards and say there's a slight wind, I want that 7 mag all day. Flatter, further, more powder, more energy down range.

The 308 will kill well past 350 yds. Both will do the job if you have done your homework out to 700 yards and may be beyond if you do a lot of practice

 

[rootacres]

Of those two I would take the one you shoot the best.

Sure the 7 mag has a ballistic advantage and will expose the 308 at longer ranges but for most people shooting at reasonable ranges id consider it almost a wash between those two calibers.

All things equal, Id take the lighter rig if its a backcountry hunt and the heavier rig if its a truck camp type hunt.

Ive watched 3 bull elk and 3 deer fall in the last 3 seasons (not including archery and the whitetail I hunt out east). Of those 6, 5 were killed with magnums (7s and 30s) and 1 was killed with a 308. The one critter that never moved after impact was killed with a 308 at 200yds. Don't feel undergunned with a 308.

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

Just put the two rounds side by side and I bet your decision will be made pretty quick.

 

[Loebs]

I love my 308, killed elk, deer, hogs, and antelope with it. From 15 yards(hog) out to 425 yards(elk). I'm a big guy 6'3" 255lbs, but I'll be the first one to admit that I'm done with higher recoiling guns, not that a 7mm is a killer in that respect. But I like to be able to shoot for a few hours at the range. I would say shoot what you do Ike and feels like an extension of your body. Both are plenty enough to kill at reasonable distances.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[Mule3006Elk]

What bullet are you shooting in each? That would help me answer the question.
With a properly placed premium bullet, reasonable hunting range (< 350 yards), each will be fine.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

.308 has a ton of bullets designed specifically for elk/big game hunting. It is very versatile and ammo is “typically” available. Federal alone has a huge line up of .308 elk rounds with all copper, hybrids, partitions, accubonds, TBT, TA, MK, etc…. Hard to argue with the availability and ability to fine tune at the range.