Which caliber?

[Mr Drysdale]

I am an Eastern hunter coming west this fall to hunt Elk. I own a Browning A-Bolt in 308 caliber and a Tikka Super Lite in 7RM. Both are scoped with VX3i 4.5 x 14 x 40. While I would feel confident with either I would like opinions on which you would consider the best option, which bullet and why. I will be bringing both with one as a backup. Both are shooters with current ammo for Whitetails.

 

[mcseal2]

If you are confident with both I'd lean toward the 7mm. That's a nice light rifle to carry and the scope is a very solid one. Good elk round too.

What are you shooting in it now? Might not be a need to change.

If your looking to do something different I'd personally start with the 160gr Accubond. A buddy and I used them from our 7 mags back several years. He made a lethal hit on his bull but it was headed into a really bad canyon so we kept shooting him. We recovered several of the bullets from him and they all had great mushrooms and 60% plus weight retention. It's a bullet that many 7 mags seem to like and not hard to make shoot well. The BC is pretty decent also.

Plenty of other good choices. The 154gr Interbond, 150gr Sirocco II, 160 or 175gr Partition, any of the heavier lead free bullets from good companies.

In the 308 I'd probably lean toward a 165gr or heavier in a bonded bullet, or a 150gr or heavier in the lead free bullets. It would be my back-up though if you shoot both equally well.

 

[Slugz]

Both are fine IMO with a good bullet. The family shoots all Noslers Partitions in the thick stuff, Accubonds in the open. The same type of bullet in the other major brands work well to.

I'd favor the lighter one........we rarely shoot over 400 yards also FYI.

 

[6mm Remington]

Either one I feel would serve you well. The 7mm Rem is a classic elk cartridge with a good 160 gr. bullet such as the Accubond or Partition.

In 308 I'd shoot either the 165 gr. Accubond or Partition. Take the rifle you feel most comfortable with.

 

[packer58]

Of the two rifle/calibers mentioned i would definitely carry the 7 mag, 160 gr AB pill as your primary and the 308 as your back-up rig.....

 

[480/277]

Or...... Buy a new gun, 338 wm, good a reason as any.


I'd shoot the 7mm.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

Thanks for the responses. I am currently shooting 150 grain Core Lokts from the 7RM and 150 grain TTSX from the 308. Although I have not weighed them, I am sure the Tikka is the lighter of the two. 3 lb triggers in both.

 

[Catahoula12]

Your current setup for both are fine for elk. You mentioned you are confident with both firearms, I wouldn't change a thing other than maybe your shooting distances. Bullet weights are what your firearms shoot well. My .270 Win. shoots 140g Accubonds, 30-06 shoots 165g Accubonds and my spouses 7mm-08 shoots 150g Accubond LR. All have dropped elk where they stood. Of course we both are not long range hunters either. We limit ourselves to 350 yards regardless. Best of luck to you in your western endeavors moving forward.

 

[sdebrot]

I think either gun will do the trick with the 7 being a little better choice if you have to reach out and touch one. A little bit of concern on your scope as the low setting of 4.5 could be a little high magnification if you are still hunting in dark timber. If you feel confident of getting on target quickly with it it wouldn't be a problem. I prefer heavier bullet weights for elk but shot placement is the key and even lighter bullets will get the job done put in the right place. Best of luck to you!

 

[mcseal2]

I'd trust the old Core Lokt 150gr to take out the lungs. I'd avoid the shoulder with that bullet personally. If you aren't planning to shoot over 350 to 400yds I wouldn't change anything.

The old Core Lokt bullets usually have a fairly low BC compared to some of the sleeker bullets. At longer distances this starts showing up more, but even out to 450yds its not that much. I ran the numbers quick (it's raining I'm bored), and there is less than 4" of difference in 10mph wind drift or drop at 450yds between the 150gr Core Lokt (.346 BC) and the 154gr Interbond (.525 BC). Unless you just want a different or tougher bullet it's probably smarter to buy more 150gr Remingtons and practice field shots with them than to spend money trying different brands and weights.

 

[Manualman]

I think everyone over going west for the first time over thinks this. Just shoot what your comfortable with and practice a little longer ranges and you'll be fine.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

Thanks for all responses. May just stick with what I am shooting.

 

[fackelberry]

I think everyone over going west for the first time over thinks this. Just shoot what your comfortable with and practice a little longer ranges and you'll be fine.

This is exactly right! Better to shoot something your comfortable with than something new and unsure of. You will be second guessing yourself all the time and not confident with what you are shooting which may result in poor shooting.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Thanks for all responses. May just stick with what I am shooting.

Smart. Either cartridge will work just fine, as will either bullet you mentioned, to normal hunting ranges.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

You noted both cartridges are very accurate. For this reason, not taking bullet choice into consideration, I would take the 7RM for Elk. Personally, I would like a little extra punch if you will. I'll let others chime in on Core Lokt as I've never shot them. Use the other cartridge as your backup. Realistically, either choice will work.

TTSX is fine but needs velocity to open up well. Barnes says TTSX will open up down to 1800 fps, LRX 1600 fps, but when you look at pictures of barnes bullets with minimal impact velocities the bullets do open but marginally. Probably not much more than the diameter of the bullet itself. For this reason, I like to keep my impact velocity > 2200 fps for Barnes bullets. I simply look at my ballistic chart, find 2200 fps, that's my max shooting distance. For one cartridges my max is 478 yards. For my other cartridge my max is 601 yards. I don't shoot over 400 yards. 2200 fps rule that I like to use doesn't change my max shooting distance (hunting elevation). However, if I were at sea level that may change.

 

[1998caxj]

Lots of good advice here. For what its worth, I'd choose the 7MM as my primary and the 308 as the back up. Just practice with both and be ready to shoot at different distances. Personally, I like the Nosler Accubond, and have taken a few elk with the 180 grain. Mule3006Elk is spot one about the TTSX bullet.

 

[DaveZ]

When I tested the Core Lokt bullets in my Rem 7mm I saw my pattern increase to about 6inches at 300 yards with some fliers. Switched to the Hornady SST and my pattern shrunk to 3 inches.
Take it for what it is worth.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[rammont]

I took my elk last year with my .308 shooting 168gr TTSX bullets out of a 16.25" barrel. He dropped like a rock at 110 yards. I personally don't believe in shooting any big game past about 300 yards or so and I definately don't think that anybody should even try it if they haven't practiced for a while before hunting season. If you're new to the area and new to longer ranges then you're really taking a chance of loosing an animal or getting lost yourself. Where I live in Montana I rarely even see a chance at ranges longer than a 200 yards because of the thickness of the forest, the deadfalls, and the terrain.

 

[HuskyMusky]

7mm RM with 160gr as my 1st choice

308 with 165 or 180 as a backup 2nd choice and probably closer range.