The Best Rifle Calibers for Hunting Elk

The thick antlers of an elk make an incredible trophy.

Elk are massive creatures with antlers that can exceed 6 feet in length along their main beams. They live in and around the Rocky Mountains, and are one of the most challenging animals in the United States to hunt. Pursuit generally happens on horseback over rough back country, with the elk silently climbing steep hills and living easily at high altitudes. There are several rifle calbers that are especially well-suited to taking elk down.

Minimum Caliber for Elk Hunting

The smallest ammunition that should be used when hunting elk is .30-caliber, if it has a 180 grain bullet in the cartridge. A .22-caliber is just too small to stop an animal as larges as an elk. A .300 Magnum round provides more stopping power, but is still somewhat small.

The .340 Weatherby

The .340 Weatherby round is a cartridge designed with elk in mind. You can buy these cartridges with either a 225 grain or 250 grain bullets; the heavier round flies just a tiny bit slower, at 2,950 feet per second versus the 3,000 feet per second of the 225 grain round. In either case, the rounds carry 4,000 foot-pounds of energy and will fly accurately to 300 yards, or with a 10-inch drop at 400 yards. This makes taking down a huge elk at a distance much easier. Unfortunately, .340 caliber rifles are rare, coming from only two makers: Sako and Weatherby. A custom-made rifle can also be built to .340 caliber.

The .338

There is a wide selection of .338-caliber ammunition and the rifles to fire it. You lose some stopping power, as the bullet loses from 200 to 400 feet per second of speed. .338-caliber bullets are available in sizes between 200 and 250 grains; the smaller ones will have trouble stopping an elk, but the larger ones will work well.

Larger Calibers

It might be tempting, when hunting an animal as large as an elk, to go for the sheer stopping power of a .375 or .416 round. Unfortunately, a rifle with a caliber that big will have bad ballistics. The bullet will lose height so quickly along its trajectory that it makes long shots from 300 yards (which are a staple of elk hunting) very difficult or impossible. It's better to stick to a lighter round and aim it well.

References

• Guns Magazine: Elk Rifles