Elk are big animals, with thick hides and heavy bones so you need the right caliber to take them down. You need a caliber that can shoot 300 yards for cross canyon shots or shooting down in a valley. This caliber also needs to have enough energy to go through the heavy rib bones.
What you need for an elk round
For elk hunting, there are a lot of requirements we need to have in a round. The round needs to have enough energy to kill elk at great ranges. This round also needs to have a flat enough trajectory to hit the elk at longer ranges.
Energy-wise, you need to have 1200-1500 foot-pounds on impact, to kill the elk. If you hunt elk in a flat barren land where you may have to shoot 500-600 yards to kill an elk, you need the right round. Some rounds I looked at didn’t cut these requirements. So, when making this list, I tried to get a round or two that had enough energy at different ranges to suit your hunt. It is very important that in picking the right round you know how you hunt.
Trajectory-wise, you can’t have a round that will drop like a rock past a couple of hundred yards. Some rounds have the energy to kill elk at long range but drop too much to do so effectively. So when picking rounds having a flat trajectory is a key element.
For the last part, you need a versatile round. Some rounds only function in certain scenarios, which could stop you from being successful in others. Some rounds while being great at close range, obviously won’t work at long range. If you show up to where you’re hunting and see it’s wide open and not the mountains you were thinking of, you need a round that will still work. A key attribute, is having a round that is capable of taking elk out to 500+ yards, so you’re ready for anything.
308 Winchester
It is a common misconception that you need a giant caliber to take down an elk.
In reality, you only need 1500 foot-pounds of energy to kill an elk. For a skilled hunter, it is easy to kill an elk with a 308.
The 308 Winchester has 1486 foot-pounds of energy at 300 yards, which is plenty to kill an elk, as most elk are taken within 200 yards. For most hunters getting within 300 yards of an elk is an easy task.
The nice part of hunting with a 308 is it is a light recoiling cartridge that is perfect for small frame shooters. This cartridge is also very popular for deer hunting, so if you have a 308, you don’t need to buy a new rifle. The other nice part of hunting with a 308, is that 308 are often light rifles, so when hiking long distances, you are not worn out by hauling around a heavy rifle.
30-06 Springfield
The 30-06 is a caliber that has been used for over 115 years to take down game animals across the planet. Today the 30-06 has been used to take down bison, moose, elk, deer, hogs, and pronghorn. But today we will only be focusing on elk.
The 30-06 can kill elk up to 500 yards. This round is perfectly capable of taking elk across canyons and valleys. And with the right round, you can kill any game animal in America.
The 30-06 is considered by most the perfect elk cartridge. Most 30-06 rifles are only 8 pounds, plenty light enough to take in the mountains. 30-06 is also super popular and can be found anywhere in the United States. Another upside to the 30-06 is when loaded with the right powder and bullet, you can get performance similarly to a 300 win mag.
300 Winchester magnum
The 300 Winchester magnum, aka 300 win mag, is a cartridge that has been used to kill elk since it was invented in 1963. This cartridge is a favorite by all big game and dangerous game hunters.
The 300 win mag can take down elk out to 600-700 yards. The effective range of the 300 win mag being 600 yards is far past where most shooters are comfortable.
The 300 win mag is a very customizable round like the 30-06. The 30-06 and 300 win mag can shoot rounds from 125-210 grains. One downside to the 300 win mag is that it is not for beginners. The 300 win mag has a lot of recoil, which makes it hard for most shooters to shoot accurately. But this round is by far capable of taking down elk, moose, bison, grizzly bears, and muskox.
7mm Remington magnum
The 7mm Remington magnum is an excellent long-range elk hunting cartridge.
The 7mm Remington mag is a 300 win mag case that is necked down to a 28 caliber/7mm bullet. This round has less recoil than a 300 win mag but just as much energy and less drop making it better for long-range hunting than most other cartridges.
The 7mm rem mag can take down elk out to 600 yards with only 50 inches of drop. This cartridge is one of the best elk cartridges for shots past 300 yards because of its flat trajectory.
The small diameter of the bullet causes minimal meat damage so you can keep all your hard-earned game meat. This cartridge can be loaded with bullets from 130-175 grains to take any game animal. This round is also a favorite by long-range shooters for its ability to shoot 1000 yards with extreme accuracy and minimum drop.
45-70 government
The 45-70 is a cartridge that is best used in thick brush where shots are rarely over 100 yards.
This cartridge, as the name suggests, has a 45 caliber bullet, and 70 grains of powder. This round is a big bore, super heavy hitting cartridge that has been used for the dangerous game in America.
The 45-70 can kill elk out to 200 yards, but drops like a rock, so it can be hard to even make shots that far.
This cartridge is primarily used in lever guns because of the way the case is designed. This round earned its reputation with guides in Alaska, who went grizzly bear and moose hunting. If you are elk hunting in brush where you can not see more than 100 yards, this is a super-effective cartridge. With the common lever guns that have iron sights, you can more easily acquire targets at close range than with a high power scope that is on most hunting guns.
270 Winchester
The 270 Winchester is a 30-06 case with a .27 caliber bullet. This round is commonly used for deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep, and hogs. The round is a flatter shooting 30-06 with less recoil and less energy.
The 270 has the power to kill elk at 400 yards. This round is also like the 30-06 in the fact that it is super common all over the world and in the United States.
The 270 is a good all-around caliber that has been used to kill anything from moose, elk, deer, hogs, and pronghorn. The 270 best excels at taking elk, deer, sheep, mountain goats, and hogs. This round is super popular among sheep hunters because of its flat shooting capabilities and minimal recoil.
6.5 pcr
The 6.5 PCR was developed in 2018, so it’s a very new cartridge. The 6.5 PCR is a flat shooting high energy short-action cartridge. The 6.5 PCR is a cartridge commonly used for shooting long range.
The 6.5 PCR can take down an elk at 600 yards, which is super far for a short action cartridge. The flat trajectory has 18 inches of drop at 400 yards.
The 6.5 PCR is commonly used on elk, deer, hogs, sheep, and pronghorn. Because this is a short action it weighs less which helps for long hikes in the backcountry.
6.5 Creedmoor
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a 308 case necked down to a 6.5 mm bullet. This round has a tiny bit less energy than a 308, but it shoots flatter. The 6.5 Creedmoor is so good at shooting long-range and has such little wind drift it was banned from some long-range shooting competitions.
The 6.5 Creedmoor can kill elk out to 400 yards, and only has 22 inches of drop to that range, which is very little even for more powerful cartridges.
Most people prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor over the 308 because of the flat shooting capabilities and the fact that it has less recoil, so it’s easier to shoot. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a great youth caliber because of the light kick, and it has lots of energy, so you don’t risk wounding a deer. The 6.5 Creedmoor can be used for elk, deer, hogs, sheep, and pronghorn. While it is a little light for elk, as long as you are close, you will be fine.
28 Nosler
The 28 Nosler is a new and fairly popular caliber that packs a wallop. With 3500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle, this round can kill almost all animals in the world. This round is offered in Nosler’s high-quality hunting bullets, but can be hard to find.
This round can kill elk at an astonishing 900 yards! This is far past the capabilities of most people. If you want to hunt moose, bison, and elk at long range this is the caliber for you.
If you need to take elk at long range, this is the caliber for you. You can efficiently take all big game and dangerous game in America with this cartridge. But the downside to this round is it is very expensive to shoot and is very rare to find.
300 weatherby magnum
The 300 Weatherby magnum is a heavy-hitting magnum cartridge that closely resembles the 300 Winchester magnum on steroids. This round ultimately had better performance in most if not all ways. The 300 Weatherby is less common nowadays and most people choose the 300 win mag over it; The 300 Weatherby mag is still one the best elk hunting cartridges on the planet.
This round can kill elk at 750 yards, with no problem. This round, compared to the more popular 300 win mag, has 250 more foot-pounds and 10 less inches of drop at 500 yards. This may not sound like a lot but it could be the difference between wounding your elk or landing a fatal shot.
This round, while not being as popular as the 300 win mag, still beats it in all ways. This round can offer the extra stopping power you need to bring down a big elk.
Conclusion
Make sure you choose your rounds right so you can bring down a trophy elk. These rounds will all do the trick when it comes to hunting elk so you can be more successful.
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