The bull elk-known to many as Kahuna, Bruno or 'Incredibull'-was a favourite among park visitors and known for his huge size. overflow: hidden; However, it doesnt handle projectiles heavier than 180 grains as well as other magnums. 2. You always see the great big ones in the mags and on the videos, but what does a 280 t0 300 p/t bull look like? Here's an elk I arrowed that gross scored 310" and netted 301" P&Y: Sorry for the bad picture it was the only one I had scanned. (Even pure bullet lead has traces of copper, zinc, nickel, arsenic, aluminum. I go over the four major components of scoring an elk antler: point length, mass, main beam length and inside spread. This is a grand-old cartridge based on the .308 Winchester, but it is loaded with a .358-caliber bullet. Use enough gun, enough caliber, and enough cartridge and bullet to invite them to dinner. Still not a bad bull, but not 350! While many times I score a bull in my head before asking the hunter what it actually scored, nothing beats getting out a tape and measuring lots of bone. Using our system, lets see what it would take to make a 350 bull. But seriously, the way to judge them is to score their frame and points just like you would a typical 66, then size up the non typical points and add that to your total. How To Score Your Elk. Field judging elk sized animals you don't often get to see, to me anyway, will be harder than it sounds. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Dont cripple yourself with a moderate-velocity cartridge that doesnt handle heavy, high-ballistic-coefficient projectiles well. When a bull has his head down feeding, I determine whether the main beam is higher or lower than the hump on his back above his shoulder. One grosses about 315 and I can't recall exactly, but the other is in the 260-270 range. Specifications Bullet Diameter: 0.308 in (7.8 mm) Neck Diameter: 0.3433 in (8.72 mm) Shoulder Diameter: 0.4539 in (11.53 mm) Base Diameter: 0.4709 in (11.96 mm) Case Length: 2.015 in (51.2 mm) Overall Length: 2.800 in (71.1 mm) Maximum Pressure (C.I.P): 60,191 psi Ballistics - From Three Recommended Hunting Brands Velocity (Feet Per Second) This review can help with that. With the draw results out in the western states there are many hunters celebrating their good fortune in the draw. Most hunters . Bowsdork, woah that's amazing elk! Then there are really big, world-record-class bull elk. 320 class bulls. As with anything, the devil is in the details. Mag., look at a .338 Federal, .358 Win., or even 7mm-08 Win. Just be aware that shot angles and placement do become critical as bullet mass and energy decline. Lastly, go back and read the first paragraph of this article and take it to heart. Be sure to check out these two podcast episodes for field judging reference at home or while at hunting camp. border-width: 1px; Its not my all-time favorite elk cartridge, but its a really, really close second. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. After those stalwarts comes a blizzard of .30-calibers that claw their way up the power scale. A common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. } Paired with an adequately tough, heavy bullet, it will cleanly take heavy-bodied bulls from any ethical angle, and do so from a long distance. :wink: The other thing is how a bull makes 300. For more on Arizona Guided Elk Hunts visit:http://exclusivepursuitoutfitters.com/arizona-elk-hunting/ Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1764766e3627da Long brow tines usually will follow the nose and then curl or bend upward. Sierra uses three alloys for rifle bullets, with antimony proportions of 1.5, 3 and 6 percent. The Pope and Young Club awards North America's finest archery-killed wapiti by size in two categories: typical or symmetrical antlers and non-typical or unsymmetrical horns. text-align: center Another way to quickly estimate a net score is to add up a bulls weakest side, double it, and then add to 200. In this case, the average weight of an adult male elk is approximately 720 lbs. because the latter rolls out those wide, .338-inch diameter 250-grain bullets. If the first two points on each side follow parallel with the nose and tip up just at the end of the nose, then they should be right around 16. 1. Free ranging bulls of 350+ caliber will cost from $15,000 . If the point is 10 shorter, then the bull probably has a 20 fourth point. "Average" will vary with different areas, but if they are anything like those in southern Wyoming, the average is going to be closer to 240-250 than 300. The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet. He got a mature bull without issue. Some .30-calibers work best in lever actions, some in short actions, some in full magnum actions. elkkill2006 # 3957463 04/01/10. has been called the ultimate elk cartridge. Thirty-calibers have been sending elk to the table for more than 125 years. In the past, you had to handload to get these, but long-range shooters have created sufficient demand that many ammo makers now offer factory ammo featuring bullets heavier than 200-grains. Lastly, when you have to drive your bullet into the shoulder of a massive, quartering-to bulland it will happen someday if you hunt elk passionatelyyoull thank me for this advice: Pick a heavy-for-caliber, controlled expansion bullet for elk. The resulting cartridge was based on the .30-06 case necked down to 7mm (.284"). . background-color: #333333; Mag. On the other side of the caliber scale are the .35 Whelen (.30/06 necked up) and various .375s. "Pure" lead cores need thick copper jackets to prevent disintegration on impact. If you need to balance reach and punch with minimal weight, Id look to the 7mm magnums pushing 150- to 175-grain bullets. Another anatomical measurement that can be used when determining point length is the distance from the top of the back to the bottom of belly. The most important thing to remember to make you a skilled field judge is to use this base 200 method. While not quite reliable, it has its place at times. Keep'em coming boys, those are some impressive animals and dont get enough press. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. The .280 Ackley gives you the wide availability of 7 mm component bullets, impressive velocities, great brass life and excellent commercially-available brass from Nosler. Shooting an elk with one, however, is about like shooting a gopher with a .30/06. Next, I estimate the length of the main beam by using an important anatomical measurement. You probably have noticed that I havent talked at all about net score versus gross score. Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online. Heft up to a 10-pound rifle and kick will calm to just 32.7 ft-lb. The following methods I have used for a long time when picking apart a bulls rack. Yes, it lacks one of the three virtues vital to great elk cartridges. Bozeman, Montana. Lets break them down: Because elk are three or four times bigger than even a big-bodied deer, the best elk cartridges are authoritative, mighty authoritative. Copyright 2000-2023 24hourcampfire.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. vertical-align: top I know small-framed hunters who happily pay the gravitational price for packing Granddads M1886 Winchester lever-action in .45/70. shootbrownelk, Billinsd and And while most heavy .300 Win. Of course, there is a great shortcut for judging bulls that uses anatomical references, but instead of trying to estimate each measurement individually, I use a magic number for the main beam length, mass, and inside spread and then I compare the length of the points from one side to the other and estimate shortest points. Most bulls that I see either have weak 3rds or weak 5ths. And the bigger they get, the tougher they become. With good form, a boat tail 225-grain .338 slug should rate a B.C. However, I took this while bowhunting deer several years ago. This little brother to the .338 Win. Not that its a better choice; its just extremely common, and yes, its pretty darned good at making meat. Once you determine a bull to be something you want to go after I highly recommend using the two methods listed below, Estimating Actual Measurements and Estimating Shortest Points. Most 225-grain factory loads are rated 2,750 to 2,800 fps, enough velocity to put about 3,900 ft-lb of energy into that little bullet. Mag., and does so out of shorter barrels. He only uses partitions for big game. Eastern elk were driven to extinction due to commercial use, unregulated hunting, and habitat loss in the 1800s and early 1900s. 77s can sometimes be tricky, but really all you have to do is estimate the bulls 6th point (G6), double that and add it to your total. Lets say that a 380 bull has an extra point on his left main beam near his G4 that is about 15 inches and two extras on his right beam that are about 10 and 12 inches. Determining the four mass measurements per side is usually difficult, but there is a way to do it. Mag., and elk hardly know the difference. Itll only hit 2,400 fps or so with a 225-grain bullet, so the 200- and 210-grain slugs might be the better choice. Any bull that has a solid 200 inch base and no visible weaknesses is usually a 340 or better bull using this system. It might be impossible to find the rifle you want and darn tough to find factory loads to feed it. Colorado Springs, CO, USA. Non Typical bulls are undoubtedly the hardest to judge in the field. } Put 2" on each point and main beam and a 275 becomes a 300 Add a little mass and . It has nice tails but the 4 is a little short as well as the 3. Short in the Elvis era meant standard or 30/06 length: 3.340-inches overall cartridge length, down from the 3.6-inches of the parent cartridge. Any rifle strong enough to contain the 7mm Rem. The 28 Nosler and Remington Ultra Magnum adds about 250 fps to the Rem. Want the best cartridge for elk hunting? Kent also took a fallow deer. Scoring mounted bulls is a great way to improve your skills as well. Note that a 300 bull will more likely have 45 main beams about 54 inches of total mass and a 35 spread. As with any caliber, the lighter the bullet and lower the muzzle velocity, the easier the rifle is to handle and the closer you should get before taking your shot. As a result, we put too much pressure on ourselves to kill a bull that scores X amount. And I write calibers and cartridges because caliber means the diameter of the bore. And yes, shots on elk can be far. When air judging, it is most important to try to look for weaknesses and strengths of the antler configuration. Big cartridges provide forgiving margins of error. The 280 Remington could be the Goldilocks of standard-length action hunting rounds. Hunting is supposed to be fun and if that is your idea of fun, you could probably have even more of it with a .378 Weatherby. This method actually gets you closer to the net score of the bull you are evaluating. pictures? This is my son's bull from a couple years ago. Next, I estimate the length of the shortest point for each antler, double it and then add them up. You do not measure the bases as the first measurement which I have seen some hunters mistakenly do. Anybody got pictures? Plus, widely available standard .280 ammunition can safely be fired in the improved chamber, so you wont be left out of the hunt should the airline loose the luggage with your ammo in it. We have an embarrassment of choices in 7mms, and elk dont like any. will kick with 29.3 ft-lb, and the 300 will slap you with 37 ft-lb. Here's how to set realistic expectations, get it done, and have a blast. The .338 Win. Two problems. I grew up hunting with one stoked with 150-grain Partition handloads, and I never had a problem cleanly killing a bull. Elk shed their antlers beginning in late February for the . Offering the perfect balance of tremendous energy, large frontal diameter, ballistic efficiency, and long barrel life, the .338 has garnered disciples among rifle savants such as F&S own David E. Petzal. The bull elk is North America's toughest hooved big-game animal. You are using an out of date browser. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. Nonsense. Now that weve got our solid base score of 200 to start with lets see what the average breakdown is for most bulls from 300 to 400. A beautiful 66 bull hangs above his harem, guarding against three smaller bulls orbiting the herd, hoping to cut out a cow and run away with her. Factory ammo performs neck and neck with the legendary .300 Win. For big game hunting precise shot placement is critical no matter the cartridge, and its damn hard to place a shot precisely when you know youre going to get smacked hard enough to loosen your teeth and knock out your boogers. No other elk cartridge offers the combination of style and performance like the .300 Weatherby does. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. I sat down with Craig Steele ofExclusive Pursuits Outfittersand we went indepth on picking apart an elk's rack. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Ive made my longest two kills on elk with the .280 AIboth one shot and done. In 1963, everyone knew the all-American .30/06, so they had a benchmark against which to judge this belted magnum throwing the same familiar bullets 200 fps faster. } The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Any real or perceived failure of the 7mm Rem. With the right bullet, a .270 will put down any bull walking the earth today. numbers hitting .590 or so, keep velocities at 3,000 fps with carefully built handloads, and 300-yard drop is only 2.3 inches, wind deflection 4.7 inches, retained energy 2,700 ft-lb. Youll have to place your shots carefully and select a deep-penetrating bullet. By 600 yards that energy advantage will have dropped to just 180 ft-lb. Estimate the distance between the end of one ear and the beam and double it. vertical-align: top Its faster than the 6.5-284, and more efficient than the 26 Nosler. Dreamstime is the world`s largest stock photography community. Its very easy to stare at great fronts or a big whale tail and miss those 6 third points! border-color: black; Think Remington M700s, Savage M110s, Ruger M77s, and even the Browning Autoloading Rifle. Entact would have been close to 310. During my high school . It wallops big bulls with authority, and wallops hunters hard, too. Note that a 320 bull will likely have 46 to 48 inch beams, about 56 inches of total mass, and a 38 inch spread. Right up front, this is a short-range proposition. Choose at least medium weight for caliber: 140 grains in 6.5mm and the lighter 7mms; 140 and 150 grains in .270s; 150 to 160 grains in faster 7mms; 165 or 180 grains in .30 calibers. We have three other primary assumptions being made here. Some come in ultralight rifles for easy mountain hunting, some in extra heavy platforms for stand hunting or longer range shooting. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .280 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest elk - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .280 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for elk hunting. Silvertine kills more 400" bulls than any other hunt ranch . Pictures of dead elk don't do much good. Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Elk Hunt. If recoil isnt a concern, you can slide up the power charts via the 33 Nosler, .340 Wby. Trying to determine mass is very hard and requires scoring quite a few racks, but if you use those numbers, you will often be close. What is the average muzzle energy for a .280 Remington? Skills First, I use anatomical references to estimate several of the point lengths. .tg .tg-xhut { Big Game Hunting - 250 Elk - Hey elk guys, does anyone have any pictures of a 220 to 250 class elk. If zeroed three inches high at 100 yards, that slug should drop just 1.7 inches at 300 yards and deflect just 5.7 inches in a 10 mph right angle wind. While growing up in the early 1960s, I lived next to the federal elk refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Ask yourself if the bull is young or mature, then move on. Though it's not an extremely popular elk cartridge, there's not a darn reason why you can't go elk hunting with the 280 AI. JavaScript is disabled. Mag. Mags. If thats the camp you hunt from, have at it, but understand that with the .338 Remington Ultra Magnum, every time you pull the trigger you will get smacked with about 45 foot-pounds of recoil. After all, this was the round Bell used to collect 800 elephants and untold numbers of Cape buffalo. Sounds like a deal, lets compromise. You want to look for anything that is sticking out or extraordinary. The only way to really estimate the inside spread of a bull elk is for him to face you. Mag. I put down money to go on a mgmt elk hunt, where I can only take a 220 to 250 class. Bull elk have large, spreading antlers. 169.204.214.73 "I like Treestand because I hunt in a lot of dark timber, high in the mountains, and on land that has been burned. From 1997-2002, more than 1,500 elk were shared with Kentucky by western states. Las Vegas, NV 89113. Ammo is easier to find in a greater variety of bullet weights and styles, too. I often use two anatomical measurements: There is quite a bit of air judging that gets done while estimating measurements, but if you use anatomical references, you can often get pretty close to the real measurement. In other words, if we took our 380 bull from above and made him 77 with 8 inch G6s he would quickly jump to 396 or better! Mag. This is my brothers bull from 2003, grosses right at 295. throwing similar weight projectiles means youre packing elk medicine. Mag. Mag., .270 WSM, and 27 Nosler step it up a few notches, and the 6.8 Western with its fast twist barrels nudges bullet weights to the upper end of the 7mm line up. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; So we have the 250-255 range covered, lets see one in the 255-260 . For all its virtues, like the 6.5 Creedmoor the 6.5 PRC just doesnt have the bullet diameter and weight to handle steeply angled shot presentations. If youre shopping for the perfect elk caliber/rifle, determine how much recoil you can tolerate without flinching and how much rifle weight you might enjoy packing. background-color: #efefef; This is meant to be used as a fun tool to help you sharpen your elk antler scoring skills. For instance, if a bull is a fairly symmetrical 66 just add up one side of his points (G1, G2, G3, G4, & G5) and multiply by two. Again, most 400 bulls will have 54 to 56 inch beams, and a spread of potentially more than 40 inches. It will for sure kill an elk, however, some believe that because of the larger diameter and heavier bullet, its a better elk cartridge than a .308 Winchester or .30/06. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting elk to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option. font-size: 14px; Five whopper Pennsylvania bull elk are in this year's state record book, including the new state #1 non-typical, 455-inch bull elk taken in 2020 in Elk County by hunter Duane Kramer. Bulls with curvy looking points score well. The 7 WSM and 7 SAUM just about match it in handier short action rifles. Assuming we have have a bull elk down that weighs 500 pounds field dressed and we set to work and de-bone all the meat, yielding 250 lbs of meat an allowing about 40 lbs for his head. When it first came out in 1962, it sent the then four-year-old .264 Winchester Magnum into a tailspin. font-size: 18px; Some are great on the front end and weak in the back, others are great on the back end and will be short up front, and yet the "normal" 300-inch bull will be equally impressive, but not big . of .414 or so, the 210-gr. .284-inch bullet or a 180-gr. Pen and Paper (or a print out of the Boone and Crockett score sheet) Start by measuring the length of each tine on one side of the rack - if your bull is a 6X6, there will be 5 tines to measure (G1 thru . But I also have a 6-foot 2-inch 20-something friend who climbs with a little 6.5 Creedmoor and lays out 66 bulls with single shots at 400 yards. Other 7mms The 7mm family hatched around 1892 with the 7x57mm Mauser and has since grown to fifteen or more. Now add the total length of points to the magic number of 200 to get the gross score. The .300 RUM takes magnum .30-caliber performance to the limits of practical. It offers shocking good performance in a beltless, standard-length case and is becoming the go-to, extreme-range hunting cartridge. These totals amount to 303. From: WapitiBob 20-Apr-12 Mag. Mag. So, with the proper balance in mind lets look at a great method for scoring mature bulls on the hoof. The smaller the bullet, the higher its quality and the more precise its deposit must be. Recoil is about 30-percent less than the .338 Win. } Mag. case. 300 Bull: G1= 14, G2= 14, G3=10, G4= 16, G5= 8. This guys is on the lower end of your range just breaking 260. padding: 10px 5px; Most of us would rather not shoot a rag horn on our limited entry hunt that we appliedover a decade for, right?! Big bulls will have an inside spread of very near to 40 inches and also right around 30 inches of mass per side. can be laid at the feet of the shooter or the bullet used. The author, center, with a 6x6 248 . Mag. Youll be much more satisfied with the outcome of most of your elk hunts. Mag. Fine options include the old .264 Win. But to help in estimating a net score remember that most big bulls will have 10 to 12 inches of total symmetry deductions. It will help you tremendously! Straight looking points are always short. Mag. It may not display this or other websites correctly. I start by estimating the brow tines (the first two points) by seeing how close they are in comparison to the length from the burr to the tip of the bulls nose. I feel pretty blessed not to have to subscribe to Hunttalk and be able to read countless hunting stories including two 400 inch bulls this year as well. bullet like the Swift Scirocco will retain 2,350 ft-lb at 400 yards, 1,500 ft-lb clear out at 600 yards. Once you have this base to start from you simply start adding a bullstine lengths to 200. Pick a Marlin M1895 or a Winchester Model 1886 and hunt happy in the knowledge that youve got bull-thumping wallop in every thumb-sized cartridge. Next come three spread measurements: tip-to-tip, greatest spread, and the inside spread of the main beams. Would've been right at 300 if not for the two chipped points. The question is, are detached retinas worth it? Notice by comparing these classes of bulls that misjudging a couple of points by a couple of inches will affect the accuracy of your score. Ive taken as many bull elk with the .300 Win. When he is facing you, look at the width of his ears. Good bullet design and placement seem to work just fine. The .378 will kill an elk but not any deader than 6.5 Creedmoor. Before we begin, you should understand that this is a round up of the best calibers and cartridges for elk, not necessarily the most popular ones. could be chambered in the standard Model 70 rifles of the day and eventually most other standard length bolt action rifles. Mag. in a 22-inch barrel. While air judging I am trying to place the bull in a category of 275-300, 300-325, 325-350, 350-375, and 375-400. Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in elk hunting. border-spacing: 0; However, since the 2007 advent of the 6.5 Creedmoor, theyve taken the target and hunting world by storm. overflow: hidden; Mag. Slide up to some of the new 190-gr. background-color: #efefef; slug from the .300 Win. In comparison a 250-grain slug at 2,600 fps will churn up just 3,750 ft-lb. I just read one in September's Petersons. Looking for a Hunting or Fishing Partner. There are several ways to field judge elk. The accurate answer is it depends. If you hunt massive-bodied Roosevelt bulls in the rain forests of the Northwest, or pine clad ridges and canyon bottoms anyplace where 200 yards is a long shot, this is a prime cartridge. .tg .tg-4q2i { Everybody wants a 400 inch bull elk, but that isn't really a realistic expectation. Choosing one of them comes down to personal preference and the kinds of rifles one likes to carry. We argue cartridges and calibers endlessly, but bullet choice matters. It offers bull-thumping authority at a recoil level just at the cusp of what most serious shooters can handle. That measurement is generally about 30. A bull with 6 tines on each side is called a 6X6 ("6 by 6"). If youre one of those all-American .30-caliber guys, get a 30 Nosler precision rifle with a good brake, pair it with a tough, accurate bullet and never look back. Recoil is brisk, and barrel life will likely be short. Mature bulls have heavy bones, dense muscle, and loads of resilience from years of shrugging off battle wounds. Early on, the 7mm Rem. Many an elk hunter has suggested the .300 Win. trajectory may explain how the 7mm Rem. Free or royalty-free photos and images. I wouldn't hesitate to use my .280 140 gr AccuBond load on elk either. The old 757 is itself a proven elk getter. thanks coondog Aug 10, 2005 #2 Tom New member Joined Jan 22, 2001 Messages 4,985 Location San Antonio, Texas, USA Here's a bunch from 300 to 400+ SCI scoring ones. Ditto rifle size. Look to something that fires a 7mm or bigger heavy-for-caliber projectile at around 3,000 fps. Performance The 33-caliber has become a crowded family, and all members are more than suitable for elk. This method is not quite as exact as estimating each measurement, but it gets you very close and it can be much quicker and easier. It is kind of like shooting a 14 inch antelope. Some cartridges take root in the hunting world quickly, others fade . Thats ok. Live and learn is a common aphorism for a reason. Unless you work with a custom gun builder and handload, study factory options before choosing. This 9,000 acre premier ranch located in northeastern Utah has 11 elk tags per year and success has run at or near 100 percent on some great bulls. Because Winchester didnt insist on the caliber being proprietary, anyone could load and chamber for it. Mag.and does it in a short-action platform. Here was the same basic belted magnum case, but the 7mm threw bullets as heavy as 175 grains. You must log in or register to reply here. Hit an elk with a 175-gr. Good luck on your hunts and have fun field judging the bulls! Hunters who happily pay the gravitational price for packing Granddads M1886 Winchester lever-action in.45/70 of an male... Hit 2,400 fps or so with a moderate-velocity cartridge that doesnt handle heavy high-ballistic-coefficient... On each point and main beam and double it would & # x27 ; t really a realistic.. Them up era meant standard or 30/06 length: 3.340-inches overall cartridge length, down from the mountains. 0 ; However, it doesnt handle projectiles heavier than 180 grains as well as other.... Pursuits Outfittersand we went indepth on picking apart a bulls rack bull with tines... Elk hunt, where I can only take a 220 to 250 class moderate-velocity that. And double it and then add them up style and performance like the Swift Scirocco will retain 2,350 ft-lb 400. Grosses right at 300 if not for the, of course, plays an important role in the viability a! Take it to heart.308 Winchester, but there is a great method for scoring mature bulls on the case! 400 & quot ; ) necked down to 7mm (.284 & quot ; on each point and main and....270 will put down any bull that scores X amount weaknesses and of! Must read and understand your own local laws before hunting elk to the magic number 200... What most serious shooters can handle just 32.7 ft-lb reference at home or while at hunting camp overflow: ;! And miss those 6 third points 400 inch bull elk, but it is most important thing to to..., I estimate the length of the shooter or the bullet used of what most serious shooters can handle various! Hooved big-game animal, I took this while bowhunting deer several years ago becomes... All about net score of the antler configuration the.30-06 case necked down to (... Have used for a.280 Remington and placement do become critical as bullet mass and decline! Youre packing elk medicine elephants and untold numbers of Cape buffalo sized animals you do often! Makes 300 are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting certain... Of points to the green hills of Africa magnum case, the average of... Air judging I am trying to place your shots carefully and select a bullet! Extra heavy platforms for stand hunting or longer range shooting enough to the... 7Mm or bigger heavy-for-caliber projectile at around 3,000 280 inch bull elk to extinction due to commercial use, unregulated hunting and... Scoring mounted bulls is a way to improve your skills as well as the first paragraph this! I estimate the length of points to the Federal elk refuge in Jackson Hole,.! Has hunted from the.300 RUM takes magnum.30-caliber performance to the Federal elk in... Bullet choice matters 1962, it is loaded with a.358-caliber bullet dont like.... Necked up ) and various.375s elk, but the other thing how. Of choice is a little mass and a spread of the point is 10 shorter, then bull! That most big bulls will have 54 to 56 inch beams, and even the Browning Autoloading.! About 3,900 ft-lb of energy 280 inch bull elk that little bullet word or phrase, a.270 will put down bull... Be harder than it sounds projectiles heavier than 180 grains as well the. Bullet mass and a 35 spread because caliber means the diameter of the bull you are evaluating go-to extreme-range. Darn tough to find in a beltless, standard-length case and is becoming the go-to, extreme-range hunting...., 300-325, 325-350, 350-375, and I ca n't recall exactly, but that &. 150- to 175-grain bullets lever-action in.45/70 I write calibers and cartridges because caliber means the diameter of bore. Many hunters celebrating their good fortune in the early 1960s, I took this while deer..., 325-350, 350-375, and have fun field judging elk sized animals you do not measure bases! Hidden ; However, is about 30-percent less than the 6.5-284, and.. # efefef ; slug from the.300 Win. my all-time favorite elk cartridge, not. Thing to remember to make a 350 bull authority at a recoil just. In.45/70 usually difficult, but that isn & # x27 ; t do much good, plays important. So out of shorter barrels simply start adding a bullstine lengths to 200 have 45 main beams 54. Close second $ 15,000 quickly, others fade bones, dense muscle, and barrel will... Detached retinas worth it 1886 and hunt happy in the western states assumption is that 300. 7Mm magnums pushing 150- to 175-grain bullets elk medicine 275 becomes a 300 add a mass. Mass per side is usually a 340 or better bull using this system home for buying archery, camping fishing... Becomes a 300 add a little short as well, extreme-range hunting cartridge photography community an male! From the 3.6-inches of the bore will churn up just 3,750 ft-lb add a little short as as. In extra heavy platforms for stand hunting or longer range shooting when he is facing you, look at recoil...: point length, mass, main beam by using an important role in the early,... Have 10 to 12 inches of total symmetry deductions length and inside spread 7mm magnums pushing 150- to 175-grain.... Again, most 400 bulls will have dropped to just 180 ft-lb weak 5ths for. Try to look for anything that is sticking out or extraordinary seen some hunters do. Will calm to just 180 ft-lb have seen some hunters mistakenly do the Montana mountains to the limits practical... 6X6 248 base to start from you simply start adding a bullstine to. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming of shrugging off battle wounds one ear and the kinds rifles... Successful elk hunt, where I can only take a 220 to 250 class of shorter barrels most. Accubond load on elk can be laid at the width of his ears of. But it is kind of like shooting a 14 inch antelope for rifle bullets, with.280. Remington Ultra magnum adds about 250 fps to the Rem 30/06 length: 3.340-inches overall cartridge length, from... Something that fires a 7mm or bigger heavy-for-caliber projectile at around 3,000.! Builder and handload, study factory options before choosing G4= 16, G5= 8 3,750 ft-lb recoil! Seem to work just fine years ago than 180 grains as well as other magnums extraordinary. Beams, and I write calibers and cartridges because caliber means the diameter of the caliber scale are.35. Calm to just 32.7 ft-lb an inside spread of potentially more than 40 inches and also right around inches! Length, mass, main beam and a spread of a bull elk is approximately 720 lbs belted magnum,... In elk hunting get the gross score was born and raised in West Virginia and has since to... About match it in handier short action rifles dense muscle, and even the Browning rifle! The outcome of most of your elk hunts muzzle energy for a reason length, down from the.300.! Shooting sports, and outdoor gear online 54 inches of total symmetry deductions, lets see what it take... To something that fires a 7mm or bigger heavy-for-caliber projectile at around 3,000.! More satisfied with the legendary.300 Win. our best feature stories and photography ofExclusive Pursuits Outfittersand we went on... Want to look for anything that is sticking out or extraordinary a 14 inch antelope up in the western.. The 7mm Rem up hunting with one, However, it is most important thing remember! Bullstine lengths to 200 200 inch base and no visible weaknesses is usually difficult, not. Of potentially more than 40 inches and also right around 30 inches of total symmetry deductions 7x57mm Mauser and hunted... Happy in the early 1960s, I use anatomical references to estimate several of the day and eventually most standard... To personal preference and the bigger they get, the average weight of an male! The outcome of most of your elk hunts while at hunting camp cartridge, but it is with. Money to go on a mgmt 280 inch bull elk hunt have the 250-255 range,. To place your shots carefully and select a deep-penetrating bullet and handload, study factory options before choosing approximately. World quickly, others fade and has since grown to fifteen or more decline! Shooter or the bullet, the average muzzle energy for a better choice bullet design and placement do critical... Of course, plays an important role in the 1800s and early 1900s while! Projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet way to it! Builder and handload, study factory options before choosing the resulting cartridge was based on the.30-06 necked... To prevent disintegration on impact about 250 fps to the green hills of Africa the hoof the caliber being,. Ofexclusive Pursuits Outfittersand we went indepth on picking apart an elk with right... And photography put too much pressure on ourselves to kill a bull makes 300 a.30/06 nickel arsenic. Members are more than suitable for elk quickly, others fade proportions of 1.5, 3 and percent. Collect 800 elephants and untold numbers of Cape buffalo bull you are evaluating 33-caliber become. A security service to protect itself from online attacks 10 to 12 inches of mass per side called... Thick copper jackets to prevent disintegration on impact animals and dont get enough press, anyone could and... I took this while bowhunting deer several years ago: tip-to-tip, greatest spread and. Field. the hardest to judge in the details this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, SQL... You simply start adding a bullstine lengths to 200 advent of the point lengths it in handier short rifles! Cartridge ) for a long time when picking apart a 280 inch bull elk rack in field...