257 Roberts on elk

[littlebuf]

Of course it could work but isnt that a pointless subject in this state?  .270 is the smallest caliber you can use for elk in this state isnt it?

ive never heard that before? im pretty sure the min bullet size for any big game besides cougar is .25 cal with .22 being legal for cougar

[hogsniper]

.24 cal or bigger for big game here in Wa.

[littlebuf]

.24 cal or bigger for big game here in Wa.

.24 thats right, i didnt think that .25 looked right

[Dakota Dogman]

For me there is more to being able to take an animal while hunting than the ability to kill it.  I want as clean and humane of a quick kill as possible.

I have & love my .257 bob but I wouldn't use it for elk unless I had to and I sure wouldn't recommend it.

I shot a real nice prairie fat whitetail buck 4x4 with my bob.  Running away, the bullet went into the passenger side ribs & blew up on the shoulder.  Watched it run another 300 yards or so till it fell over.  All well and good on flat prairie but on this west side jungle 300 yards with no blood trail could very easily be a lost animal. 

I'll stick to something bigger.  Most kids could handle a 7-08 or 7x57 loaded right. Or something like an old .300 savage could do a real nice job.  But that's just me...

God Bless,

[JoshT]

I've killed two cow elk with a .25-06... and that was with 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips... both exited... and both elk went about 4 ft... straight down. Shots were in the 150 yard range. Anyone who can't kill an elk with a .25 cal bullet... shouldn't be shooting elk. Only people who haven't shot much stuff with the .243's and .25's will downgrade their killing power. I've shot 15-20 head of big game with my .25's... I have never recovered a bullet (all exited)... the furthest a critter has gone (after playing catch with a 100 grainer) is about 20 yards... and I only had to shoot one of them twice (I anchored it on the first shot... but the hit was just a little high and back). A bullet through both lungs is a dead critter... .25 or .338. Hell, if you can kill it with a bow... you can kill it with a 100 TSX.


Is it the optimum... no.
Will it compensate for shooter error... no, but neither will a .300 RUM.


The "only under ideal conditions" argument hold no water with me. If you're shooting at schitt under "less than ideal conditions"... or taking shots that require a larger caliber to reach the vitals (ie... the Texas Heart Shot, or hard angling shots)... then you're playing with fire. I encourage everyone to use a "bow hunting" type mentality when hunting elk... look for a shot that gives you a clear look at both lungs... you do that with any legal caliber and a good bullet... and you'll be needing a good knife (and pack frame).

[Dakota Dogman]

"Anyone who can't kill an elk with a .25 cal bullet... shouldn't be shooting elk."

Mileage will vary... could say, "anyone who can't poach an elk with a .22 mag shouldn't be allowed out of the car!"  I have heard it said that the .220 swift was perfect for Alaskan Griz, which was proven by an old indian who did it regularly.  Some suggest that those who would be foolish enough to use a .257 on game larger are not serious enough to hunt elk ... I happily own both a .243 & a .257... and because of my experience with animals not "falling to a lung shot" like they are suppose to, I don't recommend them for true big game.  Becaue Mileage will vary.  Doesn't make either of us brilliant or stupid, but keeps Cabela's in business.

God bless,

[JoshT]

It is amazing how mileage varies... everything I've ever shot with a .25 cal bullet was dead as yesterday's lunch within seconds... and most dropped at the shot. Deer, elk, pronghorn, pigs, and a couple of ferel sheep/goats... all of them very dead, poste haste.

My point is...don't expect a bigger caliber to compensate for your inadequecies regarding shot placement. Put a good bullet through both lungs... and what caliber it is matters very little.

[madmack76]

yea it should be fine it all about shot placement when i was little i remember my dad killed several deer elk and bears with his lever action .243 no problems at all

[C-Money]

My wifes aunts and uncles have killed many Elk with a 243. .257 should be fine with the right shot! I would use a .270 or bigger.

[ArtistNhunter2]

Not very many elk will provide you with a broadside "double lung" shot. Then what do you do with that little .243 or .257? I think that's why most elk hunters use a larger caliber rifle; for those quartering away shots. Just my opinion. I tried using a big stick, but they just wouldn't hold still!

[JoshT]

Not very many elk will provide you with a broadside "double lung" shot. Then what do you do with that little .243 or .257? I think that's why most elk hunters use a larger caliber rifle; for those quartering away shots. Just my opinion. I tried using a big stick, but they just wouldn't hold still!

There's a lot of bowhunters who kill the schitt out of elk... they take nothing but broadside double lung shots... or slightly quartering away. If you need to smash a ball joint... maybe you should look for another shot. If you're just into slinging lead at elk... then you better bring the big guns... but that's rolling the dice every time.

I'd have no qualms hunting elk... or any other critter that can't stomp me into a puddle or eat me... with my 25-06 and a 100 TSX. On any sensible shot I'd bet a box of bullets you wouldn't recover that bullet... and the elk would be down within 40 yards. Don't know that I'd say the same about a .300 Winny running a 165 standard cup & core... and a lot of guys think that's good elk medicine.

[bow-n-head]

I tipped a cow elk over at 250 yards with a .243. First shot blew up her lungs, second broke her neck, she only went about 20 feet between shots.  The bulls I have shot with .300 h&h and 300 ultramag didn't go down any faster.

[huntnphool]

Right on Bow-n-head. A well placed shot with that 257bob will be far better than a poor shot with a 300 winmag. My backup to my archery gear on my moose hunt was a 140gr. 7mm if I had needed a longer shot than my archery gear could give me. My grandma filled several elk and a couple moose with her .243 when she lived in Montana. Get comfortable with your gun, put the shot where you want and that .257 will be just fine

[Cascade_Sherpa]

The best advice I've heard is to use the biggest rifle you can shoot accurately.  As ethical hunters we owe it to the game animals we hunt to try to end it as quick and efficiently as possible.  I know guys who hunt everything with .338's, they manage the recoil and kill animals every year, and more importantly don't lose any.  Others like me begin to flinch shooting a rifle any bigger than a .300 win mag, so thats what I use for deer, elk, bear, cougar, etc.

I also beleive that shot placement counts more than anything. thats why if you can't manage the recoil of a magnum rifle, then you're going to be shooting lousy with a cannon. It makes more sense to shoot a .243, .257, .270 accuratelly than a 30-378 like crap!

[Ghost1941]

"or any other critter that can't stomp me into a puddle or eat me... with my 25-06 and a 100 TSX. On any sensible shot I'd bet a box of bullets you wouldn't recover that bullet..."

Care to go to South Africa with me?   

The bullet is big enough for an elk though, don't worry.