eracer wrote:Next up: Stopping a charging bull elephant with 300 BLK subsonics.
(C'mon people....use the right tool for the job.)
Yep.
If you take a look at the ballistics Gel tests at Brassfetcher you will find that some of the 300 BLK loadings expand as much and penetrate more than .303 British hunting ammo. I don't think too many people would argue the .303 is inadequate for big game such as elk.
I believe that at sane ranges there isn't an elk shoulder on earth that would stop a 30.30. It & the 30.40 krag were considered death rays for elk back in the day. Elk havn't gotten tougher. The blk is every bit the death ray the 30.30 ever was & then some. However, like the 30.30, the blk has limitations (range/angle) that must be respected.
I like pigs. Cats look down on us. Dogs look up to us. Pigs see us as equals.
Sir Winston Churchill
I've killed lots of elk. Rifle, bow and muzzleloader. The 300 BLK is lighter than I would prefer, but if the shot is placed right, with enough remaining energy and a good bullet, it will do the job. If you don't try to stretch the limits of your weapon and your ability, you will do fine. You need to be relatively close, wait for a good angle, and put the bullet on the money (through the heart or the lower part of both lungs).
On the other side, if you are not a fairly experienced hunter, its doubtful that you will be able to do all of this and there is a good chance you will fail.
16" Wilson 1:7 with .106" gas port @ carbine length
Syrac adj. gas block
Std. wt. BCG, buffer & spring
I really dont think its experience of a hunter that will keep someone from losing their animal. I have hunted for pretty much my entire life and i have seen plenty of people in the woods with lots of hunting experience that lose animals because they are terrible shots. So for me it boils down to the shooter if the shooter can utilize his weapon correctly be it rifle, handgun or bow the hunter will be successful. The blackout is capable of killing every elk that is ever shot with it if the hunter does his part and uses the round correctly in the hunt.
it never ceases to amaze me when people start in with I have heard or I know a guy whos friend done __________ . seriously now in the 45 years I have been hunting I never saw an armored animal except for an armadillo and there armor isnt that great . it all boils down to shot placement and the hunter knowing his limits. I grew up on a farm and put many a hog down with a 22lr . I have killed many deer with a 20 guage shotgun, 12 guage shotgun , 357 mag, 480 ruger , 5.56 and 458 socom . I shot a wild pig with a 30 carbine. its not rocket science , its marksmanship and knowing your preys anatomy .
I say use a good bullet and go for it just dont try anything stupid like a 400 yd shot.
200 Yds or less... Correct shot placement/angle and expanding bullet and you have dead elk ..
miss any one and you probably have wounded/lost animal .. IMHO
FFL, SOT
lover of things that go bang or silently make things fall over C:
I don't know how anyone killed anything bigger than a house cat before the advent of the 7 Mag.
If elk can be harvested with a 125gr broadhead traveling 320fps at 80 yards a 125gr .30 caliber bullet traveling 3x that speed will certainly do the job.
Dweezil wrote:Elk are big animals. IMHO, .308 with a well constructed bullet would be minimum.
How do you reconcile that with all of the people who Elk hunt with handguns and archery?
Easy: Handgun and archery hunting is different in almost every way. Shorter range, emphasis on shot placement and skill over power, earlier season with less hunting pressure. Also, most folks who do choose to handgun or archery hunt are more experienced/skilled than your average rifle hunter and even then there are scores of poorly shot, wounded elk that are never recovered.
If you choose to use a marginal caliber during the RIFLE season, with all that that entails, knowing full well that your effective range is limited, so be it.
Your rifle, your hunt, your choice.
BTW, comparing the 300blk to the 30/30 is questionable...unless there is a 300blk out there pushing a 170gr bullet to 2300fps.
Well I do not know about all of that 2 years ago on my Elk hunt there was a father and daughter hunting she was using a .243 Winchester rifle and harvested a real nice 4x3. The shot was at about 80 yards and the elk only ran about 60 yards before taking a dirt nab. So I think a 300 Black out should be fine.
