Elk Rifle Suggestions

[slm9s]

One other way to look at it, is can you shoot a somewhat larger cartridge just as well? If you can shoot a 280ai (or similar) just as accurately as your 6.5cm then I see little downside to using it when hunting elk. (assuming you handload so $ should be close, and you practice enough to be proficient with either one)
Or listen to some and take a 223.

 

[apieceofwork]

What shot angle would that be?

In other words, inside of the bullet’s performance window (going at least 1800 FPS), where do I have to hit the animal such that a 7 PRC will kill it, but a 6.5 CM will not kill it?

Comparing two popular rounds (6.5CM in 143 grain eldx and 7 PRC in 170 grain terminal ascent) and assuming a 500-yard shot, the 7 PRC delivers almost 50% more energy. Are you suggesting this increase in energy provides no benefit if a mature bull is hit in the shoulder bone? Or put differently, you're suggesting that the energy the 6.5CM delivers - 1302 ft lbs - has the same probability of getting the job done as the 7 PRC's 1932 ft lbs.

That's quite the claim.

Good lord, how is large vs small cartridge for elk still a debate on Rokslide of all places in 2026. There’s literally thousands of big game animals from antelope to coastal brown bears, with necropsy pictures of the wound channels, on the 223 thread.

I can even understand being skeptical because I went into the thread thinking those guys were all crazy and it was unethical, and came out of that with a Tikka 223.

Anyone open to actually learning, using facts and data driven evidence provided instead of relying on emotional attachment to cartridges we grew up being told were what was needed will have their minds changed.

You can’t see picture after picture after picture of the wound channels and call it marginal. The shots have been taken from every angle too. Broadside, quartering away, quartering too, etc, and it just works. Put the bullet in the front half of the elk and it’s going to die.

Like damn, they should make a flip chart side by side and have people guess which was made with the 223 and which was made with a 300 WM, or 7 PRC, or whatever other big magnum you guys want to use for comparison.

Generally the only reason to go to a bigger cartridge is to be able to take a longer shot, or if you are using a monolithic bullet. That 223 is going to give you 400-450 yards of performance, farther than most hunters are capable of shooting. If you want/need more than that, go with a 22 CM or 6 UM.

If I can paraphrase Ryan Avery, “it doesn’t matter how badass you think you are, there’s not a human on planet earth that is going to shoot better getting punched in the shoulder and having a loud boom go off in your face.”

"I went into a thread dedicated to large animals killed with a .223 and discovered large animals killed with a .223, therefore a .223 must be a great round for hunting big game."

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Comparing two popular rounds (6.5CM in 143 grain eldx and 7 PRC in 170 grain terminal ascent) and assuming a 500-yard shot, the 7 PRC delivers almost 50% more energy. Are you suggesting this increase in energy provides no benefit if a mature bull is hit in the shoulder bone? Or put differently, you're suggesting that the energy the 6.5CM delivers - 1302 ft lbs - has the same probability of getting the job done as the 7 PRC's 1932 ft lbs.

That's quite the claim.
."

The 6.5 CM will go through the shoulder bone too.

 

[RancherJohn]

Comparing two popular rounds (6.5CM in 143 grain eldx and 7 PRC in 170 grain terminal ascent) and assuming a 500-yard shot, the 7 PRC delivers almost 50% more energy. Are you suggesting this increase in energy provides no benefit if a mature bull is hit in the shoulder bone? Or put differently, you're suggesting that the energy the 6.5CM delivers - 1302 ft lbs - has the same probability of getting the job done as the 7 PRC's 1932 ft lbs.

That's quite the claim.




"I went into a thread dedicated to large animals killed with a .223 and discovered large animals killed with a .223, therefore a .223 must be a great round for hunting big game."

Energy is a useless metric to judge terminal performance of a bullet or caliber.

To give you an idea of why, a 105 Berger HT from a 6cm (~2750 fps) has less than 1800 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. Are you implying that a point-bank shot from said 6cm wouldn't penetrate the shoulder due to lack of energy? Or that it would fail to achieve adequate penetration into the vitals through the shoulder at 330 yds where it drops below 1300 ft-lbs? How does energy account for differences in how different types of bullets behave in tissue? A bullet that fragments heavily in tissue and does not exit does transmit all of it's energy to the animal, while a bullet that penetrates fully and exits of the off-side cavity is transmitting the majority of it's energy into the ground on the other side of the animal.

And to answer your question, a good bullet in the 6.5 cm at 500 yards (provided it's above the bottom velocity threshold of the bullet) will absolutely go through an elk shoulder and into the vitals, just the same as it would from a 7PRC.

 

[mwoolsey5]

"I went into a thread dedicated to large animals killed with a .223 and discovered large animals killed with a .223, therefore a .223 must be a great round for hunting big game."

I mean...yes? I went into that thread thinking all those guys were nuts, took the time to actually read through every post over the course of about a month, reviewed the photographic evidence of wound channels and terminal performance, tried to find some reason to justify why it was marginal or ineffective or would not be as effective as big magnums on big game. I think it would be fair to say I was seeking reasons it would fail and be inadequate, and now I own a couple 223's for hunting because I could not find any downside and is what I plan on having my boys shoot when they are old enough to hunt.

There's no rose tinted glasses. It's an open forum where anyone can post about their personal experience using the 223 to hunt big game with 77 TMK and it just works. I know it works because it was so thoroughly vetted by so many users, with photographs and documented narratives of their own kills and experience, that backup what is being claimed.

If you want to use 7 PRC, by all means go ahead. I don't hate large magnums, but I can say going to a smaller cartridge was the right choice for me and there's a lot of benefits to be had.

Here's a picture of an elk shoulder for you to consider:

View attachment 469510View attachment 469511

 

[BuckSmasher]

"I went into a thread dedicated to large animals killed with a .223 and discovered large animals killed with a .223, therefore a .223 must be a great round for hunting big game."

Best description I have seen of the 223 mania on this site.