Quartering to Shot With 7 Mag

[gday5]

I recently moved to MT and plan to hunt elk next Fall. I currently own a 7 mag, which I am planning to take with me for rifle season. I have never shot an elk before, but have hunted whitetail a ton.

My main question is for those with hands on experience with the 7 mag on elk. Have you taken a quartering to shot on an elk with a 7 mag? If so, what were the results and what was your setup (size and type of bullet)? Also, roughly how far was the shot?

I subscribe to the theory that meat in the freezer is better than no meat in the freezer and I’m not opposed to a quartering to shot if I can reasonably expect good terminal results if I do my part.

To be clear, I’m looking for real world experiences that I can apply in the field and to my setup, I’m not looking for theory or experience with a different caliber.

Maybe I’m not good at finding the right threads but most of the ones I have seen on the topic descend into arguments over the 7 mag being used at all. I’m really hoping that this doesn’t turn into that.

 

[Nickziegler]

No experience with elk. But I have used my 7mm rem mag on whitetail. Blacktail. Bears. Mountain Goat. Red stag. And bull tahr and all have been great results on broadside, quarter to and quarter away shots. I have a moose hunt this coming fall and will use my 7 mag for that as well. Use a strong well built bullet and you will have good results. Obviously wait for a better shot if one will present I use 160 grain partitions. Shots have ranged from 100yds on whitetails to 450 on the bull tahr

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[One-shot]

I recently moved to MT and plan to hunt elk next Fall. I currently own a 7 mag, which I am planning to take with me for rifle season. I have never shot an elk before, but have hunted whitetail a ton.

My main question is for those with hands on experience with the 7 mag on elk. Have you taken a quartering to shot on an elk with a 7 mag? If so, what were the results and what was your setup (size and type of bullet)? Also, roughly how far was the shot?

I subscribe to the theory that meat in the freezer is better than no meat in the freezer and I’m not opposed to a quartering to shot if I can reasonably expect good terminal results if I do my part.

To be clear, I’m looking for real world experiences that I can apply in the field and to my setup, I’m not looking for theory or experience with a different caliber.

Maybe I’m not good at finding the right threads but most of the ones I have seen on the topic descend into arguments over the 7 mag being used at all. I’m really hoping that this doesn’t turn into that.

I took a quartering shot on a cow elk with my Ruger #1 7mm rem mag @ aprox 220 yds., while elk was beginning to run with rest of herd. Rested gun on boulder to take the shot. Act of G.d, will never happen again, but hit right through heart and dropped it immediately. Go with your 7mm - solid gun for elk and one of the most popular calibers from any angle.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Quartering to or quartering away, no real difference. I’ve made a number of these with a .243, .280, 30-06, .300 WM, all with either an Barnes TSX or an Hammer Hunter and at distances of 75 to 415 yards. End result each time was a very dead elk.

 

[Ron.C]

My buddy shoots a 7mag and has killed blacktail, mule, whitetail, black bear, moose, elk, and goat with it. He shoots 160gr accubonds. He's taken a few elk with it shooting accubonds at ranges from about 60 to 400 yards.

The one shot I witnessed was slightly quartering to and was from what I recall 250 ish yards. From what I remember, bullet smashed onside shoulder ended up under the skin on the offside. Bull dropped. I believe his 400 yard bull was broadside/slightly quartering away passthrough, took a couple steps and dropped as was his close bull at 60 ish.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I've killed a pile of elk with a 7 RM and 180 Berger Hybrids from almost every angle possible, short and long range.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Agree with above. I have shot more than one elk with a 280 (identical upon leaving the barrel as 7RM) with a quartering to shot. As long as I hit where I was intending (you always hit where you are aiming), the elk was dead quickly. I was using 140grain barnes bullets, so a well constructed bullet will do the job.

No identical, buy similar... I have shot elk and deer with 140 accubonds out of a pedestrian 7mm-08 as well. That placement has never scared me off with a well built bullet.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've killed a lot of elk with my 7mag with mostly 175gr Partitions and Swift A-frames. Many of those were quartering to me. Both of those bullets work well, but the A-frames don't shed as much weight as the Partitions. I like well-constructed bullets that maintain their weight for shots through heavy bone.

 

[Wrench]

Know what you should expect for penetration.....and rock on.

most elk need about 6" before they risk hemorrhage.

 

[CAElkhunter]

7 Mag is a solid Elk rifle. 7 Mag has plenty of umph with the correct bullet to kill an Elk.

 

[t_carlson]

I've killed them with 140 & 160 Barnes TSX and 160 Nosler Accubonds.

Those will all work for quartering shots. Throw the Partition in there too.

 

[TaperPin]

Congrats on the move! Make the most of the opportunities.

A Barnes X, Nosler Partition or one of the bonded bullets will not damage as much meat as many would like you to believe. A big pile of elk have been taken with the 160 or 175 out of a 7 mag. I normally hunted with a 160gr because it shoots a little flatter and October deer seasons often overlap elk seasons - primarily a deer hunter, but if I were primarily an elk hunter the 175‘s would be the way to go.

Just be careful of hard quartering away shots, especially if the elk is higher than you are or going over a saddle or ridge - the stomach in an elk is quite large and trying to shoot through it full length just won’t work out, like it might on a deer. Now, if they are lower than you, or headed up a steep hill, aiming slightly higher gets you up over the heaviest & most dense part of the stomach.

If you see a big bull and he is going straight away, and despite popular belief they are often going directly away rapidly, I don’t know about you, but it turns my stomach to not be able to take the shot - enter the base of the tail technique - you need to be quite confident of the shot, say within a 6” round plate, but close to the base of the tail in any direction will typically anchor him, if not kill outright. As seen from the rear, the base of the tail has a large amount of hip bone below and to the sides, and the spine dips and rises. Base of the tail is the spine up towards the back, not the butt, not the hams, not the gut.

 

[gday5]

Thanks everyone for all of the insights. This is very useful information and exactly what I was looking for.

It truly is God’s Country out here.

 

[SonnyDay]

This fall I took a quartering to shot on a bull with a 7mm Rem Mag. Hornady 162 ELD-X. Right in the shoulder. It was all I had due to the timber we were in. He was close (~40 yards). I ended up shooting him twice more on the run (both shots through the vitals) and he was dead pretty much instantly after the third shot.

He probably would have died soon enough with the first shot... but he jumped up after the first shot and bolted for a nasty ravine. The distance was so close that I had the follow-up shots so I took them.

Found the second and third bullets under the skin on the far side. The first shot fragmented somewhat and I had to leave a few pounds for the ravens.

Hope that helps.

 

[Pony Soldier]

About 50 elk. Interlocks 175 gr. Another 25 with sierra game king 175 boattails. Of those maybe 25 standing facing or running at me. Usually just one shot.

About 100 deer. Same set up.

 

[Marble]

Quarter to? No hesitation...

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Indian Summer]

A 7 mm mag is plenty of gun. You know the shot isn’t that great which is why you asked. Since you’ve never killed an elk I’m here to tell you they’re 100 times tougher than a deer. Meet in the freezer is better than no meat in the freezer, but no elk is better than a wounded one. I’m not saying it’s not an OK shot. I’m saying you should wait for a better angle if possible.

 

[Fullfan]

Last bull is shot w my 7mag, was 1/4 away. About a 70 yd shot. Bullet was a nosler partition. Entered the last rib on right side, what was left of the bullet was lodged in the left side front leg. Bull never reacted to the shot. When I chambered another round, thinking I had missed. He resided his head.

He looked around for several minutes, then turned and ran towards me. Preparing for a second shot as he ran by, he cartwheeled. Died about 30 yds from me.



Did the 7 mag work yes. Was not impressed w the nosler partition, 160gn. Bullet was in two large pieces. And several smaller. The lead core completely separated.

The 7 will work, just choose the proper bullet

Have since moved to sticks w sharp points. Which I find more of a challenge.

 

[CAElkhunter]

a key point mentioned is Elk are the toughest animal you will shoot at. Any marginal hit will result in a long day of tracking and most likely a lost animal. You owe it to the Elk to take the most ethical shot you can get. The philosophy of "if it ain't flyin it ain't dyin" isn't a good strategy on Elk.

It all comes down to distance with that shot. If you are within 200 yds with a 7MM, probably ok. If it is 400 yds probably worth trying to get closer. Those are not absolute distances just a reference.
It all comes down to bullet, your shooting ability and comfort.
You really don't want to wound a bull elk. They are tough bastards which is why we love hunting them.

 

[ndhuntermanND]

Use a good bullet and let er rip.
Swift scirocco- Barnes ttsx- Hammer- TBBC-