Using a 25-06 for Elk?

[LJ Buck]

What do you guys think? I know its all about shot placement. But with the bullets they make these days how do you think this will perform?

 

[Matt Cashell]

A lot of elk have been killed by that cartridge.

A hard, heavy for caliber bullet, and it will work fine with good shot placement.

 

[Bar]

We all have our own standards. I consider a .270 as a minimum for elk.

Just my .02

 

[tstowater]

I wouldn't be afraid to use a 25-06 for an elk. I would look at the 115 to 120 grain bullets and there are several really good ones out there. Berger makes a really nice 115 grain for the task as an example.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I have a friend in Montana that uses a 25-06 for everything, he has taken quite a few elk. I have never used one for elk.

 

[GFY]

I have killed many elk with a .243 so a 25-06 would be fine. I used to shoot the old Barnes X bullets and never had a problem but have switched to Bergers and have had great luck with them as well. I have also killed many elk with a .270 and .300 Weatherby, my wife shoots a .300 wsm and has shot an elk every year for the last several years. I suppose different strokes for different folks... but with good shot placement and not over-extending your range you will be just fine in my opinion.

 

[mtswampfox]

love to hear these kind of threads. tired of the philosophy you need a cartridge with letters after the numbers. have seen guys in ga hunting deer with cartridges big enough for african plains game. wtf

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Of the rifles I have in my two safes I have both a .243 and a 25-06 that are tack drivers. However, they are left in the safe and are used for deer and antelope along with varmints and when it comes to elk I take out one of my three 30-06s with handloaded Hornady Interbonds to get the job done efficiently. The smaller calibers will also get the job done, but an elk lives in some nasty areas and I want him down immediately to eliminate a tracking job. The bigger caliber does that much better.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I would not hesitate for one second to hunt elk with a 25-06. I would load it up with 100 grain Barnes TSXs and go to town.

Do bigger calibers give you more insurance in light of a bad shot? Sure, but in my experience the benefit is not as great as it's often made out to be.

 

[CentennialELK]

I've seen elk lost to calibers all across the board exclusively to poor shot placement and poor bullet choice. You shoot within the bullets capabilities and put it where it needs to be and the animal dies plain and simple. I shot a cow 20 years ago with a 7mm mag 175gr win power point at 150 yds. Three times I shot and three times I hit her in the boiler. She had a very hard time dying. When I finally got her and opened her up all three shots were within a fists' size placed perfectly behind her shoulder. Once the bullets got to her rib cage it looked like she had been shot with bird shot, the bullets had disintegrated, I learned a lot about bullets that day. Moral of the story is you need the right bullet too. I have used a .25 caliber for years and have taken 14 or 15 elk with it, I love the caliber. I use a handload 115gr tsx or sometimes a 120gr partition. If you do your part and practice and don't over extend your range the 25-06 is a great caliber.

 

[GWBowhunter]

My wife shot her first elk with a 25-06 last season. It was a medium sized cow at 150 yds, 110 grain accubond through both lungs worked perfectly, she spun in a circle and down she went.

 

[Muledeernv]

It works fine as long as you know it limitations as with any gun or bow. You have to know how far you can stretch its limits too.

 

[oake]

Whenever I've ever gone elk hunting, someone in the group has a 25-06. We've never been skunked, but like you said its all about placement!

 

[amp713]

filled my rifle antlerless tag at 400 yards with my 25-06 and the only distance she covered after the shot was rolling down hill and me packing her out....

 

[CtP]

I'm gonna pack one of these for Ak goat this fall and would do so for Elk without hesitating. A well placed shot, with a follow up or two will do the job.

 

[30338]

My son shot a big 5x5 at about 130 on the move with his. 115 Ballistic Silvertip and he dropped at the shot. His mountain goat never stood up out of his bed. A slew of antelope for him and a few deer for his sister and I all dropped fast. Nice little round that I could happily use on elk.

 

[Bar]

After doing some research. It seems the 25-06 with premium bullets is an effective round for elk.

I stand corrected.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Use it.