The best calibers and cartridges for elk hunting will have a good balance of power, reach, recoil, availability, and affordability. Balance these based on what’s most important to you for your hunting style and the situations you’ll be hunting in. This will help you determine the best calibers and cartridges for you.
Although most cartridges and calibers on the market can take down elk with good shot placement, this article focuses on the best of the best.
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
Table of Contents
Calibers vs Cartridges
What is a Rifle Caliber
A caliber is the diameter of a bullet. Many hunters are confused between calibers and cartridges. For example, 30-30, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win Mag, and 300 RUM Are all .30 caliber bullets because they are .308 diameter bullets. However, these rifles vary significantly in their performance, despite being the same caliber.
What is a Rifle Cartridge
A cartridge is the casing that holds the bullet, powder, and primer. Hunters often but incorrectly use caliber to mean cartridge. So it is important to clarify before we dive in. But we’ll be diving into both in this article.
Best Calibers For Elk Hunting
The Best Balance
.28 to .338 caliber rifles are the best for elk hunting because they offer the best balance of power, reach, and recoil. However, it is important to choose the correct cartridge in these calibers which is what I’ll be elaborating on below.
Smaller Calibers
Of course, you can kill elk just fine with smaller calibers with good shot placement. However, the reality is hunters don’t always make a perfect shot. Larger caliber bullets, with extra energy, help to put down elk when the shot isn’t perfect. It can be the difference between a recovered elk and an unrecovered elk.
Larger Calibers
Don’t get me wrong, there are some larger calibers than the ones listed below that have excellent power and can drop elk with more power. These often come at a cost.
For example, they can be expensive, hard to find, heavy, and produce lots of recoil. If you can handle larger calibers then go for it, it can only help. However, you will find the cartridges listed below are plenty for taking elk in any situation.
Best .338 Caliber Cartridges For Elk Hunting
.338 Winchester Magnum: A Favorite Among Elk Hunters
Knockdown Power or Energy
The .338 Win Mag is a very powerful round and has a lot of down-range energy which is what makes it such a formidable elk cartridge. With a 250-gr bullet, the .338 Win Mag has about 3914 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle.
As a rough comparison, the .338 Win Mag has about the same energy out to 200 yards as the .30-06 Springfield does at the muzzle.
The 30-06 Springfield is no slouch either and is easily capable of taking down an elk with good shot placement. So you can see why the .338 Win Mag is a favorite among elk hunters.
Reach & Bullet Velocity
Velocities of the .338 Win Mag reach up to 2950 ft/s with a 200-grain bullet, whereas the 30-06 Springfield will reach these speeds with a much lighter 150-grain bullet. This means you can throw a bigger bullet further and flatter with the .338 Win Mag making it an excellent option for elk hunting.
Recoil
Although this magnum cartridge will pack a punch and is about double the recoil of a .308, it is not bad for a .338 cartridge. For example, it has less recoil than .338 RUM and .338 Lapua.
Ammo Availability
Since the .338 Win Mag is a commonly used caliber, large stores will likely have some in stock. And if you can’t find any in-store you should be able to find some online. However, it won’t be as available as the 30-06 Springfield.
Ammo Affordability
The price of .338 Winchester Magnum ammunition varies depending on the manufacturer. However, the average price for a box of 20 rounds is about about 80$. It’s more expensive than 30-06 Springfield ammo but the .338 Win Mag is larger so a higher price is to be expected.
Check Guns.com's Price Check Cabela's PriceÂ
.338 Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM)
Knockdown Power or Energy
The .338 RUM is one of the most powerful .338 caliber cartridges in production. 250 gr bullets have 4540 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. For comparison, a .338 Win Mag has 3914 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. You get an extra +/- 625 ft-lbs of energy with the RUM with the same-sized bullet.
Reach & Bullet Velocity
If you’re looking for a .338 caliber bullet that has an even flatter trajectory than the .338 Win Mag, the .338 RUM is a great choice. It can throw 250 gr bullets at speeds around 2860 ft/s. For comparison, a 250 gr .338 Win Mag cartridge will have velocities of 2,655 ft/s. So you’re looking at about +/- 200 fps higher velocities with the .338 RUM.
Recoil
One of the biggest downsides of the .338 RUM is the recoil. The 338 RUM +/- 45 ft-lbs of recoil energy compared to +/- 35 ft-lbs for the 338 Win Mag is the same bullet weight. This means the 338 RUM has about 29% more recoil than the 338 Win Mag.
Availability
338 RUM ammo is not quite as easy to find as more popular cartridges. That said, most big retailers in the USA keep some 338 Ultra Mag ammo in stock. Buying online is a great option if you’re not in a hurry for ammo.
Affordability
You can expect to pay 75$ to 150$ for 20 rounds .338 RUM ammo, with 150$ being premium ammo. It’s a little more expensive than .338 Win Mag ammo on average.
Best .30 Caliber Cartridges For Elk Hunting
.300 Winchester Magnum – A Top Elk Hunting Cartridge
Knockdown Power or Energy
Although the .300 Win. Mag. is a less powerful round than the .338 Win Mag it is still a heavy hitter and is one of the most popular cartridges for elk hunters.
The 300 Win Mag 200 gr bullet produces 4100 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle versus the .338 Win Mag 200 gr bullet which produces 3900 ft/lbs of energy.
Bullet Velocity
The .300 Win Mag will reach speeds up to about 2950 ft/s with 180g bullets which is what the .338 Win Mag will throw 200g bullets.
Recoil
The .300 Win Mag will have about 15% less recoil than the .338 Win Mag. So it’s noticeable but not by much.
Availability
Although not as available as the well-known 30-06 Springfield, the .300 Win Mag is a very available cartridge. Most main rifle manufacturers have an option for 300 Win Mag, so ammo is not hard to find.
Affordability
The price of 300 Win Mag varies depending on the manufacturer, however, in comparison to a 30-06 Springfield, you can expect to pay more per round.
After researching some well-known ammo websites I found that it’s not uncommon to find a box of 20 rounds for 50$ with more premium ammo costing about 100$.
Check Guns.com's Price Check Cabela's PriceÂ
Best .28 Caliber Cartridges For Elk Hunting
7mm Remington Magnum
Knockdown Power or Energy
The 7mm Remington Magnum bullet is a .284 caliber. So the bullet diameter is smaller than the 30 caliber .300 Win Mag and quite a bit smaller than the .338 caliber .338 Win Mag.
Don’t let its smaller size fool you, it’s still a magnum cartridge has excellent elk-killing ballistics, and is a favorite among many elk hunters. A 175 gr bullet produces 3178 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle.
Reach: Bullet Velocity
The benefit, however, of the smaller bullet diameter is a flatter trajectory. The 7mm Rem Mag offers better ballistics than the popular 30-06 Springfield.
The smaller bullets also have better ballistic coefficients than larger 30+ caliber bullets. Also, smaller bullets tend to have better sectional density leading to better penetration.
To get the same penetration and flat trajectory as a 7mm Rem Mag (.284 caliber) in a .30 caliber rifle you would need a 300 Win Mag, which is a much bigger cartridge than the 30-06 Springfield.
A 175 gr 7mm Rem Mag bullet can reach a velocity of 2860 ft/s which is very similar to the 300 Win Mag.
Recoil
Another benefit of having a smaller bullet is reduced recoil. If you’re looking for a cartridge that has excellent elk-killing power with a fair bit less recoil than the .300 Win Mag or .338 Win Mag the 7mm Rem Mag is an excellent option. It takes a 7mm Rem Mag 15-20% less energy to reach the speeds of a 300 Win Mag because of the smaller bullet.
It delivers excellent performance while only having 7% more recoil than a 30-06 Springfield.
Availability
The 7mm Rem Mag is a popular round and is quite common in stores and online. It’s comparable in availability to the .300 Win Mag.
Affordability
Quality elk cartridges cost about 65$ per box of 20 cartridges which is a fair price. For premium rounds, you’re looking at around 100$ per 20 rounds which is also to be expected.
Check Guns.com's Price Check Cabela's PriceÂ
7mm Remington Ultra Magnum (RUM)
Knockdown Power or Energy
The 7mm RUM is the largest 7mm cartridge on the market. It can provide 25% more energy at 300 yards than the 7mm Rem Mag with muzzle energies of 3555 ft-lbs using 175 gr bullets. This means the 7mm RUM has almost 400 ft-lbs more energy than the 7mm Win Mag.
For comparison, the 7mm RUM has 500 fewer ft-lbs of energy than the .300 Win Mag (4075 ft-lbs, 180 gr bullet).
Reach: Bullet Velocity
The 7mm RUM can push a 175 gr bullet 3025 ft/s. This is about the same speed as a .300 Win Mag for a similar-sized bullet. So you can see that the 7mm RUM has some speed behind it.
Recoil
The velocity of the 7mm RUM does come at a cost. You’re going to have a large muzzle blast with sharp recoil and shorter barrel life.
Availability
7mm RUM ammo is not the most popular round. For this reason, it can be hard to find ammo. Although it’s not a super popular round it’s one of the best elk cartridges.
Affordability
Ammo ranges from 75$-115$ per 20 rounds.
Best Elk Calibers and Cartridges – Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you found this article on the best elk hunting calibers and cartridges helpful. Again, there are many cartridges on the market that can take down elk with good shot placement, but this post focuses on the best of the best.
A good balance of power, reach, recoil, availability, and affordability in relation to your hunting style and situations are the top things to consider when picking out an elk hunting caliber and cartridge that best suits your needs.
Related Articles:
Best Calibers For Deer Hunting
Best All Around Hunting Rifle Caliber For Versatility
