elk caliber ballistic numbers

[220yotekiller]

I love a good caliber debate as much as anyone else on here and I have shot/been witness to enough elk being shot with a number of different ranges with a number of different calibers, from the lowly 243 Winchester to the bone crushing 338 Titan. Care to know what the ending result was? They were all dead, some took more than one round, some went some distance before we tracked them to where they died, but they were all dead. Most of these were shot with scopes that couldn't dial so that meant holdover either with a regular reticle or with a ballistic reticle, so that meant that you had to know what your point blank range was. So I did a bit of research on elk calibers/loads going from 100 to 500 yards. This is just drop data using Nosler data and the Hornady ballistic calculator, it gives no energy figures.

270 Winchester 3000fps 130gr Accubond
+2.9 +3.4 0.0 -7.2 -18.3

7mm 08 Remington 2800fps 150gr Accubond
+3.4 +3.9 0.0 -8.4 -21.2

7mm Rem Mag 3050fps 160gr Accubond
+2.7 +3.3 0.0 -7 -17.7

308 Winchester 2800 165gr Accubond
+3.4 +3.9 0.0 -8.4 -21.2

30-06 Springfield 2775fps 180gr Accubond
+3.5 +4 0.0 -8.5 -21.6

300 Win Mag 2900fps 200gr Accubond
+3.1 +4.3 0.0 -9 -19.7

338 Win Mag 2700fps 250gr Accubond
+3.8 +4.3 0.0 -9 -22.9

375 H and H 2700fps 260gr Accubond
+3.8 +4.3 0.o -9 -22.9

I know I didn't do any of the RUM's or Weatherby rounds (there just wasn't time) but if you look at the data, there really isn't a ton of difference between the 7mm Rem Mag and the 338 Winchester/375 H and H duo (2") at 400 yards. So in reality if you buy pretty much any good center fire caliber, get a good quality scope on it, zero it at 300, and practice; you will be good out to pretty much any reasonable hunting range.

 

[Gunner46]

Just grab the 7-08, or 308, and stop fretting about it.

 

[std7mag]

If you have a BDC reticle, why need to know your "point blank range"?
Drop is handled by the reticle.

 

[Don Fischer]

I love a good caliber debate as much as anyone else on here and I have shot/been witness to enough elk being shot with a number of different ranges with a number of different calibers, from the lowly 243 Winchester to the bone crushing 338 Titan. Care to know what the ending result was? They were all dead, some took more than one round, some went some distance before we tracked them to where they died, but they were all dead. Most of these were shot with scopes that couldn't dial so that meant holdover either with a regular reticle or with a ballistic reticle, so that meant that you had to know what your point blank range was. So I did a bit of research on elk calibers/loads going from 100 to 500 yards. This is just drop data using Nosler data and the Hornady ballistic calculator, it gives no energy figures.

270 Winchester 3000fps 130gr Accubond
+2.9 +3.4 0.0 -7.2 -18.3

7mm 08 Remington 2800fps 150gr Accubond
+3.4 +3.9 0.0 -8.4 -21.2

7mm Rem Mag 3050fps 160gr Accubond
+2.7 +3.3 0.0 -7 -17.7

308 Winchester 2800 165gr Accubond
+3.4 +3.9 0.0 -8.4 -21.2

30-06 Springfield 2775fps 180gr Accubond
+3.5 +4 0.0 -8.5 -21.6

300 Win Mag 2900fps 200gr Accubond
+3.1 +4.3 0.0 -9 -19.7

338 Win Mag 2700fps 250gr Accubond
+3.8 +4.3 0.0 -9 -22.9

375 H and H 2700fps 260gr Accubond
+3.8 +4.3 0.o -9 -22.9

I know I didn't do any of the RUM's or Weatherby rounds (there just wasn't time) but if you look at the data, there really isn't a ton of difference between the 7mm Rem Mag and the 338 Winchester/375 H and H duo (2") at 400 yards. So in reality if you buy pretty much any good center fire caliber, get a good quality scope on it, zero it at 300, and practice; you will be good out to pretty much any reasonable hunting range.

If you zero at 300yds, what is mid range traectory?

 

[BoomerUSAF]

Grab the .300 win and never worry about having enough gun again!

 

[Red-Team 98]

I always used the +3” high rule at 100 yards for the standard duplex reticle. And even my fancy MOA elevated turrets most of the time I click it up to the 3” high at 100 yard settting and leave it their.

300 Win Mag and 180 Nosler Accubonds

 

[220yotekiller]

If you zero at 300yds, what is mid range traectory?

depending on what caliber you use it would be about 3.3 to 4.5 inches in my experience, l have shot coyotes with our hunting rifles by just holding on the bottom edge of their belly and drilled them through the center of their ribs. lt's all in remembering and getting into the habit.

 

[220yotekiller]

the point of the origional post was just saying that from a practical point of view, use what you have access to. particularily if you are just getting into hunting, you don't need to go out and buy an spendy turret scope when you can buy a basic scope for half the money and just learn the best way to use it.

 

[Red-Team 98]

If you zero at 300yds, what is mid range traectory?

You don’t zero at 300 yards
25 Zero with a roughly 3” high at 100 verification gives you a max PBR over 400 yards based on game kill zone size which is excellent use of Cartridge and Caliber.
300 win Mag 180 Nosler Accubond

 

[Elkguy1967]

Based on the original posted drops at 500yrds we're looking at appropriately 5. 5 inches in difference of drop. I wonder what the thickness of the average crosshair is at 500 yards and how much it negates the argument of cartridge flatness at that distance.

 

[elkduds]

So 270 win is 7 rem mag with bullets 20-30 grains lighter, like a mono.

 

[220yotekiller]

Based on the original posted drops at 500yrds we're looking at appropriately 5. 5 inches in difference of drop. I wonder what the thickness of the average crosshair is at 500 yards and how much it negates the argument of cartridge flatness at that distance.

not sure what you are meaning, the whole point of using the crosshair is only a reference point, say you want to shoot a bull elk at 400, you know that the average depth of a bull elk is 24'' so just put your crosshair right on the hair line of the bull and with any of the mentioned calibers you know that you have plenty of leeway for error, excitement, heavy breathing what have you. that is with the simple duplex crosshair.
with the advent of the bdc reticle things got significantly easier, as long as you follow directions, the smaller hashmarks will stand for different ranges. for precise shooting, knowlege of your point blank is very useful, particlariy for use on smaller game such as coyotes.

 

[220yotekiller]

So 270 win is 7 rem mag with bullets 20-30 grains lighter, like a mono.

basicly they are very close, the intrensic problem with the 270 is that the standard twist rate is far to fast to support heavy for caliber bullets. mono bullets are deadly out of it, the same goes for any of the good bonded bullet such as the hornady interbond or the nosler partition or accubond.

 

[Red-Team 98]

Based on the original posted drops at 500yrds we're looking at appropriately 5. 5 inches in difference of drop. I wonder what the thickness of the average crosshair is at 500 yards and how much it negates the argument of cartridge flatness at that distance.

500 yards is nothing !
These things only apply to snipers not normal range hunters at extended ranges using specialized scopes reticles.