What Cal. for big game like hogs to elk...poll

[Troggy]

What Manufacturer and what would the specs be?

[TreyAzagthoth]

I own the 30-06 and love it to death, but i'm getting a 300 win mag to do the job for bigger game, where the 30-06 has been proven to kill all those animals, i have an itch to buy another gun, so yeah, 300 mag.

[kyote]

I had to vote for the 30-06.even sounds good when ya say 30-06...

[daddywpb]

I voted 30/06 because it's such a versatile caliber, but my choice is a 350 Remington Magnum. Plenty of power in a compact package.

[Zachary]

For me, it was a toss up between the .30-06 and the .300 Win Mag. 

I have never hunted elk, but I understand that a .300WM (if you can shoot it accurately) is a better choice than the .30-06.

I have definately hunted hogs, so I have a lot of experience to share with all of you.

First off, on the larger pigs, try not to shoot through the grisle plate unless you've got a gun with big, heavy bullets and a lot of oomph.  Also make sure that the bullets are premium.  My favorite bullet for hogs is the Barnes-X.  My second favorite is the time and tested Nosler Partition.  I have shot pigs with both the .30-06 with 165 barnes X, and the .300 WM with 180 grain barnes X.  Is there a difference?  It depends - it depends on the size of the pig and the distance.

I once shot a 250 pound hog with the .300 WM / 180 Barnes X about 50 yards away.  I was in a tower blind that was about 6 feet high.  And it was on a hill that was about 15 feet higher than the feeder, whcih means that I was about 20 feet high shooting down.  The pig was facing me and his head was down eating.  He was kinda angled a bit.  I aimed at the base of his neck (not much of a neck on hogs), and the bullet traveled through to the opposite shoulder (grisle plate).  Even while the hog went down, I know that hogs can come back to life, so I shot his two more times.  When we cleaned him (which took a looooonnnngggg time), two of the bullets were never recovered, but one was.  You know how the Barnes X opens up into 4 petals?  Well, that didn't happen here.  Guess what?  The recovered Barnes X bullet was so sqooshed, it looked like the mushroom from a conventional bullet.  That means that the 180 grain Barnes X was traveling pretty darn fast when it struck that pig.  The bullet was lodged in the grisle plate I think - or somewhere thereabout.  I'm telling you, given the same shot, a lesser constructed bullet, from a "lesser" gun, would not have done such an effecient job of putting down that hog.  The .30-06 with 180 Barnes X would come close though.

Zachary

[35Rem]

Can't think of a reason why a 30-06 with a 180 gr Remington CoreLockt couldn't do what you want.  If the ranges are inside 250 - 300 yards, and you are capable of shooting that far, should be meat in the freezer.

The premium bullets seem like overkill.  The CoreLokt is pretty well proven.

[Harold50]

How about an 8x57 with 185grain Core-lokts handloaded to 2600 fps?
Harold

[Zachary]

There's no question that core-lokts work.  Heck, they have been working for many decades before the introduction of the partitions, X-Bullets, etc.  However, there is also no doubt that said premium bullets work better.  I've shot CLs and they blew apart on hogs.  Same thing has happened to my brother.  My brother was using my 7mm Rem Mag and shot a 300 pound hog about 50 yards away in the shoulder (bad place).  The hog ran off and was never found.  At the point of the shot, my brother found blood and chunks of bone.  They looked all over for that hog, but never found it.  If he would have used an X-bullet, the bullet would have penetrated and killed it.  Instead, the CLs wounded him.

I know that a valid argument can be made that if my brother (or anyone else) would have aimed at the pig's head (ear shots are the best), or if he slipped the bullet right behind the grisle plate, then the CLs would have done a better job of putting down that monster.  Same thing goes for shooting CLs at elk on lung shots.  However, when hunting game, we don't always get the exact shot that we like.  Plus, especially with hogs, they are always moving around.  As such, it's worth it, in my opininon, that premium bullets such as the Barnes X, etc., are a much better choice.

On medium, thin skinned game like whitetails, there really is no need for an X-Bullet.  If anything, an X-bullet is probably the wrong choice because it does not expand as much, or as nice, as a CL or similar plain-jane type bullet.

Zachary

[rickt300]

If you are shooting high enough on a hogs shoulder to hit the "gristle plate" you are shooting to high. The heart and lung sare topped out at around the halfway point from top to bottom in a pigs chest area. Many hogs get away because they are tough and not hit directly in the heart lung area. This area does not extend much to the rear of the shoulder either and a lot of pigs get away from the behind the shoulder shooters. I'd pick either the 270, 30-06 or the 7MM Remington magnum. I like Speer Hotcor bullets and partitions.

[358Win]

I'm a bit biased.  But for that combination hogs and elk, I would choose the 358 Winchester.  A 250 grain at 2350 or a 225 grain at 2475 should be the ticket.  Both of these animals are typically shot a very close range, usually under 50 yards.  The 358 Winchester provides plenty of oomph with over 3,000 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.  Power and trajectory are almost identical to the 30-06 and you drill a larger hole when you get there.

Runner-Ups would be 35 Whelen, 350 Rem. Mag.

[Redhawk1]

That was easy, the 300 Win Mag, mostly for the Elk...

[Questor]

Redhawk1:

I wonder why you don't want a bigger bore for elk hunting. My own preference is a 338 for elk. It must be the handgunner in me that says I need to make a bigger hole in animals bigger than whitetails. Full disclosure department: I only shoot two rifles: a .22 and a .375H&H magnum, which do everything I want done with a rifle. In fact, I'd use the 375 for elk and hogs too. No need for the 338 because I've already got a 375.

[Redhawk1]

Redhawk1:

I wonder why you don't want a bigger bore for elk hunting. My own preference is a 338 for elk. It must be the handgunner in me that says I need to make a bigger hole in animals bigger than whitetails. Full disclosure department: I only shoot two rifles: a .22 and a .375H&H magnum, which do everything I want done with a rifle. In fact, I'd use the 375 for elk and hogs too. No need for the 338 because I've already got a 375.

I would of went with the 338 but the poster included from hogs to Elk and I did not want anyone to think I was using over kill with my 338 Win Mag on them poor little deer. 
Like yourself, I like big holes, it must be that handgun thing with me also. I try not to limit all my hunting to just one gun, but if I only had to choose one, I think the 300 Win Mag is a great all around gun. I have rifles from 22-250 to the 46 Rigby and everything in between, so I have a better selection of rounds, depending on the hunting I intent to do.  I am going to Maine on the 8th of Sept for bear and I am hunting over bate, I would not consider my 300 or 338 Win Mags for that application. Not that they won't work, but that close of a shot can cause an awful big hole, and when a slower big diameter bullet will do the trick. I have opted for either my Marlin 45-70 or my 460 S&W Mag. I am taking both and will decide when I get there, I will have both with me during the hunt. Decisions decisions. 

[358Win]

The 358 Winchester very much meets the requirements of a fairly big hole at medium speed.  Out to about 250 to 275 yards the engery and trajectory match the 30-06 just with a bigger bullet at a lower speed.  This pretty much eliminates the need for premium projectiles too.

[beemanbeme]

While the 30-06 is near and dear to my heart, I choose the 300 for the little extra punch it gives you.  On choices like this you need to consider the biggest thing you're going after and then assume it will work on the smaller stuff.  Success on any of it is still driven by bullet placement.

On the corelokt that "blew up", what was the weight of the bullet?