Would you feel comfortable taking an elk with a 25-06 (your own perfected hand loads)

Trying to settle a debate with my father.

We agree shot placement plays alot.

Fyi.
I am taking my 338 and 25-06 next September to show what side of the fence I am on

Yes. If your confident enough in your load, rifle, and ability to thread that needle.

Had a guy in camp with us one year in Montana that killed his with a 25-06 abd 87gr factory loads. 3 shots at little ofr 300 yards into the lungs that you could cover with your hand. He agreed after we dressed that bull that a better bullet would be used next time.

I know a man that hunts Colorado every year for elk with his 257 Roberts and he uses 120gr partitions, and gets his elk.

Enough yes, but you will want to be selective on shots, bullet placement and bulet choice.

Will be using Barnes Tripple Shock.

I had a bull elk absorb four 180 gr 30-06 bullets and go for a mile. How? I don't know. I wouldn't do it.

Only one 25 cal qualifies as an Elk round in my books and thats the 257 Weatherby and only with good 120 grain bullets.

I bet the .25-06 using tsx you will give you plenty of penetration on a elk!!

I think it's kinda like taking a 22-250 out for deer, it can do it, but you really need to know what you are doing.

2506 will work fine on an elk, especially shooting the TSX or ABs. I wouldn't try to shoot one as far as I would with the 338 though.

Yes I would, in fact i took my 25-06 elk hunting this year, but didn't see any elk or I would post up picks.

25-06 with 100 grain partitions, TSX, or TTSX is some strong medicine

energy from 100-300 yards with a 100grain partition MV of 3300=2046-1445
energy from 100-300 yards with a 100 grain TSX MV of 3300=2072-1500

Most 150 grain 270 bullets are 2200-1490

the 100 grain TSX carries more engery across the board then the 120grain partition, Grandslam and A-Frame. Velocity kills

that's what I shoot in the WBY, but need to switch to the 110ABs so I can quit having to buy ammo.

[/quote] Yes I would, in fact i took my 25-06 elk hunting this year, but didn't see any elk or I would post up picks.

25-06 with 100 grain partitions, TSX, or TTSX is some strong medicine

energy from 100-300 yards with a 100grain partition MV of 3300=2046-1445
energy from 100-300 yards with a 100 grain TSX MV of 3300=2072-1500

Most 150 grain 270 bullets are 2200-1490 [/quote]

We must work off very different ballistics charts. The energy numbers for a 270 I am familiar with are Hornady factory loads and they carry far more energy than your stated amount at 100-300 yards. The factory Hornady 130gr goes 2304-1609. The 130gr Superformance GMX goes 2553-1911. The 140gr SF runs 2603-1983, the 150gr basic Interlock SP is 2324-1716. Even that is 15% higher at 300 yards than your range. I believe there is substantially more energy in the 270. A slight increase in speed (6-7%) won't make up for a 30-50% larger projectile.

All you need is a 22250 with 55 gr vmax

Thats my plan for my cow tag. Head shot of course.

If you have a 338 and there is nothing wrong with it, i say use that.....

Energy (ft-lbs)
Cartridge_Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Remington® Express® 100 2448 1898 1456 1099 815 594
Remington® Managed Recoil® 115 1875 1485 1161 896 683 519
Premier® AccuTip™ 130 2702 2335 2009 1721 1467 1243
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 130 2702 2325 1991 1697 1438 1211
Remington® Express® 130 2702 2225 1818 1472 1180 936
Remington® Express® 130 2702 2267 1890 1565 1285 1046
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 140 2659 2211 1826 1495 1212 975
Premier® A-Frame 140 2659 2186 1782 1439 1150 910
Remington® Express® 150 2705 2087 1587 1185 872 639

The 270 should have more energy, regardless any thing over 1200 ft/energy at 300 yards is plenty to cleanly kill an elk and that was my point.

Very good analogy.

Not optimal but should/would/can get the job done if you can wait for the proper shot placement.

Personally, I have too many "better choice's" in the gunsafe to even think about taking my 25-06 elk hunting.

BoBo - wasn't calling you out on that, just wondered what you were looking at. I've read some interesting numbers on boxes lately. If you look at a box of 130gr 270 Federal Fusions on the shelf today there is a typo in the 300 yard numbers. They list the 400 yard energy number from the website in that slot.

From what you listed I see an oddity. That 150 grain Remington Express must be really slow to have the same muzzle energy as a 130 grain, and then drop off to 84% (at 200 yards) and 75% (At 300 yards) of the 130 grains retained energy. Heck, the 100gr round has virtually the same energy at 300 yards as that 150. Very strange.

I would just add that most reading I have done states that for a bullet to have the ability to kill a bull elk the energy needs to be at or above 1500 lbs .. So I would say it will work at limited range. The higher the weight the more energy it will carry at longer distances. Just my

No worries I know you wheren't

I was just showing that 25-06 can be a very good elk rifle when you compare it to other larger calibers as far as energy. I'd take speed and well built bullet over slow and heavy any day of the week.

Personaly think speed is the key.. what makes the 257 wby run neck and neck with the 270, with the 25-06 which is slower not to far behind.

No saying is the best choice for everyone nor is the best elk rifle in the country... but it is very capable, thats all

That would be logical, but that's not the case in the data BoBo posted. If you look you will see that the stated energy retention numbers for both the 130 grain Remington Express loads are much higher than the 150 grain at every range. That just seems odd to me.

Someone correct me if I am remembering wrong but isn't Remingtons 150gr load a round nose in the 270 factory loads? That will drop velocity mych faster than a higher BC pointed bullet like used in their 130 and 140 gr ammo. ft/lbs calculations use velocity squared si it will ompact final numbers more than weight.

Velocity- looks to be the differance and probley bullet type
http://www.remington.com/pages/news-and-resources/ballistics.aspx

Bold should be the same bullet type

Velocity (ft/sec)
Cartridge Type Bullet Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
Remington® Express® 100 3320 2924 2561 2225 1916 1636
Remington® Managed Recoil® 115 2710 2412 2133 1873 1636 1425
Premier® AccuTip™ 130 3060 2845 2639 2442 2254 2076
Premier® Scirocco™ Bonded 130 3060 2838 2627 2425 2232 2048
Remington® Express® 130 3060 2776 2510 2259 2022 1801
Remington® Express® 130 3060 2802 2559 2329 2110 1904
Premier® Core-Lokt® Ultra 140 2925 2667 2424 2193 1975 1771
Premier® A-Frame 140 2925 2652 2394 2152 1923 1711
Remington® Express® 150 2850 2504 2183 1886 1618 1385

I do not think that 150gr round nose bullet is very popular with reloaders, as Midway, Natches nor Modsouth have it listed as a stock item except in loaded ammo, and with those figures I think we know why