What caliber ?

[Londerko]

Wow! That's impressive!
A 300gr bullet definately would get the job done. I should try some of the heavies in my 300wm, im currently using the berger 185 and thinking of giving the 210 or 215 a try for even longer ranges

[sav250]

The big gun I use for house protection.

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/whitehouse_2008/051_zpse1eeaab0.jpg

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/whitehouse_2008/054_zps174d0f85.jpg

It's a Lott .458 that also shoots .458 WIN MAG.

If I have to fire a shot in my house I want to make sure everybody hears it.

[stomp442]

Well ive got more guns to shoot than shoes to wear. And the situation determines the one i use and not any personal affection toward them.
Frankly i like them all including the 6.5x06s which is one i dont own but i do own a 25/06 and a 30/06.
But if you want to go long say beyond 1200 yds nothing can compare with a 338 300 gr bullet unless its even bigger.
Especially if you enjoy hitting the things you shoot at.
I think all the larger capacity 338s are an excellant choice regardless how i might joke about any one of them.
But my own is the 338 big Baer which is designed off the 505 Gibbs case. 34" Benchmark barrel on a custom action.
Frankly it sees little use as its not needed for most of our hunting.
But this year on the last afternoon of the last day one stepped over onto our side of the hill at 1450.
Big Baer got the call from the bullpen and threw the strike we needed.
Its whats keeping me young lol.


Elk at 1200 yards was not the question. Elk at 600 was, which the 6.5-06, 270 win, 280 Rem are all easily capable of with out the need of 230+ grain bullet the 90 grains of powder to launch it and the corresponding recoil. Run the numbers through any ballistics program and you will see any of the calibers I have listed carry plenty of energy to kill an elk at 600 yards. Lots of elk have fallen to much less gun than I have listed and will continue to do so.

[stomp442]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4o6n6rRlQs

Looks like the 6.5 works just fine.

[LoneWolf]

That 6.5-06 sounds good, how many steps are there in resizing the 06 brass, and could it be built on a 30-06 Axis action with out many problems ?
Just use 25-06 brass and size it up in one pass. I have a barrel brass and dies I'm currently trying to sell in the classifieds.

[wyo85]

I'm shocked at the price of brass, and 99 percent of it is out of stock. I do have about 250- 300 WM brass, I might have to forget about the Elk and do something with the 2000 308 brass I have on hand.

[Londerko]

Do a 260 Ackley with it, you could use your 308 brass to make it. And it's pretty darn close to the performance of the 6.5-06 and 6.5-284.
Plus it's cool and I want one!!! 😝

[stomp442]

260 ackley is my favorite 6.5 offering. I have two right now and built several others that push 140s at 2950 at thier sweet spot and thats everything my 6.5-284s will do. In fact i just sold my last 6.5-284 barrel because my 260ai rifles are doing the same just as accurately and about 10 grains more efficiently. If the op was willing to fire form and neck turn this is the way to go.

[yobuck]

Elk at 1200 yards was not the question. Elk at 600 was, which the 6.5-06, 270 win, 280 Rem are all easily capable of with out the need of 230+ grain bullet the 90 grains of powder to launch it and the corresponding recoil. Run the numbers through any ballistics program and you will see any of the calibers I have listed carry plenty of energy to kill an elk at 600 yards. Lots of elk have fallen to much less gun than I have listed and will continue to do so.

You are correct with your asessment of capable cartridges for 600 yd shots on elk.
The problem with hunting is however we cant control where and when an animal will show up.
If we have a gun we can shoot there and there but not over there, what happens if one shows up over there?
There can only be 2 answers. We would be hearing about 1 of them, but not the other one.
I dont think we should be choosing cartridges for shooting at animals unless were absolutly sure it can do the job.
In that regard i'll personaly take more than i need as opposed to enough to do the job.

[wyo85]

Got up today still thinking of the 6.5, just spent a hour watching you tube on outside neck turning. I do have 50 new 06 brass(bought 10 years ago) and they have more in town. 06 brass might not be the easiest to make 6.5-06 out of but its brass I have and can get more . Will 06 brass neck down in one pass or does it go in steps. I will read up on the 260 Ackley today also.

[Hotolds442]

I'd do at least two steps. My experiences going from 300WSM TO 6.5WSM were not favorable in one shot. It can be done, but cull rate is unacceptable.

[stomp442]

You are correct with your asessment of capable cartridges for 600 yd shots on elk.
The problem with hunting is however we cant control where and when an animal will show up.
If we have a gun we can shoot there and there but not over there, what happens if one shows up over there?
There can only be 2 answers. We would be hearing about 1 of them, but not the other one.
I dont think we should be choosing cartridges for shooting at animals unless were absolutly sure it can do the job.
In that regard i'll personaly take more than i need as opposed to enough to do the job.

Most of us do a fair bit of walking to get within range of our target. We don't have concrete benches setup at various shooting positions and wait for animals to show up. Using your logic we should all be carrying 50 caliber barretts just so that we know we brought more than enough gun. I have no problem with long range hunting in fact I love it and have extreme long range kills myself up to 1243 yards and I have never used a magnum to do it or ever lost an animal because I didn't bring enough gun. The OP stated in his first post he was looking at 600 yards at max range for hunting, lots of calibers out there that can handle that just fine and then some without the need of a super magnum.

Wyo85:
There is lots of people out there that don't care for the .260 Ackley and claim its not worth the effort but it most certainly is. By improving the .260 case it allows you to shoot the 140 Berger bullets right in their wheel house which is right around 2950 in my experience. This is only about 150fps faster than the parent cartridge but provides much better ballistics down range. As for as the 6.5-06 goes yes you can make cases from .30-06 but you need to neck turn as your neck tension will be tight. As far as sizing goes you can probably do it in one step especially if you annealed the cases first and went slow. I have dies for just about every 06 based cartridge so if I was to do it I would run them through the .270 die first then size down to 6.5 just to be on the careful side.

[FEENIX]

Dang!!!!!
What bullet are you using in the 300WM???
I've been thinking about giving those 215 Bergers a try.

In 2013, I was blessed with a bull elk at 931 yards using 190 Berger VLD @ 3045 FPS (http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=616839&SearchTerms=got,bull,elk), just because I didn't have any 210s or 215s at the time (this year I have plenty). :p

[Londerko]

In 2013, I was blessed with a bull elk at 931 yards using 190 Berger VLD @ 3045 FPS (http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=616839&SearchTerms=got,bull,elk), just because I didn't have 210or 215 at the time (this year I have plenty). :p
Nice job!!!
That's a poke!
What is the "plenty of bullet" that you have switched to now?

[wyo85]

I've lived in Wyoming for 30 years , haven't shot to many Elk but the longest shot was 70 yards and the closest was 30 yards. Maybe I should think about putting together a 22 Mag, lol My Elk were shot with 308 or 300 WM , no luck yet with my 45-70 . This built will be a rifle one of my grand kids can enjoy when I am long gone.

[D.ID]

Never shot from a concrete bench or any bench for that matter, not even target practicing.
Start climbing the mountain two hours before daylight to get to my first hopeful firing position and when I get there I not only want to be able to reach across the canyon but do so with authority. If 600 was my absolute max the 300WSM (also not a 50bmg) would do with authority.
Rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. At 1400 yards your going to need all you can get.
A 13lb 338 is not a 50.
Traipsing up the ridge they were on the night before threw the brush for 10 years resulted in 0 successful elk hunts, close but not.
Traipsing up the one next to it..... pre dawn up the steep side and reaching across with precision:
2008 success @300 300wsm 180 factory
2009 success @445 300wsm 190 vld
2010 success @360 300wsm 190 vld
2011 success @489 338 edge 300smk
2012 success @522 338 edge 300smk
2013 success @508 338 edge 300smk
2014 success @916 338 edge 300smk

[D.ID]

Wifes:
2008--270---0
2009--270---0
2010 success @420 270 150 factory
2011 success @360 7mm 168vld
2012 success @405 338 edge 300smk (mine)
2013 success @610 7mm 168vld
2014 Prepping for back surgery.
.
Wifes dad:
2012: success @ 360 270 150 factory
2014: success @ 700 338 edge 300otm (her new one)
.
Hunting buddies:
2008--300wsm---0
2009--300wsm---0
2010 success @405 300wsm 168vld
2011 success @410 300wsm 168vld
2012 success @682 338 edge 300smk (mine)
2013 success @780 338 edge 300smk (mine)
2014 success @740 300 wsm 230vld
Notice any trends. These folks have there own 270-7mm-300wsm but when the windows are narrow, the pressure is on or the reach is far my 338 moves to the front and gets the call, especially cross canyon were wind indicators are few.
After my wife saw me shoot an elk with my 338 she decide she had to have one, built her her own last year. Hunting buddies already stock pilling brass and gunpowder for the transition to his own.
The wsm is a cheaper target gun and a good compromise but those 300 grainers while no 50bmg, they are in a league of there own.
We target shoot allot and allot farther distances and no body ever complains about recoil.
Her dad gave her the 270 because it had too much recoil, it had too much for her also until we put a brake on it.
Her 7mm got a brake first thing.
First thing everyone said when faced with a first shot threw my edge was "I can't take the recoil you can" after being persuaded to shoot it every single one of them looked at me and said "there's NO kick, wow that's neat".

[FEENIX]

Nice job!!!
That's a poke!
What is the "plenty of bullet" that you have switched to now?

Thanks! Berger VLDs in 210s and 215s. I will be loading them both in .300 Win Mag and .300 WSM.

[stomp442]

The only trend i see is shots other than maybe the 916 one that i would even consider long range and hardly require a 338 edge to make a kill. As far as cross canyon precision goes well thats kind of our forte here in Arizona. You have never really experienced it until hunting our tiny coues deer in some of the steepest, roughest country on gods green earth.

[Luke45]

The only trend i see is shots other than maybe the 916 one that i would even consider long range and hardly require a 338 edge to make a kill. As far as cross canyon precision goes well thats kind of our forte here in Arizona. You have never really experienced it until hunting our tiny coues deer in some of the steepest, roughest country on gods green earth.

Why don't you just make a few concrete shooting platforms and shoot the couz deer with 50 BMg from 2500 yards instead of actually hunting? ;)