The Best Elk-Killing Calibers of All-Time

Published on September 13, 2024 by Jace Bauserman

Elk are romanticized in hunting lore, and they should be. The king of the Rockies calls some of the world’s most breathtaking yet challenging landscapes home. He has a muscular build and massive antlers that stand tall and stretch wide.

If you have yet to hunt elk, you’re likely dreaming about hunting them or planning a future hunt. If you’re not doing either, take your pulse and make sure you’re still alive.

Elk are remarkable creatures. They’re big, they stink, and they make noise. Harvesting a bull is a thrill, filling your hunting brain with memories that will last a lifetime and filling your freezer with hundreds of pounds of protein-rich meat.

If elk are on the to-hunt agenda, or you’ve hunted elk and are looking for a new elk-killing caliber, we’ve got you covered.

The Legend

Scott Haugen is a hunting legend. Not because he’s penned numerous books, hosted an outdoor television show, or given countless hunting seminars. Haugen is a legend because of the vast knowledge he accumulated during his outdoor tenure. The man has hunted and killed multiple man-eating animals and has stories that will make even the most hardened outdoorsman cringe.

Haugen loves elk, and while sharing a late-August camp with him in Alaska, we started talking about and reliving past elk hunts. Haugen scoffed when I asked him about his favorite elk-killing caliber.

“There you go, always asking the tough questions I don’t want to answer,” he said. “But, if I had to choose only one for the rest of my elk hunting days, it would be the .300 Win. Mag.”

Haugen favors the caliber and has killed numerous elk and other big-game animals with it.

“I like this caliber because of where and how I hunt. I hunt Roosevelt elk, which I think are the toughest big-game animal in North America to bring down. I like this caliber paired with a bonded bullet for these tough, shock-absorbing bulls.”

Haugen also credited the terrain he hunts in for his choice of caliber.

“I hunt steep, thick terrain along the Coast Range and Cascade Mountains. I want to avoid blood trails and chasing bulls through impenetrable forests. I want to anchor them quickly.”

Haugen also prefers the .300 Win. Mag. when hunting Rocky Mountain elk in the Snake River Breaks or anywhere the landscape offers massive canyons.

“Elk hunting is hard enough,” Haugen said. “When I shoot a bull, I don’t want that bull running into a steep, gnarly canyon. I want to make a lethal shot and watch the bull drop, and this caliber does that often.”

The Grinder

Though I don’t have Haugen's field experience, I have hunted elk across the Rockies for over 25 years. During that tenure, I’ve harvested bulls in diverse terrain ranging from unsullied alpine to cedar-sprinkled rimrock canyons.

Last season, I was fortunate to harvest a trio of bulls in a single season, the third time I’d accomplished a multiple bull feat in a single fall. I don’t write this to brag. We want to provide excellent information from those who’ve put much time in the field chasing elk.

If I had to pick one elk caliber for the rest of my days, it would be the 7mm PRC.

Why?

First and foremost, accuracy. Second, my 175-grain bullets traveling at 2,974 fps produce over 2,000 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards.

The caliber is engineered to shoot heavy, high ballistic coefficient bullets that retain velocity and resist wind drift, so hunters get a deadly combination of supreme accuracy and downrange lethality. The bullets are thin and streamlined, produce less drag, and are more stable in flight. I also cheer the tapered case with a 30-degree shoulder, which optimizes powder capacity while ensuring consistent and efficient powder burn.

Last season, using Browning's X-Bolt Speed LR chambered in 7mm PRC, I took down a respectable 5-point bull from 476 yards. I then handed the rifle to my buddy, who harvested the second bull we’d called to the base of the rimrock from over 500 yards. Both were one-shot kills.

Traditional 7mm cartridges like the 7mm Rem. Mag. work well for elk. However, these calibers were not optimized for longer, higher-BC bullets. The 7mm PRC allows shooters to maximize bullet performance without resorting to custom load modifications.

The Young Gun

Joe Ferronato has fewer hunting years under his belt than most of the elk goers mentioned in this article, but he is as accomplished a hunter as they come. In his 29 years, the associate publisher for Field Ethos has hunted around the globe and has numerous public land bulls to his credit.

“When it comes to dense-muscled and heavy-boned animals like the bull elk, you must ensure you have the right gun and bullet combination to get the job done,” Ferronato said. “I like hunting these forest horses with a .30 caliber; as of late, my favorite of the .30 calibers is the .300 PRC. You might ask, 'Why not the .300 Win. Mag.?' Well, while the Win. Mag. is another one of my favorites; the PRC is like adding a supercharger to your stock truck engine. It offers even better performance while using the same bullets I know will do the job."

“The .300 PRC is flat-shooting and incredibly accurate. One of my favorite rifles is the Browning X-Bolt 2 Pro McMillan Carbon Fiber. It shoots sub-MOA groups with various factory loads, is lightweight, and, thanks to the ergonomic stock and Recoil Hawg muzzle brake, soaks up the recoil of the heavy-hitting cartridge.”

The Clear Winner

Another newer caliber that is gaining traction among big game hunters is the 6.8 Western. This short-action caliber is ultra-versatile and engineered to produce exceptional accuracy while ensuring explosive killing power without abusing the shoulder. Mission accomplished!

It’s important to know that the 6.8 wasn’t GIVEN its own heading in this article; it earned it. Chris Denham, host of Western Hunter TV and publisher of Western Hunter Magazine, is a public land elk hunting fanatic. When I called to pick his wapiti brain, Denham was driving to New Mexico for an elk hunt.

“I don't even have to think about it,” said Denham. “My go-to elk caliber is also my favorite for nearly every North American big game species, and that’s the fast, flat-shooting 6.8 Western.”

“When you have a caliber that can send a 175-grain bullet around 2,800 fps with incredible accuracy in a caliber that doesn’t beat you up, is fun to shoot, and kills like crazy, it’s hard not to pick it. Plus, I love that Browning offers multiple 6.8 Western rifle platfroms from the Speed to the Speed LR to the Pro McMillan SPR Carbon Fiber.”

Denham mentioned several times that his elk hunting ventures are typically public land DIY-style hunts, where he hopes to get one shot at a quality bull. He knows his 6.8 Western will perform brilliantly when he earns his opportunity.

“I love the short action,” Denham continued. “It's smooth, allowing quicker follow-up shots if necessary. I have no intentions of killing an elk at 600 yards, but this caliber could handle that distance with zero problem. It’s simply magic. I’ve had four rifles chambered in 6.8 Western, and all have produced accuracy you have to marvel at.”

Another 6.8 Western lover is the flamboyant and legendary Ralph Cianciarulo, who, along with his wife Vicki, host The Choice TV.

“If you would have asked me this question five years ago, I would have branded the .300 Win. Mag. as my favorite elk caliber,” Cianciarulo said. “Then Vicki and I started shooting the 6.8 Western, and wow!”

Cianciarulo, who is also a hardcore archer, pointed out that he likes to shoot at a rifle caliber that is fun to shoot.

“I don’t want a bow that jumps in my hand, is loud, and isn’t fun to shoot,” he continued. “The same goes for my rifle caliber. I don’t want a caliber that beats me up. I like to shoot, and I can shoot my 6.8 Western all day and not get shoulder abuse. That’s rare in a rifle caliber that melts elk and accurately delivers bullets.”

“I also love that smaller-framed shooters like my wife and daughter-in-law can shoot the caliber accurately while experiencing shooting comfort.”

Cianciarulo also mentioned that one thing he was worried about when he switched from the popular .300 Win. Mag. to the 6.8 Western was the lack of bullet selection when he traveled.

“For a while, 6.8 Western ammo was a little hard to come by, but as the caliber has grown in popularity, we are seeing it in more places, which is another feather in this elk-killing caliber’s hat.”

She calls it “her magic stick,” and she just so happens to be the best rifle shot I’ve ever seen. Her name is Shaundi Campbell, and when she’s not chasing DIY caribou or dropping the hammer on big elk, she’s handling marketing responsibilities at Browning.

“I have the confidence to take the 6.8 Western anywhere in the world and shoot with surgical precision,” Campbell said.

I saw that surgical precision in Africa. Every time Campbell fingered the trigger on her 6.8 Western (A.K.A. Magic Stick), one-shot kills resulted. One animal in particular, the Cape kudu, Africa’s version of the elk, was harvested by Campbell at over 400 yards while the animal was walking away.

“I knew the range, and though I was standing, I was on shooting sticks,” Campbell said. “The confidence I have in my 6.8 Western is through the roof. I know that if I do my job and execute, the caliber will perform, and once again, it delivered a 175-grain Sierra-tipped Gameking with lethal precision. I’ve harvested numerous elk with the caliber, and I will be taking it to Newfoundland for moose very soon. It’s the ultimate elk caliber, but it's also the ultimate big-game caliber.”

That was fun! I can’t write that sentence about every article I write. What I enjoyed most is all I learned, and I hope you learned as much as I did. This is a group of top-end elk killers, and if you take their advice, you’ll find the perfect elk caliber for you.