Switched to bigger cartridge

[Teknys]

With two Cow Elk tags for my wife and I. We had a discussion that a good shot with her BAR Shorttrac 243W is better than a bad shot with …. well anything. I happen to have a 300WSM in the same model with a Razor LHT. When I handed her the rifle to feel and look thru, two things happened.
1.0 Yep feels the same so yes I can start shooting this one.
2.0 “Why is this scope so much better then mine? I can see everything. I want one of these on my 243 after this”
I’m glad she will shoot a 180gn 30 cal PT to fill her tag but it just cost me a few $$ replacing her scope. I told her I have plenty of ammo loaded up so she can get comfortable with the gun.

Maybe just let her just keep using it. It is a twin to her 243.

Me I’m going to use my old standby - my 6.5x284 Norma with 140AB. It is a cow tag with the usual 250 yd and under shooting. We have been filling our cow tags last 20+ years with most shots averaging 100yds standing. No need to rush a shot at distance or a moving animal.

 

[Blkram]

Being a semi, in a heavier rifle model should help tame felt recoil of the 300 WSM for her to a degree.
But if she finds the felt recoil still a little stout, you can replace the recoil pad with a LimbSaver to make it even better.

If she feels that it is still a little too much of a good thing, you can always look for another Shorttrac in a smaller caliber, such as 308 or 270 WSM that she might find more suitable to her. (And you get the added benefit of the less felt recoil from the upgraded recoil pad on your rifle!)

More bullet weight and retained energy on elk is always a good thing, and while the cows are usually smaller and not amped up due to the rut to quite the same extent as the bulls, they are still tenacious of life and can be difficult to put down with one shot with lighter bullets/less powerful cartridges. These are better left for experienced hunters who only take shots at close distance on unwary animals. At the distances you seem to be hunting, these options will be suitable for elk.

Having the same rifle/scope combination in various calibers breeds familiarity and confidence when shooting various calibers/chamberings when hunting various big game. Always a good thing!

Yes, once one sees the marked difference of better quality glass, one usually wants an upgrade. And it is a worthwhile investment!

 

[JD338]

Congrats on the tags! Get your wife a Past recoil gel pad and load up some 150 gr starting loads for practice. Several 5 shot target sessions will go a long way in getting her comfortable shooting.
Also have her wear ear plugs and muffs.
This is what I did with my wife when she got her Nosler Mountain Carbon 30 Nosler.
She has no issues with the recoil and doesn't use the Past recoil pad. She absolutely loves her rifle!
Keep us posted

JD338

 

[PJGunner]

I absolutely hate the .338 Win. Mag. regardless of bullet weight. I have two Winchester M70s, on a post 64 and the other a stainless classic. Something about that cartridge just hurts the hell out of me. One day at the range I was helping two of my Hunter Ed students getting their rifles sighted in for a cow elk hunt. The son was using a Remington M7 in 7-08 and dad had a Browning BAR in (GASP!) .338 Win. Mag.
Dad asked me to test fire each rifle on paper as he'd orrowed the rifles and had no idea of what the recoil might be. Apparently he had the option to buy. The 7-08 was a pice of cake bur knowing what the .338 Mag does to me I reluctantly did the BAR. Damn me if it wasn't almost pleasant. I asked if I could shoot a group an did an inch and a quarter three shot group. As I recall the ammo was 250 gr. Winchester and the bullet probably a Power Point. Nice rifle but a lot heavier than I care for. I never did find out if that got an elk or not.
Paul B.

 

[xphunter]

Congrats on the tags! Get your wife a Past recoil gel pad and load up some 150 gr starting loads for practice. Several 5 shot target sessions will go a long way in getting her comfortable shooting.
Also have her wear ear plugs and muffs.
This is what I did with my wife when she got her Nosler Mountain Carbon 30 Nosler.
She has no issues with the recoil and doesn't use the Past recoil pad. She absolutely loves her rifle!
Keep us posted

JD338

Good Counsel

 

[Teknys]

Thanks for the replies. I do have a Past recoil pad… somewhere. I will find it ,that’s a good idea. I can load down the WSM a bit for her to get comfortable with it. What’s convenient is we can shoot off the back deck to a 100 yd target. Should be able to get her ready. I would really prefer her using the WSM over the 243.

 

[JD338]

Thanks for the replies. I do have a Past recoil pad… somewhere. I will find it ,that’s a good idea. I can load down the WSM a bit for her to get comfortable with it. What’s convenient is we can shoot off the back deck to a 100 yd target. Should be able to get her ready. I would really prefer her using the WSM over the 243.

Sounds like a good plan buddy.
Remember to keep the shooting sessions short. Even just 3 shots 3-4 times a week would be excellent. And if you can get a gong, even better yet. Interactive targets are fun to shoot and very rewarding when hit.

JD338

 

[BradMT]

I really don’t understand the need to push her to the 300WSM when she’s perfectly capable with the 243. Not to be offensive, but this sounds like it’s about you and what you want, not what’s best for her.

 

[diverdown]

I really don’t understand the need to push her to the 300WSM when she’s perfectly capable with the 243. Not to be offensive, but this sounds like it’s about you and what you want, not what’s best for her.

I can understand him wanting her to learn to shoot a larger caliber. The .243 at its best is very light for Elk hunting. And as distance to the animal increases the .243 becomes less effective. While hunting for Elk in Colorado I've seen and talked to hunters who carry a .243 for Elk hunting. Their comment is "I only take neck shots". I don't want to tell you how many times I've had an Elk stand broadside and give me a perfect neck shot or stand still long enough. I think he's making the right choice with the .300WSM.

 

[salmonchaser]

As a kid in Alaska I knew a lot of native guys who used a Remington .222 for everything. Shoot a moose standing in water with a 45 or 55 grain bullet. One lung gets destroyed. Moose doesn’t feel good, gets out of the water and goes to lay down on dry ground. Life is good for the hunter.
I know several people who have killed elk or moose with relatively light calibers. My mom killed two elk with a 257 Roberts. Both were close and she head shot them. Light calibers in the hands of experienced shooters and more importantly experienced hunters can be adequate. Pick your shots, don’t push the distance, follow up on your shots and go notch your tag. Sometimes your heart takes a beat just as you pull the trigger. You hit the densest bone in the animal kingdom. Sometimes just as you pull the trigger the elk twists himself slightly away and you hit just behind the diaphragm. Either of those shots looked great as the tigger broke but stuff happens. The advantage of heavier caliber and properly constructed bullets is slight compensation for a shot that went sideways.
In my guiding career and personal hunting I’ve had to track elk quite a ways that left chunks of heart on the snow, I’ve tracked two of 4 shot with a 25/06 quite a ways before they layed up. They were both hit in the boiler room. Tracked a number that were hit on the shoulder with Bergers or SST. Sometimes it’s a game of inches. An inch or two to the right and the Elk shot with Bergers or SST would have been DRT. Those bullets basically blew up on bone.
I like a bullet cartridge combination that can make up for the shot that hits the Ulna instead of going through the ribs. An 06/180 Partition comes to mind but only because I killed twenty or so elk with one. My bull last year is a great example, angled away moving but not fast and not going to hang around. 400 yards from prone I consider a very viable shot. I’ve killed upwards of 46 elk. I actually waited because he was headed to a little flat that would have made quartering him easier. One of us wiggled. Shot him right through the right rear leg bone. I could see that I had broke the leg. As he headed to the bottom of the draw I knew he would have to stop so I just waited for my shot. Thankfully he went down. Bullet 250gr AccuBond from my 338. Went through the leg, caught the last rib and got the heart and lungs. Had I shot him with my 06 or anything lighter, or any less of a bullet I would have had a difficult tracking job.
I would rather see someone using the heaviest cartridge they can shoot well when it comes to elk in regards to novice hunters.

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

I absolutely hate the .338 Win. Mag. regardless of bullet weight. I have two Winchester M70s, on a post 64 and the other a stainless classic. Something about that cartridge just hurts the hell out of me. One day at the range I was helping two of my Hunter Ed students getting their rifles sighted in for a cow elk hunt. The son was using a Remington M7 in 7-08 and dad had a Browning BAR in (GASP!) .338 Win. Mag.
Dad asked me to test fire each rifle on paper as he'd orrowed the rifles and had no idea of what the recoil might be. Apparently he had the option to buy. The 7-08 was a pice of cake bur knowing what the .338 Mag does to me I reluctantly did the BAR. Damn me if it wasn't almost pleasant. I asked if I could shoot a group an did an inch and a quarter three shot group. As I recall the ammo was 250 gr. Winchester and the bullet probably a Power Point. Nice rifle but a lot heavier than I care for. I never did find out if that got an elk or not.
Paul B.

My Sister, my B-I-L and my nephew each have a Browning BAR in 7mm Rem Mag. Although they are pleasant to shoot they are like lugging a handyman jack around in the hills. I knew a fella that had one in .338 Win Mag like the one you mentioned.

I always figured a .338 Win Mag to be heavy rifle without a brake or light rifle with a brake territory. My buddy Andy had a .338 Win Mag in a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic that was plumb pleasant to shoot.

If I lived somewhere that I would better utilize such a gun, I would certainly have one. But I just don't. Still want one someday though.

 

[nhenry]

My Sister, my B-I-L and my nephew each have a Browning BAR in 7mm Rem Mag. Although they are pleasant to shoot they are like lugging a handyman jack around in the hills. I knew a fella that had one in .338 Win Mag like the one you mentioned.

I always figured a .338 Win Mag to be heavy rifle without a brake or light rifle with a brake territory. My buddy Andy had a .338 Win Mag in a Weatherby Vanguard Synthetic that was plumb pleasant to shoot.

If I lived somewhere that I would better utilize such a gun, I would certainly have one. But I just don't. Still want one someday though.

Maybe it's just Winchester's old marketing talking, but there is an air of nostalgia in my head when I think of killing everything with a 338 win mag. Aoudad, mountain whitetail, muleys, mountain goat, etc. I'm going to get a 338 RPM for such tasks. It'll match splendidly with my 280 AI.

 

[KinleyWater]

I'm confused why this conversation isn't about the 35 Whelen

It is my opinion that what a person shoots best is what they should use - within reason. That said, my opinion doesn't really matter in this case. If she likes the 300WSM, then that's awesome. If not, I'm sure the both of you know the limits of the 243 for the assigned task. On the whole, I guess I'm just saying that I think it's great, and even better that the two of you are getting a chance to get outdoors together.

I will also add this - Rifle fit seems to be the dominant factor for how well my wife tolerates a rifle. If the barrel is too long, she doesn't feel comfortable shouldering it. If the stock doesn't fit right, it's difficult to shoot accurately, or the recoil is too much. Doesn't really matter the caliber, as she's a 20 gauge which she found very uncomfortable and difficult to shoot, but she managed my 375 Ruger just fine.

 

[Teknys]

All good stuff- As far as my wife using the 243. Between one hunting buddy, my son and I, we have probably a dozen elk, mostly cows with a 243. So we have seen what the 243 is capable of in the right circumstances. She is not an experienced hunter. She’s actually a very good shot. 5 deer and 1 elk with 6 shots total. I wish I could say that. That elk was with a 300WSM. The deer with a 243. I did buy her a CDL SS 6.5 Creed a few years ago but haven’t taken the time to even put a scope on it yet. So that’s a possibility too. For Elk I use PT or AB. So it essentially comes down to 6mm 100 gn PT, 6.5 mm 140gn PT or a 30 cal 180gn PT/AB. I’m trying to protect her from a …. I’ll call it a “bad” experience with not so perfect shot. She has done 100% so far and I’d like her to keep having good outcomes.

 

[West Fork]

I have a pair of 243’s that have accounted for 14 elk—all them with 100g Pt’s. Mostly in the hands of youngsters. Regardless, there’s not much big game hunting a 243 can’t accomplish with a stout bullet.
When it comes to critters like elk it’s the bullets we choose rather than the cartridge.