With archery energy is not the killing factor, yet arrows kill big elk quickly. But .300 Win. One of the most popular magnums of all time. Recoil isn't bad and it will lay out the ft/lbs of energy as ways. All good choices, except: Any rifle used for elk must wear a scope, because of low-light situations, and the need to find a hole through foliage. I took two black wildebeest with my rifle chambered in .28 Nosler. The doe fell out of the scope, and I had filled the last of the four tags issued to me on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. And he could get it in affordable rifles from several manufacturers. trajectory may explain how the 7mm Rem. I can wait to get it back. And it has worked just find on elk, moose, even big brown bears, though most think it waaay too light for that. The Browning X-Bolt Pro I purchased in .28 Nosler weighs a mere 6 pounds, 10 ounces un-scoped. Your email address will not be published. That said, the .284-inch bullet has two advantages. And youll definitely want to spark those heavy powder charges with a large rifle magnum primer. 28 Nosler/160 AB is a great elk combination. The right .30/06 load should add 100 fps velocity and 100 ft-lb energy. I did not determine the rifling twist rate of the Cross Rifle, but Im guessing it will be faster than the traditional 1-10 inches of the .270 Winchester. The newest addition to the Nosler line of proprietary cartridges is the 27 Nosler. Our editors have hand-picked these essential pieces of gear to make you a more successful hunter when you hit the game trails this season. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Certainly, out to 400 yards, no elk can stand up to a good 180-grain bullet well-placed from a .30-06. Performance improves. The venerable .270 Winchester has been a mainstay on gun store racks, ammo displays and in reloaders cabinets for decades. 26 Nosler vs 28 Nosler Cartridges. loads. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. I think .277 caliber is going to be the next big thing imo..it will be the next craze similar to the 6.5s..if you get a 27 nosler you will just be getting in ahead of the game. The .30-06 is the most powerful cartridge ever adopted by a major military. Definitely. I have both and have taken all of my fast .30 elk with them. Fireformed case, overflowing to the neck = 98.4 gr/H2O with a 150 AB seated to 3.340 OAL = 89.9 gr/H2O. 27 Nosler sets a new standard. The cartridge is a proven performer. Shot placement and bullet performance cause quick humane kills. Sure, I had to consider the drop and adjust for the downhill, still not a difficult shot, and the bull went nowhere. Believe it or not, with the right bullet, it can hang right with the .300 Win Mag without the recoil. If you hunt where the game is tough, the shots are long and demanding, and there is no room for compromise, there is no better choice than the 27 Nosler. Are you concerned about barrel life? Thats the key to each of these new .270 cartridges. And we dont mean the old .270 Winchester. Lots of familiar rifles are chambered for it, ammo is abundant, variable and inexpensive. If there were a factory load of .28 Nosler Cartridges with a 168-grain Barnes LRX, Id order a whole pallet right away. Just $1 per month , Heres a list of some of the most notable cartridges for elk hunting. The 27 Nosler should be easy enough. However, simply not passing through the body is not necessarily a bad thing, and depends highly on the bullet construction. Whats best for you depends on the distance you intend to shoot, based on where you hunt. Makes me feel good to see I am within 150 fps of the 27 Nosler. Mag. numbers hitting .590 or so, keep velocities at 3,000 fps with carefully built handloads, and 300-yard drop is only 2.3 inches, wind deflection 4.7 inches, retained energy 2,700 ft-lb. buried one Winchester magnum and created another. The two old wildebeest bulls weighed about 315 pounds each, and a mature bull elk weighs approximately 650 pounds. Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. slug from the .300 Win. Bullets engineered to expand at 7mm terminal velocities are the ticket, and there are plenty of them. Will you be able to handload once-fired cases? The .27 Nosler works with a larger powder reservoir. Stated another way, its the .270s turn. But I still dont consider them a top pick for elk just because, well, larger calibers provide a slight edge. I had the 170 elites up to 3125 fps when it was 270 wby so I'm hoping to easily get to 3200 + once it's a 27. Retains > 1,700 foot/pounds of energy at 500 yards. If recoil isnt a concern, you can slide up the power charts via the 33 Nosler, .340 Wby. If the .338s are the best caliber on the upper end for elk, the 7mms are the best at the lower end. I handled a sample Cross and it felt precise, tight, remarkably adjustable for fit, and impressively light at just 6.5 pounds, only about 1.5 pounds heavier than the ultralight mountain rifles Ive hunted with the past 30 years. You are all set and go forth with complete confidence. Today most ammo makers also offer 225-grain bullets in a variety of controlled expansion configurations that retain mass well enough to penetrate better than the original 250-grain cup/core styles while delivering equal, sometimes more muzzle energy thanks to higher muzzle velocity. Call me crazy but the 117hh at 3700 would be hard to beat at 500yds. Read Next: Weird, Off-Beat, and Cool Guns and Gear from SHOT Show 2020. At 50 and at sea level your SF would be 2+. Introducing the Veracity PH from Burris, the perfect combination of reliability, quality, and technology delivering a simple aiming solutiona tool for the hunter that just works. By this measurement, the .28 Nosler is one of the best elk cartridges for long range shooting. Here stands the old warrior with its two newest competitors in the rather small .27-caliber world. Start with the .30/30 Winchester and climb until your nose bleeds. Before we begin, you should understand that this is a round up of the best calibers and cartridges for elk, not necessarily the most popular ones. Unless you want a new, longer range rig, then go for it! By the way, the .277 SIG Fury arose out of SIGs project to build a light, belt-fed .277 machine gun cartridge and rifle for the U.S. military. The difference is .07 of an inch, the animal in the receiving end will never know that difference. In both cases, the 163 grain ELD-X bullet did not exit the animals body and used all that energy inside the vitals. They shoot flatter, kick less, and with the great modern bullets we have, they do the job! Even at the 500-yard mark, the 27 Nosler will deliver over 2,100 ft.-lbs. So, Nosler, a company rooted in tradition but also with an eye to cutting-edge performance, has now turned its attention to the .277 caliber and brought the loading possibilities into the modern era with the introduction of the 27 Nosler. I wouldnt want to use my lightweight rifle in .28 Nosler for a range gun when I want to shoot 50-100 shots for a practice session. Any rifle strong enough to contain the 7mm Rem. Itll only hit 2,400 fps or so with a 225-grain bullet, so the 200- and 210-grain slugs might be the better choice. Nosler has built quite a cartridge family, and it continues to grow. This was and is one key to the .300 Win. The problem with the medium magnums (over .30 and less than .375): There are few to choose from, and only the .338 is genuinely popular with a robust selection of loads. On the other side of the caliber scale are the .35 Whelen (.30/06 necked up) and various .375s. Old Elmer Keith back in the dark ages of the mid-20th century claimed the .270 Winchester was an adequate coyote round. Based on the 404 Jeffrey Same case as the 30 Nosler When compared to the 28 Nosler, the 27 Nosler has a longer neck and a shorter length to the shoulder to prevent the 28 from being chambered in the 27. If you plan to order your ammunition online, the best elk hunting cartridge Ive seen is probably the Nosler 160-grain Trophy Grade ammunition with a good old Partition bullet. Benefits of the .28 Nosler. Handloaders report optimum performance with a sleek, high B.C., 225-grain bullet pushed to an impressive 2,882 fps from a 24-inch barrel. Ditto the .416s, 44s, and 45s. Some folks will take any attempt to improve the .270 Winchester as a direct insult, yet I disagree: like the .22-250 Remington and .35 Whelen, an improved twist rate can really change the game altogether, and this is exactly what the 27 Nosler has done. The Hornady designed the .300 Precision Rifle Cartridge (the .300 PRC) as a precision long-range rifle . Once you start reaching out there, the 28 Nosler really shines. Well whichever you choose it sounds like you will only be one off. By 600 yards that energy advantage will have dropped to just 180 ft-lb. There are plenty of other .30-calibers for hire. The Barnes penetrate . With either factory load, the .28 Nosler is well adapted for hunting both Class 2 and Class 3 big game at long range. This new 10mm from FN is rugged, versatile, and effective. They are still out there but getting scarce. The heaviest HH for your twist is the 148gr, but you'd have to watch oal as it is 1.48 inches long. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. That is, the best of the best for terminating elk without beating up shooters. So match your 7mm elk dreams to your recoil tolerance and select among this big family. You might want to grab yourself a 27 Nosler unless. Product #: 503034. Hornady Outfitter is pretty accurate and its less than its other Nosler cousins. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. throwing similar weight projectiles means youre packing elk medicine. The energy number does not matter. Absolutely! Keep it on 4 unless you have lots of time at longer range then you can crank it up. At 300 yards that bullet should still carry nearly 2,700 ft-lb energy, which is close to what a 180-grain .308 Winchester coughs up at the muzzle. Kevin Steele from Petersen's HUNTING speaks to Jordan Egli of Burris Optics about the all-new Veracity PH Riflescope. Trying to decide between the 27 Nosler and the 28 Nosler. If you anticipate hunting big, open country or canyonlands where shots could go long, the .300 and .338 magnums should be on your list. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It throws a 150-grain bullet 3,300 fps from a 26-inch barrel, about 300 to 400 fps faster than the .270 Winchester, 200 fps faster than the .270 WSSM, and 100 fps quicker than the .270 Weatherby Magnum. Feb 27, 2006 5,121 173. Do you feel a 140 grain Barnes TTSX would be suitable for elk? How much more, exactly? Will your favorite rifle brand and style be chambered in it? If your chosen bullet fails to expand at 1,000 yards, its a poor choice, no matter the energy. Jim. The .277 Fury works with much higher chamber pressures to get high velocity. Although decisively effective, this means that it is overpowered for deer. You, your kids, and 90 percent of the shooters might love the SIG Cross rifle, in which case the .277 SIG Fury might be your baby. Mag., 6.5 Weatherby RPM, 6.5-300 Wby. Im guessing many semi-custom brands like Fierce, Christensen Arms, Browning X-Bolts and others will soon be chambered 27 Nosler. .280 Ackley Improved. The final arbiters of the Best elk calibers are you and the elk, but here are my top five that I chose for their balance of power, reach, recoil, trajectory (drop and drift,) availability, affordability in reasonably compact, light, mountain ready rifles. That increased capacity, coupled with modern powders, allows the 27 Nosler to drive bullets faster and flatter than ever before. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Nonsense. of their 165-grain bullet yet, but we guesstimated it should be at least .650 G1 and approaching .70. Again, bullet weight. Weatherbys .300 magnum had been dazzling magnum fans since the mid 1940s, but it was a full-length magnum caliber available only in expensive custom or Weatherby Rifles. because maximum average chamber pressure is 64,000 psi. The old archetypical big-timber elk rifle was the Winchester M71 in .348. .308-inch diameter bullet carrying 1,500 ft-lb energy and I doubt theyll notice any difference. That means less tracking of wounded game, which is all math thats sure to please any hunter. Always, the idea is to hit a bull as well as you can, but you want to hit him hard. worldwide popularity. Bugling rifle hunts arent common, but they still exist. What the heck? After years of hunting and shooting from Africa to Alaska, I think most get cartridge enery wrong. The elk won't know that the bullet is .007" smaller than the .284". Kevin Steele of Petersen's HUNTING is with Dawn Wehunt of Rock River Arms INC. learning about the new Ascendant platform. The tighter the cover, the shorter the rifle. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. but doesnt kick as hard. The 33-caliber has become a crowded family, and all members are more than suitable for elk. If youre shopping for the perfect elk caliber/rifle, determine how much recoil you can tolerate without flinching and how much rifle weight you might enjoy packing. A high B.C. Add in the lighter recoil of the .300 Win. There are dozens of good elk cartridges, with choices depending largely on the distances you intend to shoot, thus dictating the bullet energy you need to project. I warned you this is a big family. 7mm Remington Magnu n. 28 . At extreme range, hits or misses may not be apparent, and in the late afternoon it will be dark long before you get there to look. So, in open country, a fast 7mm has tremendous appeal. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. In the past, you had to handload to get these, but long-range shooters have created sufficient demand that many ammo makers now offer factory ammo featuring bullets heavier than 200-grains. Adequate, but be careful and watch the distance. But replacing the 300 WSM doesn't make sense to me. Is 28 Nosler too much for deer? The Nosler version should be even better. AccuBond Long Range or a comparable bullet with its high B.C. Do you prefer a standard-length action or short? The 22, 26, 27, 28, 30, and 32 Noslers. And I write calibers and cartridges because caliber means the diameter of the bore. The included photo of the model/mock up of this case is close but not exact. The 27 Nosler has 32% more case capacity than the .270 Winchester, 22% more than the .270 Winchester Short Magnum and 14% more than the .270 Weatherby. A .270 Winchester would generate about 20 ft-lbs in the same rifle. The smaller the bullet, the higher its quality and the more precise its deposit must be. That increased capacity, coupled with modern powders, allows the 27 Nosler to drive bullets faster and flatter than ever before. With modern loads the .45-70 has 200-yard capability, and no issues about hitting an elk hard enough. Kali Parmley, Editor-in-chief of Bakccountry Hunter speaks with Bret Maffet of Franchi Firearms to discuss the all new Momentum All Terrain Elite. The elk took 3 steps and collapsed. The .27 Nosler works with a larger powder reservoir. The classic was, is, and remains a lever-action chambered to something larger than .30-caliber. Google a 270 win - 280 rem comparison and it will tell you all you need to know. The result is a standard setting offering from Nosler that redefines performance as radically now as the 270 Winchester did upon its introduction in 1925. No discussion of a cartridges ability to take large game would be complete without discussing foot pounds of energy. Id go the 27 Nosler, the 270 WSM is awesome. The easier the terrain, the heavier the hunting rifle youll be able to tolerate. It has a near perfect balance of length, width, power, and recoil. The 225-grain load in an eight-pound rifle should generate about 40.8 ft-lb of recoil energy. Weighing in at 7.8 pounds before optics and with an MSRP of $1985, the Premier Highlander is an excellent elk hunting rifle. From left to right: 27 Nosler, .270 Weatherby Magnum, .270 WSM, .270 Winchester, 6.8 SPC. Not everybody has embraced the rage for rangeand not all elk are found in open country. When hunting elk with a rifle, shooting distances vary widely depending on the topography and vegetation youre hunting. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. No matter, people are shooting at elk at longer ranges, and todays rifles, optics, and bullets will get there. Mag. Comparing this with the 160- and 175-grain bullets of the 7mm bore diameter, and it isnt hard to see that advantage of the slightly larger bore diameter. Unless Sig Sauers new .277 SIG Fury is more your style. From the post-World War II era . How long of a barrel are you willing to carry? (Or you can just stalk closer and to heck with pushing the envelope. Quite a few elk have fallen from the 117hh in a wsm at . in a 22-inch barrel. For deer and pronghorn, to much gun. The new Sig round is wildly different than any other .270 cartridge because its been chronographed spitting 140-grain .277 bullets 3,000 fps. could be chambered in the standard Model 70 rifles of the day and eventually most other standard length bolt action rifles. Here was the same basic belted magnum case, but the 7mm threw bullets as heavy as 175 grains. However, if I had it to do over, Id get a .300 PRC. Noslers .27 will be chambered in that companys M48 bolt-action rifles. Loaded with a 150gr bullet, the 27 Nosler has an additional 800ft/lbs. In this article, Ill cover the pros and cons Ive found with shooting the .28 Nosler on my recent big game hunting adventures. 180-gr. And there havent been a heck of a lot since. For starters, it burns more powder. I do enjoy the videos and your enthusiasm in them. Trm82 said: I have one getting chambered right now in 27 nosler . Sales bloomed immediately when it released. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. The .28 Nosler is an ideal elk hunting cartridge for todays longer-range, flat-trajectory shooting style. It delivers greater velocity than even the gargantuan .270 Weatherby. On the contrary, 150-180 grain bullets in 300 Win Mag can hold up to 1000 rounds. Most hunters dont absolutely need such long, heavy bullets for effective performance at responsible game-taking distances, but beyond 300 yards they do flatten trajectories, minimize wind deflection, and maximize retained energy. If recoil doesnt bother you, Id look hard at the .300 WSM, .325 WSM, even the new 6.8 Western, agonize over a 24-inch barrel, and probably compromise with a 23-inch barrel. I am thinking of bullet weight and higher B.C. Well, bullet weight, perhaps? Although Ive been shooting all my life, I have to mentally check my shoulder mount before I pull the trigger. Mag., .338 RUM, .338 Lapua Mag., and massive .338-378 Wby. Skis are easily the most efficient way to cover snowy ground on foot in winter. It shoots a svelte .277-caliber 165-grain . We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. The .300 Win Mag is the worlds most popular magnum. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. It delivers greater velocity than even the gargantuan .270 Weatherby. A traditional stock or adjustable? About 1:8 would be my guess. True. Ever since Nosler announced that they were coming out with the Nosler 27, I have been thinking I would prefer a Nosler 28. This little brother to the .338 Win. My thoughts are this, the .25-calibers, limited to 120-grain bullets, are too light for bull elk. Elk Hunter 338 Official LRH Sponsor. However, strong-bodied hunters who will only shoot 20 shots in a practice session and a few shots for hunting will likely have no trouble at all. A couple of friends swear by the .444 Marlin for hunting elk in oak brush. Energy and velocity are more indicators of bullet performance ability, along with penetration at range. We had set up in what I considered to be a less-than-advantageous position, a bit too skylined for my liking, and with very little cover. One of the shots put the wildebeest flat on the ground immediately. Hunters typically but incorrectly use the best elk calibers to mean cartridge, but Ill use calibers for the sake of this review.