6.5 Creedmoor to hunt Elk and Muledeer? What's the smallest effective/ethical caliber you would use Elk hunting?

I'm looking to purchase my 30 yr old stepson his first rifle and he wants a caliber adequate for Whitetail and Elk hunting. I think he has the same idea that I did when I was his age....

Seems like a 7mm-08 would fit the bill perfectly.

I am headed up to New Mexico in October and our outfitter asked us to take a .30 caliber or larger rifle with bullet weight of 180 grains or heavier.

.308 winchester, or 7-08 especially for a first gun.

I shoot a .280 and it seems to be the perfect caliber for deer (120-grain bullet) and works on elk (150-grain bullet). Anything bigger than an elk, probably need to go .300 Win Mag or above.

How much time do you have to hunt? If you have a 90 day season and animals in your back yard, there's no reason that you shouldn't hunt with a .22-250, if you've the skill and judgment to do so. If you are out of state, have 3 to 5 days to hunt, have invested a considerable sum, and are likely to see only one or two shooters and those only briefly and at range, well ... it's your time and money.

Why does everyone always ask about minimums? The fact that the question is framed with that very term tells us the asker already knows his answer. Do what you want and live with the consequences.

7mm-08 is the answer.

And often is the answer for many a short action cartridge questions. Get a stout bullet, keep the shot inside 300 yards, and enjoy your elk meat.

How often does he really think he's going to go elk hunting, particularly if he's 30 and has never owned a gun?

My thoughts? Buy the whitetail rifle, probably a 6.5. If the opportunity arises for elk and you think you need it, buy a 7 RM/.30-06/.300 WM, sell it for a $200 loss when you get back, and just factor that into the cost of the hunt. If you're dropping $4000-6000 to hunt elk, another $200 won't matter.

Yes, I absolutely know the answer but my stepson seems to be leaning toward a magnum and I do not believe that's the best "first" rifle for him. And I believe there are calibers that will ethically kill an Elk that aren't magnums and aren't .30 calibers. For years 6.5x55s were used as well as .270s too. Now we have .280, 7-08, 6.5 CM and I'm sure others that will ethically and effectively kill an Elk. Frankly I'd most likely take my 300 Mag to hunt Elk but if all I had was my 6.5 CM or my 6.5x55 Swede I would not think twice about taking either one of them. As for taking a 22-250...I leave that one to you.

With the properly constructed bullet, and a shooter that knows the limitations of himself and the cartridge, I wouldn't hesitate to use any of the cartridges you've mentioned on elk. As stated by others, I would probably lean toward the 7-08 (handloaded to take advantage of the heavier bullet options) or 308 if elk was going to be a regular pursuit. But I wouldn't necessarily feel under-gunned with a 6.5.

308 would be a great first rifle caliber for him.

Ammo available wherever he goes for good price. Heavier bullets for elk, lighter for whitetail.

even though this is his first rifle has he done some shooting. Take him out to shoot your 300mag.
i use a 308 and have no problem with deer or elk, lots of moose killed with 303

I know outfitters that "if you showed up with a 22-250, they would drop you like a cow patty"

I'll be taking my 6.5 on my next elk hunt. Wouldn't think twice about it.

If a 130-140 grain .270 or 7mm works fine on elk, I don't see why a 130-140 grain 6.5 bullet wouldn't work as long as you picked a good bullet

I know a few local fellas in Colorado that have used a 20.06 forever, they like the flat range. I have used .270, 7mm and 300wsm, all 3 did the job and work on WT easy enough.

30.06 may have more flexibility overall in ammo calibers from light varmint rnds to larger big game rnds., at least that use to be the case.

Get a 308 and be done with it.

I believe for CO & NM, minimum is .24 caliber to legally hunt elk ... .243 or 6mm would fall into the minimum category, which would also be good whitetail rifles. Personally, if I only had one rifle to hunt both species, my minimum would be 25-06 or a 6.5, but a 270, 30-06, 308, 7-08, 280, etc. would also be adequate for both. 7mm RM, 7mm WSM, 300 WM, etc. have a bit more recoil and are likely a bit overkill for WT ... I have a wide variety of all those listed but my go-to all around is a 7mm RM.

I believe the earlier post referring to using a 22-250 was stated for use on WT (90 day season in your backyard) as a first rifle, not intended for elk.

I would say if he couldn't kill an elk with a 6.5 creedmore, 260 rem, 308 win, 7mm08 rem etc. with good bullets it wasn't the caliber/guns fault.

6.5 bullets have a great reputation for excellent penetration due to their high sectional density. I would use a good quality heavy for caliber hunting bullet.

I would hesitate to use it for elk. Simply because I like a little bigger caliber for elk.

That's not to say I believe it's unethical as long as the conditions are right.

That makes no sense to me unless you are strictly hunting for meat. What about the trophy that might show up in your back yard only briefly and/or at range? I hunt all season at my farm. I have seen the trophy I am currently after once in 4 years - for about 8 seconds at about 320 yards. I didn't get him, but at least it wasn't because I was toting a little bitty rifle.

Have never understood the current trend to look for the minimum caliber one can get away with/handle and accept limitations, instead of the maximum (or at least something in the mid-caliber range) to provide additional margin for error.

Good friends in Wyoming use 6mm for everything ... they teased us the whole time about our cannons when we brought .270s and 30-06s to their place for mule deer and antelope

Me being one of them..

I'd use it, and ive killed elk with a lot smaller.

Magnums sound great in theory for a large segment until it comes time to actually shoot it.

Ugh....what I was looking for was a baseline...geez! Not that I would consider the lowest but just a baseline...do you understand that?