My Dad is nearly 82 now and lived in western Wyoming for most of his life. He told me this story and asked me to post it for you all.

In 1971, Dad was working a project at the power plant in Guernsey, Wyoming. Elk herds thrive in the piney ridges just north of town. Dad overheard a millwright from Minnesota say he was going after elk the following weekend. Another worker asked him what he planned to hunt with and the guy replied, "My 30-30 Marlin". Several guys made discouraging comments and Dad kindly suggested he should try to borrow a bigger rifle.

Monday morning the millwright was all smiles about his elk hunt. He had shot a fine bull over the weekend. A worker asked him if he used his 30-30 but he said, "No, George told me to borrow a bigger rifle and that's what I did. I killed that bull with a 32 Special".

Several workers made faces but Dad just smiled and reached out his hand to congradulate him. Dad never had the heart to tell this fellow that 32 Special was not what he had in mind when he suggested a bigger rifle for elk.
TR

TR,
Great story. The 30-30 and the 32 Win have killed elk for a long, long time. They are fine cartridges when used within their limitations. I wouldn't mind going into the timber after elk with a 32 Winny myself.

When I was a young teen, my Grandad took me elk hunting on a friends grazing-leased Forest Service lands. Located among western foothills of the Bighorn Mts. in north-central Wyoming. We each had 30-30 Winchester rifles stowed in leather scabbards tied to our horses.

Grandad always hunted with his long barreled Winchester equipped with a fold up tang sight. He never read magazines and rarely talked about rifles or hunting cartridges. Yet he hunted with passion.

We hunted close to the grazing elk by walking behind our horses. When about 100 yards away, Grandad quietly said to me, "Go for bone, boy". I shot my first bull right through the shoulder and his front legs just folded up. Grandad nodded and told me to give him another. At my second shot the bull topppled over. Grandad gave him a finisher as we approached. At the time, I had no clue that the 30-30 cartridge was deemed unacceptable for elk hunting by typewriter guys in crowded eastern cities.

I killed another elk the same way the following year. By the time I was 17, I decided a bigger rifle was needed. My own father always killed his elk with a 300 Savage so I thought that would be ideal for me, too. But 300 Savage rifles were hard to find, so I ended up with a .308 and have hunted elk with it for several decades.

I do not recommend the 30-30 cartridge for every elk hunter. A hunter must understand it's distance limitations to be successful. Any shot beyond 175 yards or so could be a crippler. The mts. have changed since my first elk hunt. A modern and rational elk hunter should plan on a shot of 225 yards or a bit farther. In my opinion, this distance is beyond the "ideal lethal range" of a 30-30 or 32 Special rifle.
TR

I'll take my 30-06 if I ever get to hunt elk, cuz that's what I've got. :D And it'll do the trick nicely. For elk or anything else in the lower 48.

:cool:Walter30-06