Pick the most accurate of the two and shoot it, a lot. Get off the bench and shoot it standing, sitting, prone, and everything in between. If possible shoot different ranges, and up to 400 yds if that is your limit. Might be hard to find, but will tell you a whole lot about your skill at that range, and that will be big confidence booster. Good luck!

 

Whichever you shoot best from improvised field positions.

 

If you make a good shot either one of those rifles should work good on elk. If I was going to hunt elk with the 30-06 I think I would go with a 180 gr lead bullet.

 

7mm Mag with at least 150 grain partition bullets.

 

The 7 mm is bigger, but, like moyaone said, whichever you shoot best. GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

7mm is .284 and 30-06 is .308 so no the 7 Mag is not bigger.

 

I have harvested several with a Remmington Model 700 CDL .270. Aim small miss small. Congrats and good hunting

 

I have seen 270, 30-06, 7mm mag and 300 win mag all take elk with one shot at 3-400 yards. Shoot what you shoot the best and have the most confidence in and shoot a good quality heavy bullet for caliber.

Here was mine from 325 yards with 300 win mag. I would have shot it with a 270 with no issues either.

 

Either or. I have a few 30-06 and that is my preference but I have all the confidence in my only 7mm mag as well. Really comes down to your personal comfort level with the particular rifle.

 

I'd personally get a 7mm. Great round! Super flat shooting. That or a 300 win mag would be my first choices for elk.

 

I worked for two outfitters as a guide/packer in the central mountains of Colorado for 15+ years. I also was born and raised in those same mountains. I grew up hunting elk with a 30-06 and found no reason to change over the years. Harvested quite a few elk and knew of many more harvested with that caliber. When I was guiding I also had many clients use a 7mm successfully. It comes down to which gun you shoot the best and are willing to practice with till you can shoot it from all positions without issue. Both will kill elk with well placed shots. Both will wound elk with poorly placed shots. My dad was a Colorado game warden for 30+ years and as he got older and developed cataracts I used to go out with him after big game season and shoot badly wounded elk. We would dress them out and donate them to the needy. He raised a family during the depression and couldn't stand to see good meat go to waste. What we often found were elk with massive bullet damage still alive and moving. They are amazingly vital animals. You can hit one with a cannon and it will not die if the shot is poorly placed. Bottom line, use whatever caliber you shoot best. Practice until you can hit what you aim at, at the distances you plan to shoot. Don't take poor shots, foolishly long shots or anything else that will lead to a wounded animal. Respect the animals you are hunting and be a sportsman, not a just a "killer", please!

 

Can't go wrong with either one. 30-06 is cheaper to shoot, so maybe that one if cost is an issue.

 

30-06 vs 7mm Mag - Both are great calibers for elk hunting and I would consider myself under-gunned with either. If I had to pick just one, I'd go with the 30-06.

 

Which ever one you shoot the best as primary. Take the other as a spare. A back up rifle you're familiar with is much better than any borrowed one or none at all.
Because....
"Stuff" happens......
As others have said, practice-practice-practice from field positions to the distance you're comfortable with. A bipod / shooting stick is your friend.
Get/learn/use range finder-binoculars. Have quality glass on your stick. For projectiles, I use premium bonded ones in my handloads.
Get a "bomb-proof" high-quality travel case for your rifle(s).

Get in the best shape of your life starting at least 6 months prior to!
The stair stepper combined with leg workouts is what I do.

Yes, I have experience. Grew up in the mountains of Oregon, hunting them successfully statewide
with rifle, bow and muzzleloader over several decades. Have had a 15 year hiatus due to "life" and living in GA.
Planning a 2024 trip back to my old stomping grounds.
Good luck!

 

I've killed elk with cartridges from .25-06 to the .300 Mags, including the two cartridges you mention. I think I've killed more with a .270 and 130-grain Hornady Interlocks than any other combination. The .30-06 and 7mm Remington Magnum or extremely close ballistically. Either will work just fine.

 

Either will work very well at 400 yd down. If you need bit more reach I would favor the 7mm. Also remember the wind can blow in WY & the 7mm with help a little bit.

I would recommend a Barnes or Cx for bull elk. Which ever your gun shoots the best. If you have the opportunity to take a really mature bull, especially a quartering bull, you will appreciate the penetration. The ELDX is a little soft by design, but if your gun shoots them well it wouldn’t be a deal killer. I have used the accubond & scirocco with good results. But I favor the monometal on bull elk or moose.

If you go with lead, shoot the heaviest bullet in the caliber that your gun shoots well. Ditto for monometals, but less important because they hold together.

If a big bull only offers you a quartering to shot you will be pleased with a heavy monometal. You can’t get more dead than dead, but these suckers are tough & not always fun to look for. Use something that will break bones and penetrate.

Good luck on the draw & hunt.

 

Use a proper bullet for either and put it where it needs to go and Elk will not know the difference.

 

I shoot Federal Fusion 150gr at 2,950 FPS. Not sure the ft/lbs. the 7 Mag is a belted magnum cartridge which like the Weatherby magnums is a hot load. Both are very good. I would sight them both zeroed at 200 and bring them both in case you have any issues. Bring a range finder also and know your hold at 300-350 at least.

 

Not many people can hit a trash can lid at 500 yards. 350 is a heck of a shot. Past 200 a rangefinder becomes a crucial tool. Distance out west is deceiving.

 

7mm Mag. End of discussion.
-06 works well, but if you do side by side comparison of what both do on the painful end, 7mm will clearly show you why it is better.

 

I hate to break it to you, doesn’t matter no what lies you try to tell yourself.

 

The 7 Mag I’d prefer for expected shots over 200 yards. But really just barely. Here’s 150 grain ammo I have for both cartridges.

 

I was thinking about it some more and thought I’d mention that I’d prefer a synthetic or laminated stock because of temperature and humidity changes and holding zero. My dad had a story about hunting deer in several days of rainy weather and missing an easy shot on a good buck. He checked zero was 2ft high. Let it dry out a couple weeks it was dead on. Wood stock Model 100 Winchester.

I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense but he was never one to BS.

 

i had a competent gunsmith glass and bed the barrel of my Remington 700 to prevent that issue back before non wood stocks.

I was thinking about it some more and thought I’d mention that I’d prefer a synthetic or laminated stock because of temperature and humidity changes and holding zero. My dad had a story about hunting deer in several days of rainy weather and missing an easy shot on a good buck. He checked zero was 2ft high. Let it dry out a couple weeks it was dead on. Wood stock Model 100 Winchester.

I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense but he was never one to BS.

Back in the day of only wood stocks we glassed and bedded the stock and floated the barrel a bit to prevent this.

 

I killed my only elk with a .300 Winchester and I basically chose that cartridge because it has a similar trajectory to the 7mm (albeit not so flat), and the frontal area of a .30-06. Either the 7mm or .30-06 will do fine, but if you are shooting out to 400 yards, I would go with the 7mm. Flatter and has better energy, even though I love the .30-06, I consider it a 300-yard cartridge for game bigger than deer, and you can stretch it to 350.

 

Hopefully headed out to Wyoming this year ( I'm pretty sure we have enough points) can't decide between my 30-06 and 7mm rem mag. Leaning toward my Tikka 7mm rem mag.

It doesn't matter one bit to the elk.

 

Townsend Whelen: “For all North American game a good . 30/06 is never a mistake.” .

 

30-06 and a 180 grain Partition = freezer filler.

 

+1. Nosler’s accuracy load for this one is 62 gr Reloader 22 at 2814 fps, which is also the favorite of my old M70. RL22 works great for my 270 as well. If you have the need for more speed then take a look at 7mm RUM.