Pick a Marlin M1895 or a Winchester Model 1886 and hunt happy in the knowledge that youve got bull-thumping wallop in every thumb-sized cartridge. will kick with 29.3 ft-lb, and the 300 will slap you with 37 ft-lb. What does a 380+INCH Elk look like? Home Accommodations Photos/Sizes Pricing Reviews . If you think those measurements deviate from the magic number, just add or subtract the differences accordingly. This one had a great whale tail but smallish bottoms. } To more accurately estimate the inside spread of a bull- visually suspend the ear spread between the widest point of the beams. Heres what to do when you run up against non typicals or bulls such as 77s. The best three-shot group came courtesy of Hornady 's .280 AI Precision Hunter load pushing a 162-grain ELD-X bullet at around 2,800 fps and measured exactly 0.40 inch center-to-centerclearly outstanding for a factory rifle/ammunition combination. Check back next week when I go into even more detail and provide indepth examples on field judging elk. Not that its a better choice; its just extremely common, and yes, its pretty darned good at making meat. Just make sure you have the best rifle for the terrain you intend to hunt. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. He got a mature bull without issue. border-color: #656565; While not quite reliable, it has its place at times. 1. Thanks to current long-range shooting trends, hunters have more and better options than ever. This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Youll appreciate that kind of performance if you can handle the recoil. My picks for the best elk hunting calibers are what I consider the best, not the most popular. Hunting elk in Colorado requires patience and a keen eye. The .378 will kill an elk but not any deader than 6.5 Creedmoor. The author, center, with a 6x6 248 . I know small-framed hunters who happily pay the gravitational price for packing Granddads M1886 Winchester lever-action in .45/70. The .30/30, .300 Savage, .30/06, .300 Win. Sierra uses three alloys for rifle bullets, with antimony proportions of 1.5, 3 and 6 percent. Duck and goose hunters worry that unguided waterfowl hunting in Manitoba could eventually become a thing of the past for most Americans, Sometimesunder some circumstanceshunting is hard to explain. Nov 2, 2008. Free or royalty-free photos and images. high B.C. Anyone call/bring in blacktail or black bear? Mature bulls have heavy bones, dense muscle, and loads of resilience from. Its faster than the 6.5-284, and more efficient than the 26 Nosler. Mag. Ill stick my neck out and say it: This is the best 6.5mm cartridge ever devised for hunting. text-align: center All Rights Reserved. hatched five years later and gave big brother a real run for his money. The second method requires you to actually break the elk down and measure him by estimating actual point and beam length, mass and inside spread. will handle the .338 Win. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. It will break heavy bone, penetrate deep and straight, and kill quickly and cleanly. It has nice tails but the 4 is a little short as well as the 3. Plus, ammo is available in just about every sporting goods shop across the West. At magnum velocities, the soft bullets tended to fragment and fail to penetrate adequately. AccuBond Long Range or a comparable bullet with its high B.C. The easier the terrain, the heavier the hunting rifle youll be able to tolerate. Its not my all-time favorite elk cartridge, but its a really, really close second. Pictures of dead elk don't do much good. If the .338s are the best caliber on the upper end for elk, the 7mms are the best at the lower end. These measurements can vary widely depending on where you put the tape. It was the only non-typical on Area 23! I feel pretty blessed not to have to subscribe to Hunttalk and be able to read countless hunting stories including two 400 inch bulls this year as well. .tg td { Add these to the base of 200 for your total of 344. 82= 16. Fine options include the old .264 Win. If a Berger (hunting) VLD from a 7mm Rem mag can effectively kill bull elk with enough downrange velocity and energy out to 900 yards (with the right optics of course), as I`ve seen on TV, then certainly a 280 Rem can do the job within all reported (long and short) AVERAGE hunting distances for elk, which are mostly all within 500 yards. Sixteen-year-old Cody Vine of Arizona took this 7x6 bull elk scoring 428 while bowhunting in the Kaibab National Forest last fall. .284-inch bullet or a 180-gr. Generally, a bull with a 300 class rack will be 4 or 5 years old. Your taste in rifle weight, mass, and recoil will color your choices. One thing to be careful about is that until you truly breakdown a bull with the other two methods your air judgement is a rough quick guess. Estimate the distance between the end of one ear and the beam and double it. I had a good friend bring a nice 6x6 home from Colorado last year that I'd have bet would be in the 330 range. The .338/06 adds about 200 fps muzzle velocity for about two inches less drop at 300 yards and roughly 300 ft-lb more punch. Taking this into account gives us 378 to around 385. While growing up in the early 1960s, I lived next to the federal elk refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. at 3,000 fps. background-color: #333333; We have three other primary assumptions being made here. In 2015, Mann began contributing to Field & Stream to cover guns, ammunition, ballistics, and hunting. Scoring mounted bulls is a great way to improve your skills as well. Good luck on your hunts and have fun field judging the bulls! Mag., and you understand why its not just the most popular .300 magnum of all time, but one of the best all-round elk calibers of all time. Download Bull Elk Close Up stock photos. We have updated our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy as of May 5th, 2020, http://www.mckenhunting.com/Gallery_23_01.htm, Hunting Montana 2022 and looking forward to 2023, Two new elk hunters, a breath of fresh air, What caliber are you using to get pass through shots on elk. JavaScript is disabled. It hits harder than the .30/06 and even the old .300 H&H Magnum without as much recoil as the .338. Choose at least medium weight for caliber: 140 grains in 6.5mm and the lighter 7mms; 140 and 150 grains in .270s; 150 to 160 grains in faster 7mms; 165 or 180 grains in .30 calibers. I am working up elk loads with both. Make sure that you look for curl or lots of curve. That topped the previous mark of 409 7/8 taken by Dana Foster of Ogallala in Garden County in 2008. These days certain 6.5mms have been growing in popularity despite relatively light bullets and muzzle velocities well under 3,000 fps. Featuring a belt-free, standard-length case with a shoulder sharp enough to provide ultimate capacity and internal efficiency, yet not too steep for slick feeding, it outperforms even the .300 Weatherby Magnumand fits in standard-size bolt actions. for me. a 300 bull needs to have the 5/6 points close to the same length as the 4th. JavaScript is disabled. Dont cripple yourself with a moderate-velocity cartridge that doesnt handle heavy, high-ballistic-coefficient projectiles well. Sounds like a deal, lets compromise. If you want fast .30-caliber authority coupled with compact-rifle ergonomics, this is your poison. The tighter the cover, the shorter the rifle. What is the average muzzle energy for a .280 Remington? 422 inch elk) he took this whitetail deer. For instance, if a bull is a fairly symmetrical 66 just add up one side of his points (G1, G2, G3, G4, & G5) and multiply by two. Add these to the base of 200 for a total of 360. Kent's trophy bull scored 401 2/8 inch, non-typical SCI! text-align: center; Some cartridges take root in the hunting world quickly, others fade . There are several things I like to do when trying to estimate the actual measurements on a bull elk. padding: 10px 5px; Mag. I have used this bullet for deer hunting and it is the best deer . Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Mature bulls have heavy bones, dense muscle, and loads of resilience from years of shrugging off battle wounds. font-size: 18px; It requires a true magnum-length action, and is hard on barrels. Mag., and no one howls about that being too fast. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. But to help in estimating a net score remember that most big bulls will have 10 to 12 inches of total symmetry deductions. When it first came out in 1962, it sent the then four-year-old .264 Winchester Magnum into a tailspin. Some .30-calibers work best in lever actions, some in short actions, some in full magnum actions. Factory ammo performs neck and neck with the legendary .300 Win. Keep in mind with this Base 200 system that as you go below 340 size bulls your base 200 numbers will need to be slightly adjusted as noted below. After locating a big herd bull, Eastman comes up with a plan to take advantage of an unusually hot fall elk hunting season. 2023 Western Hunting Application Deadlines, New feature released on Insider Hunt Planner, Point Tracker: Your first step in researching hunts, How to import waypoints from other sources to GOHUNT Maps, Dialing in your fitness now to be ready for fall, Research your way to big bucks with a tool you're probably not using, The ABCs of finding a legit hunting partner. Bull elk have large, spreading antlers. whats the biggest bull everyone has shot? Just as importantly, it delivers plenty of punch on far-distant impacts. .tg { By 600 yards that energy advantage will have dropped to just 180 ft-lb. So match your 7mm elk dreams to your recoil tolerance and select among this big family. Apr 28, 2020. 5 Rifle Cartridges That Need to Make a Comeback. You should look for at least 4 of curl for a 20 tine). (Photo courtesy of James and Cody Vine) October 26, 2022 By Mark Demko. of .616 from a 24-inch barrel 3,000 fps and a 190-gr. Mag., .338 RUM, .338 Lapua Mag., and massive .338-378 Wby. Thats good enough for 3,500 ft-lb muzzle punch. Thats why I like 7mm and .30-caliber magnums with tough, heavy bullets, and why I consider an elk hunter toting a .338 magnum a wise man. Mag. Distance capabilityreachis all about the sister virtues of speed and aerodynamics. } Some bulls may vary from this, but these are very realistic of what you will see on mature 66 bulls. Mag. Anybody got pictures? Trying to determine mass is very hard and requires scoring quite a few racks, but if you use those numbers, you will often be close. Mag. Most hunters . Five whopper Pennsylvania bull elk are in this year's state record book, including the new state #1 non-typical, 455-inch bull elk taken in 2020 in Elk County by hunter Duane Kramer. cannot measure up to the .338 Win. Well, I can post just what you need. The 9 pointer scored 135 2/8 inches SCI. Lighter recoil matched to .300 Win. These totals amount to 303. "I like Treestand because I hunt in a lot of dark timber, high in the mountains, and on land that has been burned. A final consideration these days is availability of guns and ammo. Although its new on the block, this cartridge is the best-engineered hunting 7mm available. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Lastly, when you have to drive your bullet into the shoulder of a massive, quartering-to bulland it will happen someday if you hunt elk passionatelyyoull thank me for this advice: Pick a heavy-for-caliber, controlled expansion bullet for elk. BUT a 250" 5x5 would be a real nice bull, as long as the price isn't too high! This is on the upper end of that. But that doesnt seem to matter. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. Mag. (The distance from the antler pedicle to the end of the nose on a mature bull is about 16 to 18 inches.) Elk (Wapiti) have standing shoulder heights between 4'-5'7" (122-170 cm), head-to-body lengths in the range of 6'10"-8" (208-244 . You must always have two views. In essence, good elk cartridges drive tough, heavy bullets of healthy diameter, and drive em fast. Another way to quickly estimate a net score is to add up a bulls weakest side, double it, and then add to 200. Youll be much more satisfied with the outcome of most of your elk hunts. A 140- to 150-grain .264 driven to the same speeds as a .270 Win. This is my son's bull from a couple years ago. Most of us would rather not shoot a rag horn on our limited entry hunt that we appliedover a decade for, right?! Thats right, you should have already shot! This is a 297 bull that has a broken tine. The .300 RUM takes magnum .30-caliber performance to the limits of practical. Add 16 to 26 (tip to tip) and you have a spread of 42. Bulls scoring 350-380 . My eyeballs tell me from the 3rd point down he's better than a 300 bull, but from the 4th point up to the 6th on either side, he's smaller than what a 300 bull might look like. Mag., look at a .338 Federal, .358 Win., or even 7mm-08 Win. Though it's not an extremely popular elk cartridge, there's not a darn reason why you can't go elk hunting with the 280 AI. Looking for a Hunting or Fishing Partner. arrived in 1958 as a short magnum derived from the .375 H&H belted magnum case. With the right bullet, a .270 will put down any bull walking the earth today. Faster models like .270 Wby. When you push past this performance level with a 7 mm cartridge, you do so with diminishing returns as far as velocity goes. While not quite reliable, it has its place at times. If you hunt massive-bodied Roosevelt bulls in the rain forests of the Northwest, or pine clad ridges and canyon bottoms anyplace where 200 yards is a long shot, this is a prime cartridge. overflow: hidden; Unless you work with a custom gun builder and handload, study factory options before choosing. Mag. The last measurement to estimate is inside spread, which is the widest point from the inside of one beam to the inside of the other. That is, the best of the best for terminating elk without beating up shooters. Elk wont care one way or the other so long as you use a suitable bullet and park it properly. The Giant 5x5, I know he is a 7x5, but this is what we have always called him.3 Consecutive Years of video footage of this Giant. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for elk to be approximately 200 yards. If it is shorter or longer than the hump on the back, I add or subtract inches accordingly. Mags. Thanks guys those are some awesome bulls. For elk, pick a really tough bullet and if possible, pick broadside shots. It has a near perfect balance of length, width, power, and recoil. The outfitter only takes 3 or 4 hunters per week, September 7 to 12, 18 to 23 and October 5 to 10 giving the ranch a rest between hunts. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Mag. Certainly the .270s and 6.5mms can and do take elk annually, but one would be hard pressed to recommend them as optimum. 2012, 2013 & now join us on. The old .270 Winchester has been hotly debated since 1925, yet it has been a favorite among thousands of elk pros. some of the bulls we have taken scoring over 400 inches. I warned you this is a big family. The distance from that hump down his front leg to his hoof is generally 54 to 58, depending on the maturity of the bull. font-family: Arial, sans-serif; I believe I had 59 or 60 grains of Alliant Reloader 22 pushing that Barnes 3,100 fps, give or take 50 fps. Heft up to a 10-pound rifle and kick will calm to just 32.7 ft-lb. Our Genetics are improving each year and our antler average is getting bigger each year. Advertisement. Mag., and elk hardly know the difference. The tougher the terrain, the lighter. You are using an out of date browser. Look to something that fires a 7mm or bigger heavy-for-caliber projectile at around 3,000 fps. This guys is on the lower end of your range just breaking 260. The right bullet in the right place. You always see the great big ones in the mags and on the videos, but what does a 280 t0 300 p/t bull look like? Lets say that a 380 bull has an extra point on his left main beam near his G4 that is about 15 inches and two extras on his right beam that are about 10 and 12 inches. Is the .280 Remington a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for elk hunting? New in 2018, the SCI Foundation Veterans Committee auctioned a sponsorship for a combat veteran to go on a 400-420-inch bull elk hunt. I feel that if you can estimate a bull on the hoof within 10 inches, you are a good field judge. Kent also took a fallow deer. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Let's look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Everybody wants a 400 inch bull elk, but that isn't really a realistic expectation. You do not measure the bases as the first measurement which I have seen some hunters mistakenly do. 300 Bull: G1= 14, G2= 14, G3=10, G4= 16, G5= 8. color: #ffffff; Here's an elk I arrowed that gross scored 310" and netted 301" P&Y: Sorry for the bad picture it was the only one I had scanned. thanks coondog. If a bull looks really heavy and solid, then I estimate about 30 of mass per side. background-color: #efefef; 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. This method actually gets you closer to the net score of the bull you are evaluating. Ammunition can be found at every small-town hardware store across America. Keep in mind the beam tip is counted as a point, but not measured as a point. Las Vegas, NV 89113. What's New in Bowhunting World 320 Bull: G1=15, G2= 15, G3= 12, G4= 16, G5= 8. But not so much that youre afraid to shoot it. hunting. A 300 class bull usually has eye guards and brow tines that are less that the diatance from his eyes to the end of his nose. Winchesters original loadings included a 200-grain bullet rated 3,000 fps, a 250-grain at 2,700 fps, and a heavy 300-grain at 2,450 fps from 24-inch barrels. In the question of Is the .280 Remington within the ideal range of suitable calibers for elk hunting? our answer is: Lets look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. as with all other cartridges, and in every case its been outstanding. Here is a 330 gross bull with a down turned brow ;^). Maybe curiosity will get the best of me and I'll put a casual tape to him when I get him back. Want the best cartridge for elk hunting? Elk bullets must be tough enough to provide adequate penetration. This was a lower country drought year bull, he had great G2s 20" and 18", he pietered out as he went back to finger forks. Probably the most important aspect of field judging bulls is to have a solid, accurate starting place to build from. Despite the age and reputation of the 6.555 Swede cartridge across Europe, the 26-calibers have never been a go to for elk in North America. Every good elk cartridge has three primary characteristics: authority, reach, and good bullets. Calibers lighter and heavier than the 7mms through .338s can be considered excellent for elk. Browse 755 big bull elk stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. You must log in or register to reply here. Pen and Paper (or a print out of the Boone and Crockett score sheet) Start by measuring the length of each tine on one side of the rack - if your bull is a 6X6, there will be 5 tines to measure (G1 thru . border-color: black; Best bullets are the 7mm 155- to 175-grainers, and the .30-caliber 180- to 200-grainers. I think sometimes I forget how nice a 300" elk really is when you read and get caught up in the numbers of 350+ trophy elk. :wink: The other thing is how a bull makes 300. My archery bull from last week goes right around 300, maybe an inch or two below. The 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, and .308 Winchester rifles have 22-inch barrels. Next, I estimate the length of the shortest point for each antler, double it and then add them up. Hit an elk with a 175-gr. After those stalwarts comes a blizzard of .30-calibers that claw their way up the power scale. As little as .1 percent copper can cause hard spots.) .tg .th-lmno { No rough-and-tough manly man in the 1960s was going to admit he couldnt handle that. Notice by comparing these classes of bulls that misjudging a couple of points by a couple of inches will affect the accuracy of your score. The first method is to air judge - also known as "the wing-it approach," which is based on experience and prior knowledge. This was and is one key to the .300 Win. Assumnig it is not deformed,anything with 7-8 inch 5th & 6th and bigger 4ths is going to put you there. No other elk cartridge offers the combination of style and performance like the .300 Weatherby does. There are big bull elk. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. Mag. border-color: #656565; Buy and sell new and used guns online from anywhere in the world on Guns International, including pistols, shotguns, rifles, handguns, revolvers, ammo and more. Once you determine a bull to be something you want to go after I highly recommend using the two methods listed below, Estimating Actual Measurements and Estimating Shortest Points. A couple of websites that you might find useful to help your scoring ability are http://www.boone-crockett.org/, and www.Pope-Young.org. The .280 Ackley Improved is hot these days, flying about 100 fps behind the 7mm Rem. Here's how to set realistic expectations, get it done, and have a blast. Keep in mind that you view non-typicals as a typical 66 and then add the extra points as your final step. Also known as the .280 Ackley Improved or the .280 Remington Ackley Improved, the .280 AI is basically a .280 Remington case (itself a .30-06 Springfield case necked down to 7mm/.284") that's . "Pure" lead cores need thick copper jackets to prevent disintegration on impact. Mag. #12. longbowelk said: I have a 7mm 08 22 inch barrel Savage model 11 and a custom 280AI, 26 inch 1 in 9 barrel. First, I use anatomical references to estimate several of the point lengths. Using our system, lets see what it would take to make a 350 bull. These totals amount to right at 320. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Yes, it lacks one of the three virtues vital to great elk cartridges. Its so common that it may seem a bit boring, but this is probably the most versatile elk cartridge availableso long as you choose the right bullet. No idea why the pic is upside down.just flip your phone. If you only have one elk on the wall, a bull with six inch forks will "look" big. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1764766e3627da And realize that after a hunt or choice you might want to choose differently. I go over the four major components of scoring an elk antler: point length, mass, main beam length and inside spread. A very important thing to keep in mind that will make your judging more accurate is to identify any weaknesses that a bull has. Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online. Mag. Still, any .37-caliber pushing 250- to 300-grain bullets faster than about 2,500 fps is going to lead to copious amounts of skinning and packing. If the point is 10 shorter, then the bull probably has a 20 fourth point. . First impressions of a bull while air judging is extremely important. Grossed at 323 and netted 318. And yes, shots on elk can be far. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. I think if a bull grows it, he should get credit for it. A bull elk is a male, which is much larger and heavier than a female, called a cow. So, I'm guessing him to be in that range you asked about. It will take 3 trips at 97 lbs per trip, 4 trips at 73 lbs per trip and 5 trips at 58 lbs per trip. If recoil isnt a concern, you can slide up the power charts via the 33 Nosler, .340 Wby. Big cartridges provide forgiving margins of error. But, credit where credit is due, its a great elk cartridge. Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in elk hunting. Whats not to like? Shot opportunities come dear when hunting big bulls on public land, and nothing is better for tricky shot angles than a hard-hitting, deep-driving .338 bullet. Be careful not to air judge too quickly because once you start saying a bull is 325 and he really is 300 your judging scale gets skewed. Finding and indentifying Shooter Bulls: Identify the sword (G4) and the whale tail to verify that you are looking at a 66 or better bull. This meant the .338 Win. Kel-Tec KS7 Pump Action Shotgun Specifications and features. Slide up to some of the new 190-gr. With the right bullets, it can actually hit harder than the 375 H&H Magnum at longer ranges. For big game hunting precise shot placement is critical no matter the cartridge, and its damn hard to place a shot precisely when you know youre going to get smacked hard enough to loosen your teeth and knock out your boogers. This takes us back to the launch. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo. There is a persistent myth flying about that the 7mm Rem Mag shoots too fast. Many claim its bullets dont have time to open. text-align: center; On a mature bull, that measurement is usually 15 to 16. 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. may have inspired Winchester to bring out its marvelous .300 magnum the very next year. GOHUNT is a registered trademark of GOHUNT, LLC. Click to reveal Here's the story of his hunt. Some come in ultralight rifles for easy mountain hunting, some in extra heavy platforms for stand hunting or longer range shooting. Note that most 380 bulls will have 52 to 56 inch beams, and a spread of potentially more than 40 inches. Skills The hunt was extra special since his father, James (right), who's also a professional guide, called the big bull in for him. With the right bullet, the .338 RCM is good all the way from 500 yards down to thick-timber distances. Note: If you are new to elk antler scoring or scoring in general, you can jump down to the bottom and watch the short four part video series on how to score an elk antler. This is the unfortunate trade off. Mag. One grosses about 315 and I can't recall exactly, but the other is in the 260-270 range. word-break: normal; Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Dozens of indignant elk hunters sent up a wail when the first elk cartridges article went live on F&Sbecause I hadnt included their .300 RUM favorite. Ya know, after looking at these pics, I think these bulls are bigger than I expected! Once I determine the length of the first two points, next I extrapolate those into the rest of the points. In this case, the average weight of an adult male elk is approximately 720 lbs. Elk 280-300" Bulls Brush Buster Mar 30, 2021 1 2 3 4 5 Next Mar 30, 2021 #1 Brush Buster Well Known Rokslider Joined Sep 21, 2017 Messages 275 Let's see some pics of legit 280-300" gross bulls! Mag. So, with the proper balance in mind lets look at a great method for scoring mature bulls on the hoof. In late summer the velvet dries and falls off to reveal the bonelike structure of the fully-grown antlers. Theyre all proven to kill elk with proper shot placement and are available in rifles you wont mind carrying in the mountains. overflow: hidden; Bullets engineered to expand at 7mm terminal velocities are the ticket, and there are plenty of them. Various sources suggest that Remington engineers were interested in creating a high powered 7mm cartridge for several years before reaching their long term goal. FORLOH AllClima Softshell and AllClima Stretch Woven Pant Review. Thats a lot of antler! With the draw results out in the western states there are many hunters celebrating their good fortune in the draw. Cartridge means the case that holds the powder that drives the bullet. From: WapitiBob 20-Apr-12 Your 280 with 150 gr partitions will do just fine on cow elk.