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Elk Rifle
- Thread starter wapahiti
- Start date
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Jaybird1980
Grandmaster
I had a 7 mag yrs ago, not bad. Sold it to go to .300 winmag, which was fine but a little punchy.
Sold it to go 338 winmag, but shot a buds .35 Whelen w hot handloads. No belted cartridge, 250grainers next to .338 winmag V, and a big shove.
Pretty freakin cool.
Alas, that was yrs ago, and I only went elk hunting once, w MZ.
Did buy a general purpose rifle in case I ever went for elk. Boring ol .30-06.
Figure 165s would do it, or go to 180s.
I think rifle/cartridge the least of concerns when trying to find and then shoot something at elevation. Its gonna be a lot harder now than it was then.
My cartridge selection was partially based on the rifle available. Wanted a Steyr Pro Hunter and all that was left were .30-06 and .300 winmag. IMHO a .30 is a .30, so chose less blast and thump.
Just means I gotta get a little closer.
Maybe.
Sold it to go 338 winmag, but shot a buds .35 Whelen w hot handloads. No belted cartridge, 250grainers next to .338 winmag V, and a big shove.
Pretty freakin cool.
Alas, that was yrs ago, and I only went elk hunting once, w MZ.
Did buy a general purpose rifle in case I ever went for elk. Boring ol .30-06.
Figure 165s would do it, or go to 180s.
I think rifle/cartridge the least of concerns when trying to find and then shoot something at elevation. Its gonna be a lot harder now than it was then.
My cartridge selection was partially based on the rifle available. Wanted a Steyr Pro Hunter and all that was left were .30-06 and .300 winmag. IMHO a .30 is a .30, so chose less blast and thump.
Just means I gotta get a little closer.
Maybe.
Jaybird1980
Grandmaster
My 25-06 was an awesome shooter. 300 yards was easy.
I cannot speak to elk, but can say that for deer there was some added satisfaction in taking an animal with my own handloaded round.
OP: What else do you want to do with the rifle?
That may also help make a decision.
Make it a long range paper puncher means a different platform/cartridge than also making it into a white-tail rifle for here at home.
And "off the shelf" ammo availability (hahahaha) should also come in to play.
Take this with a grain of salt as I'm neither a long range paper puncher nor a hunter: But if it were *ME*, I'd probably look for a short action vs. a long action. My ONLY reason for this: I used to listen to a long-range competitor's podcast; and he'd suggest a shorter action (.308) over a longer action (.30-06) just due to how much a .30-06 would beat up a shoulder and how much more powder it would burn. But, keep in mind, that was target shooting and not hunting.
But, again, inside of 300 yards - .308 is good medicine.
That may also help make a decision.
Make it a long range paper puncher means a different platform/cartridge than also making it into a white-tail rifle for here at home.
And "off the shelf" ammo availability (hahahaha) should also come in to play.
Take this with a grain of salt as I'm neither a long range paper puncher nor a hunter: But if it were *ME*, I'd probably look for a short action vs. a long action. My ONLY reason for this: I used to listen to a long-range competitor's podcast; and he'd suggest a shorter action (.308) over a longer action (.30-06) just due to how much a .30-06 would beat up a shoulder and how much more powder it would burn. But, keep in mind, that was target shooting and not hunting.
But, again, inside of 300 yards - .308 is good medicine.
As for rifles, there are a lot of good rifles it's just a matter of what weight you're willing to put up with and the features you want. Bergara rifles are nice but are going to be a bit heavier than the Browning or the Tikka that was mentioned. IMO, although the Browning and the Tikka are fairly close in weight, I like the stock on the Browning better and think it handles recoil a bit better for harder kicking rounds. Depending on the particular Hell's Canyon model you were looking at, the Sako S20 is also a very nice rifle for a similar price chambered in 7MM mag with a bit extra weight to help tame recoil like the Bergara.
Dads old Savage 110 7mm Remington Magnum has a lightweight thin barrel. It's made for 3 maybe 4 shots then let it cool down.
If it's pure hunting I'd say 3 shots is definitely going going to be rare. A Plus to that is it's a very lightweight rifle even with its 22" barrel.
7mm Remington Magnum recoil is really light considering the cartridge.
If it's pure hunting I'd say 3 shots is definitely going going to be rare. A Plus to that is it's a very lightweight rifle even with its 22" barrel.
7mm Remington Magnum recoil is really light considering the cartridge.
OP,
The Sportsman's Warehouse on 31 (south side), has Tikka T3x rifles and Browning (pretty sure Hells Canyon). I live in Greenwood and have a Bergara B-14 Hunter (7-08). This would be a good chance for you to hold each.
I will repeat what was said in a post above, anything from 270 to 30-06 will work great.
The Sportsman's Warehouse on 31 (south side), has Tikka T3x rifles and Browning (pretty sure Hells Canyon). I live in Greenwood and have a Bergara B-14 Hunter (7-08). This would be a good chance for you to hold each.
I will repeat what was said in a post above, anything from 270 to 30-06 will work great.
sloughfoot
Grandmaster
My Elk rifle is Grandpa's Remington 721 in 270. A rifle that is light is a big plus. Hopefully you are in good shape....It is hard work...
A neighbor of mine is a CO native. She said that a lot of her family elk hunt quite a bit. I expressed my jealousy... She basically invited me on a trip "one of these days".
Apparently, though, they use horses to pack in and pack out.
that's my kind of rugged terrain hiking!
Guy I used to work with had a 25-06 that he hunted out west with for Elk. Not sure of the availability of ammo for it now. I had a 7mm RM for a while in just a Remington 700 ADL. It would shoot sub 1"MOA @ 100yds. I think ammo for both are scarce and expensive at the moment. I picked up the 7mm because it's almost identical to the 300 ballistics, but recoil is significantly less.
sheepdog697
Expert
6.5 PRC is a pretty popular one at the moment. Have a friend that went elk hunting this year, and took one with this caliber. Was pretty devastating. I think he was using the 143 eld-x. Youll get about 200fps more than standard 6.5 cm....
