Need an elk rifle

[Stickfight]

Early next year I will marry into a family that does a lot elk and mule deer hunting in Wyoming and Montana and my fiancé tells me that I should plan to join in. Family harmony and all that.

I have hunted around here a lot so I have about everything I need except a good rifle. Any help that would point me in the right direction would be appreciated.

 

[dtkw]

I'd take my Remmy 700 (30-06) for elks or bears. Or if you are a tough guy that could handle recoil better, go for the 300 WSM.

 

[Glock18FA]

Its hard to beat the 30-06. Ammo at every mom and pop gas station in the west.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

My father uses his Remington 760 in 30-06 for deer, moose, bear, elk, antelope, sheep, and so on. I don't know why, but he insists on 180 grain cor-lokt remingcrap ammo as well. Oh, and his like my 7600 is a pump action.

 

[rimfire_crazed]

Anything delivering .30-06 energy or greater that you can shoot accurately. In that category I'm partial to .270 or 7mm-Remington Magnum. You don't NEED anything bigger than .338 win mag. More information about your potential hunting grounds and average shot distance would help you make a more educated decision.

Alot of the television trophy hunters are shooting the short mags or the trusty .300 win. In all honesty they deliver way more on game energy than necessary - but if you're hunting for a trophy and not meat, all of the collateral damage doesn't really matter.

You're likely going to be paying out of state hunting fees, and when you add your travel and lodging into the mix, it doesn't make any sense to use a cheap bullet. Your bullet choice will be far more critical than your caliber choice. Swift, Nosler, Berger, whatever you choose, choose something premium. This is not the time to mess with $1/rd soft points.

 

[00BlasterResto]

Me, my cousin and a couple of buddys plan on doing an Elk hunt here in the next year or 2. I went with a Remington 700 30-06 myself.
Haven't used it in the field yet though.

 

[randyb]

.270 win or wsm, 30-06, 300 win mag or 300 wsm would be right at the top of the list for me. For what its worth i have an '06 myself. Its just so versatile.

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

I have a Win 70 in 7mm Rem mag that was my go-to rifle in Utah.
Any good bolt gun will serve you well. Savage, Remington, Winchester were common place in the Uintas and Wasatch.
For flat trajectory shooting up draws across small valleys the 7mm was great.
The distances can somtimes be decieving, especially if you're not used to the wide open spaces the western states can offer.
Had two buddies out there, one with a Winchester 30-30 that was devistating on mule deer as he was an excellent shot (always dropped them dead in their tracks), and another who had a Savage in 30-06, proven very effective on deer. I'd choose the 30-06 for elk out of the two of them, and wouldn't hesitate at all with the 7mm. My brother in law came out one season with a 7mm too, his was a Tikka if I remember correctly.

 

[42769vette]

as far as caliber take you pick of 270 and above for elk.

i went elk hunting a few years ago and i took a wby mkv accumark in 300wby. it did great but to be honest it probably didn't do any better than a rem 700 or savage that would have cost 1/2 as much. i shot my elk in the neck (all i could see) @ 438 or 432 yds i cant remember. a 308 would have had the same effect for less money.

however i do recomend the 300 wby if money is not a factor. if money is get a savage 308 or a tc venture in 308 and good glass

 

[dean2182]

I have a 7 mm rem mag-Weatherby Vanguad from Wally World topped off with a 4x12 gold ring.With hand loads will group 3/4" @ 100 yd. I have practiced at 400 yard but never killed anything over 150 yd. My gun has visited 14 states & 3 provences

 

[kludge]

If it were me, and I needed a dedicated elk rifle, I'd probably go with something in .338 caliber or larger...

.338-06 if you handload it to it's potential can have 2,000 fps and 2,000 ft*lb left at 400 yards, and that would be my choice.

Not a handloader? .338 WinMag, .325 WSM, any of the .300 Mags would work, but I would want to shoot 225's rather than 180's.

 

[Stickfight]

From what I hear the shooting is done in pretty wide open space, so I think I'll need to practice up a lot before I go. They also hike in a ways and camp.

 

[Yeah]

As far as something sitting on a shelf right now, you want a Kimber Montana. 7mm-08 would be a direct hit for what you want, 7WSM if you can find one and I don't beat you to it. 243 Win if the above can't be had.

They can be beat, maybe, by a first generation 700 Ti but those are rare and the more I use the Montana the less I miss my dead Ti. Otherwise to get even close you have to drift into custom territory.

 

[wabash]

go old school.

bolt action, wood stock, .30-06 or .270.

put a weaver k-4 on it

 

[Arm America]

Whelen 35 would be a nice addition to what your looking for.

 

[glockednlocked]

270wsm make a great all-around western caliber. I have one in my safe I have tryed to sell a couple times then the call of the west tells me "keep it you love it you will go out west again one day" I love the 338 and up big bores (really liked a 475 ruger I had) but age and aches and pains (if not wisdom) tells me the 270wsm will do anything that needs done in the lower 48

 

[thoffman]

.

 

[thoffman]

go old school.

bolt action, wood stock, .30-06 or .270.

put a weaver k-4 on it

2 words MOSIN NAGANT, just like the beginning of enemy at the gates...but only an elk lol

(sorry for the double post...i messed up the quote and didnt know how to fix it)

 

[Stickfight]

I'll probably skip the nugget even though I've shot one a few times and think the muzzle blast alone would do the job. Fun gun but the stock beats me up too bad to do the practice I need.

No plans to handload but if I really get into this I might down the road.

 

[Dbusby2009]

2 words MOSIN NAGANT, just like the beginning of enemy at the gates...but only an elk lol

(sorry for the double post...i messed up the quote and didnt know how to fix it)

We will be going Elk hunting soon hoffman.. Need some bigger fire power first.