Ok, @ Elk Questions for Starters

[Nomad]

Go with a AI 280 no need of a brake it will shoot a
standard 280 rem and its flat shooting shoots
with the 7 mags less powder and less kick...

[J E Custom]

Slim

Go with the 280 and the 300win mag.

280 can be light and will be great for deer size game to 600yrds + .
300 win mag good for Elk size game 400yrds+ and with a varmint/sendero
weight recoil is fine.

Plus you can buy factory ammo almost any where.

Just my 2 cents
J E CUSTOM

[MontanaRifleman]

You're going to shoot how far? 600 yds? If that's all the farther you're going to shoot then you don't need a custom. Custom rifles are great but you can get a SAKO 85 for less than half of a custom and have a great 600 yd rifle. And when the barrel wears out in 10 or 20 years, you'll have a great SAKO action to build on with a custom barrel.

I know a guy with a Sako 75 300 WSM who shoots 1/2 inch groups @ 200 yds with fed blue box ammo. It is easily a 600 yd rifle and potentially a 900 - 1000 yd rifle with the right bullet.

I agree with with getting real good glass. You could easily get by with an Elite 4200, but A NF 3 1/2 x 15 would be a great choice. The NF would last you a life time.

The whole set up would wiegh about 9 lb with loaded mag.

Yeah, a 300 WSM would kick a little on the bench but there are ways to get around that and you would feel little to nothing shooting game in the field.

300 WSM
180 AB or TSX or MRX, MV-3000 fps
165 TSX, MV - 3100+ fps

This would be a good single elk rifle for hauling around or setting up.

[Tracer]

Slimwallet, I'll give you my thoughts OK. You don't like recoil hey! Well then that leaves out the 300 Win mag altogether because that rascal does kick. The 30-06 is A-OK but not a flat a shooting as the 7mm mag and it will reach out to the beyound 400 yard barrier you mentioned. Most guides I have run into over the last 20 years, carry a 7mm mag because it gets the job done and is easy to shoot......not a lot of recoil, making it far more accurate at those LONG RANGE SHOTS.

I myself am a big fan of the 300 Ultra Mag and the .338 calibers down and up the scale but most of these "KICK" a bit more than many hunters care to deal with, speaking of their shoulder. It took me a good 2 years to master the 300 win mag and another 2 years before the accuracy of my .338 win mag was where I thought it should be on target. My advice once again would be to go the route of the 7mm Remington magnum, using a synthetic stock with a 3 x 9 scope on top the barrel.

[snowpro440]

yea if your afraid of recoil get 308 if you can handle a little get the 300wsm with the brake like the browning eclipse then you can take the brake off or leave it on when you shoot at the bench . this gun is very capable of shooting 1000 ydsI have one and its not a belted case so you dont have to buy special dies to resize down to the belt like the belted mags [ theres an extra $80] so you actually get more gun for the moneyge(

[338 bruce]

I bought my 85 lb daughter a 338 fed and put a burris bal plex scope on it. It will reach out to 650 yds and has very little recoil, and it is still a 338 when it hits on the other end.

[Tracer]

338-Bruce......You really did that hey! Why don't you get her a .500 S&W with a brake on the front end and she would not have to carry so much weight. LOL