New member looking to find the right spot to post/ask questions

[Ace Quackhunter]

Welcome to the forum! It's exciting to plan for a new adventure-- that is almost half the fun! You have been given lots of good advice. The guys on this forum and really knowledgeable and very generous with their time in dispensing advice. You have tons of options and there are trade offs with every cartridge choice. I had a similar dilemma to you with respect to wanting a longer range elk cartridge than my 308 deer rife --but I like to shoot a lot and want to be able to use the cartridge to hunt deer a fair amount as well as elk. So I went with a 7-- a 280AI. I looked at 7rm and the 300 (wm, RUM, prc, Sherman), and 7 (RM, Sherman, nosler 28), - all good stuff as well. Look at bullet choice early in the process due to where you live, the coronavirus affecting supply, and other factors. I postponed my first Elk hunt to 2021 -- so I have this summer and next to practice, develop loads ...and to dream.... Have fun on your new adventure. Mike

Mike, don't wait for your Elk Hunt, there will be over the counter tags in most states, if you missed the draw. We need everyone out in the woods this fall chasing Elk.
Ace

 

[thwatson2]

Agree with others 30-06 is a winner. Sometimes I think I need something else because I just want a reason For new gun. I now load 14 different rounds from 220 swift to 50 bmg. As I look at my loading bench with all those dies not including the 7 differ pistol rounds, I realize the 30-06 would satisfy all my hunting needs. But darned if I regret buying any of the guns I have. Well the 8mm Chinese Mauser May have been a mistake(I don't load for it) Basically, if you don't want to buy a new gun for deer/elk, don't! You have what you need. Go buy some real nice glass for your Remington

 

[Ace Quackhunter]

I would put a $2000.00 scope on a $200.00 rifle before I would do the other.

 

[zb338]

If it was up to me (it isn't though) I would buy a .338 for my elk rifle and
use the 30/06 for deer hunting. Why? because Winchester designed the
.338 for big game.
Zeke

 

[LiveToHunt7]

It never crossed my mind until I was having a conversation with a member here that there was more to my story. This is what originally drove me to be looking at a different chamber as I now have two rifles in the same cartridge.

I inherited a couple of guns from a late uncle and one of them was what seems to be a really old Savage 110 in 30-06, pictured here. I'm not sure if there's a "performance" improvement from the Remington over the Savage, but the Savage has meaning to me so I'll never sell it off.

I'm going to take everyone's advice and practice with the 06 for a while and upgrade the scope that I'll be using on one the rifles, but if the Savage will shoot just as well as the Rem, I'll be looking to sell the Remington to get another rifle.

Lastly, the scope I have is a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10x42. It has a BDC reticle and covered turrets that click at 1/4 MOA. Back when, I zero'd at 200. As I understand it, the BDC is supposed to act as the POA at different yardages, so is it not necessary to use the turrets to adjust elevation? Never took my shooting this serious til now

 

[Christensen 7mag]

I have killed many deer in ca with my 300 win mag and 300 rum. Put the bullet behind the shoulder minimal meat damage hit the shoulder it can be bad. My go to ca deer rifle is my 7mm rem mag with a 145 lrx. I'm just up the road from you in escalon

 

[25WSM]

What state has the most over the counter tags? Highest success rate?
I would like to go hunt elk somewhere but have no idea how.
Shep

 

[LiveToHunt7]

What state has the most over the counter tags? Highest success rate?
I would like to go hunt elk somewhere but have no idea how.
Shep

From what I've gathered, CO has multiple seasons and plenty of zones with OTC tags. No grizzlies to worry about either.........

Idaho also has lots of OTC tags but predators have started to take a toll on the elk population. Wolves and Grizzlies are moving further south it seems.

 

[catamountsierra]

From what I've gathered, CO has multiple seasons and plenty of zones with OTC tags. No grizzlies to worry about either.........

Idaho also has lots of OTC tags but predators have started to take a toll on the elk population. Wolves and Grizzlies are moving further south it seems.

If you come to Idaho, just get an OTC wolf tag or two... Lots of OTC tags here for deer, elk, bear, wolf, and mountain lion.

 

[LiveToHunt7]

I'm curious, how do you handle Grizz country? My buddy has tried talking me into going up into the panhandle, but that's my hold up. Not ashamed to say its mostly fear but a Grizz will kill you. Black bears are like rats in CA so I'm personally just not used to that level of red alert while out in the woods.

 

[catamountsierra]

I haven't done much hunting in Idaho's grizzly country; most of the state you wouldn't have to worry. Even with the increasing numbers they are relatively thin on the ground. Most issues with grizzlies that I hear of are the results of hikers startling them in thick berry patches or riparian areas, or hunters coming back to a kill to pack out meat. I've done a lot of work up in Montana grizzly country, and with the Forest Service I'm stuck with just the bear spray; I've seen lots of black bears up there, but in over 8 years I have only seen the back end of a grizzly once.

 

[basinman]

I grew up hunting deer in the woods and swamps of south Louisiana and I hunted with a Marlin 336C in 30-30. I got my grandfather to take me to JC Penny to buy that rifle when I was 14 years old. I still remember that it was on sale for $89.95. I killed many a deer with it and I still have that rifle. As I got a little older and was starting to hunt other places that required longer shots I wanted a bolt action rifle that I could hunt everything from deer to elk with. I chose a Winchester Model 70 in 300 WSM. I used 150 grain bullets for deer and antelope size game and 165 or 180 grain for the larger critters. This rifle worked great for all the hunting I was doing and the recoil was not bad at all. Now I own more rifles than I can count and select them based on the game I am going after. But most all of the cartridges mentioned in this forum would be great all around deer and elk takers. The main thing is to work up some accurate loads that you have confidence in and practice, practice, practice.

 

[Ace Quackhunter]

What state has the most over the counter tags? Highest success rate?
I would like to go hunt elk somewhere but have no idea how.
Shep

Depending on what you what to hunt, (Bull) or (Cow) most western states have left over or over the counter tags. Cow tags are the least expensive and there more of them. I hunt in New Mexico and the draw is over now, but the left over tags will be for sale this summer. I think Colorado has the most over the counter tags.
Ace

 

[Bob Wright]

Keep that '06 for a while. Then, on your first reloads, try the Barnes shown below. For whatever reason, the Barnes shoot very well, legal in the Peoples Republic, and simple to load for.
The rifle is a 1:10 twist Remington 700, SPS, with that plastic stock issued around 2015. Go figure.