Mountain rifle

[dogz]

That was a very good reply I think that sticking with 300wm will probably be a better option to stick with since shot placement would be less critical with the 300. As long as the recoil isn't a problem that is.

After 44 years of hunting, killing, tracking and packing elk (oh an eating them.............you'd best be rethinking the whole "shot placement would be less critical" thing............

 

[teesquare]

Shot placement is KING.....Everything else has a lower priority. I know fellas that have removed large whitetail from property - acting as exterminators - and used .22 LR. One shot.
The idea of "harvesting with a .338 or similar makes me laugh. I KNOW the damage these calibers do - and the waste of meat is something I would not tolerate when hunting.

 

[Mark37082]

And I am looking for a rifle that will be maybe 7-8 pounds without a scope so it doesn't need to be feather light but I don't want a 12lb bench gun. I am a 26year old diesel mechanic and 6'3" and 240lb so I'm not scared of the recoil by any means, but I know the recoil can throw you off a bit if you don't practice a lot with it but I'm hoping to run it suppressed to cut down on it a little.

With my 308 I was shooting 6-8" groups at 800yards so I'm thinking 8-900 yards would be my max shooting range.

I do a lot of deer hunting up here in northern Minnesota but I think the longest I've shot deer at is roughly 400yards as there aren't a lot of long shots around here when hunting

Obviously at 26 you won't feel the weight like many of us more senior hunters, but weight is ever-present while doing long slogs in challenging terrain. I have one piece of advice. Order a suppressor right now if you don't already have one. My ears are ringing so bad as I type this, because of my delay. Buy what you want. All factory rifles have a luck of the draw aspect to them. I've been incredibly lucky over many decades to purchase factory rifles that shot fine for the platform.

 

[jasonprox700]

Shot placement is KING.....Everything else has a lower priority. I know fellas that have removed large whitetail from property - acting as exterminators - and used .22 LR. One shot.
The idea of "harvesting with a .338 or similar makes me laugh. I KNOW the damage these calibers do - and the waste of meat is something I would not tolerate when hunting.

I've harvested quite a bit of game with a 338 WM and I feel my 280 does just as much damage. Pick the right bullet and the whole "overkill" bs goes out the window.

Put a bullet where there's meat and you'll lose meat. Doesn't matter if it's a 243 or a large magnum.

 

[teesquare]

I've harvested quite a bit of game with a 338 WM and I feel my 280 does just as much damage. Pick the right bullet and the whole "overkill" bs goes out the window.

Put a bullet where there's meat and you'll lose meat. Doesn't matter if it's a 243 or a large magnum.

Sorry - we are just gonna disagree on this. The RIGHT bullet selection - and an ample caliber for the game combined with good shot placement = minimal loss of meat as compared to poor bullet selection and excessive caliber combined with poor shot placement = excessive meat loss to "blood shot" damage. I don't see why that should be difficult to grasp.
We each make choices. I try to make mine based on ballistics, and fact. Not "feelings".

 

[Lee7588]

Shot placement is priority, a bad shot with a big caliber doesn't kill an animal it can just wound it instead. Roy Weatherby hunted North America and alot of African game including cape buffalo with a 257 bee successfully. It seems there tends people using larger calibers or overly heavy projectiles when hunting. The favorite cartridge for poachers is a 22 long rifle, shot placement makes them successful. Along with shot placement a reliable expanding projectile is necessary., I know there are people who use match ammo to hunt with but I have also seen them never recover the animals they shoot.

 

[teesquare]

Lee-
Prior to this past Oct. a I would agree with you completely. However- the Elk I shot was killed with a 147 gr. MATCH bullet from Hornaday. I was not aware that I was using a match round as it was my guide's rifle. The Elk only took a few steps and crashed into the rocky ground on the shoulder of a mesa. I was a little P.O. ed at him for not telling me it was a match round instead he told me "this is the round I always use and I have not lost a single Elk when the shot had decent placement, but I knew what a hard headed S.O.B. you are- so you would have to prove it to yourself. Congratulations… now- grab that leg and help me gut him…"
Don't know that I am 100% sold on match rounds for hunting…. But I can't be a hard-liner against the use now that I used one to take a bull myself

 

[Lee7588]

Lee-
Prior to this past Oct. a I would agree with you completely. However- the Elk I shot was killed with a 147 gr. MATCH bullet from Hornaday. I was not aware that I was using a match round as it was my guide's rifle. The Elk only took a few steps and crashed into the rocky ground on the shoulder of a mesa. I was a little P.O. ed at him for not telling me it was a match round instead he told me "this is the round I always use and I have not lost a single Elk when the shot had decent placement, but I knew what a hard headed S.O.B. you are- so you would have to prove it to yourself. Congratulations… now- grab that leg and help me gut him…"
Don't know that I am 100% sold on match rounds for hunting…. But I can't be a hard-liner against the use now that I used one to take a bull myself

That's a nice bull. I know there's a lot of success with people using match ammo. But from everything that I have read through various manufacturers the expansion isn't always there, it's not consistent. That's why I just say a reliable expanding bullet for hunting. Now if I am meat hunting a match projectile is no big deal cuz I do headshots, but if I'm going to put something on the wall I don't want extra holes in their head. So for me it's just a rule of thumb that I follow. And I shoot various manufacturers on my projectiles from Berger, barnes, Hornady, and I have some hammers but have not loaded any of the try them yet. That being said I find phenomenal results in my hand loads when I do it right. It's just the rule of thumb that I follow

 

[ncfireman83]

I just - finally - got my refund for a Ridgeline in 6.5PRC that was the WORST rifle I have ever owned. and the WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE experience of my life.
The rifle was accurate...when it would shoot. The bolt would jam and often it would not pick up the second round if the bolt did not jam. It went back 2 times and was not fixed. I told them I DO NOT want that rifle back.I needed them to replace it or even refund me. I would pay more to upgrade if that would help them - but I wanted them to replace the gun. I spent more on Hornaday 143 ELD-X than the rifle during break in and practice. I checked every round for correct length. I followed the Christensen break in process EXACTLY. I kept the rifle cleaned and properly lubed ( NOT over oiled like a rookie might).
But the reason I will NEVER EVER buy a Christensen Arms rifle was because of what the Customer Service Manager - ( Erich ) said to me. And I will agree to a lie detector, testify in church, or court, hand on the Bible and on the life of my kids that I am not fabricating or amplifying his statement:
" Clearly we can't make you happy - so we will refund your money. It is a functioning firearm - we can sell it to someone else ". I cannot emphasize how stunned I was to hear that cavalier attitude when the fault was not mine - but Christensen's.

I was so...dumbfounded by that statement that I asked him to repeat it. He did. At that point I said to him: " You have just confirmed for me that this is the right decision." He asked what I meant. I said- "Clearly YOUR ethics and idea of Customer Service and mine are completely different and there is NO WAY that yo could now ever convince me that the rifle in question was not someone else's piece of @#$%^ that was cleaned and shipped to me when I bought it." He did not even respond to refute or deny that.

So anytime a hinter asks me for rifle recommendations - there is only ONE brand that I will tell them to NEVER buy. Want to guess which one?
T

Wow! And people are buying them left and right! That's sad that a company would get to that point on quality or lack there of and then let their customer service follow suit

 

[teesquare]

Wow! And people are buying them left and right! That's sad that a company would get to that point on quality or lack there of and then let their customer service follow suit

Agreed. In fact - it wasn't that the rifle had issues.( I am willing to bet those could be fixed, tho they should have been taken care of before the rifle left the factory - still...it could have been fixed with time.) What condemned Christensen as a brand with me was the attitude and actual statement not he part of the Customer Svc. Manager. Never ever will I own another Christensen for THAT reason.

 

[Tim Box]

Buy the LH Tikka in 300wm and don't look back. When funds allow add a KRG stock or XLR chassis or any of the other options.
Sky is almost the limit with Tikka these days.

Can't go wrong here

 

[el_duderino04]

Obviously at 26 you won't feel the weight like many of us more senior hunters, but weight is ever-present while doing long slogs in challenging terrain. I have one piece of advice. Order a suppressor right now if you don't already have one. My ears are ringing so bad as I type this, because of my delay. Buy what you want. All factory rifles have a luck of the draw aspect to them. I've been incredibly lucky over many decades to purchase factory rifles that shot fine for the platform.

Good advice about the hearing protection. Another option may be electronic hearing protection. I've been using Etymotic plugs for a few months and found they worked well. In the field they actually boost the sounds around you, so I forgot I had them in (until I took a shot). Only issue with them is they use hearing aid batteries, which only last a week or two and they can't be turned off. So if you use them often you'll burn through a lot of batteries.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Lee-
Prior to this past Oct. a I would agree with you completely. However- the Elk I shot was killed with a 147 gr. MATCH bullet from Hornaday. I was not aware that I was using a match round as it was my guide's rifle. The Elk only took a few steps and crashed into the rocky ground on the shoulder of a mesa. I was a little P.O. ed at him for not telling me it was a match round instead he told me "this is the round I always use and I have not lost a single Elk when the shot had decent placement, but I knew what a hard headed S.O.B. you are- so you would have to prove it to yourself. Congratulations… now- grab that leg and help me gut him…"
Don't know that I am 100% sold on match rounds for hunting…. But I can't be a hard-liner against the use now that I used one to take a bull myself

What does a guide know anyway?!

The eld-m is an absolute monster as a big game bullet.

 

[Lee7588]

What does a guide know anyway?!

The eld-m is an absolute monster as a big game bullet.

Lol I think most all guides are very knowledgeable. Some companies will note on their match ammo that it isn't for hunting. Hornady doesn't do that on the match ammo. I think SMK claim they aren't for hunting purposes, not that they don't work. A good size hole in the right spot will kill.