Help Deciding on "Budget" Rifle & Scope for Once in a lifetime Elk tag (narrowed down list)

I have owned 5 Tikka T3's: 270 WSM, 7mm RM, (2) 300 WSM. My current rifle is a 6.5 PRC (rebarreled the 270 WSM). I love their smooth actions and the ability to buy pre-fit, shoulder (fixed) replacement barrels. All the factory Tikkas shot in the .75 to 1.25 MOA range. Good enough for what you want to do. I would go with a used Sightron SIII 6-24x50 scope. Great glass. Repeatable turret dials. They can be found used for roughly $500 - $550.

As others have suggested, trigger time with your rifle/scope will be more important than what equipment or caliber you choose.

You haven't mentioned what expectations you have regarding trophy quality. If any old bull scoring 280-320 will do, then pick whatever equipment you like and practice. If your sights are set on a true trophy that could very well be a once in a life time experience, then make sure you have enough gun. The 6.5 PRC is a great caliber. It will kill elk 95% of the time, but the other 5% may be what you run into on your hunt.

Let's say you want to hold out for a true trophy bull in the 340-360 range. You find him in your pre-season scouting. You hunt hard for 5-7 days, passing up lesser bulls trying to hold out for your giant. On the final day of the hunt, bad weather moves in. Lots of fog and wind with this ice storm. The sun is going down as you come over a rise and catch your bull going up the hill on the opposite side of the valley at 680 yards. He stops and turns to look at his back trail, offering you a hard quartering away shot at his vitals. You have spent a lot of trigger time with you rifle and are confident you can make that shot. At that moment in time what caliber do you want in your hands?

This scenario may not ever happen top you and the 6.5 PRC will serve you well. But my luck seems to trend to the above example. If this is a once in a life time hunt and you want a true trophy - then I would leave nothing to chance. I would go with one of the bigger 7mm's, and most likely a 30 cal rifle. BTW - The larger magnums will thump you good in those light Tikka rifles.
 
Do your buddies handload? I have tons of 6.5 bullets. If you would like i could send a few to you of the different brands , weights, etc to see what your rifle likes when you get it. One of my prc's loves the 156 berger, the other likes the nosler AB, my wife's prc loves the 140 berger. Let me know if you can't locate any. I'd be happy to help with the once in a lifetime hunt. One of my friends lives in the bismarck, Mandan area. We will be going up there when fieldwork is done up there
 
That's awesome on the draw of your tag. As far as cheap optic I would look at going with like B the element Titan it's in your price range I believe they around $480.00. This optic on your list Athlon Midas BTR GEN2 4.5-27×50 AHMR SFP IR MOA HD definitely will beat out any of the vortex by far.
 
A 6.5prc is adequate for elk, but not optimum. A 7rem mag or 300wsm kill whitetail very well. With brakes and hearing protection they're very enjoyable to shoot.
 
So I just found out that I drew a North Dakota Elk Tag which is a once in a lifetime tag (literally can only get one in your lifetime). I have been going over everything I need... which is a lot of gear (lightweight camo, new pack, spotting scope, rangefinder) so I am trying to keep costs down. I am big into archery hunting whitetails but also have shot plenty of rifle in my life. I figured this is a good opportunity to get a new rifle setup as I also have a Wyoming muley tag that I will be guaranteed for but I will put it off for a year after hearing this news.

I narrowed the rifle choices to these three:
1. Tikka lite veil wideland 6.5PRC
2. Tikka lite Roughtech 6.5PRC
3. Christensen Arms Mesa 6.5PRC

I cant imagine I will be shooting an elk past 400 yards. But I do like to go shoot gongs out to around 800-1000 yards. Also I know Tikka's are just coming out with the 6.5PRC but I have heard of a few shops who have gotten them already so I would think it wouldn't take too long to get one. I have had both the tikka and the Christenson in my hands. I like both, I prefer the tikka action. But feel they are pretty comparable, besides Christensen having a better stock. I know I can get all of them for close to the same price. I like the fact the both the wideland and mesa are cerakoted.

Scope Choices:
Athlon Helos BTR GEN2 4-20×50 APLR6 FFP IR MOA
Athlon Midas BTR GEN2 4.5-27×50 AHMR SFP IR MOA HD
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 EBR-7C (MOA) Reticle
Ziess V4 (used) not sure what would be best reticle for me yet
Meopta Optika6 4.5-27x50 (or56?) or 3-18x56 (unsure on reticles)
Arken SH-4 gen 2 (if I could get my hands on one)
Burris XTR II Rifle Scope - 3-15x50mm 34mm FFP Illuminated SCR MOA Reticle Matte( can get blemished for $640)
Burris Signature HD 5-25x50mm (unsure reticle)
Leupold???

As you can see my price point varies a lot. I would love to stick around the $500 range if all possible but willing to go up if there is a scope absolutely worth having. still want to keep this gun fairly light and easy to carry around all day unlike some of the other guns I have. Please let me know what you believe is the best bang for your buck out of these rifles and optics.
First, I wouldn't use a 6.5mm on elk. I'd go with a 30 cal or above. You need the mass of a larger, heavier bullet for a clean kill at any distance past 200 yards. Second, I'd look at the Ruger rifles before I bought a Tikka. Then I'd look at the Shepherd LTD website and spend the extra money on a Shepherd scope with the first focal plane reticule and bullet drop/ranging stadia for my cartridge. You can get a high quality highly versitile and rugged scope for less money than some of the ones listed above. There've been a lot of people who've hit their elk with 6.5s of various types who lost the animal because of poor blood trails, lack of penetration at distance, poor bullet performance and generally poor performance at distance. I wouldn't want to use the smaller calibers on a once in a lifetime hunt. I'd use the largest caliber I could shoot accurately out to 600 yards, and I'd practice to at least 600 yards. A 180 to 200 grain Sierra, Nosler or Speer loaded to around 2750 or 2650fps respectively, in a 30-06 would be the lightest cartridge/bullet combination I would use. For the longer shots, you need the weight to penetrate heavy bone and muscle.
 
Since this is a once in a LIFETIME tag, don't shortchange your rifle with an inferior optic if at all possible... i would go with a
Leupold VX6 HD CDS ZL2 3-18x44 with illuminated TMOA reticle, or a VX5 HD 3-15x 50 CDS with a Windplex reticle. You
can have an elevation turret customized to your specific caliber, bullet, & along with weather , altitude information for your
hunting area, then all you have to do is Range, dial the turret to the matching range #, & hold for wind....
I hear the 6.5 PRC is an excellent cartridge, & Tikka's are good rifles, I would probably opt for the Christensen Arms...
either one would get it done. Good Luck, please let us know how it goes.
 
I am a big fan of the Tikkas. They fot me great and quality and accuracy are also very good. The 6.5 will do the job on elk but wouldn't be my first choice. A biggbull elk is a tough critter and can absorb a lot of energy. Like a couple of the other posters mentioned I'd be more inclined to go with the 300WSM. But its your money and your hunt and this is my two cents.
 
The questions that count will be what you take to the field.

Which rifle is the most accurate? I've heard good things of Christensen and all 5 Tikkas that our family has owned have been shooters. I wonder about the current rifles that you have. How accurate are they? It doesn't sound like caliber or power is a factor since your choice of 6.5 PRC is fairly light, around a 270 level. They'll take elk when used carefully and a bowhunter should already know something of that.

The second question is what bullet? With smaller lighter caliber the bullet choice becomes more critical. Penetration is the top consideration when wanting to take a large animal from any angle. If you handload I would try Hammer Bullets. If you want factory loads, then a monolithic copper.

Any of your optic choices will work. Light recoiling rifles are not too critical for either eye-relief or ruggedness.
Personally, I don't like heavy scopes, all the more if shots will be 0-400yds.
 
To be honest the biggest caliber I have currently is a 243. All I've needed for the whitetail, and coyote hunting. I have plenty of guns I could borrow but would like my own larger caliber rifle to have. Plus it makes a very good excuse to the wife that I need a new rifle! I'm just 25 but lucky to have a paying job and money to buy a few toys a year. I could spend a lot more in a rifle and she would be okay with it. But I have better ways of spending that money so I just want a nice lightweight rifle that won't break the bank!
If that's the case, pick one of their rifles, and spend some money on an optic. I concur with the VX-5HD in 3-15x it's a great all around scope and it keeps weight down unlike some of the others. The only other scope you listed that I'd consider is the Conquest V4, only downside to that is, even though it's Zeiss it's still Japanese(yes I know Japan makes some good optics, I just expect more from a Zeiss). Get a scope in that $1k range that's around 3-15 or 4-14, or whatever it is, and you'll have a decent optic, they're worth the money and you won't be sorry you spent it.
 
Congratulations on your tag.
IMO nothing less than .30 cal
I have never over killed anything.
300WM will do the job nicely and you can get ammo/reload for this caliber easily.
You can always sell it and move on to the 6.5 after the hunt.

The Tikka is a great rifle considering your budget.

Food for thought, my friend is going on a Elk trip this fall and wanted a budget rifle scope combo, he bought a Ruger American SS in 300WM and a leupold VX5HD.
This combo is shooting lights out with factory ammo.

Good luck
 
Always good to see the conversations. So here are my criteria for elk.
Minimums:
1500 lbs + of energy at 400
Drop less than 24" @ 400 zeroed at 200
Bullet weight not less than 140
Then that gun you shoot the best (the meat gun) I.e. Confidence is critical in uncomfortable shooting positions
Ammo has good construction and 60% weight retention at 50 yards with 2x expansion and BC over .40
This is a fairly decent list of calibers.
Most any scope over $450 with at least a 44mm objective and at least 9x upper end power.
 
I would buy one of the Tikka rifles and the Leupold VX5HD, but the rifle would not be chambered in any 6.5mm.
I am blessed to live in prime game country with Elk tags available over the counter. I am now in my 70's, and have
shot a lot of big animals [Elk, Moose, Bison, etc] in the past 60+ years. I have shot elk with everything from the 6.5x55AI up to the 338 Win Mag.
I am in agreement with those who stated that a big bull Elk is a tough animal, and capable of soaking up a lot of
injury and still be able to leg it quite some distance. No argument from me with the assertion that a well-placed shot
through the heart/lungs will anchor an elk in a short while.
But, the fact is, with a once in a lifetime tag, you may not get the ideal presentation you would prefer to shoot that
trophy bull.
My personal favorite Elk rifle is my M700 chambered in 8mm Rem Mag. I shoot the 200 or sometimes the 220 A-Frames, and that is a capable combination for any sane presentation. Not saying you absolutely need that much power for elk, but I would feel a lot more confident with a 7mm Mag or a 30 cal magnum in my hands for that draw
of a lifetime.
Obviously, this is just one man's opinion, but it is based on long term experience. I have seen some very disappointed Elk hunters over the years, usually those who took an "iffy" last ditch shot at a parting bull with a lighter chambering.
My last fall's Bull Elk was at 422 lasered yards. I sent a 220 A-Frame his way on a quartering away shot. He went 3 steps and collapsed. Dave.
 
My choice would be a 300 Win. Mag. ,best optics I could afford, a light rather than on the heavy end rifle as with Elk one has to travel on foot in the Badlands -most likely! 180 grain or better cartridge.
 

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