Your Best Elk Rifle

[John Burns]

Elk hunting is near and dear to my heart and I wonder what you guys think is your best elk rifle.

Please give a description of your best elk rifle, why it works for you and answer a few questions.

1. Is it a dedicated hunting rifle or a match rifle you use hunting? No right answer I am just curious.
2. How much does it weigh and can you carry it all day?
3. How far are you comfortable taking a shot in good conditions?
4. Any modifications strictly for durability?
5. How many elk has it killed?

Thanks

John

 

[MrBerg]

Hi John
I have several rifles, depending on the topology and range i am hunting on, i change rifle and even have several loads for each rifle.

Mauser 6,5x55 (match/hunt)6kg's http://www.jaktlaget.org/images/thumbs/images/mauser.jpg

Hits target within 500 yrds, but recommended range on elk is max 200 yrds. New laminate stock and has above 20 elk on the kill list.

Tikka Battoue, 338WM , 4kg's (original)
(hunting)no prob carry all day,This one is a close range rifle, for hunting in the wood's, but can hit good at 200 yrds. Caliber has enoug power to kill an elk in 4-500 yrds with the right load.
I have killed 4 elk's with it, prev.owner has some more on his list

Winchester M70, 300WM, 4kg's
(hunting)no prob carry all day, new rifleproject, Lothar Walther pipe and will be used in long range match og LR hunting.
Estimated range 500 yrds for hunting.
none killed with this one yet, but ask me in okctober 04.

[ 03-01-2004: Message edited by: Mr.Berg ]

[ 03-01-2004: Message edited by: Mr.Berg ]

 

[KurtB]

John, My favorite elk rifle is a Remington Model 700 with a lilja barrel chambered in 340 Weatherby. It has #4 contour barrel and is fluted. It is bedded in a Rimrock stock and also has a muzzle brake. Total weight including Talley rings and Leupold Vari-III 3.5-10 scope is 8 lbs even, so yes it can be carried all day. Just shot it this weekend and it continues to shoot 250 Sierra Gamekings and 210 Partitions .5 to .75. The Gamekings are doing 2940 and the Partitions are doing 3200. So far it has killed two elk and a number of deer out to 450 yards. Tends to make them fall over quickly

.

 

[Oregonhunter]

Hello, my current Elk rig is a Browning A-bolt comp.stalker in 300 win mag, with a Leupold vari-x III 3.5-10 and a harris bi-pod its weight is approx. 8.5 pounds and I carry it all day no problem.

This is actually my second rig of the same type. I sold my last one and missed it, so picked up another rig just like it.

I have killed 5 elk and my family has borrowed it for a few of their hunts and killed at least two elk with it.

I have bigger and heavier guns, but this is the one I take with me on hunts more.
It cost me approx.$1.100 total for this setup.

Oregonhunter

 

[orwapitihunter]

John

I have two rifles that I hunt elk with. Both are dedicated hunting rifles and can and have been carried all day over rough ground.

The first is a Rem 700 classic in 7mm Rem Mag. Bought this rifle bucking hay when I was 16. I have restocked it with a Six ent. synthetic stock/glass bedded, and a Leupold 3X9 Vari X-II. I settled on a max load and 160gr Nosler Partitions. This rifle has taken 9 bulls. Longest shot 550 yrds and thats about max.

The second rifle is a custom Rem 700 stainless in 7.82 Lazzeroni Warbird. It has a 27" Lilja stainless fluted barrel, that's .750 at the muzzle, McMillen HTG stock, Leupold 4.5X14 Vari X-III with target turret, and is weighted for balance. Total weight 10.5#. Settled on a load with 180gr Nosler Partitions. This rifle has taken 2 bulls (3 if you count when it was a .338 Win Mag). Longest at 483yrds with a max of 700yrds dictated more by me than the gun. I have also taken three black bears with this rifle.

 

[LDO]

i have 2 for elk and they serve me just fine-one is a 7-08ai and one is a 6.5-284,i shoot bullets in the 140g clasds with no problems.i either take them behind the shoulder or across the shoulders just under the spine to break them down.i havent lost one yet and have only had to take 2 follow up shots to kill them after dropping them[spine shots].this out of around 10 elk.ranges have been 12yds. to 400yds.600yds, would probably be my limit with thse rifles. im building a 300wsm. to shoot the 200g bullets though,so i can increase my range quite a bit more.i shot the .308win. for a long time with 165g class bullets for a with similar results.all rifles are built in a "tactical" style.some people look at me funny when i tell them what i shoot for elk,but what can the .270win do that the 7-o8ai and the 6,5-284 cant? and the .270win has accounted for of alot dead elk.my-2-dave

[ 03-01-2004: Message edited by: 6brguy ]

 

[Sako7STW]

The gun writers are going to flip when I tell you what I use. Another thing to keep in mind is what way you perfer to shoot your animal, in the shoulder bone, or in the furnace(heart and lungs behind the front shoulder). I am a furnace shooter, I do not beleive in ruining even a small amount of meat, athough it happens at times as i will not pass up a good shot if I am going to take out the far shoulder. If it doesnt have a pumper it isnt living PERIOD. Requires a bit more precision than a shoulder shot though. For that reason I prefer a gun that shoots fast and flat.

On that note I have used three guns. My favorite being my 7mmSTW Sako TRG-S obviously. Unfortunatly though I have yet to get an Elk with it. After seeing the job it has done on deer and speedgoats, it will be brutal on elk. I have added a muzzle brake to this rifle.

The Gun That I started out with was a 25-06 Browning A-bolt Medalion shooting 117 gr factory fodder. With this gun I dropped several deer, a few goats and 4 elk. 3, 6 point bulls(nothing really big sized but bulls non the less) and one very large cow. I also dropped a B&C bull moose with it. All were one shot kills. I would take shots to 350 yards.

The other being one that I have shot 1 cow with and my Dad and Grandpa used for years, the Mark V Deluxe .257 WBY Mag. We use 100gr Nosler solid base bullets. This round I have seen well over 40 Elk taken with, only lost one ever. This thing does a real number on Elk, they no longer make the bullets we used and stock is running out so were going to try the 101gr groove bullet in it next. The only reason I bought the STW over thw WBY was that I plan to go Moose hunting in Canada or AK sometime and would like a bit heavier bullet in case I run into one of those big clawd things. I would shoot to 500 yards with the .257 and have watched my dad take them out to 620 yards (LRF'd) with it. With the STW I will go to 650.

Now to answere another part of your question. Both the STW and the WBY are rather heavy for packing in the high coutry. We ride horses so it isnt nothing to major for us. If I were walking/hiking all the time these would not be my gun of choice. I would choose, and will be getting, something along the lines of the Tikka T3 light in a 270 WSM or a 25-06 again and maybe have it reamed to a 25-06 AI for that lil something special extra. I will be getting something like this as a back up rifle and the one I will grabb if walking and such is needed.

[ 03-01-2004: Message edited by: Sako7STW ]

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

My favorite elk rifle is my Remington 700 LSS in .300 RUM. I load the 200g Accubond with 92g of H-1000 and has shot 1.5" 3 shot group at 525 yards. I shot my 5x6 bull with it last year at 512 yards. My first shot hit right behind the shoulder, he went up the hill and stopped facing away, I put the cross hairs on his back and shot but missed. That sent him back down to where I first hit him and he stood broadside one last time before that 200g Accubond took out his shoulder. Let me tell you that with two shots with one connecting solid shoulder bone and leaving good size exit holes, there was not much edible meat left on the front half of this elk. This rifle was bought strictly for longer range shots on deer, elk, and bears out to 800 yards with good conditions where it has given me 3.5" and 4" groups off a bench. With my Leupold base/rings and the new VX2, 6-18, Target scope, it weighs 8.75lbs. I carry it up and down the cascade mountain canyons for elk/bears all day long. I've only owned this rifle for about 6 months, but I got it in time for deer, bear and elk season. I shot my buck, and a record book bear, and my bull with it. I also shot a coyote at 804 yards which is my longest kill to date. It has not let me down yet. I have shot 2 other spike bulls and 1 cow however and that was with my old Ruger S/S .300 Win Mag that I sold. I have killed 4 elk out of the 6 years I've been able to hunt them, I'm only 18. I suspect my .300 RUM will account for about a good 36 more throughout my lifetime.

 

[Sheldon]

Attention Admins: Please Delete

Attention Admins: Please Delete

 

[COBrad]

My elk rifle is a .300 Jarrett. It was built by Steve Branham, Bear Arms, of Jackson, SC. It consists of a trued Rem 700 LA with Sako extractor, 24" Pac Nor #4 taper barrel with brake, McMillan pillar bedded stock in an old Griffen and Howe configuration, that I no longer see listed by them, tuned trigger set at 2.5#, topped with an IOR 2.5x10 MP8. Set up this way it weighs 8.5 lbs. According to the load data sent with the rifle i'm getting a hair over 3000 fps with 200 gr. sierra gamekings and 78 gr RL22. This is a max load, a bit hot when air temps are over 70. It shoots more accurately than I can, as far as I can tell. When shooting at my best with this rifle I shoot around .5 at 100 yds with 200 gr Matchkings. Game kings shoot consistently at 1". I'm going to Accubonds this year as the gamekings regularly blow up, leaving no exit wound on shots around 100 yds, the range at which most of my elk seem to show up. I shot one last year at 300 or so. Good bullet performance there with the gameking. I also shot a turkey right at 300 yds with this rifle. Hit him at the base of the neck, intentionally. Don't ask about the luck factor on that shot please! With practice, I'm comfortable shooting elk out to 500 yds with this rifle. I've shot seven elk so far with this rifle, and 37 overall.

 

[TOM H]

My new one for this year is a 300wsm with a Broughton #4 barrel and McMillian stock,3.5x10 leupold scope weight 9.5 lbs back up #1 30-338,3x9 leupold scope weight 9 1/4 lbs. Other rifle for elk and deer, Rem 700 30-338,3x9 leupold weight 10 lbs,#1 factory 300wby, 3x9 leupold, 9 3/4 lbs,30-378 wby factory, 3.5x10 leupold, 10 1/2 lbs. I hunt some open country so shots can be in the 500 yd range have taken afew a bit longer. I normally hunt country that you either have to walk in or go on horseback so don't get alot of hunters in (seems nowadays they cann't get away from there atv's). I've been hunting this area since the 70's. Some years do real good and others not so. Since our season are pretty short in Co I hunt the first only bulls and second for buck and if drawn the late for cow elk. I got my buck last year but missed on the cow and seen alot of bulls right up fri before the season started and then never saw another live bull till the late cow hunt. I'm up at 2/3 in the morning and gone and sometimes back in at dark so I like to walk and I like to hunt alone. Year before was a good one got a real nice 6x6 bull,4pt buck plus late season cow, cow was easy to get out but had to pack the bull out as with the buck. Since I'm in my 60's so had alittle more time at this I'm 30 plus for elk and 50 plus on buck and of those buck two were record book but I didn't put them in just waiting for the real big one. I wish everyone good luck in the coming year!

 

[LDO]

where do u live in co. roper?

 

[TOM H]

Between denver and Colorado Springs.

 

[Ol Bull]

My best elk rifle is my custom 98 Mauser built by Dennis Erhardt in 9.3 Dakota. It has a Blackburn box so it holds 4 down and a 25" Kreiger barrel topped with a 3x10 Swarovski. It'll shoot a 250 North Fork bullet into .242" (that was a good day

) @3050fps.