Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 7 mm vs 35 whelen

So the girlfriend has bro. Wants me to come out Colorado. 300 yd longest shot he has taken should I get a 7 mag or just take the whelen?

Take the Whelen.

Xs2

If you need an excuse for an extra rifle... this is the wrong forum to ask that question. But, if you need better binos more, spend the money there. A 35W would work great.

Visit Bob Hagel.. The big 7's will do all a "brush buster" will do an alot more..

It's a remmy 7600 though. Shoots nice tight groups. I'm a midwest whitetail hunter. Got a savage 300 99 and a 250 sav ruger 77. That is my battery. Pretty lame. No mags

Take the Whelen.

If you don't have a 7mm mag, I suggest you go out and buy one pronto. Take it elk hunting and let us know how it works out for you...Load up some good ol 160gr. nosler partitons to about 2,950 fps. Should work like a charm if you hit em right..

I've taken a couple 200yd+ shots with a 7600, and did OK.
But if you look at how the scope is mounted on a 7600, its not as stable as a bolt action mounted scope. I was told this by a gunsmith, who no, was not trying to sell me another rifle, but who wanted to inform me of the 760/ 7600 limitations. He knew I had other rifles I could use. I just use my 7600 for more close up work, expected hunting less than 200yds.
So just saying.

I've seen some damn accurate 760's and 7600's. I think your smith was smoking dope. Is he from Washington? That stuff is legal there now...

My 7600 is very accurate. I am relating what I was told by a good credible gunsmith, who has since passed away, at age 80.

What are you on, your 2nd 6 pack of the evening? Getting a little, just a little, surly over a simple topic aren't ya.

Buy the 7mm, get it all ready for your trip without firing it, wait till the day before then flip a coin until it favors the 35 Whelen, take the 35 and get your elk. Get home and sell the 7 mag for 1/2 the price, impulse buy a 30-06, get sellers remorse and buy another 7mag. Now you are ahead!

Sounds like you needed a better smith anyway... RIP..

I am a Colorado resident, but meet a lot of nonresident elk hunters every year. A,lot from MN, PA, big,whitetail hunting states. I see a lot of 7600's and those guys go home with elk. Most of them chambered in 30-06, some in .270, and some in 35 Whelen. I used a 7mag for a few years, now a 30-06 stoked with either 220 gr RN or 180 gr partitions. The 220 gr come real close,to the 35 Whelen. Spend your money on other gear.

Pick up a new 7mm, grab a rifle that feels good and will carry well, I like several rifles that are a bargain and come with an accuracy guaranty. Match it with a good scope in good mounts and practice out to 500 yards - with a little practice you will amaze yourself and your buddies with your long range marksmanship - when that elk pops out at 290 yards it will be a slam dunk for you.

Tikka, Weatherby Vanguard S2, TC Venture would top my list for accurate dependable guns that shoot well and don't break the bank. A $320 Conquest 3-9 from eurooptic or a Meopta from Doug at CameralandNY would be great on a new 7 mm. But it is your new rifle maybe you've always wanted a high dollar custom with an S&B on top. Find the bullet that works best - your marksmanship will be dialed in and at an all time best because you had to get ready for Colorado..... you don't want your GF to be embarrassed that her guy isn't ready to shoot at least as well as her brother.

Then take the Whelen because it is perfect for close in black timber hunting and that may be where you find them.

Either will do the job fine. The advantage of your Whelen is that you already know your rifle. When the chips are down it is better to have a rifle your reflexes are tuned to. You will make all the right moves in a hurry - the first try. That could make the difference in getting off a successful shot.

Agree with others, spend the money on other gear you need, like a good pair of boots that you start breaking in now, and add a new memory to the Whelen.

(This said by a person whose go-to rifle is a 7 mag.)

Also get in shape.

Are you even comfortable shooting 300 yards?
I practice to 400 with my 06. At 500 small errors really add up. I'm considering building a 35 becaus most of my elk encounters are less than 100 yards. If I had the patience to sit and glass canyons for hours on end Then maybe I'd consider some magnum. Honestly my 270 is a good flat shooter. Rather be a good shot than have some magnum you can't shoot.

I know dozens of folks who shoot magnum rifles very, very well..

That's the dumbest ass gunsmith I've ever heard of. All you need is eyes and you know he's on weed.

That coming from a moose. In character too. Actually MORE in character of a lefty Liberal, who denigrates anybody they disagree with. If the gunsmith in your opinion was wrong, as now he's been dead a couple years, I understand you disagree with him. But you are behaving like the very people, I'll bet, who make your skin crawl everytime you see them on TV, protesting punching people, calling conservative people names. And here you are being an idiot just like them, accusing an old dead guy of having been a tooter on weed. You and Bsa191 are pathetic.....and obviously lefty liberals.