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someone looking in my safe would see the following centerfires:
1 Browning
1 Remington
1 Interarms
3 Marlin
??? Ruger (all the rest)
So far I've hunted elk with the following:
.257 Roberts
.280Rem
7mm RM
.30-30
.30-06
.300WM
.338WM
.375 Win
.44 Mag
.45-70
Most of my elk have been taken with the 7mm RM, remotely followed by .30-06, .300WM , .338WM and .45-70 in that order.
Life would be simpler if I'd sell all but the 7mm RM.
That almost looks like my line up of rifles and calibers through the years. Except, I had the 300 Ultra mag instead of the 338, plus the 444Marlin, .308 and 35Rem. And I had the 25-06 instead of the 257Rob. I also had the 358Win. And doubles to boot. I've loved trying out different rifles and calibers. But I've come back to the 30-06 more often than not.
Last edited by Wyogal; 02/24/17.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2005
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Most of the readers of this forum likely have a number of different centerfire rifles chambered for a variety of different cartridges. And those who have killed some elk have probably used more than a single rifle/cartridge combination over the years. Some will be favorites, but others worked just fine too.
In some cases, an elk hunter favors a particular rifle/action/whatever over most others, and cares a bit less about exactly what cartridge it is chambered for. As long as the hunter has his trusty Remington M700, he doesn't worry too much about whether it is a .25-06 or a .300 Win Mag.
In other cases, that elk hunter has a strong liking for a particular cartridge/bullet/whatever over other choices, and he values having the right chambering/ammo/bullet choice more than he worries about which rifle he grabbed off the rack. As long as this hunter can use his trusted Remington Core-Lokts, he is OK with shooting a Ruger Number One or a Savage bolt action.
Most elk hunters are a mixture of those two ends of the spectrum. The type of elk hunting a hunter does, the conditions under which the elk are likely to be hunted, past experiences, and a variety of other factors will all tend to make a thoughtful elk hunter favor one thing over another.
So the question is this.
As an elk hunter, which do you value the most? The rifle or the ammo?
WyoM70 The bullet.
Casey
Not being married to any particular political party sure makes it a lot easier to look at the world more objectively...
Having said that, MAGA.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
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is this one of those chicken or the egg questions? The real answer is that often as not, and probably far more often, it's neither the rifle nor the ammo -- it's the shooter.  The nut behind the butt and the skill of the hunter is what is needed to take an elk year after year..
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,009 |
Most of the readers of this forum likely have a number of different centerfire rifles chambered for a variety of different cartridges. And those who have killed some elk have probably used more than a single rifle/cartridge combination over the years. Some will be favorites, but others worked just fine too.
In some cases, an elk hunter favors a particular rifle/action/whatever over most others, and cares a bit less about exactly what cartridge it is chambered for. As long as the hunter has his trusty Remington M700, he doesn't worry too much about whether it is a .25-06 or a .300 Win Mag.
In other cases, that elk hunter has a strong liking for a particular cartridge/bullet/whatever over other choices, and he values having the right chambering/ammo/bullet choice more than he worries about which rifle he grabbed off the rack. As long as this hunter can use his trusted Remington Core-Lokts, he is OK with shooting a Ruger Number One or a Savage bolt action.
Most elk hunters are a mixture of those two ends of the spectrum. The type of elk hunting a hunter does, the conditions under which the elk are likely to be hunted, past experiences, and a variety of other factors will all tend to make a thoughtful elk hunter favor one thing over another.
So the question is this.
As an elk hunter, which do you value the most? The rifle or the ammo?
WyoM70 The bullet. Won't do much good without the brass, powder and rifle to put it in...
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Bullets kill, rifles are just launchers.
Marlin
Remington
Ruger
Savage
Sako
Tikka, are in the safe.
If a rifle fits me and the need, it does not matter. Maybe this is because I do not own a rifle that totally pleases me, I can find gripes about them all.
Last edited by Dillonbuck; 02/28/17.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
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Campfire Tracker
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Bullets kill, rifles are just launchers.
Marlin
Remington
Ruger
Savage
Sako
Tikka, are in the safe.
If a rifle fits me and the need it does not matter. Maybe this is because I do not own a rifle that totally pleases me, I can fins gripes about them all. Exactly. I understand the various arguments, but in the end, there is only one thing that took the life out of that elk, and that was the bullet.
You only live once, but...if you do it right, once is enough.
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Campfire Tracker
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Its both. The rifle needs to feel good to the owner, and the ammunition needs to shoot well in that rifle.
If the shooter/hunter doesn't have confidence in either the rifle or the ammunition, things are likely to not have a harmonious outcome.
the most expensive bullet there is isn't worth a plug nickel if it don't go where its supposed to. www.historicshooting.com
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 712
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
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Most of the readers of this forum likely have a number of different centerfire rifles chambered for a variety of different cartridges. And those who have killed some elk have probably used more than a single rifle/cartridge combination over the years. Some will be favorites, but others worked just fine too.
In some cases, an elk hunter favors a particular rifle/action/whatever over most others, and cares a bit less about exactly what cartridge it is chambered for. As long as the hunter has his trusty Remington M700, he doesn't worry too much about whether it is a .25-06 or a .300 Win Mag.
In other cases, that elk hunter has a strong liking for a particular cartridge/bullet/whatever over other choices, and he values having the right chambering/ammo/bullet choice more than he worries about which rifle he grabbed off the rack. As long as this hunter can use his trusted Remington Core-Lokts, he is OK with shooting a Ruger Number One or a Savage bolt action.
Most elk hunters are a mixture of those two ends of the spectrum. The type of elk hunting a hunter does, the conditions under which the elk are likely to be hunted, past experiences, and a variety of other factors will all tend to make a thoughtful elk hunter favor one thing over another.
So the question is this.
As an elk hunter, which do you value the most? The rifle or the ammo?
WyoM70 Its a system that involves 3 items hunter, rifle, ammo. All three have to perform together to a certain degree to kill elk efficiently. I have hunted elk 3 decades now with lever, bolt, pump action rifles ranging in caliber from 6mm to 45. Iron sights or telescopic. Looking back a scoped bolt action has the most elk taken by far. Ruger tang safety and win m70. For a short while, my 338 win mag and my 280 rem were tied for elk killed. Then came along a ruger 7mm rem mag about 7 years ago. Safe to say, 7mm caliber has killed the most elk for me now. Bullets always have been premium build, old school dual core grand slams in the beginning transitioning to partitions. Not that there has been 'plain jane' bullets used here and there. A few hot cores, core lokt, interlocks and ballistic tips... Yes ballistic tips, 7mm 150 gr. from the 280 to be exact. Partitions are the main elk killers. 225 gr in the 338, lots of 160 gr and a few 175 gr. in 7mm caliber rifles. When the final moment is playing out, the trigger getting pulled, I use place a lot of faith in bullet build. But I realize now is a combination of equipment and hunter to work in harmony to get elbow deep in elk guts 
happiness is elbow deep in elk guts.
NRA life member
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Joined: May 2005
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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The rifle.
If you don't enjoy carrying it, the cartridge doesn't matter.
John
When truth is ignored, it does not change an untruth from remaining a lie.
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I guess I'm one of the single rifle/caliber guys. I've killed over twenty elk, most of them with my entry rifle, a tang safety Ruger M77 30.06 with 180 grain nosler partitions. About 7 years ago I bought a Tikka T3 in...30.06 and it is a much better rifle than the old Ruger (now my backup rifle). I've been shooting 165 grain tsx in it. No worries here.
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Joined: Aug 2010
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,009 |
Most of the readers of this forum likely have a number of different centerfire rifles chambered for a variety of different cartridges. And those who have killed some elk have probably used more than a single rifle/cartridge combination over the years. Some will be favorites, but others worked just fine too.
In some cases, an elk hunter favors a particular rifle/action/whatever over most others, and cares a bit less about exactly what cartridge it is chambered for. As long as the hunter has his trusty Remington M700, he doesn't worry too much about whether it is a .25-06 or a .300 Win Mag.
In other cases, that elk hunter has a strong liking for a particular cartridge/bullet/whatever over other choices, and he values having the right chambering/ammo/bullet choice more than he worries about which rifle he grabbed off the rack. As long as this hunter can use his trusted Remington Core-Lokts, he is OK with shooting a Ruger Number One or a Savage bolt action.
Most elk hunters are a mixture of those two ends of the spectrum. The type of elk hunting a hunter does, the conditions under which the elk are likely to be hunted, past experiences, and a variety of other factors will all tend to make a thoughtful elk hunter favor one thing over another.
So the question is this.
As an elk hunter, which do you value the most? The rifle or the ammo?
WyoM70 Its a system that involves 3 items hunter, rifle, ammo. All three have to perform together to a certain degree to kill elk efficiently. I have hunted elk 3 decades now with lever, bolt, pump action rifles ranging in caliber from 6mm to 45. Iron sights or telescopic. Looking back a scoped bolt action has the most elk taken by far. Ruger tang safety and win m70. For a short while, my 338 win mag and my 280 rem were tied for elk killed. Then came along a ruger 7mm rem mag about 7 years ago. Safe to say, 7mm caliber has killed the most elk for me now. Bullets always have been premium build, old school dual core grand slams in the beginning transitioning to partitions. Not that there has been 'plain jane' bullets used here and there. A few hot cores, core lokt, interlocks and ballistic tips... Yes ballistic tips, 7mm 150 gr. from the 280 to be exact. Partitions are the main elk killers. 225 gr in the 338, lots of 160 gr and a few 175 gr. in 7mm caliber rifles. When the final moment is playing out, the trigger getting pulled, I use place a lot of faith in bullet build. But I realize now is a combination of equipment and hunter to work in harmony to get elbow deep in elk guts Great post boomwack.
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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The pedigree of launch pad doesn't matter at all, its the bullet/arrow/ball that does the job. You can launch with a piece of galvanized pipe as long as you hit the target, but the projectile has to do the job.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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Probably the most important consideration..... correct bullet/cartridge for the rifle!  Beyond that,everything is superfluous. memtb
Last edited by memtb; 03/12/17.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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I favor whichever Rifle likes a certain bullet. I take great pains to use the same cartridge to hunt with that I use sighting in that particular rifle. IMHO not all rifles shoot all cartridges the same, so when I have a compatible match, I stick with it. This not rocket science, but only common sense. Since I rate shot placement high on my list, consistency is paramount. I don't re-load, so I'm at the mercy of factory quality ammo. I guess what it boils down to answer the original question is I value the combination of both the rifle AND the ammo equally as a sort of team. Sounds a little basic, but it has put quite a few Elk and Deer in my freezer.
Better to be over the hill than under it.
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Posts: 46,021
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
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Why does it have to be either or?
It's not very difficult to pick the rifle you want, and get it chambered in the cartridge you want.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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What I find odd, is that I was born, and grew up in Montana and knew/know some pretty darn good elk hunters.
About the last g-damn thing that any good elk hunters I knew/know talked about, or argued about, were the rifles and calibers they shot. Know some that have used .243's for years, some have shot 25-06, 270's, 308's, 300's, 7 mags, 338's. The thing they all had in common, was they killed a metric [bleep] ton of elk. The caliber they chose to pack didn't make them the elk hunters they were. I also don't recall many giving advice to anyone on what they should be using for a rifle or caliber.
They worried more about the best way to get an elk back to the truck, where to hunt, when and how to hunt a particular ridge, when to take their vacations...you know things that mattered about actually killing and hunting elk.
I've sort of come full circle myself...started with a 6mm Remington, shot my first few with that, moved to a hand-me-down 30/06 for years, moved up to a 338 for a long time, killing 35 elk along the way. Since 2006, I've shot another 30 elk, all but one of those with either a 7RM or 7-08.
I find myself often wondering why some people still give the advice of a 30 magnum, 338, etc. when I know for a fact that they simply are NOT necessary. I even question why I ever felt the need for a .338? Not taking away anything about the .338, as it performed on elk, I had great results. But, like others have mentioned, they are NO fun to lug around, and even less fun to shoot.
I just cant see myself arguing that a .270 isn't enough gun for elk...or arguing that all the "good elk hunters from Montana only use 300 mags and larger".
Just isn't based on reality.
Great post from another thread! Back in the day I didn't know anything about premium bullets. I had friends that reloaded but I don't think they ever used premium bullets either. Back then I bought whatever the local kmart had for sale. I see so much now about what might or might not be OK for elk, even differentiating between cal./bullet for cow vs. bull. The elk killed with inferior bullets have managed to somehow stay dead and while I personally have evolved to premium bullets I still shoot factory cartridges.
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 69,290 |
I'm another 1 gun type. I used a 270 for many years and killed a bunch of elk with it. Then when they came out with the 300 WSM, I decided I just HAD to have one. It worked great but no better than the 270. Last year I decided that the 300 was too heavy so I got a lighter weight 30-06. I don't have an elk with it yet but it's just a matter of time.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 712
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 712 |
Most of the readers of this forum likely have a number of different centerfire rifles chambered for a variety of different cartridges. And those who have killed some elk have probably used more than a single rifle/cartridge combination over the years. Some will be favorites, but others worked just fine too.
In some cases, an elk hunter favors a particular rifle/action/whatever over most others, and cares a bit less about exactly what cartridge it is chambered for. As long as the hunter has his trusty Remington M700, he doesn't worry too much about whether it is a .25-06 or a .300 Win Mag.
In other cases, that elk hunter has a strong liking for a particular cartridge/bullet/whatever over other choices, and he values having the right chambering/ammo/bullet choice more than he worries about which rifle he grabbed off the rack. As long as this hunter can use his trusted Remington Core-Lokts, he is OK with shooting a Ruger Number One or a Savage bolt action.
Most elk hunters are a mixture of those two ends of the spectrum. The type of elk hunting a hunter does, the conditions under which the elk are likely to be hunted, past experiences, and a variety of other factors will all tend to make a thoughtful elk hunter favor one thing over another.
So the question is this.
As an elk hunter, which do you value the most? The rifle or the ammo?
WyoM70 Its a system that involves 3 items hunter, rifle, ammo. All three have to perform together to a certain degree to kill elk efficiently. I have hunted elk 3 decades now with lever, bolt, pump action rifles ranging in caliber from 6mm to 45. Iron sights or telescopic. Looking back a scoped bolt action has the most elk taken by far. Ruger tang safety and win m70. For a short while, my 338 win mag and my 280 rem were tied for elk killed. Then came along a ruger 7mm rem mag about 7 years ago. Safe to say, 7mm caliber has killed the most elk for me now. Bullets always have been premium build, old school dual core grand slams in the beginning transitioning to partitions. Not that there has been 'plain jane' bullets used here and there. A few hot cores, core lokt, interlocks and ballistic tips... Yes ballistic tips, 7mm 150 gr. from the 280 to be exact. Partitions are the main elk killers. 225 gr in the 338, lots of 160 gr and a few 175 gr. in 7mm caliber rifles. When the final moment is playing out, the trigger getting pulled, I use place a lot of faith in bullet build. But I realize now is a combination of equipment and hunter to work in harmony to get elbow deep in elk guts Great post boomwack. Thanks BSA 
happiness is elbow deep in elk guts.
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deleted
Last edited by Alamosa; 03/14/17. Reason: please pardon my ranting
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