Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles From Elk down..Best North American Rifle Chambering?

30-06, and for stuff bigger than elk, too. Shot 3 moose with 06 and 180 gr Grand slams, couple bear with 220 gr Core locks, numerous mulie's and white tails with 150's and 165's, and a few fox and coyotes with 55 gr accelerators back in the old days before I had any small center fire rifles. A more universal, multi use cartridge has still not been introduced, IMHO!

Boy you sure stirred up a hornets nest with this post, but it's fun!!

280 Remington---------- 30-06 ----------- 300 WSM

30-06 --------------- 280 300 WSM

That's my pick and I'm sticking to it!

338 Win mag. Load it up or down but it numbs Elk.

45-70

Who's gonna argue?

Some people here have essentially claimed that only first hand experience counts - that you have to personally pull the trigger. If that is true I can't claim any experience with the .338 WM.

That said, I hope to get some .338 WM experience come early November. Based on various events which have provided no experience, I expect it will work at least as well as my 7mm RM, .30-06, .300WM, and .45-70.

Any of the calibers you've listed will handily take Rocky Mountain Elk, especially broadside. However, your 300 Win Mag with 200grn pills (premiums a plus but not required) is near perfect for elk and arguably identical to a 338 Win Mag in elk killing performance. Most guys I know that run the 338 load 210grn or 215 grn bullets. I hope you don't plan to buy this 338 rifle for elk. In my opinion, you already have a superb elk killing tool in the 300 Win Mag.

Oops, too late�

Crappy picture, but here it is � a stainless action purchased 2 years ago; a stainless factory barrel someone had fluted, purchased from Alaska; a boat paddle stock purchased new from Numrich, and a Burris FFI /Ballistic Pex 3-9x and rings that I had in the safe. Had the action, barrel and stock assembled this spring.



Shoots 225g AccuBond and SSTs great. The AB�s will be my hunting load come November.

Used the 7mm RM and 160�s exclusively for 20+ years and it worked fine. The others have been just for fun, because I�m fortunate enough I can�

............No argument from me!...That is until a nice big bull elk happens to be 250-300+ yards away and you cannot move in closer.

That`s where I`ll argue against a 45-70.

300Weatherby with 150gr ttsx at a chrony'd 3450fps. Flat hard-hitting SOB

I'm partial to the 300Sav

Then again, I AM biased.

Any reason to add to the stable is reason good enough. I could really get used to an iron sighted 338 WM. I like it.

The one bull I took with my .45-70 was 213 lasered yards. I practiced a lot at 300 (-22") and wouldn't have hesitated.

Thanks. I was planning going to go with a .338-375 Ruger/Campfire wildcat until I found this barrel. Didn't know it was only 22" until I got it but am very pleased with it.

Haven't hit any clay pigeons at 600 with it yet, although I don't miss by much, and the steel is easy. Now if I can just find an elk...

338WM, no ifs, ands, or buts allowed.

Don't you think Ruger will release the 375 Ruger based 338? I can't imagine they wouldn't. Who knows. I have the 375 Ruger Alaskan. Great gun. Great cartridge.

On the elk thing.......do you know a field biologist?

...........I suppose you wouldn`t have hesitated with alot of practice.

For elk, I use a 300 yard zero with little practice. Let the rangefinder tell me what to do, and then I`ll do the rest.

Prefer the flatter shooters for elk.

The only reason I could see them NOT releasing such a build is because they have already released the 338RCM

.270 and .30-06.

I HOPE Ruger releases a .338 on the .375 Ruger case. Not holding my breath, though.

Ixnay on the field biologist.

And I can tell you for a fact the 338 WM numbs big moose down.