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Your 150gr TTSX will still retain more weight than a 180 Partition or a 180 Accubond. HEll sounds like a damn 300win mag to me! I love the 150TTSX in my -06.

pseshooter300 -

Lots of good advice above. I particularly like what Brad said - good binocs are a better investment. For years I hunted with a small set of binocs that fit in my side pocket, convinced I wasn't missing anything. Then I got bigger, better binocs and saw what I'd been missing. While I still don't have top pf the line glass, I'm much better off now.

Good boots are a plus, too. Well fitting, comfortable, waterproof and warm gets my vote.

The rifle doesn't matter much. I've killed elk with a 7m RM (lost count), .30-06, and .300WM. Not much difference between those three if one were to ask the elk. Bullet choice is more important to me than cartridge choice. A .308 Win and I'd hunt happily. Your .30-06 is fine.

That said, don't let anyone talk you out of another rifle. Take both and you'll have a backup.

I am gonna +1 on a lot of the above

make sure you have a Good Scope - good optics, might need to shoot at last legal, maybe not....

good binos

good range finder

spend $$ shooting more ammo, know your rifle out to 300 yards or out to 1500 lbs energy

I got my only Elk with a PSE bow by the way ... 2 years ago in New Mexico 1st elk hunt.

got a muley this year with a 270 WSM standing off hand shot 245 yards - bang, big as a horse, New mexico.

30-06 is fine if you can shoot it.

If I were you ---- I'd get in shape, I was able to train by hiking to 10,000 + feet up a local mtn -- that ain't in Tenn - I'm originally from Chas SC so I know. you need to be ready for hiking in the mountains. train in some rain, you can do that for sure ....

Three of my last 6 elk were taken with a .30-06:
165g North Fork @ 125 yards = straight down (2007)
165g North Fork @ 40 yards = straight down (2007)
150g AccuBond @ 262 yards = straight down (2010)

Two were taken with a .300WM:
180g North Fork @ 2802 yards = struggled for ~25 yards (2006)
180g MRX @ 399 yards = struggled for ~ 15 yards (2012)

One was taken with a .338 WM:
225g AccuBond @ ~260 yards - poor 1st shot (high), kept walking; 2nd shot perfect, kept walking but slowly; 3rd shot within an inch of 2nd (and unnecessary), animal down (2011)

Your .30-06 will be fine.

No expert here but all will work. I've taken about fifteen head of big game with the Xs, TSXss,TTSXs, and an earlier mono- bullet, the name of which I can't remember right now. Having said that, to my way of thinking the 150-gr bullet (monolithic construction not withstanding) is a little light for my tastes in 30 cal. The 165-gr TSX/TTSX/ E-Tip is as light as I'd go in the 30 but I'm not so sure it has an advantage over the others you mentioned. The Interlocks will work fine too. I'm really questioning whether the mono's have much advantage over "good" C&C bullets in standard cartridges, particularly 250 yards and out. In magnums, yes. Of the fifteen head of big game I've taken with mono's, I've recovered three--one from a bull elk at 475 yards (210 grs started at 3100) and then only because on hitting the scapula, it took a left turn and ended up in a ham, barely expanded. This was from a 340 B. Another was from the off side of a thick Burchell's zebra mare taken with a 375 at about 150 yard--a 270 gr TSX started out at 2700 fps and the last (7mm 150-gr) went full length through a heavy mule deer buck ending up in the hide over the right ham. That was from a 284 started at 2900 fps. They do penetrate but if velocity drops off at distance, my experience has me wondering a bit.

With what you've stated so far, I think you're on the right track.

if you have a decent rifle spend money on real good boots that are well broke in befor the hunt,go in with a few guys buy a tent,should be able to get a good used one.get your food togeather,and stop and think about how you will get you elk out of the mountains,have good quality packs.A rifle that you can shoot well is good enough,good mountain boots,good binoculars,spoting scope,so start getting things togeather a little at a time

The 30-06 will do very nicely. 180 Gr loads have proven themselves time and time again on Elk.

Distance is more an issue of your skill level with the gun in question. I would not hesitate go use it at 500 yards myself.

Bino's, boots that you KNOW fit your feet, and a rangefinder. If you've got money leftover, the sky is the limit.

CH, that 300 Win Mag with those North Forks @ 2802 yards man that's spectacular

Randy

The .300 Winchester

by Jack Steele

SAY YOU WANTED to hunt with just one big-game rifle. Have it become an extension of your own body. Know it like the smell of your Dad's wool coat. Say you wanted it in a caliber flat enough to poke coyotes at long distance but powerful enough to make a bull elk take notice at the far end of a cross-canyon shot. Say you wanted it all in one package so you could always count on that one rifle to get the job done. Sound like a pipe dream?

The do-it-all rifle is not a myth, as many a seasoned rifleman knows. In fact, while the gunrags do a healthy business recommending good calibers for this, and best bullet for that, it's a fact that when flying lead doesn't have the intended results, it's the man behind the rifle that's almost certainly to blame. Show me a man who blames a miss on his rifle, and I'll show you a rifleman in need of polish, which leads to the primary reason behind choosing one good rifle -- polished skills.

Of course, the best way to polish skills is by shooting your chosen Betsy often and from real-life shooting positions. A rifle that feels right and doesn't kick like a mule goes a long way toward promoting regular practice. So does reloading for it, which will promote accuracy and increased familiarity.

It goes without saying that a one-rifle battery should be as accurate as possible. In practical terms, however, a 2-MOA rifle is plenty good enough for most big-game hunting. Latch onto a rifle that consistently shoots 1 MOA, and you'll regret the day you part with it. Any big-game rifle more precise than that should be considered an heirloom.

What really gets interesting, however, is deciding on a caliber. Ask five seasoned riflemen for their top choice, and you can expect five different opinions, all vehement, all well reasoned.

The .30-06 is the perennial all-mention, and rightly so; there's no rust on the classic. The .270 Winchester, aside from being a hell of a caliber, was Jack O'Connor's darling (though he admitted the ought-six probably was better) and therefore commands a prodigious following. The .338 Winchester Magnum was a favorite of Elmer Keith and is a superb choice for the steel-shouldered. The 7mm Remington Magnum does a whole lot with class.

Lots of others, most notably the .308 Winchester and the .280 Remington as well as various Weatherby Magnums and a slew of wildcats, can and do fit the bill. But the .300 Winchester Magnum -- the .300 Win. Mag. just might be the best of all! Except for the big brownies, which rate their own .375 H&H Magnum to many minds, the North-American hunter with a good .300 Winny has all the rifle he will ever need. And then some.

So, why not the .30-06? Why not, indeed. The good ol' ought-six is still a top choice. From 'chucks to elk, it is a serious caliber for the serious hunter, no question about it.

There is one area, however, where the ought-six gives up some ground, and that's when it comes to pushing heavy bullets -- the kind you want when big, tough critters like elk and moose are on the program. Yes, the classic .30-06 load pushing a 180-grain pill at 2700-2800 ft/sec will do almost anything you need, but throw in a big bull elk across a wide canyon at dusk, and the Winny gets the nod. Consider that at 400 yards, the Winny's 3100 ft/sec with the same 180-grainer gets you 450 ft/lbs more terminal energy and five inches less drop.

If that weren't telling enough, jump up to the 200-grain rock ,and by today's mega-magnum standards the 2550 ft/sec generated by a .30-06 case can be considered positively lethargic, although for close work in heavy timber, the combination is hard to beat.

By contrast, the Winny pushes the 200-grainer to a speedy 2950 ft/sec with careful reloads. At 400 yards, this translates into almost 700 ft/lbs more terminal energy and a trajectory flattened by 7 inches. That is the kind of difference that makes a difference on tough game.

Bottom line: While the .30-06 still may be the finest all-around caliber, it says here that if elk are in your plans (and elk are increasingly in everyone's plans) the .300 Winchester might be a better choice.

The same analysis applies to the .270 Winchester. By all accounts a hell of a sheep and deer caliber, throw elk into the equation and the .270 becomes marginal. Sure, there are elk hunters who shoot their bull with a .270 every year, but they are the exception. Most of the savvy elk crowd considers the .270 either too small or the absolute bare minimum for wapiti.

Suffice it to say that, at 400 yards, the .270 shooting 130 spitzers and the .300 Win. Mag. shooting 200-grain spitzers have virtually identical trajectories. The difference is that the .270 arrives carrying roughly 1300 ft/lbs of energy (below the 1500 ft/lbs often cited as a minimum for elk) while the Winny will deliver over a ton of energy, almost 2300 ft/lbs What the great .270 is to deer and sheep, the .300 Winny is to elk. Bad medicine.

As to the 7mm Remington Magnum, this fine caliber is often considered to be the ought-six's ballistic clone. The 7-Rem's small advantages in sectional density are offset by the .30-06's increased frontal area. The ought-six has an advantage in that more and heavier bullets are readily available, especially for the handloader, but basically, in the field you could choose one or the other and never notice the difference. So as versatile, accurate, and popular as this .284 is, the .30-06 retains an edge, and the .300 WinMag outclasses them both.

The .338 Winchester Magnum is another thing altogether. By all accounts a large caliber by North-American standards, it has been said that true recoil starts at the .338. A seasoned rifleman who practices regularly certainly should have no trouble handling the .338, but for many casual shooters, the .338 is simply too much rifle to shoot regularly or accurately.

It is noteworthy, however, that in terms of the wide spectrum of game animals available in North America, the .338 is probably the most well centered. A fair choice for the big brown bears (though a .375 H&H is superior for this work by an order of magnitude), the .338 is rightly considered by many as the preeminent elk caliber, while still being plenty flat enough for whitetails, antelope, and even coyotes. Take the big bears out of the equation, however, which they are for the vast majority of hunters, and the .338 becomes a too large shoulder pounder for most weekend warriors, though still optimal for dedicated wapiti chasers. Let face it. You don't need a .338 for any whitetail walking the earth.

By contrast, the beauty of the .300 WinMag is that it is so well suited to the typical range of hunting experiences to be had in North America.

After plains game? 180-grain Ballistic Tips at 3100 ft/sec equal bad mule-deer medicine and devastating performance on pronghorns. The same load is a ringer in "beanfield" situations. Elk and moose in your plans? Load 200-grain Partitions or A-Frames at 2900 ft/sec, and be assured that you have the right gun! Feel like practicing on coyotes or chucks? Scream some 165-grain boattails at 3250 ft/sec, and worry about your end of the rifle.

Like with all calibers, there are situations where a different caliber would be ideal, but for all-around versatility, flat trajectory, and high energy, the .300 Winchester Magnum shines, maybe like no other.

In the end, the choice of an all-around rifle depends on many factors. If you like a gun, you are much more likely to shoot it and shoot it well, so choose a rifle you like. Also, any experienced rifleman knows that where you hit 'em is much more important than what you hit 'em with, so place your emphasis on skills rather than on the size of the rock. But when all that is said and done, take a good hard look at the .300 Winchester.

You may not look any further.

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Pretty much lost me on these two...glad as heck I'm not a savy elk hunter....other wise I'd not have used and seen the .270 used on elk as much as I have over the last 3 decades...grin

And from where I sit, a 338 is pretty much easier to deal with than a 300 but that's just been my experience.

Dober

Dober, reads to me like old Jack considers you an "exceptional" and "seasoned" hunter! Nothing wrong with that!

While I'm sure Jack and others know the difference, it still irritates me when someone calls a cartridge a "caliber" - as Jack Steele did at every opportunity in that article.

There are plenty of folks on here who do the same. Sorta separates the old farts from the newbies!

I think that article was written for questions like the OP had. Interesting none the less IMHBAO.

From the article:
"It goes without saying that a one-rifle battery should be as accurate as possible. In practical terms, however, a 2-MOA rifle is plenty good enough for most big-game hunting. Latch onto a rifle that consistently shoots 1 MOA, and you'll regret the day you part with it. Any big-game rifle more precise than that should be considered an heirloom."

I would get rid of any rifle that wouldn't shoot moa.Most "lowly" factory rifles will shoot moa with a competent shooter , and a little load development. Then again, I have friends that flat out cant shoot no matter how much you try and help...usually nothing to do with the equipment. There are a myriad of calibers that will kill elk , they are not bullet proof.

I would look into lightening up the O6 maybe a new stock and a medium size glass. Elk are pretty big so I don't see a 14x scope as needed or very practical. If your winded you would need a bipod or really solid rest to hold it steady enough to use at anything over 9x.

A gym membership would not be a bad start. And like others said boots, binos and clothes that keep you comfortable are far more important than the cartridge.

Yeah, if only! Saw the error too late to edit it. Should have been 282 yards.

+1. If I had to choose a magnum for a dedicated elk rifle it would surely be the 338 win mag. We know it's not needed, but what the hey it's hard not to be a loony without one...

Plus a bunch.

Hey- I might turn my '06 into a 9.3x62 (is that right?) this winter! You've been running one of those, right BSA?

Dog has it correct. Have you ever shot anything in the field in high mountains with their swirling winds and thermals? Have you ever shot anything in the field up or down mountains? Have you ever shot game without a rest in a stand at 300-400 yards?

There is a whole world of difference between 300 yards and 400 yards! At 500 yards most hunters couldn't hit a circus tent. There'll be a bunch of testosterone bravado attacking what I just posted, but it is good advice. You can take it, or you can chose to ignore it.

Use your 30-06; make an ethical shot out to about 350 yards maximum; get good binos, boots, pack frame, knives, clothing, 3-9 or 3.5-10 scope and go get your elk.

The other 1/2 of hunting is stalking and getting close enough for a decent shot. A well designed 180 grain bullet will hit harder out at 300-400 yards than a 165 grain on average.

And, a 30-06 at 300 yards hits like a 30-30 at 50 yards...

All I'm trying to say be have realistic expectations and real good gear to support your hunt.

Most of all have a Great time and a successful hunt.