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I have a 300 Savage 99 and an opportunity to hunt elk on a Montana ranch this November.

I�m looking through the Elk forum but wanted to ask the 300 Savage experts here if I have enough gun. The general word I�m hearing is yes so long as shots are no more than 200-250 yards.

I�m an eastern guy so am accustomed to hunting whitetail in the woods at not much more than 100 yards. For me, hunting west will be a new experience and require a fair amount of effort and $$. I�d be lying if I said I don�t cringe a bit when envisioning standing in �the great expanse� a few hundred yards away looking at a whitetail on steroids wondering if the cartridge will be adequate.

Should I step up to a 30-06 for extra insurance? Do western ranch owners generally frown on the less powerful cartridges? I'd like to make a decision sooner than later to begin practicing with a higher recoil/blast cartridge if need be. (i.e. flinch control).

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You will get a lot of advice both pro and con but I would challenge you to look in the mirror and have a conversation with yourself. If you are comfortable with the .300 Sav on this kind of hunt you should do it. If in doubt...


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I know guys that have hunted moose with 300 savage. I don't know if that answers your question, but it does instill confidence in the chambering for me...


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I've hunted elk in the Gunnison Mountains in southern Colorado and moose on a fly-in trip in northern Canada. Elk seem tougher than moose... and elk seem to hang onto life harder as well.

Elk are tough customers and will travel long distances over the roughest terrain if only wounded... and in rough terrain, you'll have a difficult time getting them out if they die 'way back in the "boonies". So you need to get close enough to insure you put the bullet in the elk's "kill zone". If you do that, the elk will be your's!

I suggest you use a premium 165 grain bullet for good penetration without stealing needed powder space out of the cartridge case. You should be able to get about 2550 to 2600 fps with a bullet like the 165 grain Nosler Partition Bullet or a similar quality bullet and, of course, you need to place it in the elk's "kill zone" at no more than 150 yards or closer if you are able to stalk closer.

While the .300 Savage truly is a 250 yard cartridge for deer, I wouldn't take on elk at that range with it. Many an elk has been killed with a lowly .30/30, so your .300 Savage will get the job done if you do YOUR part.

Good luck on your elk hunt and bring home those elk steaks and roasts. smile


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the last post is very true, but what you hit them with is not as important as where you hit them, lots of elk have been killed with lesser cartridges

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Excellent question. I've hunted elk successfully in both New Mexico and Colorado. My biggest 6x6 bull was in Colorado near Delores area. My first two were both taken with a 30-06, Fed nosler partition 180gr at about 200 yards each. They both were hit well and traveled no more than about 50 yds from where the bullet hit. My second two were shot with a 300 Win Mag 180gr nosler ballistic tip, one at 300+ yards and one at 270+ yds. All one shot kills and but the latter two fell right where they were standing. I agree that bullet placement and confidence in your firearm, yourself and ammo are extremely imporatant and certainly I'm one of the bigger fans of the 300 savage in either 150gr or 180gr as I took a good black bear a couple of years ago with my M99 EG in 300Svg. However, since this could be a once in a lifetime event, I would take a bigger caliber everytime to help give insurance. There is no comparison between the toughness of elk and whitetail...JMHO

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Only elk hunted once, but I probably wouldn't take a 300 Savage just because of the distances that be involved in elk hunting. If I knew I'd be 200 yards or closer then I'd load up some Nosler Partitions in a minute and head out.

I do think a lot of outfitters and ranchers might frown on a first time hunter bringing in a medium cartridge like a 300 Savage, maybe you can call them up and ask how far you'll likely have to shoot? Course, some guides would be thrilled with any reasonable cartridge if the shooter is comfortable and accurate and doesn't flinch so bad he's in danger standing next to ya. grin
I used a 30-06 the one time I went, and would likely use one again - lowest I'd go would probably be a premium bullet in a 308 or 284.


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I have as well as a LOT of other hunters killed elk with an arrow. Many others with muzzleloaders. So, your 300 Savage will do just fine. Its not the gun (weapon) but the hunter! Have I wished I had a Savage 300 instead of my bow on occasion, absolutely, even more so while mule deer hunting. Yet to arrow one... So, while you can have a successful elk hunt with the 300 Savage you may find yourself wishing you had that 300 magnum? Your choice, make the hunt what you want. And because guides encounter ALL levels of hunter abilities, the guides prefer bigger guns so the critters go down even if just "winged". Then there is all that TV hype - won't go there...


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Load up some 30-30 Leverevolution in your 300 savage cases with IMR 4064 an have a ball hunting .These realy work great

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Elk are tough critters and die much harder than moose in my experience.

But they aren't bullet proof either.

I wouldn't hesitate to hunt elk with a 300 savage and 180 grain bullets.

In fact that is exactly what I intend to do in 2015.

I have never really understood the mentality that it is OK to hunt elk with a bow or muzzle loader, but why would anybody in their right mind want to hunt elk with a medium caliber?




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I have heard of guys killing elk with 35 Rem, 300 Savage, etc.
If your comfortable with it I see no problem.

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One of my friends in this part of Montana has been using a .300 Savage for elk hunting for 25-30 years now, and has a freezer full of elk meat every year.

The toughness of elk is highly exaggerated. The ability of people to misplace shots on elk is highly underrated.


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.Jericho:

. Man I met at an Xmas party last Dec. said he used a .300 Savage on an 853lb moose last Oct.'13. Just over 300 yds using some sort of a range finder, aimed at top of spine, hit, dropped. Then a finishing shot.
.
. I asked what kind of Savage, he showed me. An EG his late dad had, #446,000 range. D&T, rubber butt pad, sling swivels, worn, just a shooter. He did get another moose some years before with that .300. Don't know what grain he was using.
Also several deer that he didn't go into.
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Originally Posted by Mule Deer


The toughness of elk is highly exaggerated.


Highly exaggerated relative to what?

Brownies, mt. goat, cape buf?

Or deer, sheep, antelope, caribou?







"You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass"
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Should be fine with a 300. I prefer Savages more for the comfort of the gun than the choice of calibers. If you shoot it well, you'll do fine. If I plan on shooting 300 yards, I chrongraph my loads and check my ballistic coefficient so as to ascertain trajectory, then I DOUBLE CHECK it at the range. I want to KNOW, not suppose, not guess, where my bullet is at 300 yards.


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'Bout the only thing on this continent that I wouldn't hunt with a .300 Savage is Grizz. Elk should be no problem. See Mule Deer's post. It is conditional though. Are you comfortable with the .300 Savage and are your shooting skills up to the task? Not trying to belittle you. Just asking to find out your own level of confidence. wink


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Originally Posted by savage62
Load up some 30-30 Leverevolution in your 300 savage cases with IMR 4064 an have a ball hunting .These realy work great


For what it's worth, I took a 6x6 at 110 yards with my 30-30 and a Hornady LE round. He dropped where he stood. I come from the school of shot placement and would not hesitate to use my Savage 99 with some 165 grain loads. I'll qualify that by stating I have never taken a shot which would exceed my comfort zone of 200 yards.


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Do you have more information about the ranch hunt? If you will be hunting in the timber above the ranch in October or November, you will likely be able to get a less than 150 yard shot, and 300 Savage with a tough 165-180 grain bullet will be fine.
If its a late season hunt when the elk are pushed down to open ranch land by deep snow in the timber, you will likely have long shots across open fields, take your 30-06 and a range finder.
Shot placement is the key, look for a shot that will drill the heart and lungs without having to blow through the near side shoulder bones.
Enjoy your hunt!

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People regularly take elk with bows. I would vastly prefer the 300 Savage. What model do you have? I might have a 30-06 to trade you if it made you feel better. grin

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I'm envious of you guys who have hunted, or will hunt elk. All my life it was "maybe next year", but next year never came, and now I'm too gimpy to take part. (If anybody has a way of putting me in .22HP range of an elk, I'm your huckleberry! Heck, I would even upgrade to a .303 Savage or .30/40 Krag if need be! For that matter, the M1920 .300 would get a crack at it if someone wanted to drag a arthritis-wracked guy with a dodgy ticker up to within a couple hundred yards of an elk! Ha ha!)


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