Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Am I Overthinking My Elk Rifle?

Shane,

�Too far� is a personal judgment call based on prior shooting experience and predicted impact velocity.

Prior shooting in similar conditions (range, wind, type of rest, time for shot, ect) gives a basis to determine if a given shot is within the shooter�s ability.

Ballistic programs or apps can determine the impact velocity at distance. I try to keep the impact velocity above 1800fps with the VLD bullets. I didn�t follow that advise this year and very narrowly avoided a bad situation on my deer. Lesson learned.

I agree with Mr Burns. It's a personal decision that's based on assessment of as particular situation and experience. In some instances, 100 yards has been too far for me and at other times anything over 600 yards is not even considered. In terms of my hunting clients, however, anything over 400 yards is definitely out of the question. But, that's based on policy, rather than someone's experience level.

Been gone for a while but the bedding on the 77 is done. I want to publicly thank bsahunter1917 for helping me through the process. The process can be somewhat nerve-racking the first time through but BSA was able to minimize that for me. Thanks again for all your help! . Our camera is broken but will have some pics of the final product up soon. I'll have to get to the range again for some follow-up shooting and post pics of before/after groups as well.

My next mission is cartridge work. Specifically, I measured 3.66" using Hornady's OAL gauge/comparator. Setting the bullet back 0.02" off the lands would put OAL at 3.64"

The magazine is unfortunately WAY less than this It is what it is though so guess the key will be to maintain a consistent OAL, even if way short of optimum while experimenting with various loads. Any advice?

Wouldn't worry too much about COAL and relationship between lands and grooves - mainly because you have no choice at this point. Ideally, seating bullets close to or touching L&G is the place to start but I've had more than 1 rifle that shot with considerable jump to the L&G. Don't be afraid to try what seems like a radical jump - 0.120. Just keep the seated depth behind the bullet ogive and see what works.

Two things you can do. You can try a single powder, start with a COAL that gives me 0.005" clearance in the mag box, then start seating the bullet deeper by 0.020 to 0.030 until your arrive at nirvana. The other option is to seat bullets with a bit of mag box clearance and try different powders at a constant COAL. I've done both. The odds are you'll find something that works. I'd also start with known powder/bullet combinations. I think you bought a 30-06. For elk, I'd start with a 180 bullet of your choice and H/IMR4350 work up to 58.0 grains or 2800 ft/sec whichever comes first. I know that load works with Partitions. Might also try Ramshot Hunter and Re 17 under 180's. I hear they might also work

Thanks bwinters. This sounds like a great approach.

I'd planned on loading up 165gr Barnes TTSX bullets with IMR 4064 instead of 180gr and H/IMR4350. Either way though, I'll work them up into the neighborhood of 2800fps or perhaps slightly more depending on which load provides better accuracy.

Thanks again

Sage advice indeed!

Just bought a new rifle, Tikka Super light 5.8 lbs stainless fluted.
It has been great reading the comments because I choose the 30 06
before i even read this.

I'm going to try some 180 Accubonds with IMR 4350 behind it and see
if I can get over 2800 accurately.

My glass will probably be a VXII 3x9, with some Talley 1 piece mounts.
To my best calculations it should come together at about 6 5/8 lbs.

I'm sorry, I can't help you, I've been over thinking my elk rifle for 20 years! If I had stuck with the first one that I bought and killed an elk with, a Browning A-Bolt in 7mm RM or even the second rifle I bought which was a Weatherby SS Fluted 300 Bee that I have killed eight elk with I would be a whole lot richer!

I own thre BARs, a 308, 30-06 and 300 WM, they all shoot great and I have killed deer with the first two. The 300 is a tree beater that I picked up for $400 from a guy in need, it shoots good but is heavy. Good luck on both (rifle search and elk hunting).

Mr.Winters,you are a wise and practical man,I like that.

There was a time (20+ years) when my only option in a bolt rifle was a 7mm RM. The rifle liked to shoot, I could shoot it well and it did the job with no muss, no fuss, no overthinking my options, no regrets.

I always wondered, though, if perhaps I had made a 'mistake' by not getting a .300 WM instead. So I did. It killed elk but no better than my 7mm RM.

As other rifles came my way and most of them went elk hunting, either as my primary rifle or my backup. Those that were tried killed elk quite efficiently, including a .45-70, two different .30-06s and a .338 WM.

This year I have four �elk virgins�, a Marlin .375 Winchester, a Rem M700 .30-06, a Ruger American .30-06 and a Ruger #1 in .280 Rem. The Ruger American was a gift from Dad and it is the leading candidate for primary rifle this year. (I want to get an elk with it while Dad is still with us.) Unless something changes, the real question this year will be what to take as my backup? The Remington M700 in .30-06 makes the most sense as it is set up with an identical scope and shoots the same as the American, but the Marlin .375 would be the most fun to carry and I would sure like to get an elk with the Ruger #1 in .280 Rem. And so it goes�

Elk season, for me anyway, is 10-1/2 months away and by then I might have another rifle or two to ponder over. In any case, I'll be "overthinking" what rifle to use until mid-October. And having fun doing it.

Fun, yes, but I don't know about the "overthinking" part. Having four rifles that you know will do the job and being willing to pick any one of them sounds about right. And I like your thinking on the leading candidate, that's the best reason to use a particular elk rifle I've ever heard on one of these threads.

Guess I am getting too comfortable. I don't have a lot of choices. It's either the ML or the .06. Either one, I take, they go bang and the elk dies. That is decided by what tag I draw or buy.

I might take the 30-30 or 44 mag carbine if I know I am going to be hunting thick timber. The.308 hasn't been out in years and the 6.5 Swede is only used on goats( maybe deer out east this coming year)

In my younger years, I worried about all that stuff. Finally came to the conclusion that it didn't make much difference in what I was using and I had to perfect my hunting talents more.
After that, things started to die with a lot more regularity every hunting season.

That's why they say 'it's the Indian, not the arrow.'

But you rarely hear about people overthinking the Indian, now do you.

Growing up on an Iowa farm I learned to hunt small game and my brothers and I were pretty hard on the squirrels and rabbits with our single-shot Ithaca 49's. (Before that we were hell on the sparrows and crows with our BB and pellet guns.) Didn't see many deer back then (now when back visiting family I see more deer in a week than in the 50s' through the 70's). Until I moved to Colorado I had never hunted anything larger than fox.

My elk hunting mentors were very good friends but not particularly good elk hunters. As a result I hunted hard for many years with average success. Something clicked in the 90's and I started hunting smarter. As I have aged I've slowed down, too, and couldn't hunt like I used to even if I had the desire to do so, which I don't. But it seems the slower I go the higher my success rate is. 12 elk since 2000 and not once did the choice of firearm make a difference.

Thanks for sharing Coyote Hunter and must admit I was shaking my head and chuckling while reading through your post.

I suspect all the rifles you mentioned would do the job but its funny the differences in thought process we all go through. Some would just pick whatever rifle that fancies them that day while others of us are slow and meticulous. The majority probably fall in between somewhere. I definitively fall into the slow and meticulous category and enjoy the journey/process as well! Decisions...decisions...

Only 20 pages of comments on elk rifles?

You have more than enough replies to cover the ideas you and your hunting partners may have had.

The getting in shape is the best idea, practicing with your rifle is a good 2nd idea. A light flat shooting rifle is a real confidence builder when canyons are 300+ yards across and you aren't getting closer that day. I like a 7 mag or 300 mag but much better to shoot something you are comfortable with using a good bullet - I like the tipped TSX from Barnes but that isn't the only good one.

Are you over thinking your elk rifle? In a word, 'yes'.

You best be using a good bullet, though.

Rest assured I overthought the bullet too. Here is proof

30-06 Elk Bullet - Cost is no object

You'll see references to a Browning BAR in the thread. Of course that all changed via this Overthinking Elk Rifle thread. It's madness I tell ya...and lovin' every moment of it!

My question is, How is the Ruger 77 shooting???

BSA; Been wanting to get to the range with the 77 but it's been so blasted cold here. I think the temp got above 0F today. The range has been open only intermittently too.

Guess I'll have to put on my big boy pants soon and just make it happen one way or the other