Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Will I be made fun of showing up with Pump rifle

I still kick myself in the azz for not buying a 7600 that was re-bored (by JESS) to a 9.3x62mm .. A 35 whelen just sounds classy..

9.3x62 ina Pump gun...that'd be way cool in the Piggy woods around here...instead of chopping them up with the big magazine TactiKool shooters all the New Kids are getting sweaty palms over.
Ron

I very distinctly remember only one guy in one of my hunting camps with a pump rifle. He got made fun of for missing a deer 5 times, not because he was shooting a Remington pump.

Only if the others in camp are idiots. But practice with it plenty before you go to give the round and gun its due respect....

I am ignorant to the rifle and the caliber. What does it weigh? If it weighs more than 7.5 pounds, I would get a lighter rifle......for backup! Just braying!

Gayest thread ever.

Don't make fun of me, I'm sensitive.

Why waste energy worrying about what others may think? The .35 Whelen is a fine elk cartridge. As long as the rifle is reliable and you shoot it well there us no reason not to take it.

On the other hand, this is an excellent opportunity to justify a new rifle. Just be aware that a new rifle likely won't make any difference as to your success or failure to harvest an elk.

Save your money and go knock one over with what you have!

The only possible drawback would be on log shots, over 300-350 yards.

The fact is, way more elk are killed at under 200 yards that over 300 yards.
You jump a good bull in timber, that big bore pump gun will serve you well.

Guides don't care what you bring on a hunt as long as you can shoot it well and safely. I have had a few guys from the east bring 760 pumps elk hunting and they worked fine. Two things to remember with a pump. Pumps don't fit in a sabbard very well and may be tight coming out, so do some practicing taking gun out of the sabbard. Also, guns ride in the sabbard with an empty cahamber. So make sure that the action is cocked and locked on an empty chamber before putting in the sabbard, so you don't work the slide going in and have a shell in the chamber coming out. Another thing is when your guide tells you to put a shell in, don't try to work the slide quietly. If you do and the action doesn't lock up, there will be no bang when the trigger is pulled. Good luck and practice with whatever gun you tke. Daryl.

The 760/7600 has a good rep for accuracy, in some cases about as good as a bolt gun.

In areas where semi-auto hunting rifles are banned, like Australia, the Rem Pump is sometimes referred to as the Aussie Machine Gun.

It's fast and accurate, hard combo to beat for a hunting rifle, especially where fast repeat shots are needed.

I don't have one, but do respect them.

DF

Shoot your elk dead with one shot, hard to argue with that. If they do give you crap about it just say you don't need it for killing your game but to clean up after the turds you hunt with. MM

Good answer, MM. I like that.

And, the "cool" factor of the .35 Whelen should offset negative vibes/comments about the 7600.

And, it IS hard to argue with success...

DF

Embarrassed about a pump? It would be a lot more embarrassing to use a high dollar custom rifle that you can't hit your own foot with. If you can shoot a good bullet accurately, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

Props to you for spending your cash on experiences instead of yet another dust-collecting rifle ... the guides will probably find it refreshing. Kill your elk and leave a good tip and you'll probably be on their 'best client' list forever. Hope you have a great hunt!

Tell them after you kill your's with one shot you MAY let them borrow it. (but of course you never will. )

I've killed more elk with a .35 whelen than any other cartridge. About perfect for elk hunting IMHO. My dad and all his buddies did all their hunting including lots of moose and some elk with Remingon pumps and semi-autos. All of that crew shot 30-06's. So I know from personal observation that your Remington pump 35W will do the job.
The only reservations I would personally have is as previously mentioned they must be pumped with authority when loading a round. That lack of quiet loading may be or may not be an issue in spot and stalk hunting with a guide and the usual empty chamber.
And the triggers are mushy and heavy on most Remington pumps, which a good smith can rectify.
That's it for flaws. they are accurate and deadly.
Have a good hunt!

Absolutely. You would be subject to a lot more scrutiny by showing up with an expensive custom rig. That 7600 is a great choice for certain terrain and situations.

Those doggone Remington pumps are often very accurate, and if it's the rifle you often hunt with, you'll be accurate with it too.

Besides it's a Whelen... Bring it!

Guy

I remember as an older kid at elk scouting camp one year...one of the guys brought his new Browning 1885 to show off. Got to talkin' obnoxious, going on about how accurate his rifle was, and at some point made a comment about my old man's "piece of ch!t ruger 77". Guy kept going on, and offered to shoot groups at 100 yards, the winner to keep both rifles.

Potentially stupid mistake. The old man cloverleafed 130gr nosler partitions out of that old beat up 77 with the 4x leup. After some fuss, and others in the group holding the loudmouth accountable, he gave up the 1885.

The old man made him sweat it out over the weekend, but ended up giving it back.

One of my old man's sayings..."beware the man with one rifle...he probably knows how to shoot it". The old man could make that worn old "piece of ch!t ruger" sing.

Another story the old man used to tell... when he was a kid he was sitting with a group of hunters and an old indian guide "Jim" around the campfire. As it often does, talk went to the "best" caliber and rifles. At some point someone asked old Jim, "Jim, you've hunted and guided your whole life, what do you think?" Jim replied simply with a look and "any gun good, shoot'em good."

Being able to actually shoot your rifle will quiet even the biggest loudmouth.