Originally Posted by beretzs
Originally Posted by Brad
Originally Posted by beretzs
Originally Posted by Brad
I have a good friend who grew up elk hunting here in MT. He started with the 7-08. In the hands of himself, his sister and a couple cousins, the 7-08 accounted for nearly 20 elk. I asked him what he currently is using - answer, "300 ultra Mag." Next I asked him if he or any of his family ever had any problem with the 7-08 on elk - answer, "no."

I looked over at his jacked-up monster truck and absorbed this reality...


I think this partially fits me. I have alot of rifles and take them all elk hunting cause I want to, not because I think most any of them will sweep elk off their feet. I like rifles and cartridges and trying different things. I have ran a 270 up to a 375 Improved. I know there hasn't been an elk I have personally killed or been in on the hunting of the 270 Winchester wouldn't have worked fine, with all of the other disclaimers about using a decent bullet and knowing the trajectory, etc. I will say in my jaded way that I like how well the 338 Win with 210 Swifts and the 7 Mashburn with 175 Bitterroots has worked on a handful of elk a piece. They didn't do backflips or nothing like that but they also didn't wander anywhere except for one I shot on the move with the Mashburn. I think his momentum carried him the 30 yards or so it took to nosedive.

So yeah, I might just have to load up my little 7-08 with the 132/140 Bitterroots I have and see if I can find a mangy old elk with it whistle


Beretzs, I've done the exact same thing as I enjoy rifles (or did). When I moved here to Montana I had read enough to know elk were armor-plated, so I started with a 22" bbl'd 338 WM loaded w/210 Partitions. It worked admirably on several bulls, but I noticed my friends who grew up here typically used something like a 270 or 30-06. I started going backwards in cartridges, using the 30-06, and when it appeared in the early 2000's, the 300 WSM. No surprise, they killed elk just fine. Then I went in reverse even more to the 270, and my favorite, the 308 Win. I also used the 7-08 on one bull. Of course, what I "discovered" was the right bullet in the right place does the job, and as I got older (now 60) I found I enjoyed less recoil. Or maybe I never liked recoil all that much and just finally admitted it to myself. Probably a mixture of both smile

If anyone asks me what the "best" elk rifle is, I tell them a 22" bbl'd 338 WM loaded with 210 Partitions. Problem is I don't want to carry or shoot the "best" elk rifle, so I'm entirely happy with a lightweight 308 Win (or 270, 7-08, 6.5 CM, etc.).


For sure, my long time partner is 75 this year. I think he carried an old PF M70 300 Win from just after he returned home from Vietnam. It's a heavy package all set up but he's carried it miles and miles in elk country. One year while hunting in AZ when we were tracking elk I thought to myself, what a good gift for the old man would be a light gun. His wife and I conspired and got him a Kimber 280 Ackley. In the past few years he has accounted for a decent number of elk. He loves the weight and says the 280 with the 160 AB doesn't induce the reaction his 300 did but all of his elk have been easily recovered. So I think that is a good example of what you're gradually going towards and myself down the line as well.

I had a similar experience. I have a P64 Featherweight 30-06 I put in an Hunters EDGE. I brought it along two years ago when we were headed to pack my brothers elk since I still had a tag. Well, low and behold I loved the package which weighed around 8lbs or a shade under. I ended up taking a small bull that same evening. Ended up costing me money since then I thought my Mashburn was too heavy and had it rebuilt to match that 06....

I can make alot of stuff make sense in my head whistle


You guys always make sense for the most part. My "elk" rifle is my 338wm, but we all know just about any damn rifle/cartridge will work if you use the right bullet and put it in the right spot. I still kind of shake my head at guys when they say they need a 300 RUM to cleanly take and elk. In the real world, it doesn't take that to kill an elk. I used a 7mm08 a few months ago on a bull and it handled the situation very well. Partnered with a 140gr TTSX and everything went as planned. Hell, I could have killed that bull with a 22-250 loaded with the right bullet..

Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

BSA MAGA