Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk/varmint rifle??

It just struck me that someone might have a better suggestion than mine. I have a very close friend who is an outfitter/guide in Wyoming. Through a gunsmith/friend I just built for him a 338 Win Mag for elk. He called and asked what cartridge I would recommend for a second rifle which he could use for LONG RANGE shooting on coyotes and varmints in that size (I'm sure he WOULDN'T use it on the wolves around him but coyotes would be fair game,) as well as doubling in a pinch for elk. He is NOT a reloader but has access to friends (me and another outfitter friend,) who reload. The 338 Win Mag was recommended by me for this reason since factory ammo is available. He wants a fairly flat shooting rifle.

What cartridge would YOU recommend and why?

I've given him my suggestion which I'll pass on to you later.

easy..........25-06. A LONG range bomber for coyotes and will work well enough for elk.

Well, here is what I would suggest, its simple a .25-06. Light bullets for those Non Wolf Wolves( he is not kidding me, SSS, Shoot, Shove and Shut up for those of you in Rio Linda) Good 115 -120 gr Loads for Elk in a pinch. You could go with a 6.5 x 55 a cartridge that I really love, but here in the States its a handloader's proposition. I think the .25-06 would be about as good as it gets for what he wants to do, Shoot Elk and those other things in a pinch.

6.5x55 SE - 100 or less for varmints; 120-140 for dear/antelope; 140-160 for elk.

.25-06 for the reasons already mentioned.

There's a bunch of cartridges to fit that bill. 243, 250,257.25-06, 7mm-08, just to name a few.

25-06, 270...

I used a 7mm Rem Mag and 160g bullets for elk since 1982. Its remarkably efficient on elk. Used the elk loads to take more than a few coyotes and prairie dogs along the way - called the varmints "practice".

What's a .260 lacking? 95 v-maxes and 130 tsx's. Yer covered. Don

7mm mag ; .270

7mm of some sort. 120vmax and whatever he wants for elk.

Or the 257 wby.

Coyote, one of my elk hunting buddies is a rancher just north of Jellystone Park... in 1970 he started guiding for elk so decided he needed to replace the British 303 he was using! So, he went to the local pawn hoping to find a 280 Rem (good luck in 1970). Instead he managed to find a first year production M700 BDL in 7mm RM. It's been his only rifle since. That rifle has accounted for an untold number of elk, antelope, deer, coyotes and lately (and yes, legally) wolves. The rifle is always in his truck and if it's not there it's in a scabbard on a horse headed into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. It looks like hell but is an honest rifle that maintains its zero. He uses a 160 Speer on everything.

Talk about a varmint and elk rifle... (grins).

Though I've not owned one, I recommended the 7 Rem Mag but had second thoughts after speaking to yet another Wyoming friend who recommended a 6-284, thus the reason for my post.

They have lots of coyotes in the area and I've seen some shots made at 700+ yards. Longest one shot drop I've seen was 960 yards with rifles mostly in the 6-284 and the 7 Rem Mag, and I know of one "one shot bang flop" at 1120 yards with the 6-284 using Berger target bullets. Seems that the area doesn't give you much opportunity for closer shots since most of their shooting is in large burn areas. On some varmints you actually require a large distance gap for many reasons. It just seemed to me that the 7 Mag had a much wider variety of factory ammo available plus a greater selection of bullets available than most other calibers in the event he got someone to reload for him. The cartridge is also a little less of a barrel burner than the smaller large case capacity calibers.

I never thought of the 25-06 and I'm uncertain of the availability of factory ammo for it.

Sure appreciate the thoughts expressed. Any holes in my thinking?

Bobski, the rancher up by my place north of Bozeman is another practical (and broke) cowboy. He guides for elk too and has used one rifle for a bit over twenty years... Ruger 77 in 25-06. The bulls he's killed are impressive and he's taken hundreds of yotes with it. He uses 100 grain Rem factory ammo. Around here 25-06 factory ammo can be had anywhere and if there's a better yote round I don't know what it is!

get a 270WSM and run the 130gr TSXs and never look back. HAPPY HUNTING

Or 110'S!

Couldn't go wrong with that either. In the end, a good yote rifle shoud definately have some barrel weight to it...

As an aside, here's the Yote/Elk rifle I'm putting together right now for a friend. Dober and I are going to wring it out to 1000 yards and hopefully smoke a few yotes as well... think 50 BMG will work? Grins...

Good god man!!! You will kill with the muzzle blast alone with that contraption:-)

Bobski, I think a 270 win is perfect for what you describe. Factory ammo can be had anywhere and 130�s at 3100 will reach out a touch a heck of a long way. 130 BT�s for yotes and 130 or 140 TSX�s for elk and you are good to go. My 270 is light, easy to shoot and scary accurate!!! Can�t go wrong in my opinion with that setup!!

Bobski: If he actually wants to keep the pelts, anything bigger than a 25 is worthless.

I cant think of anything better than a 264 Win Mag, surprise! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Speaking from my own experience, I've busted elk at 400 yards with it, complete pass throughs on shoulders using 140 NP's.
The elk were dead before they hit the ground. More than just a cartridge to use in a pinch for elk. It's legitimate.

Coyotes for long range using 95 grain Vmax's make it lethal beyond what most can hold. Even for the "biggest" of dogs.

A light recoiling magnum that takes performance to the full envelope. Flattest of the flattest.

It is a handloaders round.

2nd pick and probably more practicle would be the
270 WSM.