Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Big Sky... here's my elk from 2000

Nice talking to you last week with Mark at the DQ in Belgrade... here's the elk I told you about. Rather than jam-up your thread with more photos (it does take a bit of time to load... nice critters!), I thought I'd make a new thread. He goes 313 (B&C talk)... took him with a 338 Win Mag and 210 Partitions hunting solo on public ground... was a bit tricky getting the photo with a self-timer!<P> [img]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1340501&a=9973286&p=33237996&Sequence=0[/img]

Brad, awesome! Man I love this being able to post photos. Great bull. Hey what was the name and web address of that reloading supply catalog you and Mark were talking about when we visited? Have you got that 338-06 yet?

Warning! The .338-06 is a POS cartridge. I suggest you rapidly send it to me for immediate disposal. This will minimize any unwarranted grief on your part......

Man that's one nice Elk! I'm extremely jealous.<P> Paul

BigSky... <A HREF="http://www.sinclairintl.com" TARGET=_blank>www.sinclairintl.com</A> good company with neat stuff. <P>No, haven't got it yet... should be any day... won't be sending it to bigmuley either!<P>Paul... I hunted around six solid days in October and early November and didn't see anything except cows... finally spotted this bull and two smaller bulls from about one mile away headed up a steep ridge to bed. It took me three hard hours to get to the ridge, and another half hour to work my way down (slowly!) to where I thought they'd be bedded... sure enough, I found them standing in their beds. Finally picked out the big one and let him have it!<P>Brad

When you work hard for them it makes it even that much better.<P> In a few years maybe i'll be able to see an elk like that durring hunting season.<P> Paul

Paul...elk are my passion, no doubt about it. However, you get to buy those over-the-counter tags for those wonderful big Alaskan moose... my second favorite big game animal! I've only hunted them once on the Kenai... passed on what was (maybe) a 50 1/2" bull with double brow tines... obviously I didn't pull the trigger! Friend with me got a nice 56" bull though... enjoyed the meat!<P>Brad

well at least you've seen a bull moose durring hunting season up here. the closest i came was a 60-65 incher the day after the season closed. was out hunting spuce grouse and low and behold the biggest bull i have ever seen just standing there broadside at about 20 yards. It was great. <P> Leaving here soon and wont be able to hunt up here this year or maybe next. but i'm tring to get an antilope hunt off the ground with my ol'man.<P> Hunt hard and shoot straight,<P> paul

Brad,<P>You'll love the gun. Although the .338-06 doesn't look as glamorous as its magnum rivals, it'll get the job done VERY effectively. I have found it to be a pleasure to shoot, easy to reload for, and puts animals down like a lightning bolt.

Bigmuley,<P> What kind of velocity do you get from the 338-06? I see that weatherby is chambering the A square version in it's ultra light.<P> Thanks,<P> Paul

Paul,<P>To be honest, I've never chronoed the gun. I have used 200 grain Hornadys and 210 grain Partitions. Both work very well. My current load is a 200 grain Hornady with CCI 200 primers and 61.0 grains of IMR 4350. This load is slightly compressed, and should give a MV of about 2800 ft/second according to my manuals. This is shooting out of a 23" Douglas barrel. I am hoping to get out and do some LONG range target shooting this summer, 400-500 yards and look at the actual ballistics of this round. My guess is that it will be very similar to a 30-06 shooting 165 grain bullets.

Thanks Bigmuley,<P> I have been thinking about building a new rifle but have been leaning tward the 35 caliber, just to be different, now that 338-06 sounds interesting. Might have to give it a look see.<P> Thanks again,<P> Paul

Big Muley and Paul... I'm pretty fired up about the 338-06... I know and/or correspond with several guys here in Montana that use the cartridge, and all are very enthusiastic about its performance on game. I was having a Whelen built, though I really preferred the 338-06. When I heard the news that Weatherby was going to chamber the round and offer ammo for it, I was pushed over the brink... changed my order, bought Redding dies and am ready to go!<P>BTW BigMuley... what critters have you taken with the round... any elk?<P>Brad

Brad and Bigmuley,<P> what type of rifle did you have built? Rem or Win, type barrel and stock.<P> Thanks the info is for an upcoming project.<P> Paul

Paul,<P>Mine is a rebarrelled Model 70 with a Douglas barrel, 23". I wouldn't hesitate to go with a 22" tube. Stock is the original wood, reworked factory trigger to 4 lbs.<P>Brad,<P>I've shot one muley buck, one mountain goat, and one antelope buck with the rifle, along with several coyotes. I wish I could give you a report on elk. Longest shot was 325 yards, closest 75. All complete pass-throughs.

MigMuley... Pass-throughs are good! Sounds like an excellent rig! A friend here in Bozeman just had his 338-06 built with a 23" barrel.<P>Mine is a stainless Win 70... the barrel is being done by Shaw (22")... it'll go over to Dave Gentry next for fluting, then go off to Brown Precision for a light stock... I'm hoping for an "all-up" weight (scope, sling, five rounds) of just under eight pounds... we shall see!<P>Brad