Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting What - Rifle,Scope, Caliber, Bullet Are You Taking For Elk?

Remington 700 BDL 7 Mag
175 Gr. Nosler Partition
Weaver 3 X 10

Backup

Springfield 1903 30-06
Nosler 165 Gr. Accubond
Leupold 4x

I’ve noticed that many of you have a “back-up” rifle. My wife carries my back-up...if I ask nicely, maybe she’ll let me use her Win. Model 70, .338WM! After she kills her elk!!! memtb

I carry a Skeleton Ruger in .300 Win Mag topped with a VX-3 3.5-10x40 duplex
Load is 72 gr RL22 over a 180 TTSX

My wife and kids shoot 140 grain accubonds with a stiff load of Varget out of a couple different 7mm-08s. One is a Ruger Frontier with a 16.5" barrel, the other a Savage Axis...both are topped with Vari-X IIs.

My backup rifle this year is another Skeleton Ruger that was a .30-06 but I sent it off and had it re-bored and chambered to .35 Whelen. Tagged out this year on elk so likely won't bring out the Whelen until spring bear.

MedRiver: Congratulations on "tagging" the Elk already!
Three of my friends have used Rifles in 35 Whelen caliber to harvest Elk while I was witnessing.
The 35 Whelen is indeed a dandy Elk cartridge.
My friend and former workmate just harvested a HUGE cow Elk with one shot from his Remington 700 Sendero in 300 Winchester Magnum.
It was the last day of his stay here in Montana and he loves Elk meat.
He's on the road back to taxington as we speak.
Good luck next spring on the Bear.
I have been packing a newish Tikka in 338 Federal the last few years for Spring Bear but have not seen one "big enough" (medium plus!) to fire upon as yet.
That Leupold3.5x10 is a great all around scope - I "can" use it on 3.5 power in the thickets if need be and the 10 power at the top end comes in handy.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

.35 Whelen Remington 700 with a Leupold 3-9x40 CDS shooting 225 Gr Accubond at 2,700 fps in the timber and brush. .300 Weatherby Mark V Fibermark with Kahles Helia C 2-10x50 launching168 gr TTSX handloaded with Mag Pro for longer range country. Or I might just take my 7mm Weatherby Magnum and call it good. Happy Trails

336 ,35 Rem as well. Factory Hornady. Weaver K4.

Remington 700 SS 30-06
2.5-8x Leupold
165 TTSX

Backup
Kimber Montana 308
2-7 Leupold
150 NAB

Had the .338 and .300 at the range yesterday for one last long-range session before the hunt. A couple shots each on a 4" target at 400 and then steel at 500 and 600, both from the bench and field positions. Decided the .338 will be my primary rifle, in part because I will likely be shooting backup and those 225g AB's make such nice holes. (My primary goal this year is to help Daughter #1 get her first elk.)

Those rifles are too fugly to sell - just wouldn't be right to take advantage of someone.

Remington Model 78, 30-06, Jewel trigger, Leupold VariX-1 3X9, Federal Fusion 150 grain. Took everything off my custom that took a dump on me two years ago that would transfer. Not really thrilled with a 30-06 but it will have to do for the foreseeable future.

Looks like we have similar tastes in rifles. I hunt with paddle stocks in .22, .223, .300 win, and .35 Whelen. My .223 is one of the most accurate factory sporter weight rifles I have been around. My .300 was a little more picky but will shoot the 180 TTSX around 3/4 MOA. Lots of other bullets are around 1.5 MOA. Just getting to know the Whelen (.30-06 that I had bored out).

Tikka T3 ss 30-06, 168 ttsx 3.5-10x40 CDS

Well, our two guns and ammo combination didn't get the job done on the elk mainly because neither of us saw a legal elk but the guns and ammo dropped 2 wt,s. Wifes 6 pt (Texas count) dropped in his tracks at 140 yds. My 9 pt ran about 50 yds. No trophies but good eating!

Did not matter what i carried now, saw no legal elk to shoot in my home state.

Boomwack: Sorry you did not make a connection there in your home state.
I would still be interested in what you carried.
Better luck next time out.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

More to the story....















Simply stated....it works!

Thats the hard part of elk hunting, or just hunting, No guarantee.

I carted my trim Ruger hawkeye in 7mm rem mag stoked with my ol' reliable 175 partition/retumbo load all over the place. Up hills, canyons, timbered flats and fields. Not one shot fired.
Should have carried my 'bob to mix it up a little. Changing rifles does seem to help now and again....

WBY 30-378 with a nightforce scope Nosler Accubond
It has served me well for the last 4 years

Rodak: Welcome to the Campfire and that sure sounds like a first rate Elk Hunting rig!
I have been wanting to try a NightForce scope on one of my own Rifles for 25 years now.
I used to run with and trade guns with the guys in Seattle when they were the exclusive distributors of the NightForce line - I bought many accessories from them but never a scope. They were expensive even back when they were new.
I have shot many Rifles with NightForce scopes on them and am impressed.
Again welcome to the fire and enjoy that great Elk set-up.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Leeper - built Ruger single shot in 303 Brit with a 1-4X Leupold, 180 grain Sabre Tips. :>)
Cat