Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Millennials

I went on a guided wilderness horse packing elk trip last week. I had wanted to since I was a boy, and am glad I did. It was great adventure. Bears in camp, my partner shot a wolf, all of us killed 6pt bulls. It was great, just a really great trip.

I do have to share that my twenty something guide seemed to think that a Kimber Montana in .270 Win, shooting 150NP at 3025 and wearing a Zeiss scope without turrets was absolutely incapable of cleanly taking an elk at any distance. He also seemed to think that a Christensen 7Mag shooting 160AB's at 2820(!) with a NightForce/Turrets/Illuminated reticle could neither miss, nor fail to instantly drop anything at which it was aimed. And that a .300 Ultra would do it faster and better. I went so far as to use my iPhone to generate and discuss ballistics and energy tables, but to no apparent effect on his thinking. At the end of the day, both rifles worked as expected and intended and we got some really nice animals.

I wonder what he would have thought of my bone stock pre-64 .264WM.

He heard what you said and will probably tell the next person he guides what he learned!

There you go! That's the way to look at it.

Sometimes it takes a while for that new-old wisdom to sink in.........

I've heard lots of dumb rifle advice from boomers and Gen Xers....

I was just gonna say, I heard the same stuff before "millennials" was even a thing.

Just stand around any Sportsman's Warehouse or the like and listen. You will not believe people this dumb exist....

All good points. As he spoke, I sat there slack jawed and with a raised eye. It dawned on me that perhaps he would respect numbers and data, but no luck. I think he'll have to rely on the eye test.

Either way he was a great kid, and he played it smart when the time came. I tipped him well.

Sounds like he did a good job on the elk even though he dissed your 270...

Yep. Once I was at the gun counter asking for powder, they kept it in the back. I laid a couple boxes of .270 130 grain partitions on the counter and the guy told me they were "no good for deer." Told me I should get the new TTSX bullet instead, due to the plastic tip and "high BC." I think he was genuinely offended when I ignored that sage advice.

He probably just needs to see a few more elk killed and then he'll start thinking...


How about a hunt report and pics?

He shoulda come out and just said what he was thinking. Gay cartridges just want to antique shop after Sunday brunch. They aren't man enough to hunt elk.

+1 Sounds like the same guys that think a .243 through .260 Swedemoor is too small for whitetail that average 100 pounds on the hoof.

Ah, when I think back to what I "knew" at 25... and at 50... Hell, give me another 25 over my 69, and maybe I'll know it all!

I'm on the same trajectory but given where I started I doubt I'll get there.

Exactly! Was back east this summer and stopped at a Cabelas. Some jack-wad working the gun department was pontificating to a bunch of folks about the quasi sniper rifle wanna be on display, think it was a 338 Lapua. He went on and on about how this is exactly the rifle you want for out west. That POS probably weighs 14 puonds, could just imagine some guy tryin to hump it up a few hills. Moral of the story is morons come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

Don't forget the co-worker who has a 308 that shoots flat out to 800 yards. Friggin' laaazzzzer

That would be nice.

I've found that most hunting guides (note that I said "most" not all) don't know much about rifles, cartridges, or ballistics. However, they do know what they've seen their clients use and how it worked for them. If they see some guy with a .338 Lapua and he misses or wounds an animal, they'll tell everyone that that cartridge sucks and all it does is wound animals. Sometimes these guys will want to learn a bit about cartridges, bullets, ballistics, etc., but not often. I bet your guide will be telling folks now how deadly those 270 Win. are on elk!

Yeah no joke. For some reason the older forum members are hell bent on drawing generational distinctions and blaming everything on millenials.

But I’ve heard some awful dumb schidd come from the mouths of the over-40 crowd.

Yep your right over 40 and under 60!! After 60 you can take everything as Gospel!!! Really!!!