Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk rifle

The “only” thing certain in hunting, is.....”uncertainty”! Chose a rifle and cartridge that will work from the muzzle to beyond 400 yrds. Become, very proficient with that rifle,and go kill elk.....or anything else you may hunt! memtb

Thank you all for the input it is truly appreciated. The reason I ask this as I am an easterner, I hunt whitetail all over the east coast and mid west but have only hunted elk once. The rifle I carried now belongs to my little brother for everything he has done for me over the years. I have enough rifles however I just want something new for a few purposes, the Model 70 300wsm I don't shoot that well I am a big dude and I can't get comfortable with it. The 375HH is a model 700 classic and its a nice rifle however I am a so called gun looney and want another rifle. I thought something in the long action 300 338 caliber.

Here is my line up for big game.

264 win mag
7RM x2
300 WSM
375 HH
450 Marlin

These are the guns I would consider carrying in the elk woods. Before you say Upgrade gear, that is almost complete as Myself and my dad both have lightweight tents, sleeping systems. Good boots, glass,. We have spent the past few years getting everything together. So now its just new rifle time if I want.

As I've said in other threads I am 6'5 with a rather long wingspan so I need a decent length of pull that's why most of the factory guns don't fit me well especially the short ultralights.

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This the very beast post of all.
Getting a cool rifle because you can is a FAR better reason to buy one then trying to find "reason" you need it.

I want.........therefore I need.



That's why I make rifles for myself now and then. I do--- because I like rifles. Because I have some cool rifles I hunt with them in hunting season.

I shoot them because I like them the rest of the year.

My wife and I have a safe full of stuff, but only have one gun each.....dedicated to hunting. These rifles, are used on all of our big game hunting ( antelope/deer up to and thru moose). One rifle, one bullet, one zero! Familiarity with any tool....makes you better with that tool! memtb

Are elk hunted on guided hunts harder to kill than elk hunted on DIY hunts? I've never been on a guided elk hunt, but I've killed 35 elk on DIY hunts, and most of them were on solo hunts.

When I started hunting elk back in the late 60s, the long time elk hunting locals that I worked with recommended a bolt action rifle in .270 Win or .30-06. I chose a .30-06. The only "premium" bullet back then was the Nosler Partition, but plain old Sierra and Hornady bullets killed a lot of my elk. I've never killed an elk at 400 or longer yards, and I killed my closest elk at 10 yards. Like Lee W posted, "If the elk [are] farther than 400 [yards] [get] closer."

The list that Okie John posted has some good points, but I wouldn't treat it as the gospel. The following is my experience with the items on that list:

• Rifle with scope and sling must be under 8lbs
Most of my elk rifles have been 9 1/2-10 lbs, and I haven't experienced any problems with the extra pound or two, even on multiple high mountain sheep and goat hunts

• At least .30 caliber
Most of my "dedicated" elk rifles have been .30 caliber, but one of my quickest elk kills was on one of my largest 6x6 bulls with my .257 Ackley and a 117 grain Sierra GameKing bullet. My foul weather backup rifle is a 7mm Rem mag. A friend of mine killed a B&C Montana bull last year with his .22-250, and it was one of many with that rifle.

• No porting, brakes, or other superfluous hardware
My favorite elk rifle now is my .300 Weatherby with a KDF muzzle brake, and it is so comfortable to shoot, I would never even think about shooting it without the brake.

• Non-glare stainless steel in a good pillar bedded synthetic stock
At least 30 of my elk were killed with highly polished blued rifles in walnut stocks. I did pillar bed several of these rifles. My backup foul weather 7 RM is stainless steel in a pillar bedded plastic stock.

• 22” barrels—except in the magnums that need a 24” barrel for velocity
All of my elk rifles have had 24" barrels, and I've never wished that they were shorter.

• Simple trigger group, bolt and safety designs
Except for my 94 Winchester, all of my hunting rifles fit this description.

• Shoot flat enough that 2” high at 100 ensures that holding high hair at 300 yds will put it in the vitals
Again, except for my 94 Winchester, all of my hunting rifles fit this description.

• Iron back up sights
For bolt action rifles, I like to look of a scope on a clean barrel. None of my rifles have a scope and back up iron sights.

• Scope with an objective no larger than 40mms held with field detachable mounts (scabbard friendly)
All of my hunting rifles have scopes with 40mm or smaller objective lens, but none of them have detachable mounts. For 20 some years I hunted deer, elk, moose, and sheep with my rifle in a scabbard on my horse, and never had any problems.

• Shoot premium bullets under 1.5” throughout the entire temperature range that can be encountered
All of my hunting has been done with my handloaded bullets, and I strive for moa accuracy. I hunted elk with Partitions in my .30 Gibbs (2990 fps) and I hunt with TSX or TTSX bullets in my .300 Wby (3200+ fps). Thousands of elk have been killed with properly placed "standard" bullets.

I agree Memtb the familiarity is key. I am looking for that rifle I just need to be able to get one to fit me right, if it means going custom I am.

There's a lot of wisdom in that.


Okie John

Yeah, I first wrote that back in '42. szihn basically plagiarized.

I'm 6'3 and within the last ten years I've discovered that I need at least 13 3/4 LOP. 37 inch sleeves and of course a long neck. My 375 H&H is a CZ550 and I believe its a 14 LOP and I've done nothing to it. August is getting down to the wire on getting anything custom, high end shops have waiting lists of years, and I think you'll have a hard time for a pure custom rifle in anything less than 6 months unless your incredibly lucky and the shop has everything already on hand, and its what you want. Most off the shelf rifles have LOP of 13.5 inches and they fit the majority of the hunting/shooting population. Your best bet is either purchase off the shelf and get the LOP set to your particular measurments and tune the rifle for this years hunt, or use what you have listed and get the stock adjusted to you. Either way your probably looking at least a month waiting for a gunsmith to fit your rifle unless you know someone as this is peak time till January.

I’m looking at 5-6 months. I have rifles for this year. Cooper can put a custom length of pull stock together or I can buy my own spacers.

I did a special order from Cooper a decade or so ago. It was 8 months before delivery to FFL. Fine rifle and would order from them again. Wish I still had it.

I’ve been talking with them build off the 92

I'm an unabashed Weatherby (MKV) fanboy. While I haven't tried the new redesigned Accumark, the Cooper I had M52 Jackson rifle in 25-06 was simply a better rifle than my Jap/Saco Weatherby's. My next rifle I think is going to be in that new 6.5 PRC, and if Cooper will chamber it, I'll probably get one in their Jackson/Excaliber series.

I like the looks of the timberline and backcountry. Euro has them in stock I’m running there in a few weeks

I've killed Elk with my 270, my 7mm Rem Mag and my old 303 Brit, but the last three years I've taken mine with my 45/70. The longest shot was 227 yards. My better half has killed two Elk and one Moose with her 243.The best rifle is the one you have in your hand that you've practised with, are confident in and hits what you aim at. Bullet placement is always the most important factor.

The longest kill I ever made on a bull was 308 yards with a .35 Whelen. I’ve killed more game with that rifle simply because it was enough gun and in my hands at the moment of truth on more occasions. I’ve been using 7mm Weatherby and .300 Weatherby more often these days simply because I can. Happy Trails

It'll work inside of 500 yards.

Yep. lol

The real proof is in the amount of elk you have killed, not read about. A sample of 6 or so isn’t enough to make a good comparison. I don’t believe the 338 will help you kill an elk over a 30-06 under realistic circumstances, but 223 and other smaller calibers are just too small...

I have a Ruger Hawkeye all weather stainless in 338wm I could be persuaded to sell. It sits in a factory Hogue pillar bedded stock. I also have the load work done so all you would need to do is Scope it, load some ammo and go hunting.
Shoot me a PM if your interested.