Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 30-06 or .264 Win Mag for Elk

I have a 30-06 and a .264 Win Mag. I've thought about buying a new rifle to elk hunt with, and that would be fun, but it's probably money better spent on other hunting stuff. My dad left me his Weatherby 30-06 Vanguard. It's the high gloss stock and highly polished blued version. The stock is beautiful, but very shiny and heavy. The rifle shoots well. If I was going to use it I would probably replace the scope and buy a McMillan Edge for it to reduce the weight. On the other hand, I have a Remington Classic . 264 that I have been hunting deer with since 1986. It's a tried and true killer and like an old friend to me. It's pretty heavy as it's wearing a VX6. I could hunt with it as, is or buy a lighter scope or buy a lighter scope and a McMillan for it and have a much lighter rifle. Anyway, if you had to choose to hunt elk with either a 30-06 or .264 Win Mag, both good shooting rifles, which would you choose?

take the 264 Win. Mag for your main rifle and take the 30-06 for a back up rifle

Depends on where I was hunting ... cover, distance ... etc. For fairly open country I'd use the .264. In timber I'd use the '06. Sounds like you need to prep 'em both and take 'em both.

Tom

30-06 without a doubt. More selection of whatever bullet you want to hunt with. It will do what ever needs to be done .If the shiny bothers you get some camo tape and cover it.

I love the Model 700 Classics, my current Classic is in .270 Win. If it "were me", I'd trick out the Classic and keep the 30-06 as a spare. You might even put a synthetic stock on it if the Vanguard's wood has nice features. I'd get some Vortex 168 TTSX, zero it +2 at 100 and kill something with it when the weather/hunt isn't so rugged. The .264 with the 127 or 120 Barnes, set up in a synthetic with a 2x8 or 3x9 or similar, good to go!
Now, if you want to make some memories with your dad's old rifle, put it in a nice synthetic/smaller scope, and use paste wax ( leave unbuffed) on the metal. If you handload, then work up a good hot load with the Nosler 200 Partition or Accubond. Keep the .264 "as is" for a spare. Let us know which one you decide on Pard!

Both would do just fine. Flip a coin. If getting either marked up would stress you, take the other.

The cartridge choice is a coin flip.

The tool is the choice.

Easier to trick out the Remington with an Edge or find a 1st gen Ti stock.

What Pete. Said!!!!!

You’ve answered your own question. As others have said, drop it in a light fiberglass stock, and put a lighter scope on top in Talley Lwt’s. Get a Butler Creek Mountain Sling for it and you’ll be GTG.

Cartridge is irrelevant. Familiarity and confidence are more important. And less is more when it comes to weight in an elk rifle for most situations.

I'm with Pete53 - take both. Use the one you are most familiar with as choice #1, the other is a backup. It sounds like you are most comfortable with the your Remington Classic, so there you go. A 140 grain Partitiion will do the job in the 264 on any elk.

I hunted elk in Colorado last November, and took two 30-06s. One was a "beater" Sears Model 53 (aka post-64 Model 70) I bought from a friend who is too old to hunt. I had worked on the rifle before I bought it, then shot it a lot all spring and summer. I was very familiar with it.

The other was a new rifle which cost twice as much. I wasn't as familiar with it, but I figured it was OK, so I took it along. On opening morning, I had trouble with the new rifle, so it sat in its case in the camper for the whole hunt, and I hunted with the beater. When I got home, I fixed the problem with the new rifle. Now it is fine, but I'm glad I had a second rifle along I had confidence in.

I'm at a different phase of life. Has your Dad passed? If so, I would hunt with his rifle----just the way he did and the way he gave it to you. He's with you on the adventure. That's just the way I think now. I've killed enough deer & elk but getting to hunt with Dad's memories is where it's at for me.

30-06

Take both unless you are hunting locally.

I'd hunt with the one that was lightest on my shoulder.

Take both, use a partition or equivalent, most elk are in heavy timber and close shots. the VX6 nice scope, leave it as is. You could do something with the stocks.

Either is serviceable. I like the .264WM with the 160gr PP version of the Weldcore. It has penetration on par with a premium 200gr in the .30-06, but far better trajectory.

I'd restock your 264 and keep your dad's as is, with your dad's rifle holding a lot of memories I'd want to leave it the way he used it and enjoy it on other hunts, get "your" .264 rifle set up just how you want it.

I like this

On the notion of hunting with Dad's rifle as is. Did Dad haul his rifle in the mountains hunting elk? Regardless of the answer though, perhaps you can keep his looking the way it did, but lighten his wood stock. You might hunt more with it that way. With that in mind, here's a link: Wood stock weight reduction.

Also, would not think it a horrible compromise to take some of the shine off Dad's stock to a satin finish.

Knocking Down RKW Finish on Remingtons

Dulling A Shiny Stock???

Yes, my dad has passed; however, he really didn't use the Weatherby much as he was a bird hunter more than a deer hunter. I think the only thing he ever killed with the Weatherby is a hog, but his model 12 shotgun is a different story - it's one of those guns that he used all his life and killed hundreds of mallards with on the Platte river when we lived in Colorado. He did love the Weatherby though because it has a very unique blond stock with a very dark patch of walnut at the last five inches of the buttstock. The Weatherby is beautiful, but I find it heavy and clunky. I would like to put the rifle to use though, just so that I could say I kept it going instead of having it just sit in the safe. I am going to pass it on to my son who thinks the stock looks cool. The Weatherby needs a new trigger as the one it has is pretty rough.

The .264 Classic is simply a killing machine and I have taken about 200 deer with it. I have purchased many rifles thinking I would use something else, but nothing is as familiar, trusted and comfortable as the 264 Classic is to me, so I have sold everything else and it's all I own now except my dad's 30-06.

I think what I will do is plan on taking both when I hunt elk, but plan a special cow elk hunt sometime in the future with my son and I can take my dad's rifle, high gloss stock and all, and kill a cow elk with it while I am hunting with my son. This way my son will have some memories with me and my dad's rifle during the late season, snow covered mountains of Colorado or whatever state we end up hunting in.

My Wby has a Timney.

I’d get it into a McM edge stock, save the pretty one.

DF

just give your son the Weatherby 30-06 and someday your 264 Win.mag too

Use the .30/06.

can't go wrong with 3006.

Too light, even for them NM jackwabbits.

DF

Stunt shooting,DF.

Evidently...

Was starting to get concerned about ya....

DF

Thanks for the concern,DF!

Have been using the Barnes 120 gr X bullet & now the TSX in my various 6.5's. Numerous elk taken over the years with complete success. With a proper bullet properly placed ether cartridge will work. The 6.5 will for sure give a flatter trajectory & a faster time of flight. This helps if the elk are on the move. Comes down to your emotional prospective.

Whichever you shoot better.

30-06

The headstamp, in this case, is almost irrelevant. Brad answered your question perfectly. Use the rifle you're most comfortable with.

I have both and have killed elk with both. Shoot which ever rifle you want to, just shoot it enough before season to know what your personal limits are.

Sounds to me that with the confidence you have in your .264, use it. Also, if you are absolutely comfortable with it and have taken over 200 game animals already...don't start messing with what works.

Slidellkid, you be the judge!

I'd go with the most accurate.

Exactly as I would do except that I'd get some 0000 steel wool and go at the shiny stock. When it;s done it will still look very nice but the shine will be gone.

Geeze, I think I would use the 264.

You said it was familiar and you were skilled with it.

The .264 with the right bullet is preferable to the -06 with the wrong bullet.
And vice versa...only way more so.
I'd hunt the -06 with the right bullet. And bring the .264 along too, also with the right bullet. Just in case.
Concur with all the comments about tricking out either of the rifles.
Cheers,
Rex

I've hunted with 264 on and off for 40 sum odd years....
With a good constructed bullet,
I'd use it on any game in the lower forty eight.

I guide lots of Elk hunters every fall, my advice is to bring the rifle your are most comfortable with. Seeing that you've killed 200 deer with your 264, that is a no brainier. Shoot a good bullet in the 120-140 range, that will get the job done. Even seasoned hunters can get totally discombobulated when a big bull steps out, having a rifle you're intimately familiar with will be a huge advantage when it comes down to the moment of Truth.

Personally, I'd load the 140 accubond, that load has accounted for many elk out of my own 264, none has gone more than a few steps.

Either. Your preference.

I'd pack my Rem 725 .260. It is light, and proven on elk, caribou, wolf.

Either. Your preference.

I'd pack my Rem 725 .260. It is light, and proven on elk, caribou, wolf.

Either...I prefer the .30-06 but Ive seen both of them work!

I have been using my various 6.5's for decades on elk with no down side. The copper mono bullets are what I use. Complete penetration no matter if it's my 260 Rem, 6.5x55 , 6.5-06 or 264 mag. They all work. My 30-06 & my .338 mag have not been fired in years. They of course all work with the proper bullet properly placed. I just like the mild recoil & flat trajectory of the 6.5.

IMHO the 264 using 140's is big enough for elk. The only thing I would do differently at the 264 win mag velocities would be to use a stouter bullet for elk such as the ACCUBOND or similar.