Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 300 Savage for elk

I hunt elk with a model 99 T scoped.

I use Hornady FTX 160 cannulured for the 308 marlin express. I like lever lotion powder for the cartridge.

I also like the 165 grain cup and core Speer s.

There are reports of a 7x57 mauser has killed elephant. Put the proper bullet in the right place.

Mouse Gunners Unite! (LOL!)

It's interesting how some 300 mag shooters who'd have no qualms about popping one off at 500 yards often find the 300 Savage to be inadequate at any distance.

There's folks who can hunt and there's folks who can shoot long range. There's even a few who can do both. There's an awful lot of folks who can shoot long range who aren't very good at hunting.

The 300 Savage is a hunter's rifle.

300 Savage is a poor choice for elk, just ask on the "fire". but the mighty 6.5 Creedoor is a great killer beyond 600 yards! IMHO

The model 99 seems to hit critical mass at the 300 savage.

The 308 win seems a touch 2 much.

I like the 308 win in the win model 88 and the blr.

The 336 marlin I like the 356 and the 35 rem.

Then the 45/70 444 in the 1895...............

I'm with you pard, I had a great shooting Mod 99C in .308 that shot factory 150 like crazy. If you handloaded to those same pressures, which, back in early 80s, they weren't going that fast. If you tried to handload to higher velocity, cases wanted to stick. No sweat, everyone knew it had a "springy" action, you just compensated for it...with almost 300 Savage speeds, ha.

I have a 99F in .300 Savage that I got as a project rifle still incomplete. My son has a 99F in .308 Win that shoots Remington 150 gr Core Lokts very well. I have encouraged him not to shoot handloads in it and just stick with factory ammo. I handload for my .358 Win but don’t push it near max loads. Quite the thumper. Happy Trails

Yes.

Great story Mr. Zihn. Love to hear the old hunting camp stories from 50+ years ago. Someone earlier mentioned a 40 yard shot with a short mag. I would say the 300 Sav would be better for elk than any short mag at distances under 100 yards. Almost perfect for it in fact.

Back in the fifties, when I was in elementary school, my best friends dad was a logger in the Colorado mountains. One season I remember, he got what was the biggest bull elk I have ever seen in my life. He had 3 20 foot logs in a tripod, and the elk, stretched out on it with it's rear hocks at the point of the tripod, still had its head dragging on the ground. He used a rem 81 in 300, and never had a problem.

There is no reasonable argument that it wouldn't be excellent. I would, however use a premium bullet on bull elk....on any chambering.

Every bullet is a "premium" when the velocity is kept modest.

It's all about physics - a 300 Win Mag is a 30-06 is a 308 Win is a 300 Savage. If you are willing and capable of shooting an elk at 600 yards with a 300 Win Mag then you are willing to shoot and elk at 235 yards with a 300 savage.

50 years ago, the 300 savage was quite popular in my area as an elk round.. Mostly it was by older guys who used it on deer and antelope.. When the elk population bloomed, they used it on elk.. Mostly with Rem. Ammo.. I have had several, and still have one, but never shot an elk with it or tried to.. One other thing in those early days, most of the elk were hunted in the forest.. So shots were close, now elk have moved in much more open country and shots are longer..

When I started elk hunting, it was mostly in timber and shots were 100-150 yards max. I thought my .308 was perfectly adequate. A .300 Savage would be quite adequate also. I have a beater project 99 that I need a roundtuit to complete the restoration. I think it may become my behind the door gun at the cabin.

When I was elk hunting in Colorado in 1989 I met an old cowboy who carried a Savage 99 (don't remember the model) in 300 Savage. I reckon he didn't think he was undergunned. The one I will take hunting this November is a 99F I bought from a friend. He bought it new in 1955, and sold it to me about five years ago. He took his biggest NY State buck with it and took it to Canada for moose, but never saw one.

The current world record typical elk taken in AZ in 1968 by Alonzo Winters was taken with a Savage Model 99 in 300 Savage. The record before that taken in CO by John Plute in CO in 1899 was taken with a Win Model 1895 in 30-40 Krag. What worked on those 2 bulls will also work today. Elk are still elk and they ain't bullet proof.

Funny you should mention wolves. Back in the early 70's I was stationed at the 716th Radar Sq in Lakeside. Back then Idaho was trying to get Montana to turn loose some wolve's in Montana. Didn't happen but years later Idaho turned them loose. Now they are in Montana, Idaho, Oregon and I hear a few in northern California. Thank Idaho!