Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The elk killing rifle

You just described a rancher friend of mine. His too is a 1962 Rem 700 in 7mm RM (they had "blued" stainless barrels that first year). He got it used around 1970, and it wears a Leupold 3-9x40 on top. The 100's (1,000's) of miles that rifle has ridden in a scabbard would be hard to calculate, and it lives in his rear truck window. It has certainly accounted for nearly 100 elk in his, friends, family, and clients hands (he used to guide North of Yellowstone).

There's a lot to be said for a one-rifle hunter. Building that sort of history with a rifle is a very cool thing... me, I'm just too much of a tinkerer.

Whooooosh. Right over your head.

That's exactly what I thought...

I believe I'd have my Kimber Talkeetna 375 H&H cut back to 20" (cripes, maybe 16") or acquire one of the short bbl'd big-bore levers. I don't even like hunting ruffed grouse in the hazelbrush tangles of an oak ridge let alone trying to scoot a single bullet through that sort of NW rain-forest mess at a big game critter.

horse fall on it?

So he is not a rifle looney.

My story is kind of like that. Bought a rifle decades ago and hunted elk with it every year until the blueing has worn off.
It was a couple of years before I could even afford to put a scope on mine. Eventually I got old and acquired more money and felt I should upgrade to something better suited for my experience. For a few years I bought new and more expensive rifles. They all got auditioned but none ever seemed to suit me as well as my original rifle. The old familiar gun still gets the nod each autumn. Mine is a 7mag shooting 160 partitions also.

A vintage Rem 7 RM with 160 NPT’s is a hammer. And, as you’ve proven, it’s a killer. What’s not to like.

DF

I think your friend is more of a hunter than a rifle loonie. I'm sure he has saved thousands of dollars with that good mentality. I'm still a rifle loonie though, I'm always looking for that next rifle that will outdo all the others.

Cool story.. My old favorite is a 700 .300 WM... Now I have lots of rifles, but for elk, I usually have this one in the truck and maybe a couple others also...

I’m a Loony; I like to continually perfect my ordinance. But, I understand a practical hunter who keeps a full freezer without a lot of fluff. I’m probably leaning more to the Loony side, but I like to eat, too.

DF

Ya several ol gristles use the 375 around here still... Hellava elk rifle..

+1

Hunting always comes first for me, but I am a certified looney! It is what I enjoy when not hunting.

The guy in the OP may be into motorcycles, golf etc. Or he may be super practical and frugal. No issues with any of it. Your life, free time and disposable income or lack of it. It takes all sorts of people to make the world go round.

Pretty sure the horse rubbed on a tree and got the scabbard momentarily hung up enough to bend the bbl. Why the scabbard straps didn't rip out I don't know. Worst part is I was the 11 year old kid tending the horses while the men were quartering and loading the elk..........

I've seen three bbls bent by horses, all of them 24" or 26". The 26" was a Mark V.........

Oh yeah man my Uncle is the same way; been shooting an A-Bolt 7 RM for as long as I can remember and knocks stuff over like a mad man.

160 NPTs & H4831 I think?

A 1951 Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, iron sights and factory 200 gr Core-Lokts. Or Savage 99 in '06 with 180 gr Nosler partitions.

Model 700 338 win mag. Filled elk tags every year since 1978. 250 grain nosler partition handload

I bumped into an old fella back in the late 90's when we were drop camp elk hunting in northern Colorado. Had to be in his upper 70's and pretty agile considering where I found him posted in relation to where their camp was. Of course we talked about elk and cartridges. He had a blued and walnut Ruger tanger in .338WM with a 4x weaver on it. Don't recall the bullet weight and style. He and his party came from Pennsylvania every year. He knew if he stayed in his spot long enough someone (national forest) would push at least one cow toward him. I asked him why such a large caliber - of course on purpose. He said he wasn't about to chase no elk in the mountains. He wanted them dead where he could see 'em. He was a character and I wished him well.

7RM’s shooting 160 NAB/NPT’s have filled a lot of freezers.

DF
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