Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Elk Rifle and Your Hunting Style...

Maybe mine tend to be the reverse of spot and stalk, more like stalk and spot.
I would hike a lot and most often would see elk close and usually see them about the same time they would see me. Close encounters. If real close I would shoot offhand. If a little further then I'd sit wherever I was. A few seconds sounds very brief but is plenty of time to sit and take careful aim. I carried an old BLR that is well balanced and handles well. What helped most was an M8 4x scope that has real fast target acquisition. 7mag.

These days I can't hike that much and I've had to adapt. I'm most likely to post someplace with my Sendero and wait, also a 7mag. I would not want to carry it many miles. Practice for me at the range now is a whole lot different than it was with the BLR.

What stock is that, very nice!

B,
That’s gonna be really easy...I loaded a couple years for both my RUM and my Roy, but I never got enough improvement over a box of Nosler Trophy Grade ammo.

I stopped loading for both...Sold my dies, too.

I do have 40 rounds of once fired and washed Nosler RUM brass that I’m happy to send your way, FOC, if you can use them.

I’ve got another 100 of the same, but, I’m going to sell them.

I was using Retumbo for powder.

PM me your digits and I will ship you the clean brass if you need some.

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What sorta speeds are you getting from them?

I can understand not wanting to mess around loading them if factory shoots so well. It has to be 3200+ with each and a bit more for the RUM

Chronograph showed

3262 FPS from my 300 RUM out of a 26” barrel

3237 FPS from my 300 Wby out of a 25” barrel

Both braked.

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I’ve hunted mostly by lots of glassing and stalking. Too old now for too much strenuous hiking. I’ve personally taken elk with a 7mm Remington, 300 Win, 300 Rum, & 338 WM, I’ve been with my son, son in laws, and good friends when they used 7mm STW, 30-06, 280 Rem, 300 Jarrett and probably a few others I’ve forgotten about. Now days I’ll likely be packing my 300 Win or my 7mm STW. Bottom line is all big game calibers will work if shot is placed properly. Strong well constructed bullets built for penetration is a must for me.

Others certainly have more elk experience than I. I've killed 7-8, all bulls but 1 - a 300 SAUM in a M700, a couple with a 300 WSM M70, a couple with a Kimber 270, a Kimber 308. I really like still hunting them in the timber and have killed most at less than 100 yards. I've killed a couple at less than 25 yards. It's hard to miss them at that range.

I tend toward flatter shooting cartridges in lighter rifles shooting a bullet that will stay together when one shows up close but still have a decent enough BC to shoot to 400 yards - which is about as far as I care to shoot in most conditions. I started with various 30 cals magnums but gravitated to smaller cartridges when I saw folks killing elk with them (its really Brad's fault.....). I prefer lighter guns due to far flung jaunts or backpack hunts. I dont seem to find many close to the road.

Dang, not giving up much to one another there.

For the general season hunting that I do around here, longer ranges are the norm...though I do occasionally get some shots at less than 100 yards.

My last 5 bulls all died via 6.5X284 NORMA with either the 140 berger or before that, 140 AMAX. I am still searching for the best bullet but am no longer looking for the best rifle/cartridge.

Beretzs, it a mid 50's M70 300 H&H action,24" #2 SS Lilja in a edge fill Echols legends stock factory BM and a swaro Z3 3-10x42. without bullets it's 7 3/4 lbs, and loves to throw 180 TTSX's @3050 fps.

Even though it's a little snappy, I love the thing.

Probably in the Ruby's. I grew up in nevada. A lot of nice mulies there as well..

Brown Precision poundR.

And yes, they are very nice.

Thank you for that. My little brother is putting a 300 Win together with a Krieger #2, Echols Legend EDGE, stock bottom metal but it'll likely get a 3x9 SS on top, but otherwise the same as yours. Good heads up on the rifle weight though. I hope we can keep it to similar weights.

To me, that blued rifle, with a brown synthetic stock with the red butt/recoil pad is about the best looking setup there is. Nice pics.

Good thread Beav.

Tikka 06 with 3.5-10 CDS 168 tsx is my go to 99% of the time.
Spot and stalk, or sit at know sections where elk cross or bed near by.
Closets is less then 40 yards, furthest around 400.
My 270 with 130 ttsx is better long range gun...at least on gongs. When I sat over a Canyon this last season. There were shots pass my comfort zone of 600 yards. No lick luck if but I was ready.

Good stuff on hunt styles and some awesome pics of elk slaying rifles...Here’s my contribution with a few rigs I use on coastal hunts.

300 Wby



300 RUM



BAR 300 WSM



Win. Model 71 348



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Nice pieces Beav! I have the same 348 and look forward to pounding a bull one of these years with it!

Nice rifles... My uncle had a nice .348 gave it to one of his worthless son in laws who sold it for beer money!!!!!

For general elk hunting I keep coming back to a tikka stainless T3 in 270win. I hunt a lot of spot and stalk, or sit and wait in areas I’ve already seen elk moving through morning/evening. Occasionally slow hunt the thick stuff as needed. With a vx2 on top it’s 7lbs even, which seems to both carry well and be easy shoot. Killed elk with it at 17 yards and out to 540 yards. It’s worn a variety of high end stocks (BC, manners, McMillan) but currently just sits in a plain jane T3x stock. It’s not fancy and I have way nicer rifles but has just worked for 99% of the situation I encounter here in Colorado. Farthest I have ever had to track an elk was maybe 50yards.

That is hard to take...I hate that guy too!

Some may remember this 348 was my dads. It was stolen 40 years ago and I just recently got it returned to me about 1.5 years ago.

It was the only rifle I hoped of the 11 or so rifles stolen that would be recovered...It took 40 years, but it did make it back to me.

Power of positive thinking I assume...I haven’t heard anything about the other rifles or shotguns being recovered. Just the Model 71 348.

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