Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting I might need a new gun advise

Have a chance to hunt Colorado with a friends Brother. I don't really have a western elk rifle. I have a Rem 7600 35 Whelen, Winchester 100 308, Rem 740 30-06, CZ 550 mannlicher in 6.5x55. Only other bolt gun is a Rugger 77 in 250 Savage. Oh I forgot about the Marlin 1895 444 Marlin. Give me an excuse to buy a bolt rifle and in what caliber.

Go big or go home. The 338wm was made for elk killing.
I'd look for an older Winchester model 70 with CRF.

How are you with recoil, your shooting distance limitations and how far are you going to hike every day?

Id pick up a tikka ss in 30 06 or not too recoil sensitive a 300 win mag or 300 wsm.

I've killed well over 20 elk with a rebored 760 Remington, rebored to 35 Whelen.
Longest shot around 350ish.
Take the 7600 and go forth & slay elk!

recoil does not bother me at all shooting to 400 yards is going to be required SW Colorado Hiking is going to be required. I was thinking a 338 win mag or 325 WSM Or just a plan jane 7mm rem mag in a lightweight

Just about everything you have will work. I prefer a 300WM, but also have a 308 as my backup. Since my first elk trip in 1996, I haven't taken a shot at elk past 140 yards or so. I like the comfort of knowing I could take a 400 yard shot if that was all I had. My advice is not caliber related; I think way too much time is spent on worrying about caliber. Get a good solid copper (TSX) bullet in whatever caliber suits you and move on. My number one piece of advice for new elk hunters is GET IN SHAPE. The mountains will kick your ass, it hurts less if you're in shape. In terms of a rifle, go for something stainless and under 8 pounds with an optic, sling, and full magazine.

I've had my model 700 .338 win mag since 1978 for the annual Moose and elk hunt it's the only rifle I use for Moose and elk. If I had to buy a new 338 today it would be a Winchester model 70. The 338 will not disappoint.

I'd go with the 35 Whelen. That said a new Sako 85 Carbonlight in 300 win mag would be a delight to carry and should point well. It will shoot great also if you have a good tolerance for recoil as stated. Very few things in my opinion kick like an Uber light 300 win mag. I do not care for recoil much past a 338 win mag in a standard weight sporter. YMMV

It’s hard to recommend something based on so few details, but of your choices I would the 7mm Rem Mag, a good scope and mounts; find which factory loads with a good bullet it likes, and shoot all summer.

Go to as many different gun shops you can and heft different factory rifles fo find something that feels good to you.

That said, assuming your rifles have average accuracy, you already have a couple of “elk rifles.”

the 35 whelen shoots 1 inch the 444 shoots 1.5 at most sometime smaller. Believe it or not the winny 100 308 is 1.5 to 2 that gun likes about anything I don't know why

You can tell my rifle selection is gared to upper midwest whitetail hunting

Well, there you go. You don’t need to buy an elk rifle. Choose the 35 for a primary and the 308 as a back-up.
You do want to have a back-up — stuff happens.

Thirty years ago though I wouldn’t have listened to my own advice. 🙂

This is good advice. Now you did not discuss the scopes you have on each rifle but if you must have a new rifle sell the Rem 740 30-06 and get the Tikka T3x in 30-06 and purchase as good a rifle scope as you can.

Binoculars? They may be as important as the rifle.

^This right there is what I was about to write ^
But if you have an itch for a new elk rifle tikka T3x In 7mag, 300 win mag. ...Or the 338 if you must have thumper
New limb saver, talley or dnz rings. And scope of your choice. I am 2-10 or 3-12 fan .
My main elk gun is tikka 06 with 3.5-10 CDS dial for 168TTSX and I would take any elk at 400.
Only reason I’m suggesting the magnums is you have 308 and 35W and there might be some over lap with an 06.

^^^^^^^^^^

And this is what I was about to write.

Your 35 Whelen will do the trick. For longer shots (250+) you need a good rangefinder or rangefinding binocs and a thorough knowledge of your bullets' drop curve. My 338 Win Mag and my 30-06 have the same drop curve with 250 and 180 grain Partitions at 2700 MV respecively. With a 100 yard zero, they fall 1 foot at 300, 2 feet at 400 and 4 feet at 500. I use a Leupold duplex reticule, and hold high shoulder at 300, 6 inches over the back at 400, and have not yet taken a 500 yard shot. You can nitpick inches plus or minus, but I dont know anybody that can say he held over 46 inches versus 49 inches. Just sayin. Taking the shot is easy if you make the stalk. Finding the elk is sometimes the whole hunt.

I like the idea of the .35 W.. But if you want a new rifle, my first pick would be a .300mag.. second would be a 7mm RM.. I am a Remington fan, but all of mine are older models I have worked over the Tikka sounds great for a new rifle.. You can talk hold over, turrets, range finders all day, but when the shot comes especially if you are diy it may be late and quick.. You may have to estimate the range yourself. A forgotten art with today's hunters..If it is late and the shot must be made, I want something that shoots as flat as possible.. My .300 WM with 165 gr. handloads shoots flat enough to hold on the top of the back and make a chest hit. If those calibers are not your cup of tea, the check out a .270 or .30/06 bolt rifle.. That .35 would be awesome in a timber area with some open parks, but parks can be difficult to guesstimate the range.. You can measure before time, but when the shot comes you may only have minutes to estimate, get a solid rest , and shoot.. You will want to hit that elk hard enough he won't run 200 yards just at dusk.. When I really hunted elk seriously, many of my shots came as the sun was setting or just after.. That doesn't give one much time to make the shot, get to the animal and get it dress and set for the night.. Something to remember the flatter shooting rifles kill just as well or better at close ranges.. Hagel pointed out you can kill and elk or deer at 100 yards dead with a .45-70, a 270- .300 will do that plus make a long shot easy.. I have tried the .338's.. They hit hard, but to gain over a 7 or .300 you must get a 250 gr. then the traj. becomes a problem again.. I hunt elk every year and have for 50 years.. Cover varies a great deal.. Colo. s elk hunting may all be close shots in timber.. I gave that up years ago.. I am fortunate to live in country that has elk from the prairies to the high mountains.. Best of luck!!

[quote=bsa1917hunter]Go big or go home. The 338wm was made for elk killing.
I'd look for an older Winchester model 70 with CRF.


^^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^ Winner, Winner....Chicken Dinner! bsa1917 nailed it in both cartridge and firearm! memtb

338 WM

SLDUCK,

In my post above I suggested selling the Rem 740. I normally would not talk about a man's rifle selections but unless you have the rare exception that rifle is a jamb/failure just waiting to happen on an expensive hunt. I owned a Rem 760 30-06 as my only centerfire rifle for 25 years and really loved that rifle. In a weak moment I sold it cheaply to a friend who had very little money and needed a rifle for his son, which I had kept it.

Your Rem 760, Win 100, the CZ550 and the Ruger 77 are all fine rifles. Now is the time to get rid of that 740 and get a really good bolt action rifle in 30-06. Use the money from the sale to upgrade the new rifle or optics.

By the way I own a 338-06 (that I have killed one elk with) and I have a Win 70 35 whelen and if I was hunting elk again where shots up to 400 yards are available I would be taking my 30-06. If hunting the timber and shots more than 250 to 300 yards are virtually impossible I would take my 338-06 or 35 whelen.

Upgrade that 30-06 and enjoy your elk hunt.