Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Favorite Elk rifle?

It’s a sweetheart DF...

I know we have played this game before, but here it is. Eating elk backstrap tonight as a matter of fact....

This Pre64 6.5-06 or its lower 30-06 twin for me. Edge stocks, 2.5x8 Leupolds. Minute of elk, easy...
127 LRX and 200 partitions

I took my first bull with a Rem 700 Mountain rifle in .280 with 140 or 160 TBBC. Never found it lacking and took two more with it.
My daughter also used it to take her first elk, a 6x6 in NM.

Bought a Montana 300 WSM when they first came out and between my son in law and myself its accounted for 17 elk.
All with 165 TSX factory load. My SIL uses it now.

I now hunt with a Ultra Light Arms 300 Win with 165 Barnes TTXS that belonged to a hunting buddy. He gave it to me the day before he passed.

All are light enough to carry easily in the mountains, shoot tough bullets that break bones and penetrate on quartering shots, and can easily shoot to my limit of 4-500 yards.

Have I ever told you how happy I am that you bought that FN, I was getting weak..

I also own a 300 H&H Model 70 Classic in an Echols stock that I really like, worked great in Africa. But have never used that rifle on elk. Sure it would do just fine.

The 338-06 rifle I mentioned above has never killed an elk, it will go the next time I draw a tag. I have killed elk with a different 338-06 rifle using 210gr NPt's and 210gr TSX's. I foolishly traded that rifle away when I was trying to become a little more pragmatic. That did not last though.

Piercision 28 Nosler - Kelbly Atlas Tactical, Manners EH1, Bix N’ Andy TS, 26” Proof, Jim See’s 5 Port, Hawkins BDL, Kahles K525i, 195 EOL @3060.

My elk rifles are light, so just about anything Tikka will work. I have been using a stainless Hunter in .30-06 but last year I set up a blued T3 Light in 7mm Rem Mag and Burris 3-9 with an illuminated dot if needed. Backed up by a Remington Mountain Rifle in .280 Rem. I also have a Rem 700 XCR in .300 WSM and custom build 7.82 Lazzeroni Patriot that have seen some mountain time. Nosler in 28 Nosler, but I have never fired it, dont plan on carrying it but if reason arose, it should get the job done. All my mountain optics are 3-9 or 4-12, many are Leupold or Ziess Conquest

Serious ordinance...

How heavy?

DF

My favorite elk rifle is my only elk rifle, and that's my old Rem 700 in 308 Norma mag.

My favorite elk rifle is what ever rifle I feel like hunting with on any day I am hunting elk..
I don't keep rifles I don't love, so I really like all the rifle I have and other then some small bores I would hunt elk with all of them at times, and depending on the place I am hunting. All those that were "just a rifle" have all be sold or traded off.
I concern myself with the bullets that go inside the rifle, (and lather I hope that go through an elk, if I get a shot) but not so much the rifle itself . I feel fine hunting elk with any rifle I own from a 25-06 up.
Rifles I own that I either would not hunt elk with because I think I may get into trouble making a quick kill, or just because I don't have any desire to kill an elk with that rifle are the following.

AK74. 5.45 Russian (21 caliber) and 100% of the ammo I have for it is loaded with FMJs and I am not interested in trying to find soft points, so I don't hunt with it at all. Not legal for elk and I would not care if it was.
222 Remington Bolt Action SAKO. Not legal for elk and I load with only Hornady SX bullets in this rifle so I see no reason to re-zero for a tougher bullet, so that gun/ammo combo is NOT an elk rifle.
AR15s in 5.56. Not legal for elk here, and I would not take one elk hunting in any other state because I have other rifles that I trust more as elk killers
AK47 Same reasons as those listed with the AR15s above
AR15 in 6.8 SPC. With Barnes bullets would kill elk with good hits, but I just have no desire to do it.

Rifles I own that I likely will not likely use, but I know I could if for some reason I wanted to kill elk with them are:

25-06 Mauser. My daughter and both my grandsons have killed several elk with a 257 Roberts I made for her over 30 years ago and done well, so I know for a fact I can do the same things with the same bullets loaded in a 25-06, but I just never have, and I like other rifles for elk hunting a bit better. So I will probably never kill and elk with my 25-06 but I know that I could.

30-30 Marlin. I have several friends who hunt timber with 30-30s and at close ranges the 170 grain 30-30 kills elk fine in the hands of a good shot who can keep cool. I like lever actions too, but I own lever guns in 270 30-06 and 300 Savage, so I would not choose my 30-30 because I like the more powerful guns I do have for elk hunting. But again that's personal preference, not because I think the 30-30 can't do a good job in the hands of a good hunter who knows how to get close.

My 100% original Mosin Nagant. All the accuracy and power I'd ever need for elk hunting and will no anything I want within my effective rage with iron sights, but for what ever reason I never felt any desire to hunt with that rifle.

That about it.

All other rifles I own I would hunt elk with which would be 18 others. And of that number I have killed elk with 14 of them, and with some of them I have killed a lot of elk.

These rifle I really like, and so I feel good hunting with any and all of them.

As long as I hunt within the effective range or each rifle I am happy with any one of them. I don't choose my 62 caliber flintlock to hunt in the grasslands and I don't usually take my 300 Magnum into the timber, so I choose the gun to fit the ares I will be hunting in. I do enjoy hunting with older rifle and iron sights, but my eyes are not pretty old and I don't do as well as I did years ago, so I often take 2 rifles with me these days on hunts, one with a scope and one with irons only. I like using iron-sighted guns more, but if I run short on time I "cheat" and get out the scoped rifle rather then go home without an elk. (That's the pal anyway. Doesn't always work out that way however. Last year I had 7 Wyoming tags and I killed 6 animals over iron sights and the one I missed with with a scoped rifle)

What load do you use Pharm?

Wow great groups out of that rifle. I'll take my 338-06AI again this fall for elk. It wears a 6x IOR scope. Long shots on elk here in Sask are rare. The beasts tend to stick to the knarly stuff that you can barely walk thru. Cheers.

Love the stock on that rifle, BSA. What colors and stock model do you have there?

Started with 140 Partition over Big Game, went to 150 Eldx over Big Game. I use the same rifle for deer and sometimes the shots are far enough that BC barely becomes relevant so I experimented with the Eldx and got great accuracy.



P

270 in a CLR for open country and in a 760 for black timber.

Pre 64 mdl 70 in 270 win handloads with 150 gr partition. All original and each scratch and ding has a story to go with it.




uote=Fotis]I know we rifle cranks have many.... BUT.....What is your absolute favorite elk gun? How is it set up optically? What load with what bullet?

Here is my absolute favorite.
WBY (imagine that!) MK V Krieger Custom Rifle in 30-378. Nightforce NX8 2.5x20x50mm scope



Shoots phenomenally well with 175 LRX !





Has a couple of elk under its belt! 5x7, 6x7.






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my favorite elk gun is the only one I've carried on the only elk hunt I've done and the only shot I made at an elk.

Savage Stainless Synthetic 300 wsm.

I was good out to 500 yds, but my shot was at 180 yds. Dropped after 2 steps.

Last one, 180 NPT out of a .300.

On deck and next up, 210 NPT out of a ,338-06.

DF

Favorite is a beat up 300 Weatherby Vanguard old style with a Zeiss Conquest 3-15x50 With Z800 reticle shooting 180 grain Barnes TTSX about 3,175 FPS. Timney trigger at a hair over 2 lbs really tightened the groups up on this gun around 3/4 inch at 100 yds. The reticle matched the trajectory precisely all the way out to 800 yards.

The back up is my old Ruger tang safety 7mm RM with bedding, a trigger job custom Muzzle brake wearing a Leupold 4.5-14 x50 duplex and shooting 15 grain TTSX into a group you could cover with a dime at 100 yards.

Both taken several elk - shortest 11 yards longest 550 yards. Only regret neither one is a lightweight.

Kimber 270 win., 130 Nosler partition over 60 gr, H4831.