Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Old Timers

I’m sure I own as many or more rifles than the average here, but I still get amused when the discussions turn to elk rifles, and trust me I own most of them. I’m amused because the old goat who introduced me to elk hunting carried his only rifle, a very well worn Savage 340 30-30 with an old 4x weaver scope. He used 170 gr bullet and took over 30 elk since I knew him. His longest shot was 125 yards, but most were less than a hundred. I suspect he knew a good deal more about hunting elk than I could ever hope to know. My favorite rifles I see on this forum are old wood stock jobs that have the bluing worn off and dents in the stock. I tend to think their owners know more than most what it takes to kill an ek

Wasn't all that many years ago, in SW Washington, between Longview, Chehalis out to the coast, when an elk hunter was well armed with a .300 Savage, usually with iron sights.

The year was about 1976 or 77.The first ones hunted the Flat Tops in Colorado. I met a local rancher there who was probably in his seventies and he told me where to go kill elk which I did. I met him on an opening day when he and his boys had put four elk down within a 100 feet or so of each other. He carried an old Winchester 94 in 30-30, no bluing left ,no finish left on the stock and it looked like he used it to stretch barbwire with.

I stopped at his place on the way out as he invited me to. He had elk antlers hanging on the barns,sheds,house,gate, fences and many more piled up here an there.

He said besides an old 22 ,that was the only rifle he had and killed all his elk with it.

My Grandad has killed a pretty good pile of elk and a train car full of deer. His only centerfire rifle is a 721 in 30/06, bought it in the 50’s when he was in the army. Chose the 30/06 because he was familiar with it from shooting the Garand.

He’s always liked 165gr ammo and prefers boat tails. Wouldn’t really matter though as every elk I’ve seen him kill was shot right behind the ear.

It depends on where you hunt. Most places out west require longer range cartridges, I killed a average sized cow with a 24" barreled 30/30 using Remington ammo with 170 grain hollow points. Two shots at 200 yards behind the shoulder eventually killed her . The old 30-30 was at the very edge of its limits. The one bullet I recovered barely expanded. I have killed 24 elk with just one rifle. A 1948 vintage model 70 in 30-06 wearing a 6X Leupold Alaskan scope. My other elk have been killed with a variety of old Winchesters.

My Grandfather died in 1958, he was 98 years old, I was with him when he died , he was born and lived his life, on the White river East of Meeker, Colorado, He killed more Elk, than most people see in a life time, when Granddad was a young man there were no hunting seasons, if you needed meat you killed what ever was handy Mule deer, Elk, Speed Goats, Bear, Sheep, Goats, and he trapped all winter. he used a 30-30 Win. for years, but his favorite rifle was a 300 Savage 99, that he bought new and wore out, about 15 years before he died, he bought a 32 special model 94, I don't remember him killing much with it except a few does. I don't remember ever seeing Granddad miss a critter, Rio7

RI07, I lived in the general area for 40 years. Could I have known your grandfather? Many old timers in my area started with a 30-30 and as quick as possible traded up to something more powerful with longer range when funds became available. The 270 Win was very popular.

In those days seasons were longer, there fewer hunters, and more elk. It was easy to pass up a shot. Lots of those fellows killed elk with a 243. Today we don't have the luxury of hunting that way.

My Dad, his brother, and I had a pretty good talk with the old guy that owned the Buford store before he passed on. Had a picture of himself when he was young holding up a monster fish. I asked him about it and it took off from there.

All of the elk hunting Ive done has been on Big Ridge below Burrow Mnt. My Dad show'd me the spot. He took alot of elk there with my grandpas model 70 Win in 308win. I used a couple of Rem 700s at first. One was 270win, the other a 30-06 sprgfld. I shot the most with an inexpensive 50 cal caplock muzzle loader. Farthest distance was 50 yards. Most inside 50 feet. A couple inside ten feet.

Nice area. I like it there.

I got my 1st elk at 15, that was in about '62, with a Win 94 in 32 Spc. I haven't seen a 32 Spc in many years. I don't know when they quit making them.

My first was shot with my Dad's 300 Savage with a 180 grain factory load when I was very young. We stopped in Eureka Nevada to buy some "elk ammo" on the drive to the place we'd all hunt . My dad used to buy 150 grain ammo all the time, which we killed deer with as well as anything else that needed to get shot on the ranch, but on that trip we were going for elk, so he bought 1 box of the 180 grain ammo and said the heavier bullet would do better.

Seemed to work just fine. One shot, iron sights from the rear of the lungs to the opposite side in the front of the chest with an exit.
That was a rite of passage for me because I was the only boy on that hunt. All the rest of the hunters were grown men, my dad and uncle among them. I and one other hunter got elk.

My Uncle also shot the same one I shot, so I can't say it was 100% my kill, but my bullet was a raking shot through the chest and his hit the neck below the bones. The elk moved about 35 yards after I shot and a bit farther after he shot, but he and the other men all said it probably my round that did the job. I was treated like one of the men after that, which for a very young boy was a milestone.
I can't say for certain if I killed that elk or if my Uncle did and they all were building my pride up, but I did make a good shot for sure, and I was proud because of that. Being "one of the men" with those guys, all 5 of them being vets from WW2, was an honor that I'll never forget. That was in 1964 or 65.'

My Dad and my Uncle both were in the Pacific, and both were in some horrendous battles. My Uncle was a torpedo man on PT boats from 1942 and 1943 and in 1944-1945 on a destroyer which was hit in the Battle of Okinawa..
My dad was a Sea-Bee who went in behind the Marines on 3 invasions and helped land tanks at Okinawa for the Army.
Mr Terry was gunner on a B24 and was wounded by flak.
Mr Lloyd flew A20s and B25s against the Germans in the Mediterranean, and Mr Murray fought in Army infantry against the Germans in France, where he was wounded badly in his legs, but he never let it stop him. He walked and hunted like anyone else, but I remember the horror I felt when I saw his scars.

I was in awe of these men, and to be treated with respect by them all, for me was like being in heaven.

My grandfather, born in CO in 1908, killed a couple of truck loads of elk with an open sight Win Model 1895 in 30-40 Krag. He also killed a huge number of deer with the same rifle as well as a couple of black bear. If he was within 200 yards of a critter and wanted to take it home that critter was living on borrowed time.

I'll be in CO for the first time chasing elk this oct. My main rifle will be a ruger no 1 30-06 and my backup will be a 1973 m94 30-30. I wanted to find a nice 1895 browning 30-06 and leave the scoped no 1 at home, but finances hadn't allowed that.

As far as 32 special, a buddy of mine has his granddads pre 64 32 special and brought it by to let me shoot it awhile back. He said his granddad killed everything with that rifle up in the UP of MI. My buddy moved back up there just before this covid crap hit. I look forward to going up there soon and hunt some

My Dads rifle-Savage 99 in 300 savage, I inherited killed lots of lopes and mulies but never an elk. He inherited it from his grandfather who was a Detroit Police Officer. Story goes, although I’ve got nothing to to back it up, is that my great grandpa was gifted the gun by Frank Navin, former owner of the Detroit Tigers, also the owner that built Tiger Stadium. Gun has a Tasco scope with a rectangular view, that’s never lost zero.

Interesting. How did they ever survive before the 6.5 Creedmor came upon the scene?

Pretty god damn well Godogs, but I don't hate the Creed cause it's popular and works. MB

Good stuff!!

I went through a period of time where I was determined to upgrade from the rifle that has served me well for many years.
I would buy one or more new elk rifle(s) and scope(s) each year.
Many of them would have some aspect better than my old rifle but I could never find one that was better overall. Year after year that old rifle that I was determined to retire still got pulled from the safe to go hunting. This year it will go again.

stuvwxyz ,
you and RIO's grandfather ,probably knew a lady I stop and see, and rent a bunkhouse, everytime I'm there. Her name is Arlene Fritzlan , she is quite a gal to say the least.

BP

So Alamosa you gonna owe up to what you use? Don't sound like your ashamed of it, not quite the same as being true to your wife. MB