Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting The elk killing rifle

Sorry, not on elk. A work buddy got one about the same time I got the .338. He too shot a few elk with it and decided it doesn't do a lot more than his 7mm Remington Magnum.

I will use the .338 if I pull a branch bull tag. I may use the .375 on a deer/bear/cow or two before I would consider replacing the .338. I got the .375 for a moose trip in grizzly country that fell out over my hips going bad.

Gotcha. Thanks. I have a .54 cal Lyman flint lock is why I asked.

No worries. Mine is a CVA Hawken I think. I haven't drug it out of the safe in years. It was about a 90 yard shot, with Pyrodex and a patched round ball. I don't remember much else. Other than it being my first elk and how much work it was for a 16 year old to quarter and carry it back to the truck.

You could also look at it from a preferred cartridge standpoint. Mine would be 7 Wby, 300 WSM, 280 or 308. I have several rifles chambered in each.

Strange not many packing the 300 wby into elk country. My only two bulls were with the wby and the 168TTSX. First one was a downhill cross canyon 300 yard one shot kill and the second about 100 yards after dismounting horse as the sun set. Guide asked where did he go? DRT! Arriving back at his house the next day he called cabelas and ordered some of the 168’s for his own elk hunting.

Many here mention their 338-06. I have two both rebores pre 64 one a fwt and other std. The fwt has used 160 TTSX on deer/hogs, 210 TTSX to Africa with clean kills on zebra, sable, Bush pig, blue wildebeest, waterbuck and to NWT 210 Nosler
Partition to take mtn caribou and moose then up to the 250 A Frame for a brown bear in SE ALASKA.

YES I like that 338-06 caliber and that awesome range of bullets.

PS, yes I have a 338 win mag and it remains in the safe and has yet to draw blood.

I've got an old friend out of Laramie, Wyoming who is now 72 years old, who I think got an elk damn near every year since high school. Granted he went in on horses and had pack horses, plus a Canvas wall tent (die hard hunter), but he used a Remington 700 in a 270, and he used 130gr Federal Hi Shoks. He was mad when he couldn't get them at K-Mart anymore! A guy gave him a Ruger 77 in a 338 mag, and he told me the elk didn't seem to go down any faster, but he said "I can't believe the price of them at the sporting goods store, because he couldn't get the 338's at the Laramie K-Mart"! He used the 338 a few times but went back to the old 270 Remington 700.

Are you gonna tell us what it is other than a Remington 700 with a Leupold scope?


Okie John

Certainly john, its a 700 bdl sitting in a McMillan hunter, 338 win mag shooting 225 fusions really good.

Oh junk talleys and Leupold that doesn't hold zero so I gotta track everything I shoot with it.😂😂👍

Thanks. I'm looking at starting to hunt Roosies again. I think that in open country a 30-06 would be fine but in the jungle around here, it strikes me as being on the light side.

A 220-grain slug at 2,400 zeroed at 175 yards would probably do the trick out to 250 yards, but I want something that can drop them fast even if it has to reach out across a clearcut to 400 yards. I'm leaning toward the 338 WM or 375 Ruger. I've had great luck with the 9.3x62 at short range on feral cattle but I'm not sure it has the reach I'd like to see.


Okie John

338 or 375 would be $$ over here on the westside.

My last three were with my 7MMR using 175 ABLR. 2 were on shot kills, one running thropugh timber took a few shots.


Lefty

That's what I'm thinking. Seems like Roosevelts prefer to die at the bottom of steep-sided, brush-choked ravine that’s 300 feet deep with sides made of loose, wet clay soil.


Okie John

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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.
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Something comforting in a rifle you are intimately familiar with. It becomes an extension of you.

My pre 64 270 shooting 150 grr partitions have taken 9 elk cleanly. That rifle is beat up, the bluing is spotty, and the stock looks like it was drug through a swamp. I make sure there is no rust on it, but every ding has a story and I often put it in my lap and just look at it

I really really wanted to build a "One Rifle" hunting gun for my 60's
I never had one rifle in the past, I enjoyed messing with them too much tweaking them, there was a time I had three different two rifle batteries for hunting in Colorado, two identical rifles in two separate calibers that I would take up for my 10 day trek each year

Almost 20 years ago we left CO and settled in North Idaho, I sold quite a few rifles over the years, and pretty much settled in on a Marlin GG in 45-70 for most of the hunting up here..
I became interested in two calibers for the "One" up here
The first that I thought would be perfect was the Rem M673 in 350 Rem Mag, I thought that might be the perfect rifle for the area, but it's short shelf life nixed that idea.
The second is the .338 Fed, I thought this might also be perfect for up here, I have always been a mid 30's fan and my Ruger 338 WM was a great rifle that hit hard, I was figuring I didn't need that power or reach up here so a rifle that could push the same bullet at a good velocity from a short action would be perfect..
Two+ years ago I started a search for one to fall into my hands at the right price, well I came close, last March during the lockdown the wife and I hit a rare yard sale and I stumbled into a Win Mod 70 XTR in .338 WM the rifle was just too nice at a great price so I bought it.. I already had the dies, some brass and even some bullets in the shop from my old Ruger

Over the last year I have spent some time tweaking the loads and making the rifle mine, I am really hoping this is going to be my "One Rifle" for Deer Elk Bear Moose I settled on the Barnes 210 TTSX I was hoping that the rifle would group using a lighter powder charge, but that didn't happen the groups tightened up at about 1gr of RL17 below max pushing an average 2900fps. Once we start getting access to more powder, I might tweak it and try and get down closer to 2700 using different powders..

Anyway that is my story and search for the "One" Elk thumper

You might ask why not just the 45-70, and it is a great rifle but there is some great hunting spots down by Salmon and the range opens up a bit

Good story GS6. My quest started with a super accurate.308W but derailed when I started hunting in MT amongst big, toothy, clawed critters. So I upgunned to a .388 Win Mag which was the lousiest shooting, hardest kicking POS I ever knew. Traded it in on a .35 Whelen and started killing stuff with it. Recoil is not for the faint of heart but less than the .338 Win Mag. My handloads with 225 gr Partitions exit at 2,736 fps. Then I started hunting NW Colorado where shots can be a bit longer and a couple of Weatherby magnums joined the party. My retirement rifles will be a .257 Roberts and a 7x57 when the hard kickers are no longer tolerated. Happy Trails

Apparently the 338 Win Mag can’t kill critters. I’ve shot a couple of mature bulls with the 338 Win Mag using 250 gr Hawk SP at 2,650 fps. It was very accurate and felt recoil wasn’t much, especially in late Nov under field conditions with heavy clothing.

No matter what gets used my bet is more elk are shot with 7mm Rem Mag, 30-06 Springfield and 308 Win. Have used the 308 Win and 444 Marlin as well. To each his own opinion.

Sounds like the rifle has a lot of help!! He knows how to use it.

Could it be the arrow and Indian thing again? With much too soft C&C bullets?

Amazing.

Twenty years ago I started elk hunting with a .338WM and 225gr. Partitions. Yes of course, great success. Nowadays I use a 6.5CM and still have great success! If I could only have one - it would be the .270 Win..