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Mtn, I like the fact it's a CRF with a three-position safety... they didn't skimp on barrel beef and I think the overall weight is about right... much less than 7.5 lbs in a 300 WSM would start to get a bit demoralizing. It's true that Mr. Forbes had a significant hand in the stock design as well. The miniaturized action really helps keep overall length down as well... I know I'm a broken record in that regard but I really dislike overly long rifles in the mountains.

BA

Thanks for all the input guys. The .338 Win Mag really seems to be the consensus here. As I was already leaning that way, that is the round I will go with.

Since my 700 in .338 is shooting accurately, I may just re-stock this rifle in lieu of building another rifle.


C-ROY

Brad,

My rifle has a snug chamber and a std throat. It seems to like 120 CLICKS on my Harrel powder measure, which is around 70-72 grains. The average velocity with 225 Accubonds seated at the best depth was a tad more than 2850 fps, and the extreme velocity spread was from 2846 to 2871. That was for 6 shots. I am anxiuos to try it with a decent lot of brass.

Blaine

Back when I was younger, stronger, and smarter, I chased a lot of elk. Killed a few, and was on some kills by friends. Mostly Roosevelts, which on the average are larger in statue and body weight than Rocky Mountain elk.

The rifles I used ranged from 270, 30-06, 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H, to a 458 Lott. Also took a few with a 85 pound Golden Eagle compound.

Ranges: From 19 feet (had a 50 ft. tape in the truck, on one of the pack trips back to the meat I carried the tape and measured from the tree I was standing behind to the bush that was behind the elk when I released the arrow) to over 400 yards. Most were under 100 yards, several under 50.

Country was mostly clear cuts, some heavy "dark timber", some open high alpine country, along river bottoms, in thick second growth and one hunt on the back of a farm.

Some notes: 270 is not enough!

30-06 with good bullets is OK.

338 with 225 Partition is excellent.

375 with 270 Barnes X works very well.

458 Lott with 350 X bullet just floors them.

Bullet placement is important!!!!

The 85 pound compound with 140 grain broad head, 4 blades, dropped the elk in less than 50 yards. Usually had full penetration.

My advice:

1) Do not get a rifle that you have problems with the recoil!!!!!!! If you cannot shoot it without pain, it is not an elk rifle.

2) Do not use a braked rifle, you or you hunting pals will go deaf.

3) Real elk hunting involves miles of walking and steep terrain. Watch the rifle weight. My 338 weighs 8 pounds with scope, it is a dream to pack compared to the 10 pound 375. If I ever build another Elk rifle, it will be around 7 pounds with scope.

4) You do not need a huge scope with a monster objective bell that sits way high above the receiver. My 338 wears a 2-7 Leupold.

5) Use quality bullets

6) Learn how to shoot at all ranges. Figure what your maximum range is. Don't spray the hills with bullets trying to connect a bull running over a ridge 600 yards away. If you cannot hit a grapefruit at 100 yards, shooting standing, then learn how.

7) Learn how to hunt!!!!! The best thing I ever did to improve my elk hunting was to spend every weekend out in the elk country with a camera. Learned a lot about wind, stalking, noise, eye contact, calling elk, cow calls, how to bugle, etc. Learn your country, every mud hole, stream, meadow, all the elk trails, what the wind does in the morning vs the afternoon, where the "dark timber" is, where the good feeding areas are, etc. Spend a lot of time early and late with the binocs and spotting scope, look a long way off! One of the elk I got I spotted at dusk, the herd was a good 6 miles away. I was looking down a canyon with the spotting scope and saw cream colored bodies as the sun set. Went in the next morning before daylight and finally dropped one at around 10AM. This was in an area receiving a lot of hunting pressure, a lot of hunters around, but no one else knew where this small herd was but me! The elk were hiding in the timber from daylight to dusk, only coming out at sunset to feed.

I know it is tough to learn the country if you live 1000 miles away, but at least get in a week or so early and scout. Might take 2 or three years of dry runs before you connect.

So, after all this talk, what do I think is best? 338 Win Mag is very close to ideal. Enough power, not too much recoil, good bullet selection. Runners up would be 300 Win Mag or 300 Weatherby. For the dark timber, where shots are under 100 yards, the 35 Whelen, 9.3x62, 30-06, 45-70, are all good choices. Many years ago my partner shot a 3 point at about 15 yards with a 444 Marlin. Low neck shot, the bull was coming right at the shooter. Worked like a champ.

One of the largest elk every taken, think it was 427 B&C score, was killed with a 30-40 Krag.

Another note, judging by the number of brakes I put on 300 Ultras and 338 Ultras, most gents do not like the recoil.

Now that was some good advice! Thanks John!
My semi-custom Elk rifle is a 700 Mnt LSS. It has a 22 inch Pac-nor #3 barrel in .338-06. It's topped with a 1.75X6 Leo in duel dovetails. Right now it still has the factory laminated stock, but some day will be in a McSwirley or one of John's specials!

John,

So when are you going to actually go elk hunting again? I'm sure your customers wouldn't mind a week delay to allow you to get back out in the field. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Blaine

Mighty good advice, John. This is the real thing, not a bunch of ballistics numbers and bull about cross-canyon shots. Any beginning elk hunter would do well to read John's post, then read it again, and again ---.

Paul

JOHN gave good advise.
Ive been ELK hunting for 34 years now, I started with a 30-06, and 200 grain bullets, it killed ELK fine, it did NOT drop them instantly in their tracks even with good hits most of the time! I swapped to a 340weatherby mag and 250 grain bullets in the early 1970s, I never looked any further, the results were so much better as to make it a totally differant deal, most elk drop on the spot, those that do run , tend to pile up in under 30 yards, I hunt in a camp with 4-7 guys most years, Ive seen lots of rifles/calibers used successfully, almost anything can (KILL) and elk but Id advise a 338 win or 340 weatherby as about the ideal in long range power, the 300 mags also work well but they don,t always leave exit wounds,(something I consider MANDATORY)
don,t get the IDEA that youll always need long range either, I can only think of a very few ELK ever killed from my camp at over 250 yards, the average is closer to 135 yards(we keep records)
most guys in my ELK HUNTING camp now use 35 whelens or 338 mags, all use 250 grain bullets, and yeah shot placement followed by bullet construction,is the most important factor in dropping your ELK.(you don,t want a fragile instantly expanding bullet) there are premium bullets available that work great, but Ive found the 250 hornady 338 bullets to be both in-expensive and extremely effective

Well its not so much what your bullet launcher is these days but what bullet you launch. We live in an era of really good bullets along with some really bad ones. So were dose it leave me. Since I had a back surgery, yea an old injury that caugh up with me, I been shooting lighter rifles, both recoil and weight wise. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving Elk hunting, and I will be carrying a light weight 7 x 57 with 160 gr Fail Safes. I don't doubt for a second that it will be enough, if I get a reasonable shot. Now if I was physically able like in the old days, a 338 Winchester would be it, end of story. What I will end up doing I don't know at this point. I will have to give it a few years to see.