Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How Many Hunt Elk with a Lever Action Rifle??

I've taken 3 elk with a lever, .300 savage--.308--7mm mag

My son has taken elk with a lever action .32 win--.300 savage--.308--7mm mag browning lever. No shots exceeded 150 yards.

ElkNut1

As a ranch raised kid that hunted elk horseback growing up I shot my first 3 or 4 elk with a 25-35 Win SRC, and it worked well enough..Then I graduated to a 30-30 then to a 250 Savage, and they all worked well at the ranges I shot them at.. I always shot under 200 yards and mostly under 100 yards..My folks used the same guns, and one uncle used what I considered to be a real sho nuff magnum at the time, a 300 Savage, it was the talk of the camp. Most folks used these calibers with a few 45-70s tossed in..I have seen a lot ot elk shot with the 45-70 and to be honest, it has always been less than impressive, even with hot handloads..

Today I use a lever action when I hunt horseback, but its a Sav 99F in .308 caliber with 180 gr. Noslers or those wonderful Rem RN 180 gr. Corelokts..When I hunt on foot in the Selway in the thick black timber I use a bolt action 338 or 375 with 300 gr. bullets in both..All shots are quick and going away in there.

Marlin 308MX for me, although I've yet to kill an elk with it. It will go again this year.

DJR

I took my first elk (cow) just a few weeks ago with my Savage 99F chambered in .358 Win on the first day of the controlled Cow hunt I had been drawn for. Scoped with a straight 4 power Bushnell ScopeChief VI. I was shooting factory Winchester 200gr Silvertips. If I'm fortunate enough to get drawn again for the 2009 season this is what I'll be using again.

I have shot one with a Winchester 88 in 308. That is all Dad has used since he bought his in 61 or so.

FWIW we didn't hunt elk when I was a kid.

I started hunting them after I was out of the Marines for a while [28 or 29 I guess]. Mid 70's, took a couple of years to get the first one. Lever guns were perfect for the pole thickets in the Blue Mountains.

I had sold my .300 Savage before I went in. I bought a .308 99E to kill the first two [not a great rifle [certainly not the equal of my .300]. I never got to like it.

I borrowed dad's Model 88 in .308 to kill the next one. Then I went to bolt action '06's.

I have the Model 88 and need to hunt it again. I used Federal Premium 165 gr Sierra BT's in the Savage. We used to use 150 grain Winchester Power Points in the Model 88. They both rolled the elk.

The guy that finally showed me about elk hunting [SJ Neal] Had killed over 40 elk with his .300 Savage 99F. They work fine.

Savage,

That sounds like a good story. Did you post a story and pics?

-jeff

I've taken a couple elk with a 30-30, works well both dropped right there

The only rifles I own are levers and Ive used a 348 and 30/30 to kill elk, love the smooth 71 action but prefer the light 94. danny

Looks more like open quakies than "dark timber." YMMV

I've carried my .45/70 while elk hunting... But no elk with it yet. Suppose the thought of being hit by the big Marlin scares 'em off???

I use a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington.

No elk, just red deer. Quite a few. Here is one.



Marlin 1895 G .45-70, factory sights, Speer 400 gr. FN, shot at 25 meters, heart/lung, 75 meters flight.

cmg - somehow it does my heart good to see a traditional American lever action being used in Europe. Are they fairly popular with hunters in Germany?

GuyM,

Well - I do my very best. They do seem to have a small but dedicated following.

I have some more pics in this post:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...owflat/Number/2809401/page/1#Post2809401
Perhaps you are interested.

All the best,

I have taken a couple bull elks using my fathers savage 99 in a 308. with no problems when I was younger. I used plain old 180 gr bullets. I think my longest shot was about 160 yards. This is what I considered my dark timber gun.

However my new go to rifle is now my new 30-06 tikka t3.

Its dark timber about half the time.

Night time.

I killed a big cow once with a 30/30 lever gun that I had carried with me to the camp outhouse. Something must have been chasing her because she trotted right through the trees at the edge of camp and right past the outhouse. Glad I had already taken care of business and started back to the cabin.....she tasted good.

Over 30 years ago.

Havent killed a head of game with a lever since.

Have hunted with them all:
Marlin 1895, .45-70
Marlin 375, .375 Win
Marlin 336, .30-30
Browning B92, .44 Mag

Coyote Hunter, have you whacked an elk with that 44 mag B92?

I sold my other two Marlins but I love my 44 mag carbine... M1894 I believe. It would be fun to hunt elk with.