Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Whats your go to elk rifle and caliber ?

Keeping in mind that the .303 British was used extensively for all Canadian big game, any caliber that will destroy an elk's heart and/or lungs will put meat in freezers.

My preferred elk rifle is a Sako 7MM Rem Mag. But since I haven't hunted in 10 years due to shoulder surgeries, if I can hunt again, and I will give it a go next season, I will take my .308 Win. But if I can shoot my 7MM Rem Mag, I will use it. But I ain't risking another shoulder surgery to a magnum.


Good luck,

R

Sako 7-08 with 160gr Partitions and a Leupold 4-12x with B&C reticle. Several elk down with it including a 3.5 year old 6X6 at 412 yards quartering away with shattered offside shoulder. All one-shot kills. I love my 7-08. Totally enough rifle.

My alternates are a Savage 99 in 358 Win shooting 225gr Gamekings or a S&W 659 in .41 Rem Mag shooting 250gr Cast Performance hardcast bullets.

Sako AV classic re-barelled to .35 Whelen with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x50 on top. 250 gr. PSP of almost any make, at 2500 fps.

you can hardly go wrong with an accurate 35 whelen and 250 grain bullets, (mostly speer 250 grain)easily half the guys I hunt with have one, and every last guys been impressed with the results.
I have a remington slide action 35 whelen thats been the camp back-up rifle for years and that rifles, and its resulting kills in several guys hands has resulted in several people buying 35 whelens, Id be hard pressed to think of a better rifle for hunting the steep slopes and blowdowns


my late hunting partner preferred a BLR in 358 win, but either in skilled hands is a dependable elk killer

A Winchester model 70 in 300 ultra loaded with 180gr Nosler BT's at 3350fps is my go to gun, and a Remington 700 in 7mm Weatherby with Nosler partitions at 3050fps is my back up. I am also bringing a Sako 25-06AI stoked with 100gr tsx's

Model 70 FWT, pre 64 in.06 using 220 gr Sierra RN.

This rifle was my FIL's that he had left in a camping trailer which leaked.It was so badly rusted that we had to hammer the bolt open with a wooden mallet.The barrel was completely rusted so you could not see thru it.I bought a used barrel from Gun Parts.Unscrewed the old one, put the used one on and tested for head space.Had the action reblued after I cleaned it up as best I could, and made a new stock for it.

For years it had an old Weaver V-7 on it until a guy gave me a Leupold 2.5-8 for taking him elk hunting I guess.Can't say how many elk have fallen over from it, but it has been a bunch.

Big or small, they fall over. These are to get erone inthemood fro this years hunt.

Semi Custom Sako Left Hand L691 I cobbled together over the past year. Douglas SS Barrel chambered .375H&H, HS Precision stock, Leupold CDS 4x12x40. Shoots 235 grain TSX's under 1 moa out to 550 yards with 2850 MV.

At 11 lbs, a little heavy. With 26" barrel, a little long. But as one of the previous posters stated, I am confident that the rifle will do it's part if I do mine...

Ruger #1 300 H&H, 168 gr Barnes and 200 gr Speer Grand slams

Those are some dang cool pics there saddlesore.

Gunner

Dang, i forgot to answer the OP's question

My go to elk rifle for over 20 years is an old Mark V WBY. in 338/378 w/ a 28" Shilen pipe firing 225 TTSX's @3385.

New backup elk rifles are an old tang safety Ruger in 338 WM. firing 250 SAF's @2725 fps, and an old Belgium BAR 338 WM. shootin' the 225 TTSX's @2800 fps.

Gunner