Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Caliber suggestions. New elk rifle

Sitting here in Colorado reflecting on a successful hunt.

Last minute deal took my 260. It worked but not fantastic

I'm going to get serious and plan an elk hunt every year

I have the following:

Mcm edge classic long action 700 rock #3

Trigger

Rem 700 long action 30-06 bolt face

3.5-10x40 leupold

Want to build a killing rifle

Suggest me a gun

First thoughts are a 338-06

Or trade for a magnum action and build a 300 win Mag or rum

I'd like a 25in tube and prefer not to run a brake but realize this gun is going to be 7.5lbs or so all up so it might be necessary

My wheels are turning thanks for any suggestions

#1 No on the muzzle brake. Damaging to the ears and a PITB to try to wear hearing protection when hunting in all types of weather. BTDT, bad idea all the way around

#2 If you stay with a 30/06 based action, I would just go 30/06 and run 168gr Barnes TTSX's at about 2900fps. Flat shooting, accurate and deadly

#3 if you trade out of your action and get into a magnum bolt face and length then you might as well go all the way up and get a GOOD one like a Model 70, Ruger model 77, CZ, or other Mauser type controlled round feed fixed ejecotr action and build a rifle that will be as trouble free and reliable for as long a time as is humanly possible. Then, look hard at 338 WinMag or my favorite the 340 Weatherby. Great Elk thumpers and no muzzle brake required so long as the rifle is of a decent wieght and the stock fits you + good recoil pad like a limbsaver.

Many consider the 340 Weatherby to be the ultimate elk hunting Cartridge and I tend to agree. I like them on African Plains game as well.

Look at the fast 35's to. 358 norma and 358 STA. But really anything from 270 up will work well on elk.

I'd look at bullets before building a rifle.

I don't know jack about elk, but I do know that if you want bang-flops with anything placement and bullets rule, for the most part.

I happen to like the 338 with 230 FailSafes and 250 Partys.

30-06 would be my choice if staying with your current action. If you do get a magnum action I would say 300win. No need for a brake on either choice.

A 25" gun offers little over a 22" gun in terms of speed, but in the nasty it all adds up. Not sure if you will ever have to beat the brush for elk like we do. I just sawed my 375 down to 22" from 26" with a try at 24 too....nothing but happiness. I would look at the 30-06, 35whelen, and 338-06.....with preference to the whelen for sub 300yd hunting.

7x57

22" Barrel

140 gr. TSX

I could easily vote for the 7X57 as well, but, would probably go 30-06 if I were you.

'Twer it me with the same components, I'd build a 30-06 and shoot 200gr Accubonds through it. I think that'd make a very nice elk rifle.

280ai.
simple solution.
140 ttsx's at 3100 + fps.
so it's flat shooting, and has plenty of muscle.
mine put one clean thru sideways on sat. on a cow at 313 yards.

another ttsx of in la la land.

I would trade your action for a magnum action (or open the bolt face) and build a 7mm Remington mag. In a 7.5 pound rifle it will not recoil to bad and no need for a break. With a 25 inch barrel and 160's it will probaly get you close to 3100 fps.

I am a 30/06 fan but the more I play with the 7mm mag I am starting to think that it may hold a edge over the 30/06 (and maybe its all in my mind).

7mm mag also would let you use 140's for deer and lopes on years when elk were not being hunted.

Dink

Only people on the internet need magnums for Elk.

a true Elk hunter wants a handy mid-weight accurate rifle that hits where he aims.


Most magnums are heavier than I care to be lugging up mountains,if you need a muzzle brake your shooting too much gun. Everytime I see Bill's .300 Weatherby I think of his nasty scope eye. A 9 1/4 lb rifle that cuts me open, No Thanks....

I can tell you our group through the years have all gone to synthetic stocks on mid-weight mid-caliber rifles. The '06 is the most popular for many reasons. 180 grain Partition or TSX and it's a done deal.

270 or '06 - it's as simple as that.

I live in the heart of elk country and most folks around here use a 270 - 'Nuff Said!

drover

I have hunted elk with rifles from 6mm Rem to .375 Ruger. Most frequently I pick up my NULA .30-'06 with my current best hunting bullet load.

jim

[quote=Kenneth]Only people on the internet need magnums for Elk.

a true Elk hunter wants a handy mid-weight accurate rifle that hits where he aims.


Most magnums are heavier than I care to be lugging up mountains,if you need a muzzle brake your shooting too much gun.


+1 !!! Tell me about your .260...I may take it off your hands since its "insufficient"

Depends on where and how you are hunting. I used to book hunts on a ranch near Craig Colorado where the shots were into various valleys and hillsides at migrating Elk. Shots were always quite long and the outfitter and guiides considered the 340 Weatherby to be the best Elk rifle of the bunch. I have also hunted and Killed Elk in the rainforest tangle over on the Washington Coast and there, your reccomendation makes lots of sense and I oft packed a Model 71 Winchester in 348 Ackley Imroved which with its peep sights was ideal.

One thought that is often lost is this: A rifle that will work on an elk at long range will also kill them quite nicely at short range. Not true n reverse. My 348 would have been almost usless on that wide open sagebrush and grassland ranch in Western Colorado but I have shot elk with a 300 RUM and my 340 in heavy timber country and always felt well armed. Even in the thick stuff sometimes a clearcut can be sat upon and watched where a shot can be long. In addition, especially in thick stuff I really want said elk to be down and out NOW and in my experience a big FAST bullet does this really well. Elk well hit with 300WBY, 300 RUM, and my wildcat 340 Tyrannosaur have either been on the ground where they stood or walked a few steps - as in 4 or 5 steps- and then toppled over.

No you do not need a magnum to kill elk but they sure don't hurt anything either. I find that most guys that are against magnums will not dedicate themselves to being a good shot with one (or standard calibers either).

Elk tags cost me somewhere between $500 and $1000 dollars and there is not one good reason not use a rifle (and bullet) that will kill near or far or any angle.

I don't get to hunt alot of big game every year but what I do get to do is shoot alot. I am not afraid of shots in the 400 to 600 yard range if I can get a rest. I have no doubt that a 30-06 shooting 180 grain partition at 2700 fps will get it done from 10 to 600 yards but if the 06 is good there can be nothing wrong with the same bullet running 3350 ish from a 300 RUM.

Dink

Safari, I respect your experience and I will slight none of it. So just for conversation,

As for the .340, you are a person who can apparently handle such a beast, Would you agree this is more energy/recoil than most can shoot accurately? And yet a Guide recommends this round for long range?

Would you agree a .340 is much heavier than you would "prefer" to carry?

I find it ironic that my buddy Bill's .300 'bee has the most missed/wounded Elk of our group. kinda hard to deliver an accurate shot when your wondering if your about to join the .300 club, again.

Dink, point taken. If your another one of the guys who can handle the recoil of a mag and still shoot just as accurate then go for it.

But every time I'm around people who cant shoot it's apparent their fearful of the kick their about to receive.

I've seen/heard it time after time.

A person who can shoot/afford/handle long range practice with an '06 is likely going to be a killing machine,

A person who flinches when he pulls the trigger on his Mag is just fooling himself, and his success rate will show it.

I would go 338-06 for sure since you have a 30-06 boltface. New #3 or 4 barrel and flute it to lighten up, cut to 24" or maybe to 22" as some guys have done for their mountain setup. And then you are set to go...you already have thye scope and rifle stock fo a sweet new semi-custom setup.

I built my 338-06 Ackley Improved on a Sako m75 Greywolf with Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 scope couple years back....LOVE IT. 24" PacNor supermatch grade stainless barrel. I went with a #5 and had deep, wide flutes....and she is a tack driver. Weighs in the same as a factory Sako m75 Greywolf 7mmRM/300WM/338WM. IF I was to do it again, I'd go #4 and flute.

I built my 338-06AI to shoot heavy bullets -225gr bullets...I use the Accubonds or the TTSX's. If I wanted to shoot lighter bullets, I would just use my Sako m75ss 300WM with 180gr Accubonds. You could load it down with 185gr TTSX's for deer...still would work for elk and moose.

As mentioned, a 280AI would be a sweet rifle. I would go 160gr TTSX or Accubonds. I know the 140's would work too...I use 140gr Accubonds in my 270WSM to take elk, moose, bears, deer.

The 330 Dakota is a sweet round also...I'm tempted for my next Sako m75 rifle build.

Have fun with your build.