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

I'm baffled by most of the responses. The OP has a 260 which he likes, has used with "wonderful" success on elk, and presumably is light and handy with easy recoil allowing accurate shot placement. Further, there are high BC 6.5 hunting bullets readily available. You've got your best elk rifle right there in your hands--just put your money into practicing more.

Moreover, you can simply sell all the parts of your custom idea and buy a better factory rifle in the chamberings you are interested in--either a Kimber Montana 280AI, or an older Remington KS 7mag.

Here is the infamous hypothetical scenario with which your dreams are haunted: 8-year tag wait, last afternoon of hunt, possible world-record bull steps out at 422 lasered yards, spots you and starts drifting away toward a timbered north-slope canyon--it is shoot now or go home. Which gun will get it done???

Answer: any gun you can shoot accurately with a decent bullet. Your not going to blow enough power up the butt of a big bull to make up for inaccurate placement, and if you want him dropped right there, right now, then a CNS shot is your best bet. The 260, for example, running a TSX, Accubond, Scirocco, or AMax would be a mighty easy shot, either in the high front shoulder or right smack in the pelvis to break the hips if your that desperate. A big rifle gains you nothing in that scenario.

The only thing a big caliber does is leave (possibly) a bigger blood trail, which is nice for lung shots maybe, but is not what you would do in the scenarios where it matters anyway. Get something that flies flat and is the easiest to shoot--that's what kills critters near and far. Then practice for the intervening 8 years of waiting on the tag.

If what you really want is to simply build a new rifle, then spend your money as you see fit--it need not be justified by need.

Ummm,

Here's what the OP wrote............



Doesn't sound like he was wonderfully happy with the performance of the 260, hence his request for suggestions.

MM

You can't go wrong with a 300 Win Mag. Managable recoil, lots of good factory loads and easy to work-up accurate handloads. Go with the 180 grain bullets for elk. I have personally had great success with Nosler Partitions but there a lot of other good choices in controlled expansion bullets.

Dave - no love for the beloved 7mm? 270? 130s? LOL. I'd gladly run one w/140 ABs or 150PTs Ironically - last I checked, a 260/130AB or even 708/140AB is nipping at the heels of a .277

Now back to the OP. I'd love to hear about the details of your shot/kill, range, angle, placement, bullet(s) used and effects.

As to elk, if I did not run a 6.5 or 7mm, I'd step OVER the 30 and shoot a 338/06, WM, or a 9.3x62. Just one guys flavor.

Back to topic - Horsepower can be nice....so long as you apply traction, i.e. all should be well whether one uses a 250 Savage, 243, or 300 (whiz in your pants) loud-n-boomer as long as the driver 'hooks up' on vital shot placement.

Larry, how much further PBR does one get running a 280AI vs. 708?

My 260 is my match rifle

15 lbs way to heavy for dedicated hunting but great for matches

I was invited on the hunt 3 weeks ago unexpected and not prepared

So I took what I had that shot good and I had confidence in

Been planning a killing stick thus the parts on hand already And the post

What bullet did you use?

Since you asked for caliber suggestions: .308 or larger.

.338-06, straight or AI. Look at a slightly slower twist barrel and optimise it for copper monolithics (like Barnes) around the 180gr mark (think Barnes 185gr TSX). You might say that if you wanted to to shoot 185gr you should just shoot a 30-06. However, i would argue that bullet mass and high SD actually doesn't matter so much anymore and a monolithic .338 cal 180gr kills soft skinned animals much better than most 180gr out of a .30-06. It opens up a bigger wound tract, and makes for a more efficient round and the BCs remain impressive.

Personally, I'd never open a Remington bolt from a standard face to a magnum so that wouldn't be an option for me. Sako extractor mods suck.

You want a dedicated elk rifle... IME it's hard to beat a 270 or 30-06. If it can't be done with either of those two, the fault is not the cartridges. Nothing wrong with a 338-06 either if you just have to have something different. I built one some years back just because...

Take a look at the 338 Federal.

On a Long Action???????????

Based on guns I have owned and in keeping with the .30/06 bolt face, my favorites are .35 Whelan improved and 9.3x62.

Why not go with a short action

I was responding to the original post... did you even read it?

Obviously not...

I like boltmans suggestion a lot. Don't know why I did not think of the 9.3x62! Or even 9.3x64 Brenneke. A couple of great options there.

Yes I read the original post but how hard can it be to trade 30-06 hardware for 308 hardware? Unless you have tunnel vision.

Brilliant... guess he should get rid of his LA McMillan stock too.

I was just adding another option. To all you family of Veterans out there THANK YOU and MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.