|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,537 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 23,537 Likes: 2 |
For me its not about magnum versus non magnum its what rifle I most comfortable with . As of now its my model 70 in a 325 wsm, I have a lot of confidence with that rifle and feel what ever I put the crosshairs on will die a quick death. If your comfortable shooting a 243 then by all mans use a 243 if your comfortable using a 340 magnum use it.
Then STFU. The rest of your statement is superflous bullshit with no real bearing on this discussion other than to massage your own ego. Suckin' on my titties like you wanted me.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,947 Likes: 1
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,947 Likes: 1 |
Thanks Ingwe, I do not plan on red lining mine. So I will definitely start low and let the rifle tell me where it wants to be.
Just striving for something "a little" more than an 06, with some nostalgia thrown in.
Arcus Venator
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,180 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,180 Likes: 2 |
I have hunted in the "West" 5 or 6 times. It isn't that hard to do when you live only 50 miles from the Atlantic. I would probably fit right in with the OP's magnum question. My most often used traveling rifle has turned out to be a Ruger 77 in 300 Winchester mag.
In hunting new areas of the country, I seldom ever knew what type of terrain or cover I would be hunting or a typical range that the game would be encountered. It has almost never matched the description that was provided by the Outfitter selling the hunt and I want to be prepared for what ever I get into. My elk was shot at a range of 435 yards. I had no idea I would be taking a shot that far off and to me it was a long shot. I was comfortable with it and had practiced at 400 yards in preparation for the hunt. I was told to expect something in the neighborhood of a 200 to 250 yard shot. The 300 Winchester magnum was up for it. My 308 probably would have been too. I was comfortable with the 300 Winchester.
On a hunt a couple of years ago to Texas, I had no information on the typical range to expect for a shot at a white tail. This hunt I carried a 6.5/06. I first saw the buck at 175 yards. He was walking towards me and I shot him at about 80 yards. I was ready for a 400 yard shot, but got one I could have made with my 35 Remington with no problem.
A bear was shot with the 300 Winchester at 15 yards. He died right where he was shot. I was not disappointed. Mule deer at 140 yards, Pronghorn at 295 yards, a fallow deer at 35 yards, axis deer at 75 yards and a caribou at close to 400 yards.
Most of my hunts have been the "once in a lifetime hunt". I knew I wouldn't get to shoot an elk, bear, pronghorn, caribou, or mule deer but once. I wanted to go with a rifle that I knew would get the job done, whatever that turned out to be.
I probably hauled a rifle all over the place that was heavier than it should have been and chambered for a cartridge that was more powerful than I needed, but I felt ready for any shot I might get and it worked every time.
Harry
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,947 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 2,947 Likes: 1 |
Magnumitis seems to be buzz word for compensation to practice and learn your rifle. If all you do prior is shoot whitetail under 100 yards, you're never going to be able to make a 400 yard shot with a plain duplex reticle.
If you get out and practice at various distance out to 1000 yards,you're going to learn your rifle. Pretty soon, that 400 yard shot will become a chip shot.
Practice, practice, practice....and know your ballistics.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 602
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 602 |
My perfect elk rifle is my Kimber Montana in 325wsm. Lots of power for those instances when you need it, really light package to hike all over the steep hillsides and ridges I frequent in October, and legitimate accuracy with good bullets.
I also have a heavy 7mm Rem Mag for fun range time long range shooting and the occasional hunt, and then I have 3 different 7-08 rifles. One Browning A bolt II that really belongs to my oldest boy as an award for his Eagle Scout, but has taken elk to 360 yards, one Winchester Model 70 Westerner that used to be a .243 Win and now wears a Shillen barrel chamber in 7-08, that my youngest son has adopted recently for his Eagle Scout award, and so I picked up a Tikka T3 in 7-08 for me. 😀
No matter what you have, use it a lot and have fun.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 35,900 |
Magnumitis seems to be buzz word for compensation to practice and learn your rifle. If all you do prior is shoot whitetail under 100 yards, you're never going to be able to make a 400 yard shot with a plain duplex reticle.
If you get out and practice at various distance out to 1000 yards,you're going to learn your rifle. Pretty soon, that 400 yard shot will become a chip shot.
Practice, practice, practice....and know your ballistics. "Practice" is a panacea for any rifle cartridge, including magnums.No more difficult than with a smaller cartridge, if you go about it intelligently. And it surely is no trick to kill an elk at 400 yards with a standard duplex reticle if you know how to do it, which is no big trick either....just practice. I never met any magnum shooter with any real experience who believed that you get sloppy and indifferent about bullet placement with a magnum cartridge. But they do allow you to move heavy for caliber bullets at the same or faster velocities as smaller cartridges do with lighter bullets,and that has advantages sometimes. No doubt there are some wild eyed people out there who believe you can slop bullets from magnums into the edges of elk vitals with good results. I can only guess they have not shot many elk,nor seen many killed.
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,741
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,741 |
It is about personal ethics. Yes I can kill an elk with a well placed bullet out of my 308. But what if the shot is not well placed. Trauma from a Higher velocity bullet with more weight. Increases the likely hood of a quick kill. So yes, More energy is better for Elk.
The anti American Constitutional party (Democrat). Wants to dismantle your rights, limiting every aspect of your constitutional rights. Death by 1000 cuts is the tactic. Each cut bleeds constitutional rights to control you. Control is the goal.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,690 Likes: 3
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 3,690 Likes: 3 |
I'd think that, regardless of caliber, if a shot is not well placed; you're in for a treasure hunt, without a map.
Last edited by hh4whiskey; 04/30/15.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 25
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 25 |
I use a .308 on our little Idaho elk.. ^^ This ^^ Is it because you can't handle recoil? I know you were commenting tongue in cheek, but there is a glimmer of truth in it. I have noted that I can shoot substantially better with cartridges that are not hard kickers. I would rather be able to shoot a 3/4" group with a .308, than a 1.5" group with a .338. I find that I can place .308 win rounds with precision, with little fuss. In fact I popped a cow elk a couple years ago in the noggin, at an extended range. The herd was standing bunched up, milling around. There were no clear shots that did not run a risk of shooting through and hitting another elk. Finally one cow stuck her head out away from the group and I put one in her ear. I was proned out, had lasered the elk repeatedly and was shooting my Sako TRG, which is a true sub 1/2 moa rifle. 400 yards and closer are chip shots with that gun. It pretty well shoots itself. To be clear, I am NOT an advocate of head shots. This was a unique set of circumstances, and I had a heavy target rifle, which made the shot a high probability one. I came across the pics from this hunt.
THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL. The Tikka T3 in .308 Winchester is the Glock 19 of the rifle world. The website is up and running!www.lostriverammocompany.com
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 203
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 203 |
You dont need a magnum to kill elk but I dont see a reason to not carry a more potent caliber if you could shoot it well, at least in open country. In the timber, especially west of the cascades, its more important for me to carry something thats light enough to carry in my hands rather than slung.
Keep your eye on the fruit........
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,088
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,088 |
My last bull was taken with my 7STW, shooting 160 Partitions.
Wasn't a very long shot, only about 125 yards.
Truthfully, a 280, 7/08 etc... would have done just as well in that instance.
Tony
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,862 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 10,862 Likes: 1 |
I won't say either way but I don't think magnumitus is an Eastern thing
I have killed only 3 elk.......300% more than most people I know and work with but.....
My first was with a .270 with 140 grn Accubonds at 2900 fps
My second was with a 30-06 with 150 grn Accubonds at just under 2900 fps
My last was with a 30-06 with 180 grn Accubonds at 2700 fps
Maker of the Frankenstud Sling Keeper
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,927
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,927 |
I have to ask this,I'm from eastern orygun.why is it when most folks on here talk about coming out west to hunt they automatically think they need a magnum rifle?i don't understand the eastern thinking here
...because everything out west looks so phuqqing far away.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 31,038 Likes: 30
Campfire 'Bwana
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 31,038 Likes: 30 |
all you need is a 30-06 or 308 Win........
and know how to use it..........
T R U M P W O N !
U L T R A M A G A !
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 25
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 25 |
TikkaNut,
I usually run a T3 Lite Stainless .308, and it has been stellar on elk so far.
That said, in the interest of full disclosure, I actually used a T3 in .300 W on this years cow. Ends up it was only a 300 yard shot, but the area we have been hunting has lots of opportunities to really stretch the range.
THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL. The Tikka T3 in .308 Winchester is the Glock 19 of the rifle world. The website is up and running!www.lostriverammocompany.com
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,735 Likes: 1
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,735 Likes: 1 |
I'll be slumming my 270 and 30-30 this fall on my first trip to Colorado after elk. I like "boring" "old" cartridges and they are what I hunt with 90% of the time for whitetail down here so I'm comfortable with them.
What is it Stick says, "bullets matter more than head stamps" something like that anyway.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,170 Likes: 5
Campfire Oracle
|
Campfire Oracle
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 96,170 Likes: 5 |
I'll be slumming my 270 and 30-30 this fall on my first trip to Colorado after elk. I like "boring" "old" cartridges and they are what I hunt with 90% of the time for whitetail down here so I'm comfortable with them.
What is it Stick says, "bullets matter more than head stamps" something like that anyway.
Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,207
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,207 |
The least important thing about your elk hunt is typically the caliber, but it's one that gets a lot of emphasis and questions.
Shot placement and good bullets are more important, but the most important things about your elk hunt typically include how to find them, and how to get them off the mountain.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,088
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 6,088 |
Of my three elk:
First : 200 yards, 300win, 165 Grand Slam, didn't go far
Second : 450+ yards, 300Rum, 180 Scirocco, stoned him
Third : 125 yards, 7STW, 160 Partition,dropped him in his tracks
In all three places, there were possibilities of very long shots, hence the boomers.
I'd say it was a tossup between the STW and 300Rum on effectiveness. Although it wasn't much of a test of the STW......
Tony
Last edited by hicountry; 01/18/16.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,091 Likes: 9
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 11,091 Likes: 9 |
My wife (born and raised in SW Wyoming) has somewhat limited experience with different calibers when elk hunting. She started (successfully) with a .243 Win.,then moved up to a .270 Win.(again quite successful), and took her first moose with a .264 Win. When we thought that we might get to hunt Alaska and Africa, we moved her up to a .338 Win. While she doesn't enjoy shooting it from the bench,it is her only hunting rifle!! She is very comfortable and confident with it. She's taken,antelope,deer,elk,moose,and black bear with it. Could she have been as successful with a lesser caliber? Certainly yes,but again it goes back to comfort and confidence!! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 01/18/16.
|
|
|
|
589 members (06hunter59, 1beaver_shooter, 160user, 10gaugeman, 12344mag, 10gaugemag, 53 invisible),
13,339
guests, and
1,033
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,195,128
Posts18,542,335
Members74,057
|
Most Online21,066 May 26th, 2024
|
|
|
|