If you lived in the east/south and 95% of your hunting was deer/hog size animals with an occasional Elk size animal every 2 or 3 years. Would you have a full blooded “Elk Rifle” just for those occasions or would you have a deer rifle in a caliber that is adequate for elk size animals now and then. What would your set up be rifle, cartridge and optics? I do have some strictly deer rifles.

I admit I was mostly bored making this post and wanted to see if opinions had changed much with the new cartridges out in the last few years. Still looks like a lot of the same answers, 270, 7mag, 308, 30-06, 300 Mag with a few 6.5 Creedmoors thrown in.

Tikka t3x 6.5 kreed w/ 3-9x42 HD super chicken.

I’ve been seeing that lately. Maybe I’m slow but what the heck is a super chicken?

308, 30-06, or 270 in a rifle that you like. 6.5 wouldn’t be bad either.

2.5-8 or 3-9 scope

30-06, 7 mag, 270 WSM

It is an SWFA brand 3x9.

How did they get the nickname super chicken?

280. All three boxes checked (and more) without beating up your shoulder. 140 TTSX.

308 or 7mm08

Swede or 270 for me

.30/06 or .270 Win in a Winchester Featherweight topped with a 6x scope.

My 1980s Winchester 70 Featherweight Winlite blind mag 270 with Zeiss Conquest 2.5-8x32 in Talleys shooting Barnes Vor-TX 130s is excellent medicine for deer and hogs. Am thinking it would be fine for an occasional elk as well.

Seems kind of a waste not to take advantage of an excuse to buy another rifle-

But, there are so many choices that would work great you could throw a dead cat at the rifle rack in Cabela's and wherever it landed would probably work fine.... as long as it blows your skirt up, buy it....

Nailed it. Can't go wrong with either

The Scope line is called the SWFA 'Super Sniper" is "SS" scopes .They are called Super Chickens because he Super Sniper logo lazer etched on the Turret is a Masked Hunting Falcon. Hence the name "super Chicken.

IMHO- unless you are going to shoot game a lot past 400 yards you will be just as well served by a decent caped turret scope with a drop reticle like a Burris FFII with the Ballistic plex reticle. Spend that extra $200 + you would have spent on the SWFA scope on more ammo, load development and range time with your rifle.

Also, the SWFA scope is about 12oz heavier than the FFll if that matters.

If a 270 will exit both shoulders of a black bear i don’t see why it wouldn’t do the same for a elk

my niece and her family in colorado kill 'em with a .308 and 6.5 creedmoor ...

Hypothetical / arm chair analyst here.

For me, I would go with a 300 WSM, with a Swarovski Z6 1.7-10x42 mm (or similar). This setup would get me distance wise as far as I would be shooting, and as close. Bullets, I would choose a tipped monolithic or solid shank, in the 165-180 weight range.
I would consider this more-than-adequate, for me and any elk involved.
I am not a longer-range shooter so that eliminates lots of other brain numbing possibilities.

Of course, picking someone’s else’s rifle, bullets, and optics is like choosing their spouse. Best avoided.

I’ve read all posts as of now. Not to differ from others but

30-06 covers N A well. Only 1 Rifle.


Jerry

I dunno, picking someone else’s spouse could be a lot of fun. Just don’t let anyone pick yours.

All the good cartridges for this have been named, so “Amen!”

Before all the answers, why don't you ask how many elk have you killed and under what conditions????
My choice would be a 7mm Mag. or one of the .30 cal. mags.. Also more than 4 dozen..

30-06 hits with authority I agree

For Me? A .300 Win or 30-06 would be My cartridge and a boring Leupold VX3-HD 3-10x40 my optic mounted in some Talley lightweights....As far as the particular rifle goes I like Kimber and Winchester best for the CRF but if you are good with push feed a Tikka T3x Superlite is mighty hard to beat in a .300 Win.....Good hunting...Hb

Keep it simple.
6.5, 308, 270, 30/06.
You don’t need a magnum for elk. IMO only time you need magnum is you plan on shooting 600+ yards.. Elk are not bullet proof. If you can bury 130-180 grain bullet in the boiler room under 500/600 yards you are good to go. Aim small, miss small.
Anyways get a tikka, slap a Leupold 3.5-10 with CDS in Talley or dnz and be done.

My dedicated "elk" rifle is smaller than a lot of the easterner/southern's "deer" rifles.

Just say'n.

I can't tell you what you should do, but the reality is that small eastern deer at short ranges is an unconstrained problem unless a) you need a really short rifle for woods use or b) there's a straight wall requirement. Literally anything that will work for elk in terms of rifle and load will work otherwise. So I'd select an elk rifle and shoot deer with it most of the time.

Since a good chunk of elk territory is also bear territory, I like at least a 7mm and arguably a 30 or larger. Nothing wrong with hunting elk with a 6.5mm other than it being a less than ideal bear gun. The .25 and .27 bores are basically crap unless fast twisted and then bullets are still limited. Since I think .30 has the best elk bullet right now (200gr Terminal Ascent) I have one .300 WSM with a 24" barrel, and then a .375 WSM with a 20" barrel that uses the 300gr A-Frame. I'd probably use the .375 on eastern woods whitetails since it would waste less meat. Both are scoped with NSX 2.5-10s which again would be huge overkill in most of the east but on 2.5x would work just fine.

Ha! My main Whitetail rifle is chambered in a more powerful cartridge than many "Western" hunters but what can I say? I am a Magnum rifle whore and I can not lie!..😂......Hb

6.5 CM, 7-08, 308…

WCH I agree with you for MYSELF. However it seems many are scared of the 7 mag or 300 mag.

If I knew years ago what I've learned in the last several years I could have SAVED myself $$$$$$$.
IMO the 7 RM is a perfect compromise between recoil and trajectory.
Flat trajectory makes hitting your target , a small spot on the side of large animals, easier farther out.

The Grand Ole 06 does reasonably well but not as flat.

Jerry

I live in the SE and get in an elk hunt most years. I’d have no problems going the 06 or 7 mag route if I were in your shoes.

Here I shoot 257 Roberts, 270, 7/08, 280AI and 300 mag (we have huge ag fields here…long shots are the norm there).

Pulling out tomorrow for NM elk…..my 338 is packed. This is a bull hunt. If I were shooting cows, I’d take my deer rifle.

Your deer rifle is your elk rifle. Use something low recoiling.

I live in the same state as the OP. We have our own Elk herd and there is a possibility of drawing a tag, but over the counter tags for whitetail are every year's business. Under these parameters, I figure there are a few different roads to travel.

First, if money is tight and you have to make do with one Centerfire rifle, then go with the 270/308/30-06. Factory ammo is cheap and (Normally) readily available.

Second, play money is available, so pick what you want. I may choose to shoot deer with a 6.5 Creedmoor and then when I draw a tag for elk, exercise my option for an "elk" rifle. The world is my oyster. Unfortunately, the dim witted biologists at KYDFW believe that my 6.5 Creedmoor is insufficient for elk, so I have to go 270 or bigger. Instant excuse for the spouse. Now pick what you want.

Third... Buy a 270 WCF and shoot 130 grainers at deer and 150 grainers at Elk.

Fourth....I gag....Buy a 30-06. Now buy Federal Premium ammunition loaded with 180 grain Partitions. Shoot all the deer you see. Keep a sharp knife...Then pop any elk you have a tag for....keep a sharp knife...If you feel froggy, buy a bear tag....should he or she show, shoot with confidence.

Not that I would ever do this…but brother in law bought a Featherweight in .30-06, put it in a McMillan (not required), buys 165 Partitions, found the load it likes, and uses it on everything from punching paper, gongs, pigs, antelope, deer, elk.

I mean, how boring is that? If I were to do it, .30-06 or .270 would be my choices.

My younger brother is not exactly a rifle loony. Matter of fact, he is far from it. About a year ago, he told me he wanted to buy one good rifle chambered for a cartridge that would take deer to moose. I sold him a Christensen Arms Ridgeline, chambered for 30-06. He bought up 100 rounds of 165 grain partitions in federal premium guise, and 100 rounds of remington core lokts in the same weight. We mounted a Leupold vx5 in 3-15x and now he is off to the races. Hopefully, his stamp for his can will come in soon and the world is his oyster.

OP, I'm going to jump on the boring bandwagon and recommend the 30-06 with a 3-9 ish scope. The 3-9 Burris FFII with ballistic reticle is a deal, a solid scope (I have 2 or 3), but about the minimum in quality I care for. Next up I would recommend the VX3-HD 3.5-10, and after that the VX5-HD 2-10.

If you need something more exotic, a Kimber in 280AI would be sweet.

Today's premium bullets really make our choices easier. TTSX, a-frames, etc.

What is your budget? That will narrow things down.

I'd buy a used elk rifle at the level your budget allows (in 7STW of course!). Or, you could buy a 25-06 for normal use and a 30-06 barrel (make sure headspace is in spec) and screw it on for the occasional elk hunt. A barrel vice and action wrench are cheap, as are 30-06 takeoff barrels.

Killed most of my elk with a .270, a couple with an 06 and a .50 Cal ML. Carried a .30-40 Krag and .300 H&H on a cow hunts but never closed the deal. This year I'm hunting an either sex tag with a .308 Win.

Think if I opened the safe and grabbed anything except a 22 rimfire it would work. Terrain and weather would make the decision otherwise.

this and maybe .280 Ackley, the 6.5 is not on my list...

I'm taking a Kimber Montana 308 this year. It was a 280 last year. 270 in past years. You get the drift. Shoot good bullets.

Throw in the 338-06 with 210s just cuz.

30-06, .270, .308- but in a rifle that is handy and a 2-7 or 3-9 scope. I carried a Remington 700 BDL 7mm Mag, leupold 2.5x8 scope as my only rifle for 10yrs, down in SE Texas. I used 150 Partitions (didn't tear up 80 pound deer!) and "made" an elk load with 160 Partitions. I never used it on elk, killed deer with it 15 yds- 50 yds. Loaned it to a friend who went elk hunting, killed a bull with the 160PT. the rifle was "perfect" in a deer blind, but "too heavy, too long" for still hunting. I missed a lot of deer because of this. So...consider how you will be using the rifle, for deer and for elk. Example, I have a hunting buddy out here who has used the same Browning BLR .308/3x9 he bought in 1970. he uses nothing but factory 150 Corlokt ( or equiv handloads with same bullet) on antelope, mule deer, elk and once a cow Bison. Its "perfect".

In my book, a 7mm-08, properly loaded, will do all you are going to ask for it to do, according to your ogininal post.

My main two rifles are a 7mm-08 and a. 338-06. If I was going to do it all over again, I'd have the 7-08 for deer and a .30-06 for a traveling do everything rifle.

I have narrowed it down to the 7mm-08 and 30-06. I still have a .270 but haven't picked it up in a few years. The 7mm-08 gets the most use.

7/08 with varget and 140TTSX and you’re good to go!

No question.

.270 Winchester/150 gr. PSP.

... out of this exact rife.



But dats just me.

8>)




GR

The only issue I ever had with elk was on a medium sized cow in which a 117-grain Hornady .25-06 factory load only penetrated one lung and it ran a little ways. Out side of that I've killed both cows and bulls with .270, .30-06 and a couple of .300s on both guided and DIY hunts. Most of mine have been with .270 and 130 Hornadys. I would use whatever you want if you plan DIY. Use whatever the guide wants on guided. I find it annoying but sometimes guides have strong opinions on a cartridge or bullet, and it makes it easier to go with what they want in my opinion.

I like that.

[ Use whatever the guide wants on guided. I find it annoying but sometimes guides have strong opinions on a cartridge or bullet, and it makes it easier to go with what they want in my opinion. [/quote]

Agree 100%. Case in point, my last cow hunt, guided/private land in the Book Cliffs. I had my little Kimber 84L Classic .270 all set with the Barnes 127 LRX. Its a dream. The guide wasn't thrilled, said he preferred "big guns" as he "hates chasing elk down." He carried a 6.5/300 Wby. Said a lot of shots are/can be around 500yds sometimes ( after they run out of the creek bottom) He asked if I had a "big gun" I said, sure, a 300WM ( it too was all set with Barnes 175 LRX.) The first evening after I arrived, we left camp around 5PM, drove 1/2 hour down to the creek bottom, and up on a side hill was my cow...100 yds away. I popped her, end of story. I could have killed her with an iron sighted 30-30, ha. But hey, the guide was happy!

Man, if a guide told me my 270, 280ai, or 30 06 was too small for his liking, I would likely not hunt with that outfit.

In your case since you have deer rifles, I'd buy a bigger gun just for the hell of it, doesn't mean you have to use it for elk haha. Thinking 300 win, 35 whelen, 338 win.

For someone who needs a rifle to mainly hunt deer and hopefully elk and does not have a rifle for this, I would have to suggest the 270 or 308 in a good fitting rifle that catches their eye.

30-06 with 130 ttsx, 168 ttsx for elk, for nostalgia big bears 200 partition
Ass whuppings come in all sizes. Enjoy you won’t be disappointed. MAGA

I’m a reloader so my 338-06 would be my one rifle battery. If you want to buy only factory ammo, I say a 280 Remington would be something to consider. Pleasant shooting, good ballistics and has enough energy for wapiti sized game. I like to have a dedicated elk rifle and for me that’s a 338 win mag. I shoot 338-06 for most everything else because I like to be different and I like 338 bullets.

Buy more guns!

Sometimes it's easier to hunt where you want and do what the guide wants with cartridge / bullet combinations. I've particularly found African PH's to be opinionated in this regard, including being unhappy when I showed up with 180 Partitions and not Barnes in one case and unhappy that I was shooting 168 TSXs and not 180 TSXs in another. Not sure what difference 12 grains of bullet would've made on that hunt, but I had to hear about it the whole time.

I bought the one new rifle when I was 17 a Ruger 7mm Mag that was made in 1976. It shot well & killed truckloads of deer for 20 years before it ever went elk hunting. Killed several elk wearing a 3x9x40 Conquest mostly during its life now wearing a Leupold 4.5-14x50.

These days I’m shooting a 300 Weatherby with a 3-15x50 Conquest & Z800 reticle that works fine on deer but is a 600 yard elk killing tool. Any deer rifle with a good bullet will kill elk with decent shot placement. That doesn’t make them elk rifles that kill at longer ranges & at marginal angles. That allow you to hunt 100 yards from the private property & still anchor a bull before he crosses the line wounded or makes it over the hill into a 2 day pack out canyon.

I think a Tikka or Vanguard in 300 WM or WSM with a Zeiss v4 4-16 is about the best bang for the buck in an elk rifle but there is no doubt more than one tool will work even a pipsqueak 6.5 Creedmoor when you shoot it well & aren’t too far away.

spec - you ARE singing my song. I see you don't post too much, I don't know how much your lurk.

You just posted what I've been saying for quite a while in other words of course.

I 'used' to be a 300 WM addict. In recent years I've 'adopted' the 7 RM in it's place. On WT I limit myself to 400 yds.
Elk are noticeably bigger. I could easily establish a 600 yd confidence with the 7 Mag. Appropriate bullets are
available.

458 Win - says the 30-06 is entirely adequate for Brown Bear ....so... 7 RM is even more.
I shoot my Tikka T3X Lite SS 7 RM well and have killed numerous WT with it since 2018. I'm ready.

I posted early in this thread, "seems some are scared of the 7 RM or Mag. in general".
As you described but in my words.... there's NO substitute for SPEED (flat trajectory) for longer distance.

Jerry

270, 30-06 or 308

To the OP.... do you reload?

For deer near anything will do. I've killed them with anything from a .30-30 to a .300 WM and honestly, I haven't seen enough difference to make a difference where I hunt. Elk however are a whole different ball game. A 7# .308 back in the hills where the elk are beats a 9# .338WM back at the tent. Every day walking up those CO. mountains I'd say to myself, What can I pare down out of my pack that I didn't need or use yesterday? Do I really need all 10 cartridges again? Elk hunting is tough work. Get something middle of the road that isn't too heavy that you can shoot well. Elk are harder to get to than they are to get down.

I’ve owned several magnums over the years etc but the only rifle I have now larger than a 6.5 is a 30-06 thats to ugly for being seen in a picture out west.

I am an unapologetic “one gun” hunter! While we own a few firearms, my wife and I each have one dedicated hunting rifle. I also firmly believe that there is no such thing as “overkill” ....at least in a shoulder fired firearm of reasonable hunting carry weight! All of this said....I’d recommend one of of the various .30 cal magnums or better yet a .338 WM. My wife’s “only” hunting rifle has been a 9 pound , scoped/loaded/slung, .338 WM since 1995! She’s taken deer/antelope up through moose and has never found it lacking or witnessed the dreaded “overkill”!

However, some of the “hyper-velocity” .30 calibers shooting thin jacket, highly frangible bullets will destroy a lot of tissue. If you want to take home more eatable deer, I’m recommend either a controlled expansion or a mono bullet with the high velocity magnum .30’s! memtb

Get a 280 ai for that

If you live in Elk country and can afford to be patient and wait for your shot, then lots of calibers will work. If your traveling and have limited time frame, I’d want something that I’d be comfortable with to take the shot that may not be exactly the angle I wanted. For me that starts with the 30-06. 270, 280, 7mm REM Mag would all fill that role as well. I don’t think you “need” a big gun, but there’s no denying that they work. I’ve used a a 270 and 338 Win Mag. For me, there was a big difference between the 2. I personally doubt I’d use a 270 again. Yet I know folks who use them every year and take their Elk. I’d prefer a 30-06 though.

30-06 or 308 can digest lotsa weight bullets.
280 and 7-08 are sweethearts.
270 will bring death everyday.
I like a 300 win mag too.

Id just have to draw out of a hat and rock on. 👍

Stainless T3 in 7mm Rem Mag. Leupold 4-12.

Money.

260/7-08/308
or
270/280/30-06
or
7RemMag/300WinMag
or
270WSM/7WSM/300WSM
or
6.5Creed/6.5x55/6.5PRC
or
26/27/28/30Nosler
or
...???????

Happy to help, I'm here all day.

Personally I’m a 95 % guy. i would buy a set up for what I felt was ideal for 95% of my southeastern deer hunting . If I was hunting elk every two or three years I would figure thats enough hunts for a dedicated elk rifle that would work 95% for elk hunting. If you feel your 95% ideal for both crosses over thats great , if not get your wallet out. Im not much on compromising and thats just me.

I’d vote a 7 Rem Mag with a 23-24” barrel and have at it. Nothing much on either side of it will gain you much what this one does until you get into the bigger teeth rattlers. Plus you can find a pretty portable rifle so chambered or easily have one plumbed. The 7 WSM version is the same if you can find enough brass to feed it.

My boring Deer/Elk/Moose/Bear and everything else gun:
Steyr-Mannlicher M Professional.30-06 with Kahles 6x42

I like that

7-08 or 7x57 through 300 magnums.

Sometimes it's easier to hunt where you want and do what the guide wants with cartridge / bullet combinations. I've particularly found African PH's to be opinionated in this regard,

My first trip to South Africa was in '96. My friend/PH hated the 7mm Rem Mag. A few other guys I talked with while there felt the same way. When I pressed for details, the last few Americans used them with the then new "Extended Range ammo", which was ( I think 165gr) just a simple cup n core with a thin jacket. The bullets were breaking up on the surface of Eland and zebra and causing many a long chase! ha I was using Barnes 250X form a 35 Whelen Ackley. My friend liked the winchester FailSafe factory ammo for the 375 & 300WM. Good choice too, but he just couldn't wrap his head around why that 7mm Mag Extended Range was a bad round, ha. Yet he loved the old 8x68 with the TUG bullet. I guess so, world of difference!

Tikka T3 Creed x Bushy Elite in 6.5. Works for Caribou also.

A REALLY BIGGGGG CHICKEN ?

Dirty Harry

I’m really have trouble how him thinking any 6.5 was a ‘big’ gun vs a 270, wasn’t an immediate red FLAG?

Then again, I figure if I’m paying for a guide, it’s for them to tell me where to crap and not how to wipe.

I’d buy an ‘elk’ gun in a heartbeat, if I had much excuse at all…..but I think most of my ‘deer’ guns would work just fine, especially a Kimber 308.

That’s funny. I have that exact combo. Scope is CDS because I shoot a fair ways.



P

I hear you whiskey, but I wanted to see what that 175 LRX would do on a simple high lung shot anyhow. It opened a bit wider than the older Barnes 180 XBT I use to use.

If I was hunting mostly whitetails with an occasional elk, I’d say my Tikka T3 Lite SS in .270 shooting 150 Partitions at everything would work well. Mine wears a 2-10x42 Nikon Monarch 5 in Warne rings. It’s a pretty good all around set-up.

I'd use a 270 and kill them with ease if I was a female or a child. I'd load 140 gamekings at 2750 for deer and a 150 partition at 3000 fps for elk. My loads would probably be something like............

150 partition
61 grains RL26 3000 fps
Hell of an elk load

140 gameking
57 grains H4831SC 2750 fps
Superb deer load

That's a good question

270 280 7mm08 308 30-06

Five there that tend to do most things quite well.

270 Bergera 110 Barnes for deer, 150 partition for elk

If you do like the '06, get it in a Browning X-Bolt of your choice and it will be kind to your shoulder. Stock ergos and recoil pad make it a real pussycat. RJ

A 20” or 22” 308 WCF. Make it fairly light weight with a fixed 4x or 6x scope. Boxes of high quality ammunition are on shelves worldwide. Knocks the hell out of whitetails, mule deer and antelope. It is more than adequate for bull elk out at 350 yards. Majority of elk are shot dead inside of 200 yards and many inside of that in heavy timber. It is also a popular African plains game cartridge, which tells you it works well on a variety of game big and small.

I learn more reading than typing. In the field making real world shots the less I have to think the better off I am & the more confident in the shot. We practice out to 800 yards but I try to hunt to be in 300 yard point & shoot territory. One gun is a great way to think less & kill more but the cheap 300 Weatherby I bought for a backup kills farther & faster than the 7 mag and that is an advantage hunting adjacent to private ranches that hate public land hunters killing “their” elk.

Make that a Brno 601 with integral peep and curved (non set) trigger and you are really on to something.

I haven't seen one that doesn't shoot.

Spot on sir. I completely agree!

I'm a 35 Whelen convert. Perfect for elk and great for no tracking on deer

In our house, our go to "not sure what I'm gonna get into" rifle/cartridge combo is the .300 win with 200 gr. accubonds.

Many deer and elk. Several bear and antelope. And 2 NM oryx....near or far. It has done a great job, with minimal tracking, and no lost animals. Although, 1 of the oryx took a little "convincing", that he was dead!

Andy3

Here in my neck of the woods, a .270 will do everything that needs doing, and still be legal for KY Elk. The only three LH bolt rifles in the cabinet at the moment are my go-to KS 270, a wood/blue/open sighted P.O. Ackley 7x57, and a 700 Remage .30-06 that I have been tinkering with. I know that a .30-06 will also do everything that needs doing. And I have owned a half dozen 30-06's over the years. Have never owned a .30-06 that really "flipped my switch". However, I keep tinkering with them...

While bullet selection and placement are paramount with any big game animal.....this is somewhat enhanced with large big game. That said, you can’t be “over-gunned” (within reason) for deer.....you can certainly be “under-gunned” for elk! memtb

When I started hunting, the deer were the tiny California Blacktail which are probably just as elusive as the Whitetail Deer and probably hunted under similar conditions. After about 19068, all my deer hunting has been after Nevada and Arizona Mule Deer.

If the OP is, or plans to reload his ammo my thoughts tend to go with something like the .270, .280 Remington or 30-06 with my leaning toward the 30-06.

Doing reloads for the cartridge of choice would call for a two bullet solution. I've done this with teo cartridges so far, the .270 and .300 Win. Mag, For the .270 I run a 150 gr. Sierra Game King andd the Nosler 150 gr. Partition. In the .300 Win. Mag. it'd the 200 gr. Speer Hot Core and 200 gr. Nosler. The .2270 loads use the same powder charge and the .300 likewise with the appropriate loads. In both cases, groups run .75" or less. If I were to mix and match three shots of each load the groups will usually run 1,5" or slightly less. The load work in three .270 rifle and four .300 Win. Mags. I won't give the loads because the powder, Winchester's WMR has been discontinued for quite a few years now.

Getting back to the 30-06, I'd look at the 180 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter or Game King and the 180 gr. Nosler Partition. I haven't tried this in the 06 because WMR flat out does not work in the 30-06 case. It's fine in the .270, 280 and .300 WM but is a disaster in the 06. Also, my 30-06 has a 1 in12" twist and does not like 180 gr. bullets. I have tried WMR in a Remington 700 BDL but no workee. Anyway, I think that's a reasonable method for a one gun hunter big game rifle. Fairly cheap practice with the cup and core bullet which also serves for deer sized game and the premium bullet for elk, bear and other large animals.
Paul B.

If you are hunting in Timber you couldn't go wrong with a .358 Winchester or something (14 or 141 Remington ) in .35 Remington . In more open country I'd use my Kimber 84 in .325 WSM with 150 gr bullets for Deer and the 200 grainers for Elk. You can easily kill both with a .243 and 87-100 gr bullets as long as your shot placement is good but I would rather have a bit more thump for the Elk .

[
I’m really have trouble how him thinking any 6.5 was a ‘big’ gun vs a 270, wasn’t an immediate red FLAG?

He didn't tell me no, he just asked if I had a heavier rifle. He absolutely hated the 270 WSM (it was the bullets they used, of course). But after some campfire coffee I found out he guided alot of rich guys from California (they were paying 8K to 12K for bulls on this ranch!), so there's that. ha. His 6.5/300 was a real flat shooter is why he liked it. I wanted to get my 300WM bloody anyhow, but like I said, I popped my cow at "maybe" 100yds eyeballing it. ha

Different people have varing opinions as to what constitutes a deer/elk rifle. I was given such a rifle years ago by a friend living in Chicago, Ill. He in turn had been given it by an older gentleman living and hunting near Cripple Creek, Col. That hunter had used it for years in that role. I was a bit surprised, as the rifle was an1891 "sporterized" Mauser in 7.65x53. Wore a Redfield Peep, ramp front sight, and had seen some use.

the rifle was an1891 "sporterized" Mauser in 7.65x53. Wore a Redfield Peep, ramp front sight, and had seen some use.[/quote]

I saw one of those as a kid in Texas ('67 I believe), it was full military. The firing pin had broke and no one could help the guy find a replacement, not even the local gunsmith. We lived 50+ miles from Houston or Beaumont, so the guy never took it to a shop there (he was another kid, like all os us then, no money for nothing). I think that round compared to our 308.

Guess I'l never understand the Creedmoor, bought one and still don't get it. When you hunt Elk bring enough rifle! It'll work when thing go right, but when things go wrong............as they sometimes do.

I`ve not killed an Elk with it, but it sure works well on deer!
I cleaned it up, checkered the nice walnut stock, and still use it.

Tikka T3 stainless synthetic in a 6.5 Swede. shoots lights out, and kills like Covid, and carries nice and light. 120, 130, and 140 grain slugs. Works on moose and bears too.

It’s really quite simple to figure out......”Even a Caveman can do it”! 😂 Perhaps best stated by Bob Hagel, which coincidentally is my signature line! 😉

“You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel


memtb

[quote=memtb] I am an unapologetic “one gun” hunter!

I too grew up that way Mem, (poor as dirt, .22, 12ga, 30-30 lever) and in SE Texas it was fine. It was only around my 40's that I started gathering up a few purpose built (designed/bought that way) rifles. Young families, finances, hard times, etc are really hard on a mans' gun gathering ability!

I have killed elk with 7mm-08, 308, 30-06, 338WM, 375HH even a few with a.54cal muzzleloader. If I was to go now, it would be either the 7mm-08 or 338Fed. I do not take shots longer than 300yards. I prefer sneaking through the timber and rarely watch meadows. Those two are great deer cartridges as well!

. I prefer sneaking through the timber and rarely watch meadows.

I like the edges of dark timber and aspen groves. I like to find a game trail that goes into the timber and ease along, chirping a cow call every now and then. Most of the areas I have hunted were very "weather dependant"...meaning as soon as one snow flake falls "everything" heads to Wyoming! ha. You have to "know your trees" there...gotta be standing by the right one when they come by!

Given the current state of ammunition availability I'd go with a 30-06, with a 270 close behind.
I'm a huge 280/280AI fan, but haven't seen any of that ammo on the shelf for a really long time and the same goes for the suitable magnum cartridges.
I wouldn't go smaller than a 6.5mm bore for elk unless you are certain that you can place the bullet in the proper location.
Now if you handload, the options open up significantly.

I agree. If I only had one rifle (cartridge), that would be it, even as much as I like the 338WM.

I deer hunt with a 300 Weatherby. I don't notice the recoil hunting. I do notice that most deer I shoot with it seem dead before they hit the ground. So my tracking skills have suffered. I don't see any more meat damage than the.people I hunt with shooting 100 grain bullets out of smaller rifles that always seem to involve alot of tracking.