Elk Rifle

[kdenn]

You might check the new Seekins rifles, PH3 or Element. Light, very accurate. 300 WM or PRC.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Or check the Montana Rifle Company Highline.
Very Smooth CRF action, great trigger. 1/2 MOA

 

[Beck]

For elk in the west it starts with 340 WBY and ends with 340 WBY. . I have almost all the mediam bore calibers both standard and magnum. My pick is and always will be 340 WBY for Elk in the west.
Krish

What kind of rifle, what does it weigh? What kind of optic?

 

[JG26Irish_2]

As stated previously, I would echo that just like PG in Africa, there are many calibers and rifles capable of cleanly harvesting your Elk. From 270 on the lower end of the scale to 375HH on the upper end of the spectrum. Our Eastern Elk in KY do not require ELR type shots and will rarely present a shoot in excess of 200y. Think Limpopo bushveld hunting. Out West the terrain is often more open and shots can be much further if you have a rifle/scope combo that is up to the task. Choosing an Elk rifle I want to be able to handle both and thus want to be able to send a 150g+ bullet arriving at 2000fps at max range.

For me, I chose a Fierce CT Edge in 7mm Mag. This is a titanium Sako 85 type action with carbon/stainless bbl and carbon stock. Light, weather proof and able to deliver a 160g Barnes TTSX at over 2000fps out to 500y. My shots would be limited to about 400y. 150g Swift Scirocco is another great option. This rifle is capable of 1/2moa from a bench which is closer to 1moa in the field from a ruck or off sticks. It is topped with a Swarovski Z5 3.5-18x and I used it with 150g bonded Fusion ammo to drop a 10pt Whitetail this past fall. Hope to take it Moose hunting in the future. It is pricey and not sure it is worth the full retail price but I got mine at a deep discount which really helped.

I plan to take this same rifle to Africa this summer to use for PG hunting including Kudu, Zebra, and Black Wildebeest all of which would be in the same size, weight and toughness class as an Elk. I had the option of the 7mm Mag or a nice 30-06 and my PH strongly suggested the 7mm since we would be hunting part of our time in the Free State where the terrain in more open like out West. This despite my 30-06 being able to hit with extreme precision out to 400y using 180g Sciroccos. I am OK with this.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

With all due respect, you lost me at Berger VLD’s. There are much better choices available for big bodied bulls.

I agree with you, but I feel obligated to agitate the grumpy old men on here who hate anything other than A-frames.

But when shooting at 800+ those Bergers really do work well.

I'll admit I am in the "Just use a Swift A Frame for everything" camp. But this last elk season where I used the outfitters Best of the West 300 PRC, my eyes were opened to new fangled bullets that are somewhat non-traditional hunting bullets. We used factory Hornady ammo in the 300 PRC, 225 ELD-Match. That's right, Match, not ELD-X. During our warm up shooting, all 4 hunters rang steel at 300, 400 and 500 yards. I asked the outfitter if they reloaded and they said no, the factory ammo is so accurate and it's very reasonably priced by Hornady. The Match bullet produced one shot kills on three elk and three whitetails, with all shots being in the 200 to 340 yard range.

 

[krish]

What kind of rifle, what does it weigh? What kind of optic?

Rifle is Wetherby. Can also get in other brands. Weighs about 8 lbs. Scope is your choice. I use Lropold zlong range 30 mm tube with 50 mm objective. 340 wetherby is 338 caliber. Shoots 250gr bullets close to 3000 ft/sec. You can get 165 gr bullets to 300gr bullets for it. It is in my openion a all round calber for North America.
Also can do wonders in Africa in the right hands. It can shoot 338 winchester ammo in it.
That is my openion. IT all depends who you ask.
Krish

 

[dchamp]

what kind of rifle?

Just a plain Jane Remington 700 sitting in a Hogue full length aluminum bedding block stock. I love that stock. It’s solid, dosen’t slip in your hands when it’s cold and wet and really tames the recoil. Weighs about 8lbs I think. The last time I used it, it had a Horus scope with Tremor 3 reticle. It is now wearing a Z5i. The last elk I shot was done with 198gr Hammer Hunter bullets.

 

[Beck]

Rifle is Wetherby. Can also get in other brands. Weighs about 8 lbs. Scope is your choice. I use Lropold zlong range 30 mm tube with 50 mm objective. 340 wetherby is 338 caliber. Shoots 250gr bullets close to 3000 ft/sec. You can get 165 gr bullets to 300gr bullets for it. It is in my openion a all round calber for North America.
Also can do wonders in Africa in the right hands. It can shoot 338 winchester ammo in it.
That is my openion. IT all depends who you ask.
Krish

I love the idea of a .340 weatherby, but I think 8lbs is too heavy

 

[BourbonTrail]

I have a Sako in .300 weatherby, which is my go to plains game rifle, but it is a big heavy fucker(10lbs). Recoil does not really bother me, ideally I'd like to find something lighter with the same kind of punch.

Weatherby has some new light weight offerings to consider (the MkV Backcountry Guide is 6.5lb) However, there are plenty of other adequate gun/caliber combos in the weight class for mountains.

My MkV weighs 9.5 lbs and is definitely not as handy as my 7.5lb 30-06, but with its reach I don’t have to hike as much.

 

[Josh P]

Admitting partiality due to a recently “completed” project, you might consider some German spice and go with 9.3x62.

 

[grand veneur]

The cartridge 9,3x64 seems to me to be more suitable in this caliber class. It allows shots at longer range. I shot some Elk with this cartridge and the 19g TUG bullet, one on about 400 yards.

Otherwise, the cartridge 340 Weatherby Magnum is also in my opinion a very good cartridge for Elk hunting. I used it with the classic 250gr Game King bullet from Sierra.

 

[Firebird]

I mainly bowhunt elk so will just eat my opinions.
BUT here is a story for you. Me and my cousin are in our early fifties. We used to hunt together but I had to drop off the private lease (financially) while he stayed there, killing a spike bull every year, a couple big bulls when he drew those tags and guiding cow hunters later in the season. He hunted mule deer most years on the same lease, again, as tags were available.
At Christmas time he came over to show me his new rifle. Thousands of dollars and everything ultra modern. I asked him what the new rifle could do that his old one couldn’t. He extolled the accuracy and the speed and the materials it was made from etc etc etc.
Then I asked him how many elk and deer he had killed with his rifle he got new from his dad when he turned 16. The answer was well over 30 although who really could remember?!
Then I asked how many the new rifle had killed. Well hasn’t actually shot it at an animal yet. . .
If he is still hunting at age 80 he won’t be able to account for the same number of deer and elk his original NO FRILLS rifle and set up has killed!
Just something to think about, or maybe not overthink . . .

 

[YancyW]

I'll admit I am in the "Just use a Swift A Frame for everything" camp. But this last elk season where I used the outfitters Best of the West 300 PRC, my eyes were opened to new fangled bullets that are somewhat non-traditional hunting bullets. We used factory Hornady ammo in the 300 PRC, 225 ELD-Match. That's right, Match, not ELD-X. During our warm up shooting, all 4 hunters rang steel at 300, 400 and 500 yards. I asked the outfitter if they reloaded and they said no, the factory ammo is so accurate and it's very reasonably priced by Hornady. The Match bullet produced one shot kills on three elk and three whitetails, with all shots being in the 200 to 340 yard range.

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I think AH is the best hunting forum that exists, and I don't think it is particularly close, but this is the only forum I am a member of where people get so exercised over bullets.

I have shot game with that exact setup, one of them was an eland, it dropped in its tracks. As for factory ammo in the 300PRC, I bought 240 factory rounds when I got my rifle, Bergara Premier something, I put a Mark 5 on it and didn't do another single thing, not even a trigger adjustment. Using those factory rounds on a bone stock rifle, I was under a minute on every single group. Once the barrel broke in a bit, I was in the .6-.8 range. Just out of curiosity, I shot 3 4 shot groups, for those 12 shots the SD was 9. I can't hand load a round that is going to do better than that.

 

[JimP]

I mainly bowhunt elk so will just eat my opinions.
BUT here is a story for you. Me and my cousin are in our early fifties. We used to hunt together but I had to drop off the private lease (financially) while he stayed there, killing a spike bull every year, a couple big bulls when he drew those tags and guiding cow hunters later in the season. He hunted mule deer most years on the same lease, again, as tags were available.
At Christmas time he came over to show me his new rifle. Thousands of dollars and everything ultra modern. I asked him what the new rifle could do that his old one couldn’t. He extolled the accuracy and the speed and the materials it was made from etc etc etc.
Then I asked him how many elk and deer he had killed with his rifle he got new from his dad when he turned 16. The answer was well over 30 although who really could remember?!
Then I asked how many the new rifle had killed. Well hasn’t actually shot it at an animal yet. . .
If he is still hunting at age 80 he won’t be able to account for the same number of deer and elk his original NO FRILLS rifle and set up has killed!
Just something to think about, or maybe not overthink . . .

But where is the fun in not picking up a new rifle even if it will never equal what a old tried and true one has?

I have no idea if my old 7mm Rem mag will ever be surpassed by a couple of my newer rifles as far as game animals. But that new 25-06 is a great deer and smaller game rifle. Along with my .340 Weatherby. That Weatherby has accounted for all of my African game animals in two trips along with a few elk and mule deer here in the US. As for the amount of animals killed it may catch up with my 7mm since now I either take the 25-06 or the .340, not just a single rifle.

But then I doubt also if any of my rifles will ever surpass my old 30-06 that was made in 1935 that my uncle purchased brand spanking new. Now that man could shoot, it quite possibly was used to poach more animals than it ever took legally in it's early days. It was given to me when I was 5 years old and I used it for anything that walked on 4 legs that I could get a tag for. It took my first deer when I was 16, and my first elk when I was 20. I couldn't count the number of rabbits or coyotes that I used it on and it will forever hold a place in my heart. I still fondle it when I take it out of the safe.

But you say that you mostly archery hunt. How about all those who do the same who purchase a new bow every year or two just to get all the fancy new attachments on it?

 

[Firebird]

well that is my point exactly-that .30-06 you mentioned was just fine and still is!
I didn’t tell a story to brag or promote a company or even mention a specific caliber. Only to say that with all the “improvements” being made, what worked in the past still works and deserves consideration.
One other thought, the pinnacle of archery is still success with traditional equiptment. Im not there yet but I have avoided many “improvements” even though a manufacturer or tv personality says I need to upgrade every season.

 

[ryno111]

I like my Gunwerks Nexus in 7 PRC. Disregarding the debate on long range, it's easily a 700 yard gun. Consider a Leupold scope for weight savings.