Looking for an elk hunting rifle!!!!

I'm thinking about doing some elk hunts in the upcoming months and trying to figure out which rifle to get. I'm looking at getting a scendero in 300 win mag but thinking it may be a little to heavy for carrying for a week. I was also looking at a Weatherby vanguard 2 backcountry in 30-06 it weighs only 6.75 lbs but I want something that I can shoot accurate. What is yalls opinion? Thanks

I prefer the Sendero, but I like a heavier rifle than your typical elk hunter.

Sako Tecomate Edition?

Not trying to hijack the thread, but what about caliber???

Tikka 708 or 308

Caliber wise I am thinking 7mm, 300 wsm, or 300 win mag

I was looking at them but can't find how much they weigh.

We'll just have to start a new thread for that.

Look for it in the open hunting section.

What ever these guys suggest, get it quick, and put at least 100 rounds through it as as far as you want to hunt, before you aim at hide.

Chambering doesn't mean a hill of beans if the rifle/ optic system isn't an extension of your body, before the hunt.

I just purchased a Tikka t3 in 270. Very impressed with the quality and reasonably priced. Shot awesome right out of the box.

I know where there is a used 300win mag that the guy is willing to take 425 for it. Hurts me every day when I pass the joint.

Matt

Remington 700 XCR in 270 WSM or 300 WSM.

^^^^

Or snag an Alaskan TI or AWR I..you can occasionally find one NIB pop up for sale.

7mm Remington magnum

But dee, they're not powerful enough!

Yeah that's what I hear but that SD and BC tell me otherwise. At least I'm not the only one that feels that way.

If you're looking at Senderos then I assume you have a decent budget. Go pick up a Sako Finnlight and you will be hard pressed to not walk out of there with it. They're lightweight, perfectly balanced, and will shoot ragged holes with a multitude of different loads. A Sako A7 is another good option if you can find a used one. The new ones are high enough that you're better off buying a Finnlight.

You will notice the weight of your rifle a couple of days into Elk hunting in the high country. (Or at least I have in the past.) 300WM or 300WSM are my suggestted calibers.

I picked up a Winchester light weight model 70 in 300WM for my upcoming elk hunt this year. pretty nice to carry.

Never buy a used magnum without having it borescoped first. Lots of used magnums on the market are heat-crystalized in the throat area and will never shoot well after that.

Here's the throat of a nice-looking 7mm mag without a scratch on the outside:

( Click to see full-size )




Same goes for .243's. - Often the used ones are fried.

I've got a Remington model 700 Titanium chambered in .300 SAUM with a Leupold VX-3 2.5x8 (silver). This rifle has the skeltonized bolt, synthetic stock and stainless barrel. Very light package, great balance, and that cartridge really knocks em down. I think it's the prefect weapon for wilderness hunts where you can have all kinds of weather and have to watch ever pound you carry around. I'm thinking about selling, because I'm enamored with the Blaser R8's.

Granted the SAUM's didn't take off near as well as the WSM's, but it's still an awesome cartridge. I can readily find Remington ammo in 165 and 180 core-loke.

Good Post.

tikka t3 in 270 WSM. Happen to know where one is that could be for sale that is a good shooter with less than 60 rounds fired through it

I have a thread on here going about the opinions and feedback from the owners and shooters of the vanguard s2 and everyone speaks highly of them for a price. Accuracy was one of my key questions and everyone spoke highly of them. just a little more help but all the guns suggested have been good choices.

If you are worried about the wgt of your rifle, either don't go, don't walk, or get up and start humping it. Elk wgt between 350-600 lbs dressed are large targets and most have to pay their dues to kill the first one. Or pay $15-$20000 for a guided canned hunt and drive up, get out and kill it. A 10-12 lb 300 Win Mag with a 26 in bbl and good glass and premium bullets works well. Practice shooting 300 yds MOA groups.

As Elk is thin skinned, you don't really need a huge caliber. A 270 will do the job. But I find the .30 calibers better

IMO, a Sendero is way too heavy to be carrying over hill and dale on a mountain hunt. That is, unless you have your own personal porter to tote it for you (for everyone knows a gun weighs less when someone else is carrying it). Stick with a standard bolt gun with a sporter-weight barrel.

I've shot elk with the .338 WM, .300 WM, .30-06, and 7mm RM. All are perfectly adequate calibers. FWIW, when I leave for the Jarbridge country of Nevada next month, my elk rifle will be a Win M70 in .300 WM shooting 200 gr Nosler PTs. All up with sling and full magazine, it weighs a little less than 9 lbs.

Bought my best friend a Remington Model 7 "whitetail classic" is 300wsm for Christmas with elk-intentions. Really nice rifle, light, balances well, fluted barrel, laminated stock.

Don't overlook the Kimber Montana either.

One does not need a heavy long barreled hog, to shoot accurately long distance. Learn to shoot a light rifle and you will be much happier!

Put my vote in for the Vanguard.

I am not sure what you are interested in but I have 3 custom rifles for sale in the trading post that I just finished you may be interested in. they are a
300 win,
308,
270 WSM.
All weigh about 8-9 lbs, full custom projects guaranteed to shoot 1/2 moa.
So don't walk up the mountain shoot them at distance then go pick up your elk

That's crazy talk. There is a helluva difference in carrying a 7 lb rifle vs. a 10-12 lb. rifle in the high country. I dont care what kind of shape you are in. Toting a 10-12 lb. rifle in elk country is unnecessary-especially in this day and age.

If you elk hunt a lot and carry a 12 lb. rifle around in the high country you are torturing yourself for no reason.

My rigged out Sako Finnlight in .300 WSM weighs 7 1/2 lbs. 25 inch barrel. This ain't 1967 anymore.

7.5lb rifle is a lot more comfortable than a 9 to 10lb rifle when hunting elk IMO. Been there done that with both weights. Current elk rifle is tikka t3 in 270WSM, easily sub MOA with 140gr accubonds and is enough for an elk I ma encounter in the mountains.

You're probably going to flog me for saying this, but I doubt I've put 100 rounds through my primary deer rifle since I bought it in 1980. Probably killed 30-50 deer with it and the last time I can recall missing a deer with it was when I was 17 about 2 years after I got it (over 30 years ago). It happens to like cheapo Winchester PowerPoints. I have sighted it in twice-once when I bought it and once about 15 years ago when I changed scopes. I do check to make sure it is still sighted in every year-usually that takes 1 shot (or two if I just feel like it).

I have hunted elk,antelope,sheep,and bear and the rifles I have used on those hunts have been bought because they "fit" me and have the particular qualities I am looking for. I take time to make sure the scopes are properly mounted, sight them in, and go hunting. (Ok that is not entirely true for the sheep hunt I did spend a little range time with my rifle.)

I have taken animals on each of these hunts. Some have required more than one shot but the only miss was a second shot on an antelope as he was running at 300+ yards (a shot that was not necessary anyway).

I am always very confident in my rifles but I am a hunter, not a shooter by any means (as you can see).

I've never found the extra weight bothersome. Many do, some don't. But there is a reason, and that's shoot ability. I like long shots. A heavy rifle is easier for me to shoot long distance with. I have always preferred heavy rifles.

It's certainly a tradeoff. 7.5-8 lbs is hefty enough for me-but I ALWAYS make a good rest and would never take a shot over 400 yards and only then under perfect conditions. My actual max range is probably closer to 300.

I do know my limitations and stick with them.

I own a heavy .300 WM that is a trued Remington 700 and barreled with a 25" Krieger tube. It has all the bells and whistles: oversize recoil lug, big bolt handle, Jewell trigger, and HS stock. It's a half-inch gun with most any load I feed it. Unfortunately it weighs 12 lbs empty. Seven years ago, I schlepped that beast all over Mexico's Sierra Madres and shot a fine coues deer at 368 yds. NEVER AGAIN!
Any number of sporter-weight rifles could have made that shot as well, and if I ever go back for another coues, I'll be shooting a more reasonably-weighted rifle....something under 8 lbs.

Sneaky, I like long shots too--at coyotes, hogs, and prairie dogs. I hope you are true to your THF moniker and try to "sneak" as close as possible to big game trophies. I'm talking about a 95+% probability of making a killing shot with the first round. To fling hopeful shots at absurd ranges just to prove the mettle of your shooting and your equipment is unethical and unbecoming of a true sportsman. Wanton waste of game by careless wounding should be avoided at all costs, I think we'll all agree.

Last October, I was hunting moose in Wyoming. My guide said an elk hunter from the previous year had insisted that the guide and hunter BACK UP from the 300+-yd shot presented, so he could attempt a 500+-yd kill. The guide would have none of that nonsense. The hunter then made a perfect, surgical one-shot kill, of course. But instead of being happy with his hunt, he was surly and aloof afterwards. And the guide received no tip either. At the end of my successful hunt, I tipped the guide generously....hopefully reward enough for his ethical behavior over the elk incident.

I don't pass up any reasonable shot, be it close or short. Shooting far is not a novelty for me. It's just another tool to ensure that I bring something home for the wife to see the fruits of my labor. For without that, my hunting days would surely be numbered.

Solid thinking.

You know, it may be purely mental on my part. I tend to associate heft with quality. I associate quality with precision. And precision, to me, equates to more success in the field. When I tote a rifle that feels solid, I feel more confident.

Light rifles feel like toys in my hands. I can see if the quality is there or not. But if it doesn't have a solid, hefty feel to it, I don't care for it.

I do have exceptions, though. A trim over/under is hard to beat. I like a light shotgun. Don't ask me why.

Not gonna flog you.

Maybe I'm more nervous than you, maybe more prepared. Maybe I shoot farther than most. I wrote what I wrote, because I see lots of guys say they're going to shoot to 500 or 600 yards. In reality, they have no business doing it, because they don't practice it. Write on the wall, if this November, I have line of sight on a bull elk out to 800 yards, and I can't close the distance, I'll be squeezing the trigger. But I will have practiced with THAT rifle.

If someone is going to zero at 100 yards, and hunt at 100 yards, then lots of practice isn't necessary.

I do know my limitations may cost me an animal some day but I'm OK with that. It takes more work that I am willing to put in to get good at long range shooting.

I would stretch that number out to 300 for me but I would never take a shot like what you are describing.

But,to me at my limitations I have never found it too taxing to remember to 1)get a good rest, 2)shoulder the rifle firmly, 3)steady the crosshairs, and 4)sqeeeeeze the trigger.

Like the Cowboys' Blain Nye said about Clint Longley when he won a big game after Roger went down: "It was the triumph of an uncluttered mind."

I respect that. At least you're honest with yourself and us.

Time off from the FD, Family, travel, cost of the hunt all add up to me wanting to increase my odds of getting an elk when I go.

Plus there are just too many numbers and dials and crossbars and such on those fancy scopes y'all use. Scares the bejabbers outta me!

Only thing that amazes me is after those long shots is walking two miles to get to and then trying to remember where that animal was standing when they took that 700yard shot.

He'll I walked past my antelope twice and that was only roughly 300 yards from my last shot. Then when I got to the truck and drove back in the pasture to pick him up, I had to jump up on top of the cab to find him again lol

Anything 500 and under just using MOA is pretty easy, any thing over that is a cluster in my head

Have made 500+ yard shots on pronghorn using just standard duplex scopes. Know your gun and your ability with it and 500 yard first shot kills are not that bad with a flat shooting rifle. We did it for a long time before all these dro dials and BDC scopes became available.

^^ If you really do some calculations on your BC (gunwerks actually has a great calculator) you will see that everything starts to change around 500 thats where really good equipment comes into play. I am going on an elk hunt here in a few weeks and I do good amount of long range stuff. So I was getting my 300 ready for those 700 yard marks in high altitude and people really do not understand the differences when environmental factors change, and after 500 it is exponential. That being said I am like Fireman, If a elk shows up at 800 I know I can nail it. I personally do not mind a little more weight for the additional stability. My rifle is a 9 lb rifle with out the scope on a 26 inch barrel. But I would take it anywhere because I know how it shoots. All I have to say is get the best optics you can and the best rifle you can afford, and be sure to look for a good BC bullet. Not trying to push my rifles, I will say this for any custom rifle. Its the difference in driving a toyota corola and a Bentley. You will never go back, but if you only shoot 100-200 yards its probably not worth the extra money, after that I personally say its worth it.

That's my method on quite a few rifles....MPBR zero, crosshairs on back @400, post on back @ 500, use the windage post as necessary.

I just not comfortable over 500. Yotes all day long but not deer, antelope, etc . I tried 598 couple years back and wind ate me up.

This year pushed it about as far as I was comfortable with and that was right at 475. Grant it shot was spot on, I feel like I was lucky because 15min later wind picked up. i just use plex on all my scopes

You can download swaro's and save different loads

Can't believe I found one...here ya go

http://www.gunsamerica.com/917744824/Rem...300_Win_Ma.htm#

Lol, you buy it for me ill shoot it

No reason for me to buy 2...although the price seems to be higher on that one...not as much as the AWR II though.

hornady has updated theirs and includes the option of printing the results for taping to our stock in a smaller readable format.

http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator

You can do the same on gunwerks and it has tons of factory ammo loaded in it . you select field card and it makes a small one for your stock to print. I still like putting tape on my turret and making my own CDS dial when I go on a longer hunt where I May not have time to do the math.

The calculators won't do you any justice unless you know your muzzle velocity with the load since no 2 rifles are the same.

I sat next to a guy at the range this weekend. When he touch the trigger on his rifle it hurt me!! LOL When I asked what he was shooting he said, 8MM Rem Mag. That was his elk rifle and LOVED it. I put a few down range and it was awesome!! Kicked like a mule but that doesn't bother me..

I had to look up the ballistics on that dude and was impressed! I'm sure ammo is hard to find but holy cow!! I bet it would spin an elks cap around for sure!!

8 MAG = BASE CARTRIDGE FOR 7MM STW

One of my hunting partners has a 8-mag. It THUMPS!

Here's the elk rifle that I bought DoubleDrop14 for Christmas last year.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=366114288

A 7 STW with hot loads is not real pleasant to shoot in a lightweight rifle. I can only imagine an 8 mag is that much worse.

Yes, making the long shot in rough country makes it tough to find the animal. I'm in very good shape, and have been training hard since May, knowing the mountains will put a Texas flat-lander on his a$$, if he isn't prepared. I will have a radio, as will my hunting partner. Whom ever makes the shot will head toward the last known location of the animal. The other will stay at the firing position and help walk in the searcher. I sure hope the radios work. I may even bring some orange flags so the searcher can glass back to the spotter and get direction.

Mils and MOA isn't magic, it's science and math, nothing more. You saw my video of the 7 Rem Mag stretching out to 1047 in west Texas. The DOPE from that day will not apply when I'm in the mountains. The air is less dense, and therefore bullets fly more efficiently. So what I'll have to do is consult the Kestrel with Horus Ballistics every hour to, mainly to get density altitude and the new elevation and windage corrections for it. I will have several DOPE charts for various density altitudes in 1000' increments. The Kestrel will give me a DOPE chart every time i ask for it, but the paper might be faster to reference, plus it doesn't need batteries. 500 yards, and in, there won't be much of a discrepency, outside 500 things can get dicey.

The beauty of Mil/Mil or MOA/MOA is that a guy can have one scope, and run it on every rifle he owns. Each rifle/ load combo needs a chart, not each scope.

FG, go run the local high school stadium steps, every aisle up & down, all the way around the stadium, then run a few laps around the outside of the stadium as a cool down. Then do it with a 50 lb back pack...then do it with the back pack and carrying the weight bar from a barbell set. I never got past about halfway thru the whole 3 step program at my local Jr high, much less the HS stadium. It takes legs and lungs.

A 6'4" tall skinny wiry built buddy used to live in Denver, ran the old Bronco's Mile High stadium just like that for 2-3 months before season. 10-15 years later I never could walk him down anywhere we hunted here in Texas. He was guiding in season at the time. These days at past 70 he sez he's never gonna go back 'cause he won't live long enough to get into shape again....unless he can ride his ATV LOL!

The Colorado based SG Rep I hunted speed goats with in Wyoming was the same way. That last 'Lope hunt he had just gotten back from 30 days of chasing billy goats & sheep in Alaska. We were at the very top end head waters of the Medicine Bow River north of Hwy 91, I saw him walk up & down a 800-1000' ridge from our base alititude at 6-7k+ and never break stride, wind or slow down. Wussy me, I drove the truck to other side of the hill to pick them up LOL! My hunt partner from Mesa AZ proved that a 7Rmg would not reach the 'Lopes we could clearly see from the top of that ridge at any angle of fire that they had pushed off the top...distances are very deceptive for sure. Thats what you gotta be looking forward to. An why I ain't goin again either.
Ron

I told a guy, last year, that asked how to get in shape for Fire Academy to run bleachers and the track exactly how you described. I caught a teacher for the High School the other day and asked if I could use the bleachers, for this very reason.

Distances aren't deceptive once you bounce a laser off of them.

You don't need to get into "sheep shape" to hunt elk. But your buddy does. Make sure he gets plenty of reps on the bleachers and around the track.

He'll need to be fit if he's gonna carry your 13-pound rifle for you!

FG, If you hunt 1st Season up high before snowfall, I'd take something like a nasal mister to keep your nose from drying out and bleeding all the time. Doesn't seem to be bad after snowfall though.

Got another buddy who is going again this year for a 3rd Season Cow Hunt just north of the Flatops near Colibran. I might try and get in on that one next year.

If you can get the time off you ought to look at Hunting the Ft Robinson State Park & Chadron State Park areas during the week in the NWest corner of the Nebraska Panhandle, north of Sydney. Neat hunt and not terrible spendy if you do it right and got a 4x4 to get way back away down the very limited gravel roads from the Denver weekend crowds who like to road hunt. No Off Road Vehicles and primitive Reservation style hunting areas that require lots of WALKING for Mulies and WTails. Weather is ALWAYS the pits up there during their season.
Several SP's up there worth the effort just above the Kansas Line.
Ron

You've got to be in shape to carry that 13lb rifle on the way out, especially if you've got your buddy strapped down with meat like a pack mule.

Now that's what I'm talking about! I take that as you having faith in me. I don't know if that's how you meant it, but that's how I'm going to take it.

dawaba,

It weighs 10.

My bunker gear, and me carrying an axe or halligan bar is an extra 60 pounds. I figure warm clothes, a 10 pound rifle, a backpack with water (most of the weight I carry) a Leatherman, a Kestrel in my pocket, a knife on my hip, and a range finder strapped to my chest shouldn't be too difficult.

Here's a story:

Saw about a 10" pumpkin left over from a Fall decoration my wife had at the house and took it to the farm. Put it in the middle of one of my foodplots.

Have a buddy who has deer hunted all life with me. He is considered an excellent hunter and a good shot but is a hunter not a shooter-sights his rifle, checks it every year, and goes hunting.

Ranged the pumpkin at 367 yards. He took a rest on a fence post and fired 4 rounds in about 30 seconds with his .308/7 power scope. Pumpkin never moved so we both assumed he missed. Checked it and there were 4 holes in it in about a 6" group.

I'll bet there are not 1 in 20 hunters that could do that. With any rifle of their choosing. Probably more like 1 in 100.

Sounds pretty good to me. Did something similar once, put a feed sack up on an old sign I had at my grandpas. Backed off to the cross fence and rested off of an old cedar post. I shot 3 shots and my brother shot 3 shots. The end result was a 6 shot group about a foot in diameter and low. Not bad for two kids 16 and under with no long range shooting experience at all and cheap white box 45 grain Winchester hp's. We stepped it off at 311 yards.

I'm one

I couldn't do it unless the truck was still running

And a beer between your legs?

I know that JG. You're also one who can tote a 13 lb rifle around in the mountains without noticing it. But there are not many JG's around. (And I'm not being smart-alecky BTW in case it looks like it).

I know. I was just ribbing you.

I guess I'm skeered. I don't want to be huffing, and about to puke, and a bull walks out, and I can't make the shot. I don't want the closest shot I have available to be outside 1/4 mile, and I don't know how to make the shot, or know what the rifle is going to do. Because I'm skeered I shoot a whole bunch, and I'm getting in shape for my job, and for the trip.

Put 30 more years on me, and I may not want to do more than ride the 4 wheeler to within 100 yards of a comfy box blind, step in, read a book, and wait for a whitetail to show up. So I'm making hay while the sun shines.

...read the last line of my sig line ...again & again & again...

Lol...a flat lander just can't get prepared for that kind of elevation change. I thought I was in dang good shape a cpl years ago, up until I had to help get 4 bulls off a mountain at 13k'.