Deer to elk, 60 yards to 600 yards ... what rifle are you grabbing this year?

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Win M70 .30-06
Ammo is no problem. Worked up a load with 150gr Sierra, in 1975. Keep 200 bullets and 200 loaded rounds, at all times.
Decided 180gr Hornady would be better for elk. Worked up load in 1983. Same stash.
Only 2 loads I have ever used for .30-06. Both are sub-moa to 300 yards.
Self imposed limit of 400 yards, maybe a little more, depends on circumstances.

Mainly deer with a chance of elk, Rem 700 .260Rem. Same 400 yard limit.
 
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

I can relate. I had pictures of almost all of my firearms on file for insurance and appraisal purposes, but my wife kept talking trash on the poor quality/aesthetic. We have a photography business, so she said I’m no longer allowed to take lazy photos of the firearms... but she found out I’m too lazy to go back and take new photos of them...



:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Stealing this in the future!

I feel a photo contest coming on. The "your favorite (or any of your) rifle(s) balanced on a fence post facing the sunset" contest. The Farmer may redeem himself! :)
 
I'll only be hunting deer, and at fairly modest ranges (under 100). I'll most likely be using my RAR 6.5 CM. Maybe my 94 with iron sights. In reality, I could use any center fire rifle I have.
 
I will pick my M70 EW (.308), Kimber 84M (.308), WC Recon (6.8 SPC), 1873 Sporter (.45 Colt) or TC Pro Hunter (.50 ML) - they are all accurate and will easily kill deer. Selecting a rifle for a specific hunting day and area is fun but just being out there is what thrills me - I really don’t care about taking an animal but I must be out there.
 
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My Ruger M77 in .280 Rem. Using my "Pet" load of 54gr IMR 4350 and a 160gr Nosler Partition. Taken many animals since I bought it back in 1988.


Greatly under utilized, often ignored, wonderful cartridge.

I grew up with everyone around me shooting mil-surp .30-06 and .303.
At a gun show, I come across an amazing deal on a Ruger MkII 7Mag. I bought it.
A friend from work started hunting with me. He bought a Ruger 7mag. Taught him reload and we had some awesome trips.
My son had gotten old enough to start going with us and wanting a rifle. I found a great deal on a mil-surp Mauser 7x57. Even better, I could use the same 139gr Hornady bullets, my rifle liked.
Couple more years go by and my buddy's son is wanting a rifle. His first thought a .243. I tell him the benefit of sticking with 7mm.
We made a few gunshows, didn't find any prospects, then stumble on a new Ruger MkII .280. He had no knowledge of the cartridge.
He ended up buying up.
30 years later, that is the only rifle his son owns and shoots it very well.
Few years ago, my buddy sold his Mag and got a .280. Has often said, he wished he had bought it first.
 
I've shot deer that were 110 - 200 lbs. at distances from 30 feet to over 300 yards...a moose at 270 yards...all with a .270 Win, using handloaded ammo that I made, bullets/loads carefully selected for the game and situation...one shot per kill. Have I missed any? You bet, but something usually got in the way. That's Maine hunting, and it keeps me interested.

Rem 700 BDL Stainless .270 Win, with two stocks. Since the photo, bought another one, so both stocks are filled. The one with wood stays home on nasty days.

upload_2021-9-13_9-50-47.jpeg upload_2021-9-13_9-54-22.jpeg
 
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I do most of my deer hunting with a Remington Model 7 in 308.I feel good out to 300 or possibly 400 yards.If I were to go out as far as 600 yards on an elk,I'd use either my 280AI or the 300WM.I've killed elk out as far as 550 with the 300,and I could go to 600 if I had to.I shoot the 280AI better,and I practice with it out to 600 on a regular basis,as I also do with my two 308 precision rifles.I think it takes a good bit of skill and practice to shoot that far at a game animal with anything.Lots of things can happen.
 
Win M70 .30-06
Ammo is no problem. Worked up a load with 150gr Sierra, in 1975. Keep 200 bullets and 200 loaded rounds, at all times.
Decided 180gr Hornady would be better for elk. Worked up load in 1983. Same stash.
Only 2 loads I have ever used for .30-06. Both are sub-moa to 300 yards.
Self imposed limit of 400 yards, maybe a little more, depends on circumstances.

Mainly deer with a chance of elk, Rem 700 .260Rem. Same 400 yard limit.

I could live happily ever after if the only rifle I could grab was a .30-06. I take my 03A3 out once in a great while for Black Bear. I think the 180 is the perfect bullet, but I've shot one deer and one cougar with that Hornady 165 grain BTSP, (not out of the '06, cougar out of a .30WCF, and deer out of a .308) and picture perfect textbook expansion both times. I don't think the tiny increase in velocity in the '06 over the .308 would make much if any difference in the performance of that bullet. So for long range I could see choosing that. However, my 03A3 is open sighted so I would not shoot much over 200 yards, so I like the 180. Probably no difference in trajectory between the two at 200 yards or less. ? To my mind, a 150 is kind of on the light side for the .30US, but if I was loading down for deer at close range, that would work.
 
This one:

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My Remington 700 ADL in 30-06. It's since gotten a Leupold Freedom 3-9x40. Loaded with my pet load of a 150gr Remington Bronze Point over 48grs of H4895, in Lake City NM brass. Shoots really, really nice out to about 300 yards. And that's about as far as I want to shoot anymore. But I've never had anything walk away from that combo yet, so I must be doing something right. This is my do-all, be-all, end-all rifle; no need for anything new or extra, or different.

Mac
 
Tikka T3 in 7-08. It is the ideal deer rifle for me. If I expected to shoot a larger animal beyond 400 yards, which I don't, I would use a Remington BDL SS, in 7MM mag. It is very accurate but more gun than I care to shoot anymore. I also like a Remington 7400 in 30-06 but is a little heavy and less accurate than the other two.
 
I don't get to hunt elk, but we have lots of great white-tail deer here in Kansas. The area I hunt is on the edge of woods where long shots are rare. My buddy and I have killed 7 whitetails in the 4 years prior to the lockdowns. Only one was beyond 100yds. My rifle of choice is my Remington 700 CDL .243 with my reloads using Sierra 60gr HP. With such close shots from my blind using a BOG Death Grip tripod, all but one was shot just under the chin, in the forehead, or behind the ear. One was through the heart. The longest was a large buck about 275 lbs at 200 yds. Same shot placement just below his chin. In contrast, another good friend shoots in western Kansas where long shots are common. He also shoots a 243 and frequently shoots 300 yds. Of course that doesn't really compare to a 600 yd elk, but if I was there, with the right equipment, you bet I would take a 600 yd shot. I kill 300+yd prairie dogs, so surely I could place the shot in the right spot on an elk at 600yds, eh?
 
I feel a photo contest coming on. The "your favorite (or any of your) rifle(s) balanced on a fence post facing the sunset" contest. The Farmer may redeem himself! :)

Ain’t a fence post, but a big round bale will have to suffice:

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20” Grendel which hangs onto ~1moa out to 800-900 yards for the right shooter. I’m not quite the guy to send a 120-130 class Grendel bullet after an elk at 600+, but I’ve seen evidence that it can be done.
 
its the old, throw enough crap at a wall some will stick. shooting at 1000 yards with a 7mm mag-162 match bullet at 3000+fps out of a custom 700 rem weighting in at 14 lbs with a 1-1/4 inch 30 inch barrel and a 20x unertl in a late relay i was getting 31-34 inch wind drift, not to mention mirage.
 
Ain’t a fence post, but a big round bale will have to suffice:

View attachment 1025449

20” Grendel which hangs onto ~1moa out to 800-900 yards for the right shooter. I’m not quite the guy to send a 120-130 class Grendel bullet after an elk at 600+, but I’ve seen evidence that it can be done.
Not exactly a piece I would take to an old school Elk hunting camp. Neat picture though.
Bear season opens tomorrow morning, im undecided on grabbing either my 30-30 lever or 308 bolt. Any suggestions ?
 
Bear season opens tomorrow morning, im undecided on grabbing either my 30-30 lever or 308 bolt. Any suggestions ?

Another vote for the 30-30. It just seems like you can rack the shots out of a lever gun faster than a bolt action, should the need arise. And there is the nostalgia factor; tramping the woods with a "thutty-thutty" brings back a lot of good memories, for me and others. I'll probably take mine out a few times this fall as well, for the same reasons. Unfortunately the only seasons we have open right now are Dove and Archery Deer; too hot to deer hunt right now, anyway.

Mac
 
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