wyohome
Member
Wow SK, the Kimber of yours IS pretty.
I'll bring it to work one of these days and you can fondle her.
Wow SK, the Kimber of yours IS pretty.
A mile is 1,760 yards. I'm sure you shot an elk a far piece away, but please allow me to express a polite skepticism about it being a mile.Win 7mm mag. I have dropped elk at 3/4 to 1 mile (probably lucky shot). I have never had to chase one either. Mine is an older model 67 but still, it will do the job. Where abouts are you? I love the Buena Vista area, we go fishing there all the time.
x2....also....just how would you know the distance if you say 3/4 to 1 mile. EVen 3/4 of a mile is 1,320 yds....A mile is 1,760 yards. I'm sure you shot an elk a far piece away, but please allow me to express a polite skepticism about it being a mile.
I have seen many a "500 yard" shot that paced out to less than 150 yards.x2....also....just how would you know the distance if you say 3/4 to 1 mile. EVen 3/4 of a mile is 1,320 yds....
I have seen many a "500 yard" shot that paced out to less than 150 yards.
Nicely written post Silent Sam. You very eloquently addressed what probably 95% of the actual people lucky enough to have the opportunity to really go on a out of state or region lower 48 big game hunt. The first Montana Elk hunt I went on, I was the "overgunned" neophite with my Ruger 77 deluxe chambered for .300 WinMag 1 X 7.5 Leupold scoped rifle that weighed around nine pounds. 'Course that was over 20 years ago too, but even as young whipper snapper in my mid-thirties at the time, that Ruger was weigh'n what felt like fifty pounds hike'n up and down canyons or mountains in NW Montana after a few days. Lucky I brought along my little Winchester Model '94 Trapper as a camp gun, 'cause that is the one I got my first bull Elk with...a vary large one too, but it only had an odd 5 X 4 (very large spread though) rack. Yep, that little Trapper chambered for .44 Mag did the trick with one shot too! Since that first Elk hunt, I have been fortunate to have been on either combo hunts or specific Elk hunts in five other states and a couple of more times in Montana (I have a speck of property there so it is easier). On every hunt since, I bring that little Trapper with me, irrelevant as to what primary gun of choice I bring. That Ruger has made it out a time or two, even harvested a nice bull in New Mexico with it, but I have also used my '73 Springfield Trapdoor to bag an Elk in Idaho a few years ago (my longest shot to date on game, 330 yards). Granted I've had the luxury of having the time to hunt, so taking long shots was not in the cards for me. My next hunts (hopefully as the economy has put a damper on my hobbies as of late), I will be carrying my .444's, both in Timber Carbine configuration and one I have in Black Shadow configuration (this one even has a scope, my Grandpa is rolling in his grave!) that I have used successfully on Bear hunts. In general, take what you can comfortably carry day in, day out as that is what will determine the success of your hunt...cause the caliber sure doesn't.A lot depends on the type of hunting you are planning. If you are on your own in your own backyard so to speak a lighter caliber makes a lot of sense. Especially if you are primarily a meat hunter. Easier to shoot, cheaper, less weight etc. If you are like me, saving and planning for several years for one elk hunt and no chance to go back out the next week or possibly ever, the choice is a bit more problematic. If you are hunting on foot or on horseback and using pack animals that can make a big difference also. Eventually you do have to get off the horse, but it can be a long way to eventually carrying a relatively heavy rifle. I may only get one chance and it likely won't be a standing broadside shot and I really am not interested in cows or raghorns. I have to pick dates based on available times a year or more in advance, not on local conditions I am familiar with. So in terms of those who live in elk country I am one of those flatlander rubes from afar who will probably be considered over-gunned and not ready for the elevation. I won't make any apologies as I am writing the check. Three friends and I just received our licenses for a Wyoming elk hunt the first week of October. I am still trying to decide what rifle I am taking. I've narrowed it down to three. A stainless/synthetic Ruger Hawkeye in 338 WM, a Browning BLR in 300 WSM, and a stainless/synthetic Ruger MKII in 270 WSM. I have others that would fit the bill but for one reason or another have taken them off the list. Most notably is a favorite wood and blue 30-06 that I don't want to get trashed in the scabbard or sliding down some slope or out in the freezing rain for several days straight. The 270 WSM is in there because it is light, very accurate and flat shooting even knowing the shot is most likely going to be inside of 200 yds and I'll give up bullet weight and diameter where I could use it the most (up close). I generally like a bigger bullet but it is a lot easier on the carry than the 338 and as much as I like and have confidence in my BLRs I know in the real world bolt guns are going to be a bit more reliable but the BLR is going to be better in the scabbard and is fast and fast handling. The 338 on the surface seems like the logical choice but it is heavier, longer and significantly more recoil. The right answer is 'just get in shape!', however I am a realist over 50. Getting in shape is not the same as it was 20 yrs ago either in the process or the end results. Let us know on what you decide on.
You miss a lot??There is no shortage of range over estimation. There is no shortage of range over estimation. The average person as no concept of range and ranging to a degree of accuracy to be useful or creditable.
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