Elk Hunting setup

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PFCLEE11B

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Ok I have a NM M1A and am wondering if the .308 round is the best for taking down an elk??? Or should I get another rifle in another caliber and if so what???
 
A good bullet like the Barnes X, Nosler Partition, Hornady Interbond, Sierra Game King in the 165-180gr weight is ideal. The .308 is perfect for elk within 300y and anyone who tells you different is misinformed.
 
ok sounds good as i am in iraq now and have the money to shop around and have always thought a good boltie would be nice but do not want another .308 as i have a G3 FAL and M1A.
 
I'd have to recomend my elk gun, a Winchester Model 70, Pre 64 in 30-06. i've also got a new Model 70 in 300 WSM and it's not too bad either, I can barley afford to get the thing sighted in.
 
I've carried an M1a around for elk, and it can get awful heavy after a week in the mountains! I got a Win. 70 for that purpose.
 
I'd say since you are used to lugging a lot of weight around go with M1 for now. But I bet before too many years you'll be shopping for something lighter.
 
In 27 years of elk hunting I have never taken a shot that I could not have taken equally well with a .308 Win.

There have been MANY times, however, when I wished I was carrying a lighter rifle. Like almost every day.

That said, I do think there are better choices including a .270 Win, 7mm RM, .30-06 and .300 WM. I used a 7mm RM with 160g bullets for 20+ years without problem and my buddy has used his for 10. I've used a .30-06, .300 WM and .45-70 to take the last 4 elk. They all worked.

Choose your bullet and placement well and good things happen. These days I prefer 168g TTSX and 180g MRX for my .308W, .30-06's and .300 WM. But a Partition will do fine.
 
i have carried the M249 for an 8 hour patrol before but that with a sling now of course I will sling the M1A but is this still unrealistic
 
I slung mine... its still heavy. Not impossible, of course (you know what humping gear around is like) but when I swapped mine for a bolt gun... man what a relief that was. Worth the $700 for a new rifle, that's for sure!

It was fun having those open sights though... I actually enjoyed hunting with the M1a. Once I got into the mountains, though, I was happy for my M-70.
 
ok so i will try it out this next hunting season (2010 for me) to see how i like it
 
I have thought it'd be pretty sweet to pack a Garand around elk hunting, M1A's are fairly similar. Has anyone rebarrel'd one in a 30-06 chambering?
 
If you have the coin I would have to say the 300 win mag has to be the best balance and close to the perfect elk rifle in a good bolt action. The 308 will do well within its limits, I would put that under 300 yds for elk.
 
In 2007 I shot an elk with the 180 grain MRX barnes bullet loaded by Fedreal. The shot was about 190 yards, and the bullet performed excellent.

The .308 is going to be very close in ballistic performance to that 30-06 load I used, and the results from my shooting were highly impressive.

PM or e-mail me if you want pictures of the wounds that I took.
 
.308 will do the job just fine. My dad uses a 30-06 as does my sister-in-law (yes she shot 2 elk last fall). My brother uses a 7mm RM (he shot 2 as well).

M1A won't be the lightest gun to pack around, but will work.
 
Rebuilding an M1a into a .30-06 would be a major technical achievement. It's not worth it.

The .308 isn't the "best" as you asked, but it is adequate within the limits mentioned above. If you don't already have the rifle though, a bolt gun in .300 WM or WSM will give you better accuracy and substantially more range, as well as be lighter and handier.
 
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