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sabbfan
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After reading the responses I'm thinking I'll be looking for a 30-06 unless I stumble into a deal on a 270 or something similar. Thanks for the replies!
New rifle recommendations
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I recommended a .30-06 Sprg to a coworker recently since he doesn't have a hunting rifle and it's a great choice for most deer/elk hunting situations. He ended up with a nice rifle/scope combination that shoots factory Federal Trophy Copper 165gr and 180gr into 1" groups at 100 yards so he's all set for this season. As others have said, make sure you pick a rifle that feels good to you. Luckily there are many excellent choices.
Good choice either way both are good calibers for what u want to do, i think.
Id hit the used racks as well as new, sometimes you can score a deal. I usually look for niceish rifles with cheap scopes on them, more often than not the previous owners didnt shoot them much (or they would usually have better scopes).
Then again along the same lines, bigger the cartridge a hunting weight rifle is chambered for, USUALLY the less it will be shot. Ive bought 2 .300s and a 7mag with mostly full boxes of ammo. The 7 was bought and traded in the same day.
RPRNY
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30-06 is ideal for elk. No magnum required. 180 grs at about 2800 psi is extremely effective at any vaguely reasonable range. There are even folks successfully hunting elk with the 308 Win, a magical cartridge that not only offers up to a whopping 1/2" shorter bolt throw and the vast weight savings of several ounces in a rifle, albeit at the cost of at least 150 Fps at 180 grs and more thereafter, but somehow is "inherently accurate" and by virtue of being "efficient", somehow makes up for its slower velocity with heavy for caliber bullets...magically.
In fact, I hunted elk last Fall with a chap who took a very respectable 5x5 with one shot with a 150 grs 7mm-08 and two guides who chose 150 grs 308 caliber bullets, one in 30-06 and the other in a 30-30! This year I plan to go out on a nostalgia hunt with the 30-40 Krag.
Mr Elk is a big fellow but a 30 cal bullet with effective expansion through the heart and lungs will put him down every single time. The 30-06 is plenty of rifle for the job.
In fact, I hunted elk last Fall with a chap who took a very respectable 5x5 with one shot with a 150 grs 7mm-08 and two guides who chose 150 grs 308 caliber bullets, one in 30-06 and the other in a 30-30! This year I plan to go out on a nostalgia hunt with the 30-40 Krag.
Mr Elk is a big fellow but a 30 cal bullet with effective expansion through the heart and lungs will put him down every single time. The 30-06 is plenty of rifle for the job.
outlawjw
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A 280 rem is a great choice , mild kick good barrel life huge choice of bullets for a reloader with better bc's than 30 cal. Better penetration with lighter bullet, over looked but not over rated
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sabbfan
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The 280 looks like it might be fun, just a little different but not so different as to be a pain to find or make ammo.
Of all the posts thus far, I most agree with the recommendation of the .280, the bullet weights available will be sufficient, the velocity performance will be adequate for practical ranges, and the recoil will be quite tolerable to provide more pleasant practices= more frequent practices.
I believe the key is to pick a rifle that you can be comfortable enough with to fire round after round after round with boring consistency. Elk have been taken with .30-30's and .243's for decades, while this may not be a popular thought it is true. My grandma ran a .243 or a .25-06 till the day she died and with either one, her Montana critters had PLENTY to fear. I don't think that just any Joe Smith can do that, but Joe with 1000 rounds of accurate practice will be more successful than Joe with one box fired through his .300 win Mag. Bullet construction will make a MUCH more decisive factor than a debate over the lil .260 vs the big .338.
I've not yet taken an elk but all my family has lived/hunted WY/Co/Mt for decades and they've all made it clear, yes make the first shot count, and the second, and the third and the fourth, until that elk goes down. Don't bring a varmint bullet to an elk hunt, and KNOW your distance! I'm in decent shape but I'm not a mountain goat so I know I'd like a lightER rifle. I know I'm not great with pushing a 180 bullet at magnum speeds accurately with a lightER rifle. I choose to increase sectional density, use a bonded or monometal bullet, and get REAL comfortable shooting a 6.5 or 7mm out to as far as velocity determines practical as accurately as I need to to make an ethical kill. Ft-lbs is not what makes the kill and should be ignored. Velocity opens the bullet, sectional density helps determine penetration, and the local laws determine what's legal. Tons of people swear by the 6.5x55 Swede which has taken game in the elk class for decades, it's a VERY comfortable compromise if loaded, handled, and aimed properly. If you know someone who has anything chambered in the larger bore cartridges that will let you handle one for testing, give it a shot. If not, I'll sell you my .300 win Mag with a few factory loads and all the brass I've got for it for cheap
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Demi-human
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Hunting, as with all skills, require practice. If the practice is unenjoyable or worse, painful, it will most assuredly destine defeat. Personally, I dislike the "Win Mag". I can shoot a thirty aught six all day long and have. I have shot a friends three hundred Remington Ultra Mag for one magazines worth. Three shots. I had my fill and handed it back. It literally made my eyes hurt.
The other part of the practice would be the hiking. A great thing is you can do this with your children. Take a pack and a stick weighted like your rifle and walk around. Others are less wary of strange looking sticks that don't have holes at the one end. And the best part is when the kiddos get tired you can pack them around like the excellent steaks you are about to harvest. 8)
I like that your first inclination was to purchase the rifle and practice for a few years. You have thought carefully, the most important part, and it shows. I have no doubt that, which ever the caliber you choose, you will meet with success.
Oh, has anybody mentioned the thirty aught six? 8)
The other part of the practice would be the hiking. A great thing is you can do this with your children. Take a pack and a stick weighted like your rifle and walk around. Others are less wary of strange looking sticks that don't have holes at the one end. And the best part is when the kiddos get tired you can pack them around like the excellent steaks you are about to harvest. 8)
I like that your first inclination was to purchase the rifle and practice for a few years. You have thought carefully, the most important part, and it shows. I have no doubt that, which ever the caliber you choose, you will meet with success.
Oh, has anybody mentioned the thirty aught six? 8)
The short answer is .30-06. My one big game rifle is .300WM and I'd get a .30-06 if I had to do it over again. Very happy with my .300WM. The recoil doesn't bother me. I'm just no longer convinced I need what the .300WM offers. Here's another way to look at it. The following chambering and bullet weight combinations yield nearly the same trajectories (for an example check out Barnes Vor-TX ballistic table): 100gr in .25-06, 130gr in .270, 150gr in .30-06, and 180gr in .300WM. A 210 gr. bullet in .338WM gives close to the same trajectory. Add .308 Win into the mix and it is somewhere between the .270Win and .30-06. So, how much bullet do you need to kill your prey?
MidRoad
Member
I vote 30-06. Plenty of wallop, ammo is everywhere with tons of different factory loads if you dont reload,surplus rounds can be found cheap ,and just about every model seems to have the 30-06 option .
Flatbush Harry
Member
My first hunting rifle in 1974 was a Rem 700 BDL in .30-06 with a Redfield 2-7x scope. It got me my first white tail, and, though I took my .375 H&H on my last elk hunt, I'd take my first rifle if I still had it. The .30-06 won WWII and took as much North American game as anything. With today's fine bullets ( I like 165gr AccuBonds), it still will.
YMMV, but I doubt it.
Good hunting, and
Cheers,
Harry
YMMV, but I doubt it.
Good hunting, and
Cheers,
Harry
CoalTrain49
Member
I like to shoot a lot so I would be going with a common cartridge that wouldn't break the bank. I pick up 308 brass at the range so that would be my choice. It also has the advantage of a shorter action compared to 30-06. About the same performance as a 30-06 with plenty of bullet selection. If any cartridge ever replaces the 06 for hunting it will probably be a 308.
AABEN
Member
The 270 has a lot more bullets to chose from and has less drop than the 30.06 and will do the same as a 30 caliber you need to look up the 270 and read about it it has a very good history behind it. Good Luck with what you get. It is a little faster than the 30.06
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