Recommendations for an Elk Rifle

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mountainclmbr

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A coworker just went through Hunter Safety class and wants to go elk hunting with his neighbor. The coworker currently has no firearms, but had training in the military.

I recommended that he get an inexpensive 22 bolt action and go to the range for practice. Then he should get a suitable caliber "probably bolt action" and then practice more before going hunting.

What caliber do folks think would be good for a beginning elk hunter? I was thinking that 30-06 would be good due to the wide range of commercially available ammunition and the advantage over .308 of being able to handle heavy bullets like 200 or 220 gr.
 
I am sure (and I will agree) you will get a lot of suggestions for the .338. Lots of good elk (and long range) bullets in that caliber.
 
For somebody not yet into handloading, the '06 would be plenty good for elk and a bit more versatile than a .300 WinMag or a .338 for other, smaller game.

For the occasional varmint adventure, the 110-grain load works great. I've followed my father's lead in using the 150s on deer.

FWIW, Art
 
Art,

My thinking was the same. I agree that the 338 Win Mag would be a good choice, but for a beginner the recoil may not work well to develop good shooting habits. Surplus '06 ammo is also easy to find so there is no excuse for not practicing.
 
I really like .280 Remington as a flat shooting rifle with enough punch for Elk. I persoally value shot placement over bullet mass. The .280 is more forgiving than 30-06 at distance.
 
A Winchester M70 in .30-06 would be fine. Enough oomph to take down an elk, but not so bad that a relatively new shooter would get the snot knocked out of him/her.

My personal choices would be a .30-06 using 180 grain premium bullet at about 2600 fps, or a .338 Winchester Magnum using a 250 grain bullet.
 
Most Elk are taken at fairly close range. You don't need a flat shooting Magnum rifle. Most folks don't shoot hard recoiling rifles well in the first place. 8X57 Mauser, 30/06, .270 or .35 Whelen, .358 Winchester, or anything in that class, will take Elk cleanly.
 
Fella's;

Recently made this decision for myself. I live in the Rocky Mtn. West. I've hunted for decades. And after using & loving the .30-06 all the while, I decided to get a .338 Winmag. It'll be my moose, elk, & bear rifle. Did I NEED it? No. But I decided I wanted one & that's good enough.

Will I suggest the .338 for the situation mountainclmbr has put to us? Again, no. I feel that mountainclmbr's co-worker would most likely be better served with the .30-06 under the circumstances given us.

Okiecruffler; PM me on the 8mm.

900F
 
While the .30-06 is THE caliber for the one caliber hunter, and will cleanly take elk, for the beginning hunter I would recommend the .308. Recoil is less than the .30-06, and military surplus can be had for a lot less than the cost of milsurp '06. The .308 will launch a 180 grain Nosler Partition at over 2600 fps, and Barnes 168 grain Triple Shocks, which have a tremendous reputation for accuracy and penetration, at even higher velocities.
 
The people I know who hunt elk use .308, 7mm mag, etc. Their shots are often at close range in woods. I have several rifles that would work for myself. A 270, 3X30-06 (for now), 444 Marlin, 375 H&H. I worry about loaning to newbies though.

I have taught people to shoot rifles and even the 30-06 can cause flinching habits in shooters not trained to shoot properly with low-recoil rifles first. My thinking was that the shot placement was more important than long-range power with a shooter that can't estimate range well.

The 308 suggestion is good, that is also a very versatile caliber that I don't own yet (until I get a M1A that is).

I know so many rifle owners that don't know where their rifles shoot...period, much less which ammo works best.

Thanks for the good comments.
 
I live in Utah and this thread has me asking questions to myself. Please, none of you take offense...I'm just wondering out loud.
1) I would guess that, in Utah, more elk have been dropped with a 30-06 than all other calibers combined. So when did it stop working?
2) Why would you recommend your "ex-military" friend get a .22LR to start off with when he already has experience with a harder kicking .223 (M16)? Just wondering.
3) One of the responders on elk hunting is from Miami. That one got me laughing. Please don't get upset. You probably have big-game experience...it's just the irony got me tickled and it's late at night and I'm just a little punchy.
4) I was also thinking that I can't tell the difference between the recoil of a 30-06 and a .308. And do you guys buy military surplus to hunt with??? Doesn't anybody just run down to Wal-Mart and buy a box of shellls...shoot half of them to zero your scope and hunt with the other half? Maybe I'm wierd or maybe I'm getting old. Anyway, I'll stop bumping my gums now. Good of you all to let me have a turn.
 
I don't think the '06 ever stopped working, but if you can handle the recoil a mag certainly gives you greater opps fixing factor. But then again if you jerk like you have an ant in your britches every time you shoot, you'd probably be better off with the '06. Of course my pappy did 90% of his elk hunting with a 300 Savage and did just fine.
I don't know nothing about the '06, never owned one and probably never will, but I can reload my 8X57's to way beyond anything military surplus has ever dreamed of.
 
can't beat the versatillity of the '06...

It was my first centerfire rifle, and my biggest centerfire. I don't want anything bigger(other then a 45-70) for elk. It works just fine... I have a few of those under my belt.
Always dropped them first shot... Course, a lung shot with anything of good power should.

Go with the '06... a little bit more versatile for smaller then elk creatures.

BTW, I was at a sportsmans show last spring and talked to a canadian hunting guide about moose hunting. I figured he'd want me to get a .338 win, but he told me he'd rather see me just use a 30-06 with 180 grn pills. He said thats what the locals use and it always works.
 
As Townsend Whelen used to say, "The .30-06 is never a mistake." With a premimu bullet like the 180 grain Nosler Partition Jacket in either Hi-Energy or Lite Magnum loads, it's the equivallent of the .300 Win Mag -- even though you don't need all that oomph. A 180 grain Nosler PJ at 2,600 to 2,700 will flatten any elk that ever lived.

Another choice would be the 7mm Remington Magnum, which is quite popular amongst the people I go elk hunting with. With heavy, premium bullets, it is a proven elk killer.
 
For the 22: my friend also has 3 teenage sons with no shooting experience. I was recommending the 22 bolt action so the two guns would have the same action type and due to the bolt action being a little more safe for new shooters to learn with IMO.
 
Sorry, Litefoot, I did not mean to imply that I did, or that anyone should, hunt with milsurp ammo. However, the cheaper the ammo, the more one can practice. After I bought a .308, and found South African surplus at $40 per 240 rounds (IIRC), I shot more out of the .308 in a few weeks than I did out of my other hunting rifles in 10 years, where I’d buy a box of ammo, sight in the scope, and then use maybe 5-10 rounds a year. If we are talking about a person who is not into reloading, the use of cheap practice ammo allows an opportunity to become very familiar with the gun without a lot of cost or effort. In my own situation, I have become a much better shooter thanks to a .308 and cheap practice ammo. I have fun shooting and striving for good groups, something I never did with an ’06 (with a hard butt plate) or .338 Winchester Magnum. BTW, the accuracy of .308 milsurp is on par with factory ammo. With the right hunting ammo, the effective range is 300 yards, which I would be willing to bet is more than most people should be shooting anyway.

On paper, the recoil difference between a .308 and a .30-06 is about 10%, and I realize that this difference could be negated by proper fit, recoil pads and recoil shields. It all depends on the person. To some, every little bit helps. I’m not knocking the ’06; it was my first centerfire caliber.

When you add in the “3 teenage son†factor, I would say that the .308 would be a good move, unless your friend wanted to start lighter with a 7mm-08, but the 7mm-08 gives up the cheap practice ammo and maybe 100 yards of effective range against big critters.
 
WYO said:
On paper, the recoil difference between a .308 and a .30-06 is about 10%, and I realize that this difference could be negated by proper fit, recoil pads and recoil shields. It all depends on the person. To some, every little bit helps. I’m not knocking the ’06; it was my first centerfire caliber.
QUOTE]

You can always download a .30-06 to .308 recoil levels (or even to .30-30 levels.) But you can't upload a .30-30 or .308 to match the potential of the .30-06.
Click to expand...
 
lots of folks 'would' hunt elk with some special gun.
i hunted mine with a 30.06 and will do so in the future.

owning lots of guns is fine, no it's commendable.
but choosing a sensible gun for a task needn't be
macho. we need not consider special features which,
while very fun to talk about, bring little to the functionality
of a hunting rifle. Art is most correct in his assessment that
the 30.06 can be used as an all around rifle for every
species imaginable. :D
 
My first '06 was an old 1917 Enfield. Steel buttplate. Summertime. Teeshirt. I was around 5'-10" and 125 pounds. I mumbled something about "kick" and my uncle gave me "that look"*--so I promptly showed true wisdom and shut my mouth.

An '06 still doesn't kick--54 years later. :)

I saw an ad in a current issue of Shotgun News for '06 foreign-made stuff, real cheap (+ shipping). Cheap practice.

And count me as another who sez a newbie rifle-shooter oughta have a .22 to work on eye-finger-sight coordination...

:), Art

* Uncle Joe would sorta nod his head forward and look at you over the top of his glasses--a kinda flat stare. You sorta figured you oughta crawl back under your rock until you were fit associate with the grownups.
 
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