.300 prc! 695 yards with one shot
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Elk gun
- Thread starter Papadeuce
- Start date
Some nice bulls. I don’t like to overthink or not pick. Use what you can shoot well and know your range and capabilities
Hmmm. Given Left Hand and no particular order, then:
Savage 110 Ultralite in 6.5 PRC or 280 AI
Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 6.5 PRC or 7mm-08
Browning X Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed McMillan 6.5 PRC or 7mm-08. I think there are some other X Bolt left handed platforms as well. Might be hard to find a McMillan street price under $2k.
Tikka are great rifles but not for me personally for elk sized calibers. Poor geometry stocks don’t handle recoil well.
What are you leaning towards? Keep us posted. And yes, you've opened a can of worms with this question!
For the sake of discussion. We are talking about buying a dedicated elk rifle here, not what he already has (which may be "good enough") or for other species. Because of that, I'd bump the power level up just a bit to 300wsm or 7PRC or higher.
We use to hunt elk with .338 Win Mag's back many years ago. It was not too much gun.
I have watched elk suck up 2-3 well placed shots with heavy calibers; they are just tough.
Most folks do not hunt elk on a regular basis. When they do, they usually use their deer rifle. And, they make a good shot and the animal goes down. That becomes the experience. And unfortunately, the takeaway can be that they (elk) are not so tough. The 6.5 (or whatever) is now the holy-grail. Could not be farther from the truth.
As my tag line says below. This is just my silly opinion.
I have watched elk suck up 2-3 well placed shots with heavy calibers; they are just tough.
Most folks do not hunt elk on a regular basis. When they do, they usually use their deer rifle. And, they make a good shot and the animal goes down. That becomes the experience. And unfortunately, the takeaway can be that they (elk) are not so tough. The 6.5 (or whatever) is now the holy-grail. Could not be farther from the truth.
As my tag line says below. This is just my silly opinion.
Agreed. I see it a lot like towing a trailer. If you're towing 10,000LBS your F-150 will probably do it. That said, give me the F-250 and it will do it that much better with room to spare. Especially since he is buying new and not trying to get by with what he already has.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
For hunting in the west where the majority of elk are shot at a distance I think that the goal should be something that travels at 2900 to 3000 fps and a bullet weight of at least 150 gns. Sure smaller calibers and bullets will work ( I once shot an elk with a 25-06 using 115 Noslers) but I think you limit yourself as to what is a sure kill by having to be careful with angles and distance. I helped a buddy years ago anchor a cow that he had wounded with a 7 mag and poor shot placement. I took a quartering shot with a .338 and the bullet hit the back part of the rib cage and came out the paunch. I knew without hesitation that the .338 had the horsepower to take the shot and I was able to put the cow down. I would be concerned about taking a shot like that with a smaller caliber like a 6.5. These days I use a 7 mag with 150 monolithic bullets as my go to elk rifle and it has never let me down.
My theory has always been go big or stay home. I can use .300 winmag ( borrowed) for everything from elk, the biggest animal I hunt, down to deer. I know over kill for deer, but it means I don't need a different Cal. for each species of big game I may hunt. I'm not sure the people I borrow weapons from want to go out and buy a different rifle just to meet my requirements. I'm a very understanding kind of guy. 
I’ve been thinking about this lately as well. I am going to build a 7 prc, which will also be my first bolt gun build.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
Head shot ? I have heard of this kind of stuff before with a junior behind the trigger and it was successful.
Shot placement is key. Nothing cares what you blow their lungs apart with.
Nope .he's dead now...and I promise you..he killed alot of mammals...more than most..like alot more .and without a flat hat .I wonder if that guy ever smartened up ?
Nope..in front of the shoulders..in the chocolate...that's what he use to say...and he died at 93...I've raised and hunted with many juniors..I'm an advocate of that shot..don't have to worry about caliber much...one and done .good night nurse.