Elk Rifle

[TMac]

7x64mm Brenneke is a superb cartridge.....

Yes sir it is. I only say that because it’s state side twin is the 280 Rem. Never shot the 7x64, but pretty sure I’d not see a difference with my 280. I’ve shot the 280 a bunch, mostly on elk and some mule deer.

 

[TMac]

We hunt in foothills where the open areas offer shots from 300+ to whatever. Elk...we have hard time to get closer than 400+ in the open, crawling on our bellies. We are having hard time getting them in general unless we bump them in the bush or have them run by us while escaping other hunters. A guy I know uses .338 Edge, sets up high on a ridge and shoots them on the next ridge. The one taken last week was 1600m away. We were of course the next ridge over the other way so could just hear the shots and watch the rest of the heard disappear. Of course, some of them ran right toward another couple of hunters sitting in the valley in the truck. Shot on at 30 meters. I might pick up "road hunting" as a hobby if it goes on like this.

1600m??? That’s a looooong poke. Almost a mile, or 1.6K. You sure? Last guy I hunted with using a 338 Edge, wounded and lost an elk at about 750m. Have not hunted with him since, nor will I ever hunt with that asshat again. YMMV.

 

[Milan]

1600m??? That’s a looooong poke. Almost a mile, or 1.6K. You sure? Last guy I hunted with using a 338 Edge, wounded and lost an elk at about 750m. Have not hunted with him since, nor will I ever hunt with that asshat again. YMMV.

Yes i believe him. He builds the stocks and rifles himself and teaches other guys long-range shooting.he shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine. So even if he is off its ether complete miss or they go down to offer another shot. Ruins too much meat no mater the shot, IMHO, but hey he had a cow elk and we did not. I tend not to argue with hard results. He has been doing this for years. Practices on coyotes, musk rats and such.

 

[TMac]

Yes i believe him. He builds the stocks and rifles himself and teaches other guys long-range shooting.he shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine. So even if he is off its ether complete miss or they go down to offer another shot. Ruins too much meat no mater the shot, IMHO, but hey he had a cow elk and we did not. I tend not to argue with hard results. He has been doing this for years. Practices on coyotes, musk rats and such.

OK, not trying to start an argument, but anyone that tries to “shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine” at long range. 1600m by your word, is not someone I care to know or hunt with. I can and have executed a high shoulder shot many times, but never at the ridiculous range you said. I suggest this guy stick to coyotes, musk rats and such. That’s where he belongs, and seems you do too.

 

[375Ruger416]

OK, not trying to start an argument, but anyone that tries to “shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine” at long range. 1600m by your word, is not someone I care to know or hunt with. I can and have executed a high shoulder shot many times, but never at the ridiculous range you said. I suggest this guy stick to coyotes, musk rats and such. That’s where he belongs, and seems you do too.

OK, not trying to start an argument, but anyone that tries to “shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine” at long range. 1600m by your word, is not someone I care to know or hunt with. I can and have executed a high shoulder shot many times, but never at the ridiculous range you said. I suggest this guy stick to coyotes, musk rats and such. That’s where he belongs, and seems you

OK, not trying to start an argument, but anyone that tries to “shoots the animals high on the back to hit the spine” at long range. 1600m by your word, is not someone I care to know or hunt with. I can and have executed a high shoulder shot many times, but never at the ridiculous range you said. I suggest this guy stick to coyotes, musk rats and such. That’s where he belongs, and seems you do too.

Thats a little harsh. I agree that is much to far that is shooting at animals, but knowing someone who does such inadvisable things is certainly no wrongdoing.

 

[Milan]

No worries. Im not arguing or proposing such activity. Simply stating observations. There are more people like this than we think. My hunting buddy knows him better and witnessed his shots. I do not hunt with him but he is an accomplished shooter and i did see where they were shooting from and to where and it was well over 1km. I actually thought closer to 2. He says they ranged the animals at 1600m. And they did have a dead elk.
They use calibers like .338 Edge (actually some wildcat improved verion) and .416 cheytec, etc.

 

[Sabre]

How do you like the Terminal ascent vs. the TTSX? My Blaser R8 in 300 WM and 375 H&H arrives monday and I’m looking for a WM load for my next trip to Africa. So far, I have 3 boxes of 200 gr Terminal ascent though 165 and 180 gr TTSX are readily available as well.

The 375 H&H is getting 300 gr TSX factory loads as long as they shoot well. Haven’t been able to find any other premium 300gr softs here in Alberta anyhow.

I have really liked the Terminal Ascents. I have had great success with them in a few different calibers. I have also done well with TTSX. As was said before, if your gun likes one much better than the other, use that one, because they are both good. If both work well in your gun, If it were me, I would choose the TA for most things, unless I absolutely needed a ton of penetration on something thick skinned. Then I would switch to the TTSX, and then I would also be more mindful of making sure I was at the right distance for proper expansion on them.

 

[Velo Dog]

Fellow Hunters,

Full disclosure, I’ve never shot an elk.
However, I’ve shot about 150 to 200 hoofed critters, including I think 5 Kudu (similar body weight) and at least that many gemsbok (weighing about 500 pounds but very impact resistant, IMO).
Plus, I have seen perhaps 50 hoofed animals being shot by other hunters, via various calibers.

Elk specifically, I have hunted them twice.
Once on Afognak Island (Alaska) and I carried a ..308 with 165 grain Sierra spitzers, in a Springfield M-1A, with 5
round magazine (semi-auto version of the USA M14, with military peep sight).
I didn’t even see an elk but, I bagged 5 blacktail deer, with great authority.

The other time I hunted elk was on horse back, in the Bitteroot Mountains of Idaho, up in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River drainage.
I carried a 7 MM Remington Magnum with 150 gr Remington core-locked semi-spitzer and 6x Leupold.
Again, I never saw an elk but I shot a mule deer, with one shot, very dead with that rifle.

So, one must absolutely take my opinion with a pinch of salt.
That said, today if I was to set out after an elk in various conditions and / or kudu as well, my preference would be:

#1.
The .300 H&H with 180 grain Nosler Partition Spitzer.
#2.
.375 H&H with 235 gr Speer Semi-Spitzer.
#3.
The 7MM Remington Magnum with 160 gr Nosler Partition Spitzer.
#4.
.338 Winchester with 225 gr Nosler Partition Spitzer.
#5.
.35 Whelen with 225 gr Nosler Partition Spitzer.
#6.
.30-06 with 165 gr or 180 gr Nosler Partition Spitzer.
#7.
7x64 or .280 Remington with 160 gr Nosler Partition Spitzer.

In thick woods, there are many other rifles and cartridges I might likely prefer.
For starters, the .348 Winchester with 200 gr flat nose, the.338 with 250 gr round nose soft point and the .30-06 with 220 gr,
also with RNSP also come to mind.

When hunting in open conditions, where shots might reach about 400 paces, I do like the Nosler Partition Spitzer, for thin skinned members of the deer family, up to and including exceptional ones weighing up to 600 - 650 pounds (elk, kudu, etc).
But if hunting conditions indicate shots only out to about 300 paces, then I definitely prefer round nose soft points, such as the old fashioned Hornady RNSP and / or the Remington “Core-Lokt” RNSP.

Again, since I have never shot an elk, my opinion is definitely not the gospel.
It is only one grouchy old geezer’s opinion.

My good old childhood pal, Dale Raisbeck, has shot very dead quite a few Elk in both British Columbia, Canada and Montana USA, via his .338 Winchester with 225 gr spitzers, including Nosler and Remington, cheapass Core-Lokt factory loaded cartridges.
Furthermore, his largest bull was a
huge 6x7 point one in B. Columbia, via his Remington Model 700 ADL, .270 and 130 gr spitzer, of the dreaded “cup and core” type (I have forgotten what brand bullet).

In .270, personally I would choose a 150 gr bullet for elk.
But then again, I would not hunt elk or
any critter weighing near as much as
a bull elk, with a .270 so, there IS that.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to print from one old rifle grump here.

Stay on That Front Sight,
Velo Dog.

 

[Milan]

We like Nosler Partitions or Accubond LRs.

 

[ftrovato]

We like Nosler Partitions or Accubond LRs.

I too have had great success with Nosler Partitions on elk, caribou & deer. They simply work (in spite of shedding the weight in front of the partition if the animal is under 100 yards away).

Beyond that distance (in my observation) they act like a bonded Swift A-Frame.

I also like Ballistic Tips on Deer (Broad side & frontal shots only). I suspect the Accubonds are better bullet than the ballistic tip but have never used them myself.

 

[Milan]

I too have had great success with Nosler Partitions on elk, caribou & deer. They simply work (in spite of shedding the weight in front of the partition if the animal is under 100 yards away).

Beyond that distance (in my observation) they act like a bonded Swift A-Frame.

I also like Ballistic Tips on Deer (Broad side & frontal shots only). I suspect the Accubonds are better bullet than the ballistic tip but have never used them myself.

We like them because if the extended distances 400+m and the cartridges we use - 30-06, 25-06, 7x57, 7x64 etc. They do slow down some and so the softer nose helps. We also go for lung shots. In my .300 WM I used 180gr GMX. Gonna try Terminal Ascent next.

 

[TMac]

Thats a little harsh. I agree that is much to far that is shooting at animals, but knowing someone who does such inadvisable things is certainly no wrongdoing.

I suppose it depends on if you are concerned about a person’s feelings or wounded elk. What was stated in that post is beyond irresponsible and I like elk.

 

[Daisy]

I suppose it depends on if you are concerned about a person’s feelings or wounded elk. What was stated in that post is beyond irresponsible and I like elk.

A gentleman would worry about both.

 

[Milan]

I suppose it depends on if you are concerned about a person’s feelings or wounded elk. What was stated in that post is beyond irresponsible and I like elk.

It’s not my feelings. So no harm, no foul. I don’t think he has ever lost one. I can ask. I have seen elk lost to smaller calibers and shot at shorter distances. So his practice does not bother me much. Other than any animal shot at extended range, if wounded, may be hard or impossible to recover.

 

[TMac]

It’s not my feelings. So no harm, no foul. I don’t think he has ever lost one. I can ask. I have seen elk lost to smaller calibers and shot at shorter distances. So his practice does not bother me much. Other than any animal shot at extended range, if wounded, may be hard or impossible to recover.

Not worth bugging your buddy about. But give shots at that range some thought. Time of flight, accuracy challenges, adequate bullet velocity to expand. Not to mention the biggest challenge, wind. 1,600 meters is a loooong poke. I’ve seen terrible shots at close range with a variety of cartridges, but the further the shot, for most much past 400 yards or so, chances of wounding go up in my experience regardless of cartridge.

 

[TMac]

A gentleman would worry about both.

I’d think most anyone’s skin would be thick enough to take my remarks on this topic without too much feather ruffling. If not they can see if there is an ignore function on the forum. I won’t waste time worrying about it either way.

I’ve seen too many irresponsible shots taken at elk of late at much shorter ranges, so I’ll call it out as I see fit. Most real long shots, over 400 or so, did not work out. So I won’t hunt with them again. The words I used with them were much more pointed than anything I used here. So they probably don’t want to hunt with me again, which is perfectly fine by me.

Sniping or target shooting at live animals, is not hunting. You think that’s ungentlemanly, whatever that actually means, I’m fine with that. I’m more concerned with showing respect to the animal than worrying about anyone’s feelings.

 

[ftrovato]

I’d think most anyone’s skin would be thick enough to take my remarks on this topic without too much feather ruffling. If not they can see if there is an ignore function on the forum. I won’t waste time worrying about it either way.

I’ve seen too many irresponsible shots taken at elk of late at much shorter ranges, so I’ll call it out as I see fit. Most real long shots, over 400 or so, did not work out. So I won’t hunt with them again. The words I used with them were much more pointed than anything I used here. So they probably don’t want to hunt with me again, which is perfectly fine by me.

Sniping or target shooting at live animals, is not hunting. You think that’s ungentlemanly, whatever that actually means, I’m fine with that. I’m more concerned with showing respect to the animal than worrying about anyone’s feelings.

I think I need a t-shirt. "Sniping 'ANIMALS' is not hunting"

 

[IvW]

300 H&H with 200gr bullets would be another good choice in a bolt action......

 

[375Ruger416]

My only plains game hunt so far was with a 300 PRC. I took eight animals up to the size of an eland and it worked well on all of them. A 30 cal magnum is a classic versatile plains game cartridge as is the 30-06, 7x57 and other similar cartridges. They have literally been proven on plains game for over a hundred years. I have since added a Blaser R8 in 300 WM/375 H&H that I will be using for my next two safaris - another plains game hunt and my first buffalo hunt.

However, answering the question asked, I would recommend a 7 x 57. Have a 270, leaning towards a milder, accurate cartridge for plains game and a deer rifle. 7mm08 and 6.5 CM would be other options, but they will be less effective on larger game and at less than optimum angles. A 175 gr 7x57 is as effective as a 180 30-06 or very, very close.

I have two 6.5 PRC and like them, but they are so close to a 270 - 140 gr bullets at 2900-3000 fps? that there is not enough of a difference unless you just want one. The final wrinkle for African plains game is that some countries have a caliber or energy minimum for larger plains game. A 7 mm will qualify everywhere as far as I know.

Best of luck on your choice, enjoy your new rifle and pictures and hunt reports with your new firearm are always welcome!

 

[375Ruger416]

My only plains game hunt so far was with a 300 PRC. I took eight animals up to the size of an eland and it worked well on all of them. A 30 cal magnum is a classic versatile plains game cartridge as is the 30-06, 7x57 and other similar cartridges. They have literally been proven on plains game for over a hundred years. I have since added a Blaser R8 in 300 WM/375 H&H that I will be using for my next two safaris - another plains game hunt and my first buffalo hunt.

However, answering the question asked, I would recommend a 7 x 57. Have a 270, leaning towards a milder, accurate cartridge for plains game and a deer rifle. 7mm08 and 6.5 CM would be other options, but they will be less effective on larger game and at less than optimum angles. A 175 gr 7x57 is as effective as a 180 30-06 or very, very close.

I have two 6.5 PRC and like them, but they are so close to a 270 - 140 gr bullets at 2900-3000 fps? that there is not enough of a difference unless you just want one. The final wrinkle for African plains game is that some countries have a caliber or energy minimum for larger plains game. A 7 mm will qualify everywhere as far as I know.

Best of luck on your choice, enjoy your new rifle and pictures and hunt reports with your new firearm are always welcome!

lol wrong thread! Sorry!