outdoor338

Ok elk hunters, which is the best rifle to use and why? I will be hunting in the mountains, what should teenager use?, and first time woman elk hunter?, your help would be greatly appeciated.

Dr. Mike

BareBack Jack

For me I think the best elk rifle out there is the 338 win mag.Why it shoots flat packs awalop,and is milder in recoil as the some of the 300 mags out there,this is my opion.

I did a post earlier for a elk rifle for my nefew,and ther are lots of good replies.For my daughter and my boys(who are several years from hunting) I would by them a 7mm-08 rem.This is a great little caliber.It has enough punch to cleanly take elk out to 250 yds and it don' t kick like a 270 win or 30-06.

rather_be_huntin

Thats a tough question because there are so many factors that go into an elkin' rifle. How sensitive to recoil are you? How does the weight of the rifle effect you? Do you expect long or short range shots? My favorite is the 300 UM. Its very flat shooting and has enough power to knock down at elk at any range a competent shooter can reasonably hit.

For a teenager that varies greatly. I will stand by my opinion that a 30-06 is the minumum elk cartridge and what I started elkin with when I was 14. Theres a 7mm mag which I also used when I was younger.

As far as what a woman would like I can' t tell you cuz I' m not a woman. I suppose it' d be best if one of the ladies answered that question. Course I guess the guys could suggest what their lady likes and my lady shoots a 7mm mag with no problems. Shes a little gal too.

hntngirl

I like the 30-06. But to be honest, that' s the only rifle I' ve ever used for elk, so I don' t have any experience with others. I' m not very big, and don' t have a problem shooting it. But then again, I kinda like a gun that kicks!

bigbulls

The best elk rifle is a rifle that you can shoot accurately and can handle the recoil well. Be it a 270, 7mm-08, 300 mag, .338 mag or even bigger. It aint going to do any one any good if you can' t hit what you are aiming at.

The best elk rifle also depends on where you will be hunting (mountains can be a very vague term) and how far you expect to shoot. A 26" barreled bolt action with a 4-12X scope won' t do you much good if you hunt mainly thick timber just as a lever action carbine size 45-70 with iron sites won' t do you much good if you are expecting 300+ yard shots across canyons.

The weight of the rifle also plays a large role in deciding on an elk rifle. huntingin very steep and rocky terrain you would want a light " mountain rifle" in a standard catrige. Gentle rolling hills on a guided hunt you might want a heavier rifle with a bi-pod for long shots.


Decide on where you will be doing the majority of your elk hunting and what is important to you as far as the rifle and caliber goes. All of the calibers listed abve are capeable elk killers.

losthwy

Second what bigbulls said..... Buy quality ammo.

RedAllison

Theres no such thing as a elk that is TOO DEAD! Next wapiti I dump will be with my Sako/Lazzeroni Warbird. 180gn 30cal bullets at over 3500fps just spells LIGHTS OUT for any bull standing inside of 600+yds, but I doubt many teens or ladies would want that much gun. And the 338 is a " perfect elker" as well, but small folks wont like them either.

I tell ya, I know ALOT of folks kill elk each year with standard non-magnum " deer cartridges" but that dont mean those calibers are ' best' by any means. Why shoot just " acceptable" on something as majestic, expensive and LARGE as an elk? A whitetail in AL can weigh 100#s, a bull in NM or AZ can weigh 1000... why shoot them with the same gun?

IMO the minimum " good killer" inside of 400yds is the 7mag or any of the new shortmags from 270WSM up. Rarely do you get perfect shot angles on elk. Why not be ready for just a " lil more" should the need arise? And if the bull of your dreams is standing less than broadside at 350yds and you are standing there with your lil " deer rifle" , you will be cussing yourself.

Good luck and may your grill stay warm all winter!
RA

Power

Start with a .270 Win and work up from there depending on recoil sensitivity and accuracy. Got to be able to shoot the rifle well, that comes first. Second, make sure the cartridge is up to the task of taking an Elk cleanly. If it' s a large bull you should have at least a .270, probably bigger. Make sure to use a quality bullet too (I' m partial to Nosler Partitions). I think the 308 is a good rifle for women and teenagers too. Next would be the ol' ' 06. If they can handle that then they can try bigger but I doubt it' s really necessary. Mostly depends on the person and how they hunt and where they hunt. If you need to make a good, killing shot at a big Bull further than 300 yards you might think more about the mags but anything less than that and those choices should do you well.

BTW, I shoot a 7mm Rem. Mag. and feel confident it will handle any Elk just fine. Wife and most of her brothers shoot a .270, 30-06, or 308 and they' ve killed dozens of Elk over the years out in wide open sage brush flats all the way up to 100 yard or less visibility timber. Just find a good rifle that shoots well in a decent caliber in the price range you want and go from there.

Alacrity Fitzhugh

I would say the cartridge that they can shoot most comfortably and confidently. I would suggest .270 Win, 7 mm Mauser, 7mm-08, .308 Win would be my picks. You' d want the rifles to be light, but not so light that they' d kick - total weight should be around 7.5 lb (including scope, sling and loaded with ammo). Make sure they get some practice shooting from field positions (prone, kneeling, sitting, offhand) rather than bench shooting and that they know where the boiler room is and know which low percentage shots to pass up. Also make sure that good quality bullets are used - Nosler partitions, Speer Grand Slams, Winchester Failsafes, Trophy Bonded, etc.

ELKampMaster

Sounds like a theoretical question to stir up discussion though I' ll play along, but you' ve got way more explaining to do than just what you' ve asked for so far otherwise folks are just " launching" guesses at what " might be" (or might not be) your situation.

Best rifle?
By manufacturer? By action type? By cartridge? Scoped or iron sighting? Most economical? Highest quality? What kind of hunt? (Road hunt, trekking, horses packing way back in?) What are you looking for?

Teenager?
Tell me about the teenager -- 13 or 19 years old? 110 or 190 pounds? How strong? How tempered? What do they shoot now? What do they hunt now?

Woman?
How big, how strong, how tempered, what does she shoot now? What does she hunt now?

It is dangerous to apply generalities to specifics and vice versa. In each case my answer is more than likely going to vary according to your filling in just a " leetle bit" of the details.

Your turn,
EKM