I am going to invest in a new riffle this year for elk and deer hunting next year.What would be a good brand and what type of riffle would be good for both ? What is your preferences and why.What are the advantages and di
vantages?
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ya know a twelve gage shot gun and the 30-06 with 200 grain silver tips are the absolute minum for elk unless you are going with a bow... who knew that an arrow sticking half way throug an elk would do more damage than a rifle[angelic]
if I were going to select a rifle for elk I would go with the remmington 7 mm mag. ya talk about reaching out and touching some one....
the upside is it is a nice flat shooting gun and if you put a 3-9 leapole wit see though mounts you can hunt a tremendous range of big game from a distance. if you reload you can acheive match grade quality accuracy.
draw back, if you shoot a snow shoe there wont be any thing left to throw in the pot when you get back to camp so make it a head shot. other draw back is this is a long rifle so if you are bush wacking you will constantly be looking out for trees and shrubs before you raise your rifle and then have to remember if any thing is in the way.
If you are hunting bush wacker country you will want to go back to the browning 30-06 springfeild "A" bold gold madalian. shorter barrol, means shorter range, but hey you are bush wacking so you are not going to have a 500 yard shot...
what terrain do you plan on hunting elk on?
if you are going to wyoming, if I remember coorectly they have a maulti critter ticket, in other words, elk mullie antilope.
now if you want some real fun you can come down my way to tennessee and hunt razor backs with a bowie nife [shocked]
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[black]Several months ago I posted a link to an article on "The 50 best rifles ever made". [/black][url "http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/photogallery/article/0,13355,1024788,00.html"][black]http://www.fieldandstream.com/...3355,1024788,00.html[/black][/url][black] [/black]
[black]As far as caliber is concerned, I'd got with at least a 30 cal.. Several of my hunting partners use the 300win mag for elk. I use a .338 win mag. It's really up to the individual.[
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Hey BC i love to shoot!Doesnt matter what i use as long as it does the job .I dont have a preference of what i hunt with yet because i havent done any hunting.I have hunted humans in the army with a m60 and m16.The 60 is to bulky but something like a m16 of a little bigger would be ok.Guess when i do my riffle shopping in december i will get more of an insight of what kind of riffle would be best for me.
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If you want to do some window shopping head out to the nearest public rifle range. chat it up and dont be suprised if you are given the oppertunity to pop off a few rounds.
the feal of a gun is about 75% of what it takes to become a sucessful hunter... all the skill and tequnec in the would wont do you a bit of good if you are not comfortable with your gun...
good luck....
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Personally I like the good ol' .30 '06 for deer. It would be adequate for elk too, but I've never hunted elk. I always bring along my 12 gauge shotgun too in case I see some grouse while deer hunting.
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Remington 700 in .30-06 is what I shoot and I really like it. The gun shoulders well and fits me snug. If I were going to hunt more elk than deer I would probably go with a .300 win or 7mm especially here in Utah. If it were mostly deer than I would go .30-06 or even a 30-30 or .308. Some folks use a .243 or .270 but I feel the knock down power for begining hunters on longer hard to judge shots will leave you frustrated and more animals wounded than not. I have a Remington 700 in .30-06 and you are more than welcome to squeeze some shots off if we ever have the chance to get out shooting. Nothing like feeling a good thump on your shoulder to prepare the body for the real job in hunting.
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In addition to Remington, check out the offerings from Savage and Winchester. As far as caliber for Elk, .338 mag, .300 mag, and 30-06 are the ticket. For mule deer here in UT, 30-06 can't be beat. If I had to choose one rifle for both I would get a Winchester Mod. 70 in 30-06.
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Hey HC thanks for the info.Gonna be looking at prices all over now.
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I'll chime in with my 2 cents. My first two recommendations have already been brought up in the 30-06 and 7mm-rem mag. The 06 is one of the most proven calibers around and has taken every species of big game on this continent. It was my first rifle and I never lost a deer or elk with it. On that note it has its limitations, mainly speed, which results in more bullet drop at range. The 7mm has a slightly smaller diameter bullet, but can be loaded in most of the same bullet weights as the 06, but with more velocity. More speed equals flatter trajectory. That being said, don't read too much into the velocity #'s, in real world applications they don't really show a tangible difference until you are over 200 yards and become noticably apparent over 300 yards and that is the outer edge of most peoples ability to make a decent shot.
You would also be wise to look into some of the new short mags that are new to the market like the .300 wsm I've never shot one, but the ballistic numbers are outstanding.
If you've got until december to make a decision, it is best to shoot several different calibers. If you can't handle the recoil all the gun in the world won't do you any good. Thousands of elk have been killed with .270s, and a well placed shot from one is far more effective than shooting a .338 that makes you cringe when you fire.
As far as brand and models, pick any major brand; remmington, winchester, browning, ruger and find one that fits your shoulder like a glove. With proper care they will all be around for your grandchildren. If cost is an issue, you are better off giving up features like engravings, ebony forestocks, and such and sticking with a reliable action than you are switching to a lesser brand and getting the fluff.
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I never hunted elk, and all the deer hunting I've done has either been with a .50 sidelock muzzle loader, an 870 in 20 guage, or an HR Slug gun in 20 guage. I did some target shooting with a .30-06 Eddystone mfg. M1917 Enfield that was sprterized with Redfield peep sights. I have had the oppetunity to shoot other centerfire calibers
such as the .308 on an MAS 49/56, 7.62x39 on a Ruger M77 and sporterized Mauser small ring, .30 Carbine out of an M1, .223 out of an AR type rifle, and 8x57mm through a WWII K-98 as well as 7.62x54 in a M-44 carbine. Out of all of them, the .30-06 kicked the most, and that was with a heavy (i'de say) 8 to 8.5 pound gun. The ammo was not even hot hunting ammo - just 1957 military surplus ball. Remember you need to be able to place your shot well- or it does not matter what your shooting if it's bad enough. Even the puney 7.62x39mm (AK-47 round) will reliably take deer. The .30-06 is significantly more powerful. Remington 700's are very accurate as are Ruger M-77 and Winchester Model 70. There are countless moremodels too that are wonderful. The nice thing about the .30-06 is that ammo is cheap for practice (.25c/round) for GI surplus. If you buy a gun that costs $1/rd to shoot you will not end up practicing much. If you end up really wanting to plink with centerfire the 7.62x39mm is 10c/rd, czapable of being used on deer, and there are tons of neat guns for it (SKS< Yugo SKS, AR-15, Mini 30, Ruger M77 Ltd. edition used, and semi auto ak-47 looking guns (except in CT, and a bunch of other freedom hating places). Don't be afraid to consider a used gun. Sometimes you can get a good gun at a more affordable price that way.
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Hey cesar, go and check out AF guns and sport in lindon, they have an indor shooting range and any gun that you are interested in you can test shoot, you just buy the ammo for it.
As far as brands go, All the ones that have been mentioned are really good guns. I have a browning BLR that is an awesome gun, i went with the browning lever action becasue i shoot sawpaw, so a bolt is a pain the hind end to use, unless i find a lefty bolt. Savage makes a good gun also, they are extremly accurate, i have access to one you can shoot, but its a .243.
I think that i would look at a .30-06 they are a very versitly caliber that has been around for a long time, the ammo is chep and it has enough ommph to take an elk.
But one thing to look at is ammo costs before you buy, as has been mentioned if the gun takes expensive ammo you arnt going to want to practice much, adn you need to practice alot to get the feel of the gun and to get the accuracy and to find a grain and maker of ammo that suits your style best.
Oh yeah check out payson sports they have both used and new and their prices are really good, so are cal ranch stores. stay away from 4d, and ballistics.
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You can kill darn near anything with a .30-06. I love mine, its a Savage 111FXP3.
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