Having some trouble.

[1911fan]

I am going to come at it from another angle. Find a used 700 ADL or BDL for under four hundred and look at gun shows or online for a good used leupold scope. Throw in some forty dollar leupold mounts and you should be around seven bills or so. Its not going to be a Cadillac setup but it will be a Jeep and get you where you want to go.

That will get you a .308 that will shoot as good as you can. Or buy a .243 or .260 or 7mm-08 if you find that. Then take the seven hundred and change left over and find a used 7 or 300 mags in a rem 700 mountain rifle for the Elk hunting. That would be my route.

[DeanC]

I like your thoughts 1911fan.

Most outfitters will only grudgingly take someone out for elk with a 7mag. They prefer at least a .300mag.

[Holland&Holland]

Glad to see 1911fan mention the 7mm-08 to you. That would be my reccomendation. No offense meant to the .308, but the 7mm-08 shoots flatter and is ,in my opinion, the superior cartidge in that it can do anything the .308 can do. On the hunting side of things you could do much worse than the 7mm-08 as well. It is obviously not considered by todays majority of Elk hunters to be an Elk cartridge, but with the correct bullets at reasonable ranges and correct bullet placement, it performs great. Just a reminder that in factory loaded ammo it is a slight improvment over the venerable 7X57 which is regulary used to take Moose in Europe and has been used on Brown Bear and even Elephant (i beleive it was Raurk's favorite if I recall correctly). While something in the .300 win mag range is probably the better choice for a dedicated Elk gun. If you are looking for a gun that will get the job done, be nice on your pocket book and shoulder, and be a tack driver at the range, this is your round.

[Vlad]

I also have to echo these thoughts. Remember, when the 30-30 emerged, it was touted as a flat shooting, good for everything from pronghorn at several hundred yards to moose and bear up close. I think (careful!) that I read that one of the most popular moose cartridges in Europe is a 6.5x55 which some people state side thinks is too small for white tail deer.

I would rather have a light recoil rifle such as the 7-08 or 7-30 Waters that I can comfortably shoot accurately than an uber-mag that while powerful is not fun or easy to shoot.

[DeanC]

The thing is, all these people who hunt big game with medium to light caliber rifles are not paying what we have to pay for elk tags in Colorado. A Colorado resident elk tag is about $25. A non-resident tag is over $500. Not to forget guide fees, lodging, food and gas. We can't afford to have a light weight bullet blow up and not smash through a shoulder blade.

[hammAR]

...Remember, when the 30-30 emerged, it was touted as a flat shooting, good for everything from pronghorn at several hundred yards to moose and bear up close.

I doubt that anyone here remembers, you might, but I know that I don't......

The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62x51Rmm cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle.[2] The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, was America's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder.

[monschman]

P.S. also check out this months CDNN catalog, ther are selling off FNH PBR's at a great price. It is an amazing rifle based on the 700 series remys

The FNH PBR is based on the Win Model 70 Action, not a Rem 700.....

you are exactly correct ET, thank you. Still at $599 it is a great investment

[Holland&Holland]

The thing is, all these people who hunt big game with medium to light caliber rifles are not paying what we have to pay for elk tags in Colorado. A Colorado resident elk tag is about $25. A non-resident tag is over $500. Not to forget guide fees, lodging, food and gas. We can't afford to have a light weight bullet blow up and not smash through a shoulder blade.

Two points, bullet selection and shot placement. If you do these two correctly then these are fine calibers to use on Elk.

[DeanC]

Two points, bullet selection and shot placement. If you do these two correctly then these are fine calibers to use on Elk.

In general, I agree. But after humping my butt up and down too many mountains I have learned that elk, being wild animals, don't always like to stand still, close, or with a perfect quartering away shot.

When a deer decides he doesn't want to be in the area anymore, he'll run a few hundred yards until he can't see or hear you. An elk, on the other hand, will go over to the next mountain 20 miles away and there is no freaking way you are going to catch up to him again that day.

A fudgesucker from Minnesota on a pony ride may need to take a less than perfect shot and that extra margin of error a big magnum can provide is a real confidence booster. I really like a 175 gr bullet as a minimum and its rare to find a non-magnum that shoots those as well as the 140grs.

I am of the Jeff Cooper school of thought that recoil shyness is mostly psychological and can be overcome.

[Pinnacle]

There is nothing wrong with a 308 for Elk whatsoever as long as you use the right bullet and shoot the gun often and if you are going on the hunt of a lifetime practice a lot.

You can get a reasonable rig for $1500 - actually a really reasonable rig for under that..... Its your hunt - you do what makes you feel comfortable - but I am thinking that if it were me I might want a little more gun that is a tad bit more forgiving at unknown distances.

Perhaps spend a little less - still get a quality setup - BUT also spend some $$$ on a laser rangefinder of good quality and chrony loads and calc impact point...... Marksmanship is FAR more important on the hunt of a lifetime than the gear that you are carrying.

Take a good look at the Burris Ballistic Plex series of reticles int heir scopes - I think that this is a very good idea for hunting big game at longer ranges.

[Vlad]

...Remember, when the 30-30 emerged, it was touted as a flat shooting, good for everything from pronghorn at several hundred yards to moose and bear up close.

I doubt that anyone here remembers, you might, but I know that I don't......

The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62x51Rmm cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle.[2] The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, was America's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder.

Sorry, I just finished reading a book by Teddy Roosevelt about hunting out west and that is what I was pulling from.

I was trying to say in a round about way of saying that I prefer smaller, easy to shoot calibers.

[Holland&Holland]

Two points, bullet selection and shot placement. If you do these two correctly then these are fine calibers to use on Elk.

In general, I agree. But after humping my butt up and down too many mountains I have learned that elk, being wild animals, don't always like to stand still, close, or with a perfect quartering away shot.

When a deer decides he doesn't want to be in the area anymore, he'll run a few hundred yards until he can't see or hear you. An elk, on the other hand, will go over to the next mountain 20 miles away and there is no freaking way you are going to catch up to him again that day.

A fudgesucker from Minnesota on a pony ride may need to take a less than perfect shot and that extra margin of error a big magnum can provide is a real confidence booster. I really like a 175 gr bullet as a minimum and its rare to find a non-magnum that shoots those as well as the 140grs.

I am of the Jeff Cooper school of thought that recoil shyness is mostly psychological and can be overcome.

I can deffinatly conceed to your point on that. I am by no means an elk expert either. Just feel that sometimes people use more gun than they really need, wasting meat and giving American Riflemen a bad name. No issue with your Jeff Cooper quote but let me counter with a Jack O'connor one

"If there is any difference on such animals between the 130 grain and 150 grain .270 bullets and the 180 grain .30-06 bullet, I have yet to detect it."

[1911fan]

But jack oconnor was a hired hand of Winchesters who wrote to sell model seventy's on .270 Winchester.

Context has a lot to do with which gun is best. I was on an elk hunt in Idaho where it was very thick timber with only small meadows and wash out areas for clearings. All of the elk shot were within 85 yards of the shooter. A later hunt in Arizona had no animals shot within 200 yards and several shots were 300+.


I am ammending my recommendations to include a .35 whelen and a 9.3x62 or 64 if you can find them.

[goalie]

Hey guys, new here. I went to gun stop in Minnetonka today in hopes of finding a good deal on a Remington 700 .308 bolt... I am not 100% sure what I want. I am hoping to find a VERY accurate .308. I think I could proably spend between $1K and 1.5K this inclueds gun and scope, obviously if I can spend less I would like that. So after many hours reading here is what I have come up with. I want a .308 remington 700 "PS" (not sure about the series) with a 24" barrel and I think I am willing to spend up to $500 on some glass. I am not familiar with how to adjust a scope to meet current conditions and distance FYI.

To sum it up: Noob looking for great shooting .308 bolt or auto (i guess?) for a good deal. I am very open to feed back. Thanks in advance guys.

Is somthing like this a good deal/ good gun for me?
http://www.gunsamerica.com/902723368/Gu ... 308_WI.htm

For the elk gun, I have a Remington 700 in .375H&H for sale. It has a Weaver Grand Slam 4.75x scope on it, and could be yours for 700 bucks, including dies, some brass, and the original stock (it is not in a six industries synthetic for reliability and weight reasons).

[aviator]

But jack oconnor was a hired hand of Winchesters who wrote to sell model seventy's on .270 Winchester.

Context has a lot to do with which gun is best. I was on an elk hunt in Idaho where it was very thick timber with only small meadows and wash out areas for clearings. All of the elk shot were within 85 yards of the shooter. A later hunt in Arizona had no animals shot within 200 yards and several shots were 300+.


I am ammending my recommendations to include a .35 whelen and a 9.3x62 or 64 if you can find them.

I have a friend trying to sell a .35 Whelen for $600.00. PM me if interested.