best long range elk gun

[Slick8]

The best is very subjective. I know many will and have said anything from a 243 to 65 creed to a 50 bmg.

I killed my first cow elk last year and am going on my first guided bull hunt this year. I built a big 30 as it will work for anything from deer to moose.

I say start a 7rm or short mag and go up from there depending on your tolerance of recoil. I personally feel for most of us an elk hunt even a DIY is too much of an investment in time and money to take chances on a rifle that requires a perfect shot opportunity for success.

Heres my custom APR built 30 nosler on a defiance tenacity.

I'm stacking 230s into .4-.5s and 300 yards at 2900 fps. At elk altitude thats good for over 1k which is farther than I can shoot. Going to the 600 yard range as soon as I can get a little time.

I'm planning a short lightweight rig later this year based on the defiance anti with the same stock and will be running a 20 inch proof in a 300 or 338 short mag variant.

 

[montana west]

my personal opinoin with 50 years of experience on bullets the 200 serria game king in 30 cal or the 200 nosler accubond. or in the 338 and I too like 338 the 215 serria game king or the nosler accubond in the same weight... my testing of bullets. I was very suprised on how the big game kings held up through a 1/8 steer plate the 1 gallon jug of h2o then 11" into some hard aspen logs and retained 90 percent of bullet wt and it mushroomed the best of all the othe bullets i tested.

 

[Lapuatom]

6.5cdm.....had to......ya know its the best at evrathun...dinosars too....

W/hammer bullets

 

[montana west]

long range of larger animals over 600#s 300 Winchester no competition.. only competition is the 338 lupula and it is not a hunting Rifle . that is good for 400 yards no one should shoot any animal over this distance, if so your not a hunter your are just a shooter.

 

[shawnb]

Being in the ELR forum i would assume youre talking over 1000yd hunting correct?

In that case pick a caliber that can launch a heavy high bc bullet as fast as you can.

300 rum, 338 edge, lapua, etc

 

[codyadams]

long range of larger animals over 600#s 300 Winchester no competition.. only competition is the 338 lupula and it is not a hunting Rifle . that is good for 400 yards no one should shoot any animal over this distance, if so your not a hunter your are just a shooter.

To make that statement on a "Long Range Hunting" forum, especially in the "Extreme Long Range Hunting & Shooting (ELR)" subsection of this forum, is extremely ignorant.

Also, saying that a .338 Lapua (not Lapula) is not a hunting rifle, is also ignorant, and shines some light on your knowledge of this subject. I personally have a 9 lb 3 oz (loaded, ready to hunt) 24" barreled (26" with brake) .338 Norma, and with only a different reamer could have been a Lapua. That is lighter than a wood stocked Remington 700 long action would weigh with the same scope/ring setup.

Perhaps, a "Long Range Hunting" forum, is not the proper place to start talking down to people about long range hunting. Seems rather obvious, but some have a hard time picking that up.

 

[montana west]

the 338 norma is good.

 

[sp6x6]

The 338 Norma mag came out in 2009,Jim Sloan is considered developer. I had one made in 2010,107 gr h2o case.It was originally designed for the 300 grn bullet,but shoot what you like out of it.Based off 416 Rigby case

 

[CVCOBRA1]

To make that statement on a "Long Range Hunting" forum, especially in the "Extreme Long Range Hunting & Shooting (ELR)" subsection of this forum, is extremely ignorant.

Also, saying that a .338 Lapua (not Lapula) is not a hunting rifle, is also ignorant, and shines some light on your knowledge of this subject. I personally have a 9 lb 3 oz (loaded, ready to hunt) 24" barreled (26" with brake) .338 Norma, and with only a different reamer could have been a Lapua. That is lighter than a wood stocked Remington 700 long action would weigh with the same scope/ring setup.

Perhaps, a "Long Range Hunting" forum, is not the proper place to start talking down to people about long range hunting. Seems rather obvious, but some have a hard time picking that up.

He's only been on here two weeks, just hasn't caught on yet.......

 

[Beaver10]

I love and hate these threads because nothing can meet the expectations or critical thinking of everyone.
except maybe a 30-06 loaded with 200g partition, but not quite a LR tool for some.

Being honest, some who have never killed elk on a regular basis, or just shot a few, and maybe those were a ranch type hunt for cow or bull, which is a lot different than a public land, diy, bull hunt. (I said some-not all)...

It's difficult to have a wide scope of knowledge to draw from when selecting a chambering to best match the conditions of the elk hunt you will be doing.

Aside from an elk being medium to large, heavy boned, and wearing a thick hide. They can have a strong determination to survive, depending on their environment.

The "Environment", is the key when selecting a chambering...If you're hunting low ranch land, where it's primarily open spaces, and you're able to sink one, two, or three rounds into an elk, then the world of chamberings opens up significantly, especially, with the use of turreted scopes.

But, if you're hunting steep and deep canyons with clear cuts surrounded by dense timber, thick cover, and dealing with potential pressures from other hunters on public land. You getting a solid hit on a bull at 600, 700, or 800 yards is pretty important. OP said LR. Not sure if 600-800 is LR to everyone???

Anchoring a bull with the first shot is the goal...It doesn't always happen. But, if the Elk Gods are being favorable and you're hitting the bull with a great bullet that has the energy at impact distances, you might just get a second chance to send a final tent peg into him before the Wapiti is able to jump up and hit the adrenaline stride button - heading for thick cover....Can you say "Operation locate elk rodeo in big country"?... It ain't fun!

Yes, yes, I know, shot placement trumps everything...Tell that to the uninitiated hunter who glassed up a big bull at first light and knows that 400 yards away is another group of hunters who are looking for the same herd...

Now, stay steady boys, and make that shot with a field rest, in low light and self imposed pressure crushing down on the guy behind the scope.

Best LR rig for elk in big public land country with a nasty environment. I'm slinging a 300 RUM, or 300 Roy with 180g NAB with a NF NXS ZS 5.5-22x50 MOAR...These have worked quite well for me and my tribe of misfit hunting pards.

 

[montana west]

300 winchester mag with 200 gr AB

 

[StraightShooter77]

I'd toss a vote in for .300PRC! Hard hitting long distance round that should do the job with the proper shot placement!

StraightShooter77

 

[montana west]

if it goes bang and develops 3000LBS of energy at the end of the barrel and you can hit a baseball at 100 yards dead elk. I vote for the 300 win as the military uses it for sniper purposes. I belive the 300 win will give you that energy at 250 yards

 

[4xforfun]

the 338 norma is good.

If the 338 Lapua is not a hunting cartridge, why would the Norma be one. The were BOTH designed for LR sniping if I am not mistaken.

To the OP.....the med large 338's (Lapua, Norma, EDGE, RUM) would be a manageable mix of power and recoil.

Just my .02,

Tod