Elk/Deer Caliber

I use a 300 WSM for both mule deer and elk. 150 gr for mule deer and 180 for elk. Ballistic are close enough that I can zero for 150 and still be right on at 300 yds with 180 grain
 
my choice
https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-5-r-stainless-threaded-gen-2
two 308's 20 or 24" barrel 300 with a 24" tube already threaded Not a big fan of the stock large area for the off hand palm that don't fit me well
OR
https://www.remington.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-700/model-700-magpul-enhanced
308 in 20 300 in 24 love this stock like the mag's but expensive I have this in 308 nice shooter. Got the Gen 2in 300 and put it in a Magpul stock LOVE IT
Don't skrimp on optics
 
When you are in the mountains hunting Elk, every pound and every inch matters. I've hunted with a lot of different guns and bullets but I have stopped trying any other gun and I use a 300 WSM for elk hunting. It has the ballistics of the 300 WM with a short chamber and a shorter barrel. It is a pleasure to shoot and carry through the mountains. After 25 years of elk hunting, it is the gun that me and most of buddies use now.
 
I would love to have a .378 Weatherby...Improved!
Especially a light(ish) weight one, be like the more portable little brother to my Snipetac.:eek:
 
paintballpaki said:
I'm brand new to the world of bolt action and have limited experience hunting anything outside of a blind. I am in the market for a new gun capable of hunting deer and elk. Fairly positive I'm gonna get a 700, the last thing is which model and caliber. At some point, I do want the ability to put a suppressor on there, and I'm pretty sure the SPS TAC AAC is the only one that comes with a threaded barrel. Let's say I went with another model, is that something that could be easily done by a smith for less than $300? i honestly have no idea. The other thing, is if I did go with the SPS TAC AAC, would you guys recommend i get the barrel floated? Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks guys.<SNIPPED STUFF>
Click to expand...
Hey PaintBallPaki,
First off, I think your choice in rifle will be good (700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD Bolt Action) as it will work great as a deer/elk hunting rifle and the extra barrel weight will help soak up some recoil. Plus a short, stiff barrel is usually conducive to accuracy, which is always a good thing. The 20" barrel is threaded for a suppressor, which is an amazing thing to have on a firearm. There is nothing wrong with a suppressor on a hunting gun! Matter of fact, a lot of us would have been better off ("What!? Ben's bitter about what?") if we had used one throughout our hunting careers. And until you get your suppressor, the gun will still work out just fine, 'as is'.

As for caliber, you've gotten some good suggestions but the ones I thought most thoughtful, based on your experience level, were for the .308 Win or the 7mm-08 Rem. They will both effectively take deer and elk, but without a lot of recoil. But the gun you want only comes in .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor, so that puts you into the .308 Win by default and that's a great choice. Lots of inexpensive practice ammo available and so many factory loaded options for hunting, it'll make you dizzy. This rifle and caliber are a great place to start your 'outside the blind' hunting future.

Here's a lead on one for $631:
https://grabagun.com/rem-700-sps-tact-aac-308win-20-hb.html

As you already discovered, if you really find your heart set on a different Rem 700 (or another rifle) that isn't threaded already for a suppressor, don't let that stop you from getting it. A good gunsmith will thread your barrel for $75 to $100 (depends on if you want the 'thread protector' with it or not. I would suggest you get it.)

Recoil is your enemy. Lack of available over the counter ammo is your enemy. The .308 Win is awesome on both fronts (moderate recoil & lots of ammo.) All of the magnums mentioned will surely kill elk. But you don't NEED them to kill elk. They will also kick you a lot in the process. And ammo will be much more expensive than the .308 Win.

As for the .338-06 A-Square, it is a SAAMI approved cartridge, but you surely aren't going to find ammo for it at WalMart. Down the road, when you have more time and experience and perhaps take up reloading, then perhaps revisit this cartridge idea. It is a wonderful elk/moose round. But when you touch one off, you'll definitely know it. And lots of recoil sucks the fun out of shooting and lots of shooting is what will give you skills and confidence to hit what you want.

I wish you the best with whatever you chose and welcome to the LRH forum.
 
Last edited:
Frog4aday said:
Hey PaintBallPaki,
First off, I think your choice in rifle will be good (700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD Bolt Action) as it will work great as a deer/elk hunting rifle and the extra barrel weight will help soak up some recoil. Plus a short, stiff barrel is usually conducive to accuracy, which is always a good thing. The 20" barrel is threaded for a suppressor, which is an amazing thing to have on a firearm. There is nothing wrong with a suppressor on a hunting gun! Matter of fact, a lot of us would have been better off ("What!? Ben's bitter about what?") if we had used one throughout our hunting careers. And until you get your suppressor, the gun will still work out just fine, 'as is'.

As for caliber, you've gotten some good suggestions but the ones I thought most thoughtful, based on your experience level, were for the .308 Win or the 7mm-08 Rem. They will both ethically take deer and elk, but without a lot of recoil. But the gun you want only comes in .308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor, so that puts you into the .308 Win by default and that's a great choice. Lots of inexpensive practice ammo available and so many factory loaded options for hunting, it'll make you dizzy. This rifle and caliber are a great place to start your 'outside the blind' hunting future.

Here's a lead on one for $631:
https://grabagun.com/rem-700-sps-tact-aac-308win-20-hb.html

As you already discovered, if you really find your heart set on a different Rem 700 (or another rifle) that isn't threaded already for a suppressor, don't let that stop you from getting it. A good gunsmith will thread your barrel for $75 to $100 (depends on if you want the 'thread protector' with it or not. I would suggest you get it.)

Recoil is your enemy. Lack of available over the counter ammo is your enemy. The .308 Win is awesome on both fronts (moderate recoil & lots of ammo.) All of the magnums mentioned will surely kill elk. But you don't NEED them to kill elk. They will also kick you a lot in the process. And ammo will be much more expensive than the .308 Win.

As for the .338-06 A-Square, it is a SAAMI approved cartridge, but you surely aren't going to find ammo for it at WalMart. Down the road, when you have more time and experience and perhaps take up reloading, then perhaps revisit this cartridge idea. It is a wonderful elk/moose round. But when you touch one off, you'll definitely know it. And lots of recoil sucks the fun out of shooting and lots of shooting is what will give you skills and confidence to hit what you want.

I wish you the best with whatever you chose and welcome to the LRH forum.
Click to expand...

Frog4aday, I'm not familiar with the ballistics of a 308 with a 20" barrel, I've never hunted or owned anything under 24" so don't know, and the reason I ask is how far does the OP plan to shoot, 400yds? 600 yds? 800 yds? Is the 308 with a 20" good enough for 400+ yds? If not then this might not work, but if he is not going to shoot that far then he'll be just fine. Am I wrong on assuming this might just not be enough gun past the 400 yds?
 
Hmmm...there were responses after this post (above) earlier today, then the forum "went down" and now the forum is back up, but the comments are gone. That's a bummer.

Long response short = 20" barrel will be more than acceptable, ballistically speaking, out to 500 yards. Probably farther with proper bullet choices, but that's probably far enough for most people getting started out. Heck, that's probably far enough for a lot of us...period. But if he does get 'bit' by the long range/ELR 'bug' he can figure out what his next 'perfect' rifle might be?
 

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