Elk rifle

[CogburnR]

The brake cleaner I use contains "petroleum distillates". I use it to flush out any loose crud before cleaning the stuck on crud. It is basically an aerosol flush that evaporates fast.

It doesn't contain ammonia so it doesn't cut copper.

It also works as a good flush to remove leftover cleaners and crud that has been knocked loose by it.

The cleaners work pretty well and I have found that most of the patching done is to remove debris that can be flushed out. It also smears that debris all over the bore when you patch instead of flush.

The idea is to reduce the amount of time the bore sees with a cleaning rod in it.

I found that the bore guide itself will get full of crap so you need to flush that out too.

 

[Greywolf18]

Why not get a 338-06 or 338-06AI and get the bullet size of 338 with lower recoil? Just a thought....
I've been going over the same problem in my head but am seriously thinking of just going with a 338-06 with a 24" barrel that will be light and not too bad to shoot. This will be easier to pack in the mountain than my 15 lb 7WSM. I'll admit I've never gone elk hunting, but am planning on going when I get back from my deployment

 

[specweldtom]

My nephew uses a .338-06. It does the job, but wouldn't be the best choice for over 300yds, in my opinion. In the dark timber it would be an excellent choice. With the heavier bullets, it'll kick harder than an '06, but considerably less than the .338 magnums.

Tom

 

[Greywolf18]

Tom-

I was thinking the same thing about distance. I was thinking 300 would be my max distance and shoot 200-225 grain accubonds. Should be able to take them down with a shoulder shot at those distances.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

My 338-06AI shoots within 150 fps of my 338 win mag. You can load 185 grain Barnes ttsx bullets at 3050 fps with very little recoil. It would be deadly on elk to several hundred yards and be a better choice for elk than the smaller caliber magnums such as the 7mm rem mag. I have been doing drop tests on the 185 ttsx since it came out last summer. The .432 bc they list is way low. I have to plug in a much higher bc to match my drops.

 

[winmag]

I think y'all have finally broken me and I'm buying a 338. I'll learn to deal with the brake, I always use ear plugs anyway. I'm pretty excited about having a big boy in the safe. I know the 7 would probably do it but if I left a wounded elk out there my first hunt and knew I could have used some more firepower I would be pretty upset!

Glad to see that. Im sure you wont be dissapointed in the results.

 

[Buano]

I'm glad you are buying a .338.

I am convinced many "missed" elk were not missed at all. An elk is a VERY large target to miss completely and an elk (unlike many other game animals) will often not show reaction to a bullet hit. If the elk doesn't drop in 40 yards or leave a blood trail many hunters will presume it's OK. I presume all "missed" elk were hit unless I spotted the bullet impact clear of the elk. I am convinced an unacceptable number of elk are shot & not recovered every year because too little gun was used FOR THE SHOT THAT WAS TAKEN. Yes, a .243 may kill elk if everything is perfect, but a .340 Weatherby will kill elk even when you screw up and shots aren't perfect.

Given the choice of the two, I would cary a .375 H&H before I would cary a .270 win for hunting elk in mixed terrain. I think a .340 Weatherby is probably the best elk cartridge ever, and that a .300 mag, Win, WSM or Weatherby is the smallest cartridge I consider an acceptable elk cartridge because it car drive a relatively heavy bullet into an elk at expected elk ranges.

 

[alaska]

Lucky Guy, Now don't get me started on scopes and bullets. I agree with you on scopes and bullets. I shoot lower power scopes with high FOV for easy and quick target aquisition at close range in timber when needed. With ten power I can easily take out an animal at 1000 yards because I have done it for years and know how.

For bullets the tsx and ttsx are the premier elk bullet because you can drive them through any portion of the elk at any angle presented and kill the elk. But don't get me started on these two topics because I got enough guys mad at me already for the caliber deal.

D.camilleri, The barnes x had a bad habit of pencil holes. They changed up the tsx and ttsx and I have way better succes with those. I quit the nosler partition back in the 70's for the same reason you mentioned. Last year I saw four complete bullet failures with the 225 AB. Complete jacket core seperation and nothing left but shrapnel through the elk. This was my primary bullet at the time and it shocked me. I agree the swift would be the answer. I have great success with the swift scirroco as the best performing lead core bullet on the market. Your experience seems to be about the same overall as what I have seen with most stuff.

I used the 185 ttsx in 338 winchester on my grizz this year. It performed perfectly.

I have used the old swift A frame 225gr in my 338 Win for about 9 moose ago with 71.0 of IMR 4350. But like all things I was thinking about changing to the 185 TTSX? I enjoy your writings.

 

[Buano]

I have been very surprised by the differences in felt recoil between different rifles and how this does not always directly correlate to the power of the cartridge. The hardest to shoot (due to felt recoil) rifle I've had my hands on in the last 40 years was a Stainless Remington 700 SPS in .270WSM. My Sako .375 H&H kicks much less although the weight is almost the same. My Browning Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem definitely has less kick — and my Weatherby Alaskan in .300 Weatherby has much less felt recoil than any of these although it does weigh a little more.

Elk are tough critters. They can be hit in the vitals and not flinch. They can be hit fairly well and run off as if not hit. I am convinced many elk "misses" are not misses and caused the elk to die out of sight. For this reason I argue for using the most powerful rifle a hunter can shoot well. I had a bad experience with a 7MM rem on my first elk hunt when an Accubond bullet failed to penetrate on a shoulder shot at 9 yards. (I did kill the elk, but that shot didn't make it through the shoulder.) Now I wouldn't use the 7 mag on elk without using a bullet that will not totally fragment at very high speeds. My .338/.378 Weatherby (braked) has INSTANTLY dropped every elk it was pointed at.

Like you, I don't like hunting with brakes and prefer rifles that have less felt recoil. For that reason, and the added power, I normally reach for my .300 Weatherby on an elk hunt. (If I stumble across a Weatherby Alaskan in .340 Weatherby I will probably snatch it up.) If the 7MM Rem is the biggest rifle you can shoot well unbraked, use it. If you can shoot something larger well, I recommend doing so.

 

[Techy]

Arthur,

Wise Choice, and thanks for starting a great thread.

Shot a LARGE elk last year at 27'. (Yes, miracles happen.) I put a 7MM Rem mag bullet 4" behind the shoulder muscle & blew out his lungs. Guide said to shoot him again to put him on the ground so I put one in his shoulder. Using premium bullets, the second shot didn't make it to his chest cavity. Likely due to the velocity at that range, even the 160 grain premium bullet failed. If that shoulder shot had been my only shot, that elk would have died days later.

I'll never cary a 7 MM Rem Mag for elk again. If I don't have a .340 Weatherby available before my next elk hunt I'll cary my Sako 75 in .375 H&H. The .375 isn't the flattest shooting round, but it's very accurate & it penetrates.

Could use a monolithic bullet

 

[Oi.223]

Elk are big animals and the shots can sometimes be long and difficult in rugged terrain. I wouldn't shoot anything less than a 30 Cal Mag, but that's just me. I just had a buddy loose a big bull trying out his new 6.5 Creedmore. I tried to convince him not to use it, but he did anyway. He sold it within the next week. There will be plenty of guys who will say they shot a gazillion bulls with much smaller rifles, but if you can handle the recoil, with or without a muzzle brake, then I think you should use a big gun on elk.

 

[meatyrem]

I agree with the 30cal mag for elk for a general rule.
I think the 7mm mags are also suitable too
IMO any 7mm mag and on up goes in my book.

 

[Antonio m]

I worked as an elk guide and seen many kills. Myself, bullet construction is the deal breaker. Use a good bullet.
On my own, I use a .270 Win. Seen them downed with a. 375 and a 22/50 and lots in between. My criteria, no longer than a 22" barrel or more than 8 lbs carried. You will carry it in every position.

 

[Techy]

I worked as an elk guide and seen many kills. Myself, bullet construction is the deal breaker. Use a good bullet.
On my own, I use a .270 Win. Seen them downed with a. 375 and a 22/50 and lots in between. My criteria, no longer than a 22" barrel or more than 8 lbs carried. You will carry it in every position.

Interesting criteria. I don't mind a bit more weight, especially if it's on a pack.