I would take the CA in my opinion. I have three of the. The Mesa the long range Mesa and the ridge line. They shoot extremely well. The scope choice on your list would have to be the Burris. I have at least 6 Burris scopes mounted on some of my rifles and they have never let me down.
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Help Deciding on "Budget" Rifle & Scope for Once in a lifetime Elk tag (narrowed down list)
- Thread starter ND243
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There is a 300WSM savage ultralight in PX. Considering the proof barrel on it is worth $800 alone, might be a decent option.
nksmfamjp
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Meh....that barrel's only worth $800 when a gunsmith chambers it....who knows what the Savage chamber shoots like.There is a 300WSM savage ultralight in PX. Considering the proof barrel on it is worth $800 alone, might be a decent option.
Troutslayer2
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Yeah the stakes aren't as high on private prairie ranch as they are in steep public mountains.
Thomas Jake
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I would advice you to get a Zeiss v4, That's work best for me .
pony doctor
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I have taken over 30 elk in my time, the last few with my bow! In rifles, 270 cal minimum! You can get them with a .22 LR if you hit them in the right place, but not legal! Experience has proven you need to consider down range foot pounds of energy! Min 270 cal, I hunt with 7 Mag or 30/338 nowadays but prefer Archery. Your Ability to shoot 1/2 Moa min. accuracy helps too. Below the ear at 50 yards makes tracking easy. It all comes down to where you hit them in my opinion. The furthest any elk has ever gone with my bow is 50 yards!
Brother you have had a wealth of knowledge speaking to you. It is more than obvious by your archery white tail pics you can get close. Im with you I killed lots of nice whitetails with a bow mostly out of tree stands. I drew a tag a few years ago in Wyoming I had put in for a long time. I debated calibers and scopes for a long time. I had gotten into long range years before I have a super accurate 338 Lapua chassis rifle and right away I knew I was taking it. Well I took another rifle as a back up I figured if something happened to my main gun I had a back up with me. So I took my 340 WTBY. Got to my hunt first 3 days I carried that stupid heavy 338 seen lots of elk some decent bulls but covering 5-8 miles a day on foot by the fourth day I said heck with the 338. I grabbed my 340 which weighs in about 8 1/2 lbs with scope. Sure enough that day the biggest bull I have ever seen in the wild is standing at 470 yards and I cant get closer and most of his harem already went off the ridge. I got ready to shoot and went WTH this only has a 3.5X10 Leupold on it. Way different then looking thru my 25 power Zeiss. Anyway, I shot both rifles a lot before leaving knew my drop and took the shot. Bang flop 390 inch bull before deductions DRT. Could I have made that shot with a 270 or 30-06 most likely would they have killed the elk on the shot I had - a steep quartering away maybe? Did the 250 gr Nosler go in on the last rib and exit in front of the off shoulder YES. I applaud you for taking heed to the knowledge here and rethinking your caliber choice but remember this shooting a whitetail with a bow at 30 yards differs to shooting a big mature bull elk at 400. Good luck! I hope with your hunt you kill the bull of a lifetime...
So if you fire three 140 grain Accubonds, one from a 6.5PRC at 3050, one from a .270Win at 3050, and one from a 7mag at 3100 which one has the most energy at 500 yards? Which one will penetrate further on like hits? The .22 in the earhole is a classic argument, but it does not hold water with the bullets available today. As always, a bad shot with a bigger gun just puts a bigger hole in a bad spot.
GoosePilot
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Lots of good opinions. I'm glad your learning towards something that flings 180 grain plus. A 7 or 30 will work well on deer too. I've got a 6 cm and a 7 blaser mag. 195 grain dropped my bull a couple years ago. You will have lots more opportunities going this route. Good luck. Hunting badlands or in ne?
Aussie Hunter Steve
Well-Known Member
Good on you for going up to a more capable cartridge.
For a trophy hunt it's not wise to choose components that work fine if everything is in your favour... far better to have a setup that can reach the animals vitals from any angle. Opportunities that we get presented with in real life are often far different from what might be envisioned from the lounge chair. Good luck, hope you get that big bull.
For a trophy hunt it's not wise to choose components that work fine if everything is in your favour... far better to have a setup that can reach the animals vitals from any angle. Opportunities that we get presented with in real life are often far different from what might be envisioned from the lounge chair. Good luck, hope you get that big bull.
I'll be in the badlands. Elk unit E4! After the first 3 days then I can hunt E4 and E3
Man up and shoot him with your bow.Joking, good archery friend carries a Sako finlite 300wm,shoots it to 1000,has a custom dial made for a swaro z5,works well for him.Hes been MT state recurve champ.Loves the elk.Thats my bud with bull to get you amped up.Ive packed a 338 for almost 40 years.Your whitetails are supersized.
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Get the limbsaver pad for the tikka... makes a big difference.
Racksntails
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Congratulations on the tag. That is a good unit. A good amount of big bulls moving around in there. I had an E3 tag in 2016 and it was definitely a good time. Good luck.
