Hey everybody. So I'm looking to buy a rifle that is a good all around long range hunting rifle. Something that can reach out 1000 yards and kill am elk with confidence. But also a gun I would mind taking a pronghorn with. I'm looking to buy one stock, not build. Right now I'm looking at the browning x bolt max long range in 7mm mag. I'm looking to spend around 1100 on rifle, not including scope.
I think you are approaching elk hunting the wrong way, and right now I'd say you've seen too many LR elk hunting videos. Elk hunting has very little to do with your rifle or cartridge choice in the long run, but I see so many attack it that way. So let's have a serious talk about elk hunting out West.
First you need to be honest with yourself about a few things, what kind of shape mentally and physically are you in? I live in Colorado and looks like you live in Pennsylvania, my states lowest elevation is 3,300 ft your states highest is 3,200 ft. Most of the time you're going to hunt around 7,000+ ft ASL. So even if you spent a full summer hiking your tallest peak in PA you are still going to get your butt kicked by elevation when you come out west. So you not only need to be physically tough you need to be mentally tough to handle the elevation.
Have you been applying for an elk hunt out west and how do you intend to do the hunt? Really the challenge will be drawing a tag, sure you can hunt bulls OTC here in Colorado but if you're trying to get a trophy bull they may not be the most productive units. I'd say unless you're prepared to spend a lot of years eating expensive non-resident tag soup learning a unit you want to hunt DIY, hire a guide. A good guide service will save you money elk hunting in the long run if all you want is a trophy bull. I think if you hire a guide service you'll find the average range of shots are far less than 1,000 yards.
Optics are more important than any rifle IMO. You're going to spend more time behind glass looking for and judging animals. A good pair of binoculars and a spotting scope is a must. So you've found elk at 1,000 yards with your binos, now is your spotting scope good enough to judge the animals you've found? Do you have a scope with good enough optics to single out your bull and repeatable adjustments to dial in at 1,000 yards.
You should be really thinking about how confident in your ability to shoot 1,000 yards on an elk you are. There are a lot of rifle and cartridge combinations capable of delivering a bullet with lethality at 1,000 yards on elk, shooter error is the largest uncontrollable factor in the equation. Are you confident in your ability to kill an elk at 1,000 yards, or are you going to give that wounded elk a 1,000 yard and 30 minute or more head start on a long tracking job?
A lot of things are out of your control in any kind of hunting. About the only things you're guaranteed to be able to control is where you'll hunt, you physical conditioning, your gear, and your confidence in your abilities. After that just realize you're pretty much at the mercy of Murphy's Law.
