Long Range Elk Gun, What caliber you would choose?

[WildRose]

If you don't mind running a wild cat, might consider a 7/300 PRC

Quality Cartridge makes brass for a 7mm-375 Ruger. The 7LRM is based off of the Ruger case but loses some case capacity with it's extremely long neck.

You'd have to call ahead and see when they are planning a run of that brass and go ahead and buy a good quantity to start.

Being married to Gunswerks for 7LRM brass is to say the least no fun.

Hornady will also make you a set of custom dies to neck straight down from the 375 Ruger brass which is getting more and more available all of the time.

7mm-375 Ruger - Rifle Brass - Metallic Reloading - Graf & Sons

www.grafs.com

Personally I'm going to build a 7mm-375R and a .338-375 Ruger this year just for fun.

Once those are done I'll see if I can get the same guy to punch out my 6.5LRM shortening the neck and increasing the case volume so I can get away from the Gunwerks proprietary brass.

 

[SSgt G Cody]

For consistent 1000yd shots, I'd go with 300 WM and 210gn heavy-wall bullets at around 3000fps. Good for everything short of brown bears!

 

[hicountry1]

I have, three, what I would consider long range elk rifles...7mm Dakota, 7stw and 300rum

Longest shot so far on elk, 450 yards with the rum, 180 scirocco...dropped him where he stood.

 

[COBrad]

Most of the shots mentioned in this thread are not long range anyway… mid-range at best. Elk are not made of steel, when I was young most of the guys around where I live killed them with their 30-30's and 300 savages. The vast majority of elk here in western Colorado are killed at less than 200 yards. No magnum anything needed. My main elk rifle is an ultralight 284 Winchester shooting 160 accubonds at about 2600. Good to 500 yards and I'd feel confident to 600 broadside. Getting past those mid-range numbers becomes magnum territory IMO. I've used a 7 mag and a 300 WSM for kills at 1098 and 1176. Next build is a 300 Norma Improved throated for 245 Bergers for those >1K shots. This, IMO, is magnum territory.

 

[PapaSmurff]

I've owned a ranch and been an outfitter in Northwest Colorado since 1994 and have witnessed hundreds of elk kills during the last 27 years since my family first bought our ranch up there back in 94'. Elk are tough, just plain and simple, any way you wanna slice it. I've seen them shot with everything from 6mm's to 378 Weatherby's. If your planning on regularly shooting elk at distance (over 700-800 yards and beyond) on a regular basis each year, and your wanting not just to "successfully kill" them but instead help insure that you don't loose any from marginally placed shots (wind can affect bullets exponentially especially when we're talking about ranges around 1,000 yards and beyond) then you really need to be concentrating on either a .338 caliber or a .375. 338 RUM, 338 Norma, 338 Lapua, 340 Weatherby, or even the new 33 Nosler shooting 250 grain bullets with muzzle velocities of 2,900 fps or higher or heavier bullets with even better BC's slightly slower. My personal favorite would be the 33 Nosler with a 28" barrel loaded with 250 Elite Hunters at 2,950 fps if I wanted to keep rifle weight under 11 or 12 pounds. I have killed several elk myself around the 450 yard range using just a factory 375 Ruger guide rifle firing 260 Accubonds at 2,750 fps. Everyone of my kills using the 375 Ruger with that load were bang flops. If I didn't mind extra weight and was firing from a fixed position where I'm not having to carry it very far, hunting maybe on a private ranch like i do most of the time then I would step things on up to the 338 Norma, 338 Lapua, or the best in my opinion for a heavier fixed position rifle would probably be the .338 Terminator built by Defensive Edge with a 30" fluted barrel firing 300 grain Berger's close to 3,100 fps. The 7mm's and especially the 300 mags with heavy high BC bullets will do the job for sure, but for long range elk thumpers (thumpers not just successful killers) the 338's and 375's just give you the kind of performance that true long range elk hunters are seeking. Just my opinion after watching several hundred elk kills with various calibers over the past 27 years of guiding elk hunters.

 

[WildRose]

Most of the shots mentioned in this thread are not long range anyway… mid-range at best. Elk are not made of steel, when I was young most of the guys around where I live killed them with their 30-30's and 300 savages. The vast majority of elk here in western Colorado are killed at less than 200 yards. No magnum anything needed. My main elk rifle is an ultralight 284 Winchester shooting 160 accubonds at about 2600. Good to 500 yards and I'd feel confident to 600 broadside. Getting past those mid-range numbers becomes magnum territory IMO. I've used a 7 mag and a 300 WSM for kills at 1098 and 1176. Next build is a 300 Norma Improved throated for 245 Bergers for those >1K shots. This, IMO, is magnum territory.

You are certainly correct. The problem is when they are covered in thick dried mud or ice and snow. When they are a guy needs to really think before pulling the trigger considering the bullet construction and placement.

We have to remind ourselves just how many Elk and Even Moose have been taking with the modest 6.5 Swede, 30-30, and 30-06 not to mention the 7RM.

Just be sure you know your animal, the conditions, bullet construction and performance and pick the POA that maximizes what you have at any range.

 

[Calvin45]

When I was 18 I didn't feel confident in my 270 for real long range killing power (not that I ever shot at anything close to long range then, and even still!). I needed a .30 caliber magnum!

Now I love my .300'winnie and respect my old .270 maybe more than I did then. But for REAL long range smackdown power..,I'd kinda like a big .33 or a bigger .30 than mine (want to do a .30 xc on a savage 112 single shot sometime).

But I'm sure that once I have one of those I'll reply be undergunned until a monster .375 enters the stable.

Ecclesiastes tells us whoever loves money never has money enough…the preacher could just as well have been talking about guns!

 

[Calvin45]

When I was 18 I didn't feel confident in my 270 for real long range killing power (not that I ever shot at anything close to long range then, and even still!). I needed a .30 caliber magnum!

Now I love my .300'winnie and respect my old .270 maybe more than I did then. But for REAL long range smackdown power..,I'd kinda like a big .33 or a bigger .30 than mine (want to do a .30 xc on a savage 112 single shot sometime).

But I'm sure that once I have one of those I'll reply be undergunned until a monster .375 enters the stable.

Ecclesiastes tells us whoever loves money never has money enough…the preacher could just as well have been talking about guns!

So based on what I DONT have get a monster 30 cal or .338 of some flavour!

 

[WildRose]

When I was 18 I didn't feel confident in my 270 for real long range killing power (not that I ever shot at anything close to long range then, and even still!). I needed a .30 caliber magnum!

Now I love my .300'winnie and respect my old .270 maybe more than I did then. But for REAL long range smackdown power..,I'd kinda like a big .33 or a bigger .30 than mine (want to do a .30 xc on a savage 112 single shot sometime).

But I'm sure that once I have one of those I'll reply be undergunned until a monster .375 enters the stable.

Ecclesiastes tells us whoever loves money never has money enough…the preacher could just as well have been talking about guns!

Before making my first Trip to Africa I really struggled trying to decide what to take. I took my favorite 300wm and bought my first .375 Rugers. I've been in love with both the cartridge itself and all you can do wildcatting off of it.

My Winnies feel a little left out sometimes but I make sure they get into the field every so often as well.

Honestly I shoot more 6.5LRM and 300RUM these days than anything but inside of 400yards the .375 Ruger really rocks it.

 

[WildRose]

So based on what I DONT have get a monster 30 cal or .338 of some flavour!

.338-375 Ruger or 300PRC will meet just about any need. I sure love my Rum's though.

 

[motrapper]

.338-375 Ruger or 300PRC will meet just about any need. I sure love my Rum's though.

300 WM will match anything the PRC can do and with more.
Now the 300 RUM takes a step up.

 

[WildRose]

300 WM will match anything the PRC can do and with more.
Now the 300 RUM takes a step up.

Owning 3 Winnies I'm well aware of that.

The problem is that for the future the belted magnums are going the way of the Dodos.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Owning 3 Winnies I'm well aware of that.

The problem is that for the future the belted magnums are going the way of the Dodos.

I don't see that happening anybody time soon. There are too many long running great cartridges that still wear a belt.

 

[WildRose]

I don't see that happening anybody time soon. There are too many long running great cartridges that still wear a belt.

Sadly, it's already happening and that trend started about a decade or so back.

All it took was a couple of paid off gun writers to start telling us how inferior the belted cases were and that the beltless magnums were the new, "thing".

Add up all the new wiz bang magums that have come out in the last 20-30 years and see how many are belted vs non belted.

Components will still be easy to come by but 20-40 years from now loaded factory ammo and rifles chambered in belted magnum calibers are going to be scarce.