Need some guidance..

[Shoot 708]

There's no bigger fan of the STW than myself but with the specific goal of LR Elk huning the .300wm or better yea the .300 Rum certainly offer substantial advantages and gives the shooter more room for error.

Welcome to Utah. There's some great cow elk hunting here. A good bull tag becomes more scarce. Maybe we could turn this into an STW vs .300 WM debate. Haha. For elk my minimum requirements are 1400 fp of energy or more with a sturdy bullet carrying enough velocity for good expansion. (1800 FPS or more). Plugging numbers into my ballistic apps, that puts the .300 WM At a little over an 800 yard elk cartridge. At that range the STW is essentially it's ballistic twin for bullet energy. My STW is braked and life sucks if you're ever in a quick shot situation and don't have your ears protected.
On to the 6.5 CM, my ballistic app puts it meeting the minimums out to about 550 yards. Interesting to note, it is virtually a ballistic twin to my 7mm 08 hand loads at 550 yards.
My sons last Utah cow elk was taken at that 550 yards. I was packing the STW. It would have been a better harvester at that distance. He doesn't like shooting the STW. The 08 gets A LOT more range time. Thus he's a lot more comfortable with it. For him it was the better tool for the day.
If I were to replace the STW I'd look seriously at the 28 Nosler. (I couldn't go wrong stepping up to a .300 but I've already got lots of 7mm stuff). If I were to replace the 7mm 08 I'd consider the 6.5 CM. We like to range shoot a lot and it would get shot a lot more than the Nosler.
We are meat hunters so it's great to live in a state with plenty of cow elk opportunities. So far it's the 7mm 08 that's put more of them in the freezer. (My wife HATES my STW), she'll have a cow tag this year. We built her a fun 08 last year, just a straight barrel nothing noisy on the end. Haha
We'll make sure to get within 500 yards. She's getting lots of range time with the new rig. They're easier to hit at 500 than 800 anyways. Hopefully someone else will have a cow tag too and we'll be packing the STW. If a longer shot opportunity is all we have, I MIGHT be able to set her up for a shot with it. I've made her shoot it a couple of times. So she at least knows how it works

 

[Swatman05]

Welcome to Utah. There's some great cow elk hunting here. A good bull tag becomes more scarce. Maybe we could turn this into an STW vs .300 WM debate. Haha. For elk my minimum requirements are 1400 fp of energy or more with a sturdy bullet carrying enough velocity for good expansion. (1800 FPS or more). Plugging numbers into my ballistic apps, that puts the .300 WM At a little over an 800 yard elk cartridge. At that range the STW is essentially it's ballistic twin for bullet energy. My STW is braked and life sucks if you're ever in a quick shot situation and don't have your ears protected.
On to the 6.5 CM, my ballistic app puts it meeting the minimums out to about 550 yards. Interesting to note, it is virtually a ballistic twin to my 7mm 08 hand loads at 550 yards.
My sons last Utah cow elk was taken at that 550 yards. I was packing the STW. It would have been a better harvester at that distance. He doesn't like shooting the STW. The 08 gets A LOT more range time. Thus he's a lot more comfortable with it. For him it was the better tool for the day.
If I were to replace the STW I'd look seriously at the 28 Nosler. (I couldn't go wrong stepping up to a .300 but I've already got lots of 7mm stuff). If I were to replace the 7mm 08 I'd consider the 6.5 CM. We like to range shoot a lot and it would get shot a lot more than the Nosler.
We are meat hunters so it's great to live in a state with plenty of cow elk opportunities. So far it's the 7mm 08 that's put more of them in the freezer. (My wife HATES my STW), she'll have a cow tag this year. We built her a fun 08 last year, just a straight barrel nothing noisy on the end. Haha
We'll make sure to get within 500 yards. She's getting lots of range time with the new rig. They're easier to hit at 500 than 800 anyways. Hopefully someone else will have a cow tag too and we'll be packing the STW. If a longer shot opportunity is all we have, I MIGHT be able to set her up for a shot with it. I've made her shoot it a couple of times. So she at least knows how it works

I'll be in the Saratoga Springs area. I definitely want to find an area with plenty of Cow Elk and good hunting opportunities. Haha.

 

[timberwolfhunter]

This was a few years ago but i dropped him with a 7-rem-mag reload @ app. 150 yards with 1 injection behind the ear then find a tractor to load it. 7x7

 

[royinidaho]

300 WM is considered minimum with the fellas I hunt with. While a more universally acceptable caliber starts with a couple of 3s. My selection for the ranges you mention is the 338 RUM. A 338 Edge will getcha a little further.

Either an 8 pound RUM or Edge with a decent brake can be comfortably shot all day.

Also local legend is that more elk are lost by the 7mm Rem than any other cal. Nothing under 7mm is considered worthy of elk unless you are a darn good shooter.

My 2 cents.

 

[Swatman05]

300 WM is considered minimum with the fellas I hunt with. While a more universally acceptable caliber starts with a couple of 3s. My selection for the ranges you mention is the 338 RUM. A 338 Edge will getcha a little further.

Either an 8 pound RUM or Edge with a decent brake can be comfortably shot all day.

Also local legend is that more elk are lost by the 7mm Rem than any other cal. Nothing under 7mm is considered worthy of elk unless you are a darn good shooter.

My 2 cents.

I've recently been looking at the 300RUM.. Still open on caliber choices. Haha

 

[Harvey Durham]

Well, that is completely factually untrue.

Muzzle brakes for hunting rifles first started becoming popular in the 80's and have been gaining in popularity every since.

I wouldn't have a Magnum rifle without a break??

 

[timberwolfhunter]

I wouldn't have a Magnum rifle without a break??

I love my 7mm-rem-mag i recently installed a 25 inch HEYM barrel on it a beautiful rifle to shoot and very very accurate i can get a group of 3 shots to touch each other

 

[FIGJAM]

Simply put, a 6.5 creedmoor is to small for elk!! No exceptions, reading on down where someone was told their friend told them they killed an elk with one at 1,550 yards!! A creedmoor bearly has enough energy at 1,550 to kill a rabbit if they could hit it!! Anyone that would even shoot at anything at that range with a Creedmoor doesn't need to even be allowed to be hunting!!! I don't believe it at all. My advice is find someone local and find an ethical hunter and mentor!! I own and love my 6.5 creedmoor and WILL NOT even take a shot at a deer with it passed 500 yards. I have a 1,038 yard and a 1,508 yard target that I should when I'm preparing for a hunt and have made sub world record groups with witnesses and pictures to back it up. Whoever that person is that's making that claim is an idiot!!

The 6.5 is plenty for elk - you just can't be stupid about the distances you shoot them at. The 1550 yard elk kill story is obviously BS, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the 6.5CM is plenty of gun to lay the smack down on elk out to 500-600 yards.

My earlier recommendation to the OP was to go with the 300 wm since he is cool with the recoil. I stand by that... Having said that I am going to leave my magnums in the safe this fall and hunt elk with my **** 260 just because of people who make comments like this, or maybe I will get really wild and buy some skinny jeans and take my son's left handed creed, just so I can say I killed an elk with one and **** people off.

 

[Swatman05]

The 6.5 is plenty for elk - you just can't be stupid about the distances you shoot them at. The 1550 yard elk kill story is obviously BS, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the 6.5CM is plenty of gun to lay the smack down on elk out to 500-600 yards.

My earlier recommendation to the OP was to go with the 300 wm since he is cool with the recoil. I stand by that... Having said that I am going to leave my magnums in the safe this fall and hunt elk with my ---- 260 just because of people who make comments like this, or maybe I will get really wild and buy some skinny jeans and take my son's left handed creed, just so I can say I killed an elk with one and ---- people off.

I think we all want to see evidence of you in Elk country in skinny jeans.. Hahaha

 

[WildRose]

I think we all want to see evidence of you in Elk country in skinny jeans.. Hahaha

Definitely not, some images are better left to the imagination.

 

[Swatman05]

Definitely not, some images are better left to the imagination.

Oh come on now... Haha... What's life if you're not having fun?

 

[Rich Coyle]

I have the Savage Trophy Hunter, Off the shelf (Ordered specifically for me), Broke in carefully 3 Rounds, swab, 3 rounds, swab, 3 rounds, swab. Zeroing as I went, then final zero with 1 round at 3 separate targets. It is a Tack Driver, I would feel comfortable using it for anything in North America or South America.

My belief, Break in is KEY to accuracy.

1 Okie to another, Good Luck
dg

I want a Savage with a 26 inch barrel and broke it in by shooting one and cleaning one for about 50 shots. 10 shots and .870 at 200 yards.

My friend bought the exact same one wanted me to break it in for him. I went to the range we got the cleaning cat so far three

 

[Rich Coyle]

I bought a Savage with a 26 inch barrel and broke it in by shooting one and cleaning one for about 50 shots. 10 shots in .870" at 200 yards.

My friend bought the exact same one wanted me to break it in for him. I went to the range but fogot the cleaning kit.

I fired three. They were 3/8". I called the owner. He fired five into .4".

 

[FIGJAM]

I respect your opinion but we respectfully disagree. Yes close with good placement it'd bring down an elf. It just doesn't have the energy to ethically hunt elk with. The animal deserves to be put down fast and unless you take a head or neck shot it just won't do it. I have a creedmoor and love it it. I wouldn't consider a shot passed 500 yards on a whitetail deer even. I have targets at 1,038 and 1,508. I can make those shots with confidence but past 400 with a creedmoor is not likely for me even on a deer muchless an elk.
Happy ethical hunting my friends!!

I am guessing your opinion is based on something other than experience with elk and the 6.5 creedmoor? Have you done much elk hunting, or is this opinion just based on what you have read on the internet? Because I have seen the stupid 6.5 cm and the 260 and the 257 bob and the 25-06, and the little 243 kill a lof elk. So I am basing my opinion on what i have personally witnessed. We didn't have to chase them across county lines either - they all died a few steps from where they were shot.

You are trying to mix ethics in to support your personal preferences, which is a slippery slope on a long range hunting website. You are also trying to state your opinions as facts with no merit.