Elk Rifle

I have been invited on an elk hunt in the northwest. I probably won't use the rifle very often so I don't want to put a lot of money into it if I don't have to. I am looking for a good, solid, reliable rifle. I am thinking it will be bolt action.

I know nothing about scopes. Same deal I don't want to spend anymore than I have to. Just want a solid scope that wont be knocked out of alignment easily.

How often does one have to realign the scope?

I have heard that a .308 would be fine and the ammo is cheaper (good for me since I don't know how long it will take me to be able to hit what I'm aiming at- will probably need lots of practice).

Can anyone recommend a decent rifle scope combo and where I could find one?

Thanks for any help...

While 'buzz' can determine fitness though the email I can not. Elk hunting out west is physically demanding even if you deem yourself to be phsically fit the altitude and demands warrant doing extra exercise if you are used to the foothills of the east or less. While a 308 can be adequate, the ballistics necessitate placement and relative closeness (when compared with the cannons such as 300 Mag, 338, etc.). However, the cannons can cause flinch and inaccuracy to the veteran. I do not know your experience/skill level but it sounds as though your experience is low and skill undetermined. I would stick to a 308 or 30-06 as they *can be* relatively inexpensive to shoot and do not kick like a mule. Bolt actions tend to be more accurate than other actions. A base level 3-9X scope from a reputable manufacturer will give the right balance between cost and reliability. Paramount to a good scope is to have a good mount between your scope and gun. An associate of mine used to buy great scopes and do a shoddy job mounting the scope to the gun himself; I became the beneficiary of some nice scopes rather cheaply because he wouldn't heed my advice. He thought that the scope was bad and it wasn't. He finally understands now that his 'bad' scopes work so well on my guns. Have a knowledgable person about guns mount the scope to the gun.

A good place to haggle a good deal is at your local gun show. I buy my guns on www.auctionarms.com and have the winning guns shipped to my trusted gunsmith/FFL dealer and have them thoroughly checked over. If you have a gunsmith/dealer that you can trust see if he knows of any guns. You can get cheap used guns at pawn shops but you don't know the history and the pawnshop is not necessarily a good gunsmith.

Are you going on a guided hunt? That permits greater opportunity to find and get close to the elk than going on your own especially if you are going with a lighter cartridge.

I wish you luck in your hunt for a gun/scope package as well as an elk.

As if you are not lucky in the first hunt (gun), don't disregard Buzz's suggestion of taking a camera as an alternative. While it won't be as exciting as a hunt, going with friends and capturing one of those magnificent animals in pictures has its own benefits.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the great advice Doctor K, and thank you for taking the time to write it in such detail. Very helpful.

A camera would be nice. I just wish Buzz would have answered my question, rather than blown it off.

Most Walmarts can order guns but i'm not sure as to the timetable on this. I would stay away from the remington 710 as the reports on this gun are not great. Get a savage package gun which includes a factory installed scope which should list for about $370 plus taxes. You can upgrade the scope later. The 30-06 is a good all around gun and maybe better than the 270 for elk due to the heavier bullet selection available. Happy Hunting

Right on R.Paxton! One thing you cannot avoid in a group is the guys who know it all and are 'kings' of knowledge in general. In the last 20 years I have used .308 and .270 for ALL my biggame hunting with the exception of deer control on the farm as a boy with smaller rifles fro.22 to 30-30 depending on time of day and range.

The .308 is FINE. I have a .308 built on the puny, crappy old 91 mauser action(not supposed to handle the pressures of .308) with a 22 inck military step barrel that stays cool and shoots straight all day at the range. It is also dependable at any range I feel comfortable shooting. I have shot it enough with its 4x Weaver on it for so many years the shots are seemingly second nature anymore. It also happens to be the rifle that will be in my wifes hands this season for deer and elk. I use a magic blend of Sierra 165gr boattail spitzer with 45 and 1/2 grains of IMR 4350 and it keeps the pressure down recoil modest(91es kick bit) and I swear it is shooting faster than factory Remington Corelokt. I don't have a chrono, just intuition here. Point is I am confident in its ability to drop anything I need it to here in the Pacific Northwest.

The scope is very important. I love 4x scopes. The only reason I have a 3x9 on my .270 is when I went to buy a new scope for it I figured 4x $150 and 3x9 $200 I might as well get longer for fifty more. Bushnell Scopecheifs(not made anymore) are great scopes and very durable. Leupolds are better and I like Burris also. I have owned all and although I now prefer Burris I know the Leupolds are easier to find as more stores carry them around here. But then again Leupolds are made just an hour and a half North of me too. I have heard people say Burris has problems but working at BiMart I have sent back plenty of Leupolds so one thing to remember is that Burris and Leupolds have warantees that can't be beat. And Leupolds is phenominal. I bought a 7mm Mag custom mauser with a 3x9 VXII with bad cleaning marks on the objective.(Why do peopel clean lenses with their shirt tails? I sent it to Leupold and got the same scope back with a brandnew objective lens. All I paid was the shipping and had it back 7 days later.WOW!!!!!!

The Doctor was right about fitness but if you pace yourself you should be fine. I elk hunt among many other outdoor activities and I am disabled. I trashed my lower back and neck through years of building homes and farming. Move slow, don't break a sweat(they'll smell it) And if you choose .308 Consider Winchesters Model70 compact(Rugers compact barrels are too short) and a compact scope practice packing your gear time and again and seeing what can be left and what must absolutuely be carried. Go afeild at home before the hunt a bit and carry all your gear including your rifle. This practice will allow you to figure out how to carry it all best and then learn how to carry it with less fatigue. These are things I have done for years and it became even more important 3 years ago when I had back surgery. My only cheat here is that my rifle is over 8 pounds! Its worth the weight because it is extermely accurate.

Most important...Have fun!!! BTW carry a camera too, Then you can take shots of your trip and of your elk when your done. Good luck.

Daniel

During an elk hunting trip in western Colorado in about 1985, I attended a retirement party for a Department of Wildlife officer. I questioned 25 of the attending DOW officers as to the cartridge with which they hunted elk. The .243 Winchester cartridge was used by twenty-two (88%)of them, two of them used the 30-06 cartridge (8%), and one used the .270 cartridge (4%). While three Wyoming Wildlife officers were checking my license, I asked them what cartridge they carry for hunting elk. ALL three replied that they shoot the .243 Winchester cartridge (100%) and said they shoot it for every type of big game animal in Wyoming. Just thought you wanted to know these facts. I shoot the 375 H&H cartridge most of the time, and I don't own a .243 Win. However, this does support my opinion that any modern cartridge with a bore of .243 or more and has velocity of 2500 fps or more is sufficient for harvesting an elk which is standing broadside at a distance of 300 yards or less.

Well, my elk hunting days are over, and I'm certainly no ballistics expert, but the use of the .243 for elk or moose seems to me to be just ludicrous. Antelope, whitetail, muleys, OK, but elk?? moose?? I guess I've just lost touch!!!! Tight Lines. Grant

Whoa now. Yes the .243 will kill elk but I disagree that it does the job out to 300yards. The bullets available in that claibe are not constucted strong enough to break bone and cause enough shock to relaiably kill an elk. Doug M