My first post in this section. Up to this point all my posts have been in the AR15 forum. This October I head for my first hunting trip. I will need to put a nice rifle together for Elk hunting. Also I want this to be my long range rifle but first and for most I want an ideal choice for hunting in terms of caliber and scope. My first thought is a Remington 700 with synthetic stock chambered for 300 Win. Not sure what scope. Total Im willing to spend up to $2500 maybe $3000.

1) Which manufacturer rifle?

2) Caliber?

3) Scope?

4) Gunsmith work to make perfect?

Kimber Mountain Ascent in .308 or 700 with Kimber rings and Zeiss. No need for gunsmith.

Do yourself a favor and get a control fed bolt gun for a trip like that.  Winchester mod 70 or a Kimber.  You could go with a Ruger, but I don't know why you would with Winchester and Kimber offering a far better barrel.

I'd go with a Win mod 70 featherweight in 300 win mag and a Zeiss conquest.

My 30-06 is a featherweight, but my 300 win mag is an mod 70 Alaskan.  It's not that much more weight, but you will notice every ounce humping up mountain sides.

300 Win mag slings a 180 grain bullet at relatively flat trajectories and is more than plenty for any elk.

My Mod 70 Alaskan in 300 win mag.

Winchester model 70, .338 Win Mag, good variable Scope to either 12 or 16 X. Planet wide use except for maybe a half dozen critters.

i don't want to sound like a douche but isn't it a little late to be digging up a rifle for an elk hunt coming up in less then 2 months?




to add, its sometimes difficult to combine a long range rifle with hunting unless your willing to give up a few things. my hunting rifles are light, short, have simple optics, and all around much smaller then a long range rig. my long range rifle/hunting rifle weighs 16 lbs . it will probably get heavier when i re barrel it.  

im not saying you can't have both in one package, just remember what you will carrying up and down mountains all day long.

im a weatherby guy so i would suggest a mark v sporter in 300 win with a zeiss conquest or swarovski z3 or z5

Its not that big of a deal. Go get a Savage Axis in 308 or 30-06 pick out a decent scope capable the caliber and then some.

http://www.eurooptic.com/tikka-t3-hunter-rifles.aspx



.270 and anything above is suitable for elk.  Glass is dependant on your terrain, in my area anything above 3X is wasted, because of the cover.  



A leupold 2x7 or 3x9 is a good all around scope for hunting.
 

Guns I have used over my elk hunting carrier:

1) Savage model 99C 308 my first big game rifle. Bushnell Banner 3x9
This setup was quite capable of killing elk but as I reflect I probably killed a lot of elk with it because I was young and could run up and down mountains with the best of them.

2) Winchester Model 70 270 Leupold Vari XII 3x9
Killed more elk with this set up than any other. I had confidence in this gun to hit what I pointed at, this makes more of a difference in my mind than anything else.

3) Custom 280 built on a Mauser action Leupold Vari XII 3x9
Very versatile big game round, it is a 7mm round and there are a ton of guys using the 7mm Rem Mag for elk hunting these days.

4) Remington 700 Classic in 338 Win Mag Leupold Vari XII 3x9
Bruiser of a round that will stop em in their tracks if you punch em thru the boiler room.

If I were to "need" to buy a new elk rifle I would go with a 300 win mag just because I have never owned one and would like to try one.
Or maybe a Ruger in a 7mm Rem Mag
Or maybe one of those Kimbers....
Shit I'm going to the gun store to look for a new set up!!!!

What I've used for elk here...

.270 Win w/ 130gr Trophy Bonded Bearclaws
7mm Rem Mag w/ 160gr Nosler Partitions
.375 H&H mag w/ 270gr Nosler Partitions.

All Remington 700's, 1ADL (.270), 1 BDL Synthetic/SS (7mm Rem), 1 700 Classic (.375). All scoped, Leupold variables, 2x7 and 3.5x10.

Mrs. AZ Nemesis shot her elk w/ the .270 2 minutes after I shot mine with the .375 H&H. Both heart shots, both dropped. I doubt either elk knew the difference. 100 yards or slightly less.

Don't get too caught up on calibers, just make sure you use proper bullets for elk and put them where they need to go.

I carry a howa 1500 in a synthetic stock, chambered in 30.06. It's cheap enough that I'm not worried about hitting a tree or two but I've been putting rounds through it consistently for the last couple years so I know it shoots great, though the bigger rounds pack a punch. It's got a great trigger out of the box, and I've got a 3.5-11x42mm Burris on it, very clear, very tough. Howa makes the actions for weatherby, so they are decent. Only thing is, it's push feed, which can be finicky when you are in a hurry. Recommend a stainless rifle with a controlled feed in 30.06. Huge range of ammo for the caliber, so you could go from white tails to large game

There are plenty of options in your budget range.

Check out my post on the Kimber Classic Select in this section. It is just about the perfect elk gun IMHO.

A I purchased a Remington 700 CDL for my Antelope hunt. After replacing the crap trigger with a Timney it shot consistently .75" @ 100. The same gun in 30-06, 300 wm or wsm or even 300 H&H would be on my short list. Plan on changing the trigger as soon as you get the rifle.

There are a lot of good optics out there. A lot of sales on Zeiss scopes right now. You would be hard pressed to beet their glass. Leupold VXIII is also a great choice as is Vortex.

FWIW, I don't really like an overly light gun when I am shooting the magnums. The Kimber is as light as I would go personally.

Good luck.

Man, you're the first person I swear to have a reasonable budget on a rifle.  What caliber rifles are you accustomed to, besides the AR platform?   If you are not used to intense recoil, then I'd suggest the almighty 30-06.  It works, and most everyone can handle the recoil if it's fitted right.  If you are used to rifles that really recoil, the 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag, 300 wsm, and the like are great choices.  My wife uses an '06 and a 300win mag, while I have a slew of calibers I take out to the woods.  Hers is a Browning Xbolt, while all of my bolt guns are mauser designed, one is a Remington 798(zastava 98 action) in 375H&H, and the other two are Winchester stainless model 70's in 7mm rem mag, and 300RUM.  I also have a couple of lever action 45/70 rifles as well.  The bolt guns we have are all good for medium range, and even long range.  My 375 is scoped with a 2-7x Redfield and can handle shorter range stuff as well.  The other ones have scopes in the 3-9x, 3.5-10x and 4.5-14x, Zeiss and Leupold.  The lever guns are iron sights, and close range hunting mostly.  

I'm a big advocate of Winchester bolt guns, every one of them has been very accurate.  Take a look at them, and see how they feel.  How they fit is very important.  WInchesters and Rugers have 3 position safeties, so you can lock the bolt and have the safety on, or unlock the bolt and have the safety on.  Remington and a few others had issues with this, and hence I prefer what I own.  YMMV.  Scopes, spend good money on glass.   2-7x is good for medium ranges, 3-9x gives you a little more, but once past that, unless you go with a 6 factor zoom($1k and up), they become long range scopes.  With what I names, you should not need gunsmithing work. Get it purchased and put together soon, and get to the range!  Time is running out, and if you haven't put a few boxes thru it before season, you likely won't be prepared.  Long range hunting is a different beast, and you don't just throw parts together and go hunt.  Takes time and lots of practice, despite what the TV says.  Don't go cheap on ammo, especially with the magnums.  Lots of opinions on that as well, but I prefer Nosler Partition bullets for hunting.  Not one failure in 20+ years, and never had to track an animal.  Then again, I put more rounds thru one rifle before season than most self proclaimed hunters do in their life.

What caliber rifles are you accustomed to, besides the AR platform?   If you are not used to intense recoil, then I'd suggest the almighty 30-06.  It works, and most everyone can handle the recoil if it's fitted right.  If you are used to rifles that really recoil, the 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag, 300 wsm, and the like are great choices.  My wife uses an '06 and a 300win mag, while I have a slew of calibers I take out to the woods.  Hers is a Browning Xbolt, while all of my bolt guns are mauser designed, one is a Remington 798(zastava 98 action) in 375H&H, and the other two are Winchester stainless model 70's in 7mm rem mag, and 300RUM.  The bolt guns we have are all good for medium range, and even long range.  My 375 is scoped with a 2-7x Redfield and can handle shorter range stuff as well.  The other ones have scopes in the 3-9x, 3.5-10x and 4.5-14x, Zeiss and Leupold.  

 WInchesters and Rugers have 3 position safeties, so you can lock the bolt and have the safety on, or unlock the bolt and have the safety on.  Remington and a few others had issues with this, and hence I prefer what I own.  YMMV.  Scopes, spend good money on glass.   2-7x is good for medium ranges, 3-9x gives you a little more. Get it purchased and put together soon, and get to the range!  Time is running out, and if you haven't put a few boxes thru it before season, you likely won't be prepared.  Long range hunting is a different beast, and you don't just throw parts together and go hunt. Lots of opinions on that as well, but I prefer Nosler Partition bullets for hunting.  

Yeah. Buy once cry once. Oh and sorry I had been away from my own thread for so long. This will be my first purchase. As another poster had said I better hurry as times getting short. I travel alot for work and time flys by.  I may just take up my friend on his offer to borrow his 7mm. Ill check out Labor Day sales in my area. To save some money I should try and find the glass and rings online. Any recomended links?

Continued from above


99% of my shooting experience is with the AR platform. Only other rifle in my closet is a 30-40 Kreg. I have shot others rifles and have no issue with recoil. Not even sure why others do.

If you are content with shots 300 yards and in get a 308 or 06 and be done with it.  But since you said long range I would strongly consider the 300 wsm or 300 win mag.
To me the 308 is good to 300, it can be pushed past that but 300 is a good max distance to guarantee good performance
06 is good to 325 with factory ammo and 350 with strong handloads, again you can push that distance but being safe is 350 yards
To me if you want to shoot further than that you have to step up to the fast 30's and above.  I don't like the 7mm mag much past 350 to 400 yards, it just isn't pushing enough bullet for real long range shooting.
The 300 win mag will push a 200 grain accubond fast enough for 450 to 500 yard shots.  The 300 wsm will push a 180 and allow the same distance.  
If you go with the 300 wsm the kimber short actions are really nice and light.

Browning A-bolt in 30-06
Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10x44

That's all you'll need.

All of the rifle brands mentioned above are good, (Rem, Win, Tikka, Ruger).  I would go finger some rifles, and find the one that fits best for you and feels comfortable weight-wise.

I'm in the same school of thought as bikerman.  I carry a Rem700 mountain rifle with a 2.5-8 VX3, chambered in 280 Ackley.  It's light and I can carry it all day without fatigue.  It's not a long-range bench gun.  It's meant to be carried a lot and drug through the woods.  

Cartridge selection is matter of preference, but I consider 308 to be the minimum.  308 and bigger will be adequate with proper shot placement.  I have never had the need for anything bigger than the 280 I am shooting, but some folks like more firepower.

Optics - While sometimes you get lucky and find elk during the day, most of the action is in the first and last hours of legal shooting.  Any of the glass mentioned will perform well as long as you stick to the higher end glass they offer.  I keep my hunting scopes simple.  Duplex reticle, or VX-R with the firedot duplex, no side focus or adjustable objective.  You usually have a few seconds to make a good shot, I want to focus on killing the elk, not fucking with my scope.  

Good luck.  Fall is in the air here in western Colorado.  

Mine is a stainless synthetic Remington 700 in 338 Win Mag. Scope is a Leupold 3-9x compact. I zeroed this rifle literally 25 years ago and haven't had a scope adjustment cap off since, and it's never been babied.  I have a good supply of Nosler 200 grain ballistic tips, and 250 gr partitions. Both shoot to a very similar POI.  

I didn't get a chance to shoot an elk with it, but I have shot a truckload of Kansas deer with it, including three wall hangers.

I use a Browning BAR in 7mm mag  with a Leupold VXR 3-9 with target turrets. 160 grain nosler partitions. Have taken plenty of elk with it.

I like having a semi auto for follow up shots.

I use black diamond trekking poles and have a voile ski rubber ski strap , that in 5 seconds I can set up as a nice make shift bipod. the trekking poles are priceless for back country hiking and are handy when needed as the bipod.

Another semi to consider is a Benelli R1 i n.300 win mag, my buddy uses one of those and it is nice, though not as accurate as may BAR when bench resting. Doesn't make much of a difference when shooting an elk imho.

I use a rem m700 in 300wm.

Currently have a Nikon monarch on it. Going to change it to a leupold vx6 2-12

Moisture can be an issue after a few days... Stainless steel with a composite or laminate stock to combat rust and warping. Lots of good choices in caliber and make.

Here is my 300 Win Mag I put together for an upcoming Elk trip

Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker, used $700
Vortex Viper PST FFP 6-24, new $850
KDF Brake, new $300
Total $1850

You can see it in the background

Like the idea of a Model 70 or Kimber. I also like the idea of something over 30 caliber just because after reading post from guys who have done a lot of elk hunting I have come to believe you can't put them down fast enough; they seem to want to head for the nastiest place for recovery and removal there is before they die. The less hauling you have to do the better. 338Mag would seem to be the first choice but that's a tough round even compared to my 375H&H or 416 Rigby (at least it seems that way to me) on a guy so familiarity time would be a necessity unless one is already used to something like it. For glass a 4-14X VX3 or Zeiss with a multiple crosshair type recticle would work well for the longer ranges.

I sat next to a dude shooting that same gun with the muzzle break. Now I know where the term shell shock comes from. He gave up shooting it b/c we were hounding him to give us some warning before he pulled the trigger.

Yeah, it is a brutal experience if you are just a bit off to the side.  It takes the recoil way down, but bystanders are in for a treat.

My 7mm rem mag had a BOSS muzzle brake on it.  It lessened the sharpness of the recoil but nothing else to me.  I finally found one of the brakeless BOSS compensators, and installed that.   Reduced the blast to the bystanders, and for the gun, it just isn't needed.  I've grown to not like brakes.  Now there are those of you who have medical issues that require a reduction of recoil, and I understand those situations.  But for most, a brake on a 300win is simply not needed.  Heck I don't have a brake on my 300RUM and it's a sporter weight rifle.  For the weight of a lot of the 338 Lapua rifles, I don't think it's needed for them.  Ok, I do have tendencies towards loving pain, lol.  I shoot a 375H&H for fun, its one of my more enjoyable guns to shoot.  Again, it's a sporter weight too.  I also have a 416 Rem mag on layaway, and will likely have it out there plinking too.  Learning to shoot big  guns takes practice, and patience.  Since the OP lacks experience with significant recoil, I would discourage him from getting a magnum for now, other than maybe a 7mm rem mag, or 7mm wsm.  Now anyone with 12ga shotgun experience(heavier payloads), the 375 is a natural fit.  

I have thought about this for years and was finally able to buy my dream elk package this year.  I had planned on going on my first elk hunt this fall, but didn't get drawn.  So, why would I post in this topic??  Kinda like writing a parenting book without having kids  I have hunted most of my life and shot guns since I was young.  I have also been backpacked in the mountains where elk live, so I understand the importance of weight.  So, my dream rifle has been a Sako Finnlight.  I used to own a rifle in 300 Win Mag and loved the versatility of it, but when the 300WSM came out, it seemed to off everything the 300WM did, but was easier for us reloaders and could be had in a short action rifle.  So, I have dreamed about a Sako Finnlight in 300WSM for many, many years.  I had planned on just getting a Zeiss Conquest scope for it, but found a used one this year that had a 4-12 Leupold X2 on it, so I got it.  I also bought a Silencerco Harvester suppressor for it, so I had the barrel threaded.  It's so light, even with a full mag, the scope, and suppressor on it.  The suppressor takes out the sting of shooting the 300WSM in light weight set-up like this and I don't have to worry about blowing out my ears.  With your budget, you could come close to this.  The down-sides are that factory ammo is not as available as some of the other cartridges and the kick.  Besides that, it just seems perfect to me

I personally would not want something that expensive. Stuff can get dropped and break.

I have 2 rifles for deer and elk out here.


Savage 111 30-06 Brunton echo 3x9

Model 94 30-30.


For what it's worth my buddy dropped this cow yesterday morning with the rifle picture. It's a Marlin 30-30

If you buy decent stuff, dropping it won't hurt it.  Worst case, it dings the stock.

Remington 700 and tikkas are what I shoot you dont have to spend 3k to get a nice sub moa rifle with good glass

I picked up a Savage 116fs 7mm rem mag stainless for 400$ used.

it is not controlled feed and has a bit of a mag well issue where the rounds will pop out of the feed lips while loading....this will need to be remedied asap for follow up shots.....

so I say get controlled feed as one of the first posters said....

my cow hunt is coming up...very very soooon.

I was talking optics.

 

I was including optics in that too.  Cheapo tasco, simmons, and other junk like that won't do well with a fall.  Leupold, etc will.  I have a ding on my Leupold from an elk hunt in 2000.  Never had to make an adjustment, was dead on.  Spend as much or more on the glass as you do on the gun.  Make sure to use good mounts, ie not weaver style mounts.  Use a thread locking compound on the screws.  Follow that advice, you wont have an issue.  Last thing you want is some cheapo scope to not hold zero and you miss a trophy because of it.  I have a couple of Simmons scopes if anyone wants to take a few pops with them at the range and see.

Tikka in an elk appropriate caliber and a VX3 can be had for a little over $1000.

They claim MOA and the Leupold is plenty tough.

This will be our next gun purchase.

I use to work for an optics company....I will contact the warranty guy because honestly I believe you are correct. We had both high and low end glass.

I also have a LOT of scopes laying around...I would love to go shoot and explore what you have posted about integrity. IM inbound.