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Posted: 4/17/2016 7:57:21 PM EDT
[#1]
Take the lightest rifle you have in a caliber that is suitable for elk and make sure your glass is up to par. Just remember you are going to be shooting once, maybe twice and carrying the rifle up and down all day.
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Posted: 4/17/2016 7:57:24 PM EDT
[#2]
Take the Remington.
As for weight, suck it up. It will pale in comparison to a hind quarter or other primal. |
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Posted: 4/17/2016 7:57:40 PM EDT
[#3]
the lighter one.
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Posted: 4/18/2016 8:11:18 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Take the lightest rifle you have in a caliber that is suitable for elk and make sure your glass is up to par. Just remember you are going to be shooting once, maybe twice and carrying the rifle up and down all day. |
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Posted: 4/18/2016 8:15:04 AM EDT
[#5]
If I were you I'd beg, borrow or buy a 6-8 lb 30-06/270.
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Posted: 4/18/2016 12:13:36 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Good answer - you don't say what the rifles are chambered in. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Take the lightest rifle you have in a caliber that is suitable for elk and make sure your glass is up to par. Just remember you are going to be shooting once, maybe twice and carrying the rifle up and down all day. both the rifles I have are in 308 Leupold on remington US Optics on LMT MWSE |
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Posted: 4/18/2016 1:22:47 PM EDT
[#7]
After spending years carrying a 10 lb elk gun I got sick of it. I went to a Weatherby Ultralite that was 6.5 lb scoped. I loved carrying that rifle! My current rifle is 7.5 lb and that is as heavy as I want to go. The lightest gun the I can shoot accurately in anything over 243 is what I would carry in the elk woods.
You will not miss the extra weight but you sure would feel it if you had it. |
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Posted: 4/18/2016 2:16:02 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
After spending years carrying a 10 lb elk gun I got sick of it. I went to a Weatherby Ultralite that was 6.5 lb scoped. I loved carrying that rifle! My current rifle is 7.5 lb and that is as heavy as I want to go. The lightest gun the I can shoot accurately in anything over 243 is what I would carry in the elk woods. You will not miss the extra weight but you sure would feel it if you had it. My whole budget for this trip is $1000, so buying a new one right now wont be feasable. But yes after couple of trips I might be able to afford one. |
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Posted: 4/18/2016 3:02:11 PM EDT
[#9]
I'd say buy something lighter.
I have a 700 AAC and I wouldn't want to carry that thing all over the place. I also have a 700 Mountain Rifle... that would be a good choice. Or a model 7. ETA I see you can't. Take the AAC. |
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Posted: 4/18/2016 4:33:18 PM EDT
[#10]
AAC is my vote and this thread makes me want my weatherby SBGM in '06 back
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Posted: 4/18/2016 10:08:41 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My whole budget for this trip is $1000, so buying a new one right now wont be feasable. But yes after couple of trips I might be able to afford one. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
After spending years carrying a 10 lb elk gun I got sick of it. I went to a Weatherby Ultralite that was 6.5 lb scoped. I loved carrying that rifle! My current rifle is 7.5 lb and that is as heavy as I want to go. The lightest gun the I can shoot accurately in anything over 243 is what I would carry in the elk woods. You will not miss the extra weight but you sure would feel it if you had it. My whole budget for this trip is $1000, so buying a new one right now wont be feasable. But yes after couple of trips I might be able to afford one. Roger that! Go with the lightest rifle you have that you shoot well. When you get addicted to elk hunting you can fine tune things down the road. Good luck! |
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Posted: 4/19/2016 6:02:40 PM EDT
[#12]
Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest
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Posted: 4/19/2016 11:48:26 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest I carry a shooting stick after I about lost a shot at a nice bull with nothing but light sage brush for a rest |
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Posted: 4/20/2016 11:59:26 AM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest yes those are gonna go. |
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Posted: 4/20/2016 12:15:37 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I carry a shooting stick after I about lost a shot at a nice bull with nothing but light sage brush for a rest Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest I carry a shooting stick after I about lost a shot at a nice bull with nothing but light sage brush for a rest This is why am a huge advocate for learning how to properly use a sling and shooting from multiple positions
<<<<Appleseed instructor
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Posted: 4/20/2016 6:04:55 PM EDT
[#16]
Yeah I wont be trying 400y off hand shots across sage brush flats
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Posted: 4/20/2016 6:36:56 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If I were you I'd beg, borrow or buy a 6-8 lb 30-06/270. Yeah pretty much. The LMT is a neat rifle and I'm all in favor of using MSRs to hunt, but go with an accurate lighter bolt gun. |
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Posted: 4/21/2016 12:23:35 PM EDT
[#18]
Maybe consider picking up a Ruger American Rifle or RA Compact since they can be had for fairly cheap if I am not mistaken and throw one of your preexisting scopes on it? I've seen them go for ridiculously low prices in several configurations, I believe I have seen threaded 308 predator models go for between 300-350 on sale. I imagine with some poking around you could find a basic one in a suitable caliber for peanuts.
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Posted: 4/21/2016 12:27:35 PM EDT
[#19]
Road hunt? Kidding!
I don't mind the weight with a proper sling. I use one that rests the rifle on my chest. Used to use an M1A for Elk hunting and now use an AR-10. |
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Posted: 4/21/2016 2:36:50 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Road hunt? Kidding! I don't mind the weight with a proper sling. I use one that rests the rifle on my chest. Used to use an M1A for Elk hunting and now use an AR-10. BTDT for many years,then I got a smoking deal on a Model 70 in .300WM,extends my effective range considerably  
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Posted: 4/23/2016 7:49:31 AM EDT
[#21]
As someone thats packed the remington in the hills I say buy a new light weight rifle and leave the bipods on. Never have I been out hunting and been like damnit I wish I didnt have these damn bipods on my rifle. They have been incredibly handy many times.
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Posted: 4/23/2016 8:19:17 AM EDT
[#22]
I have a Tikka T3 in 300WM that weighs in at 7.4lbs. I wouldn't want to carry any more than that.
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Posted: 5/1/2016 11:36:51 AM EDT
[#23]
Take the rifle you are A- more accurate with and B- more comfortable shooting. No point in taking the lighter if you don't shoot it as well. If you are on par with both, then take the lighter.
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Posted: 5/2/2016 7:06:29 PM EDT
[#24]
Either one of them will make you wish for something lighter by days end.
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Posted: 5/11/2016 3:17:45 PM EDT
[#25]
It's difficult to describe carrying extra weight up a mountain, but once you do it, you won't forget it.
You don't need a heavy barrel rifle and in my experience variable high magnification scopes are useless. Remember you're shooting at an animal that's nearly the size of a Harley-Davidson. My primary elk rifle is a 35 Whelen built on an old Mauser action, in a cheap composite stock, a Burris 4x scope and an adjustable nylon sling. It probably weighs around 8.5 lbs. Absolutely learn to use a sling properly! Two of my last three bulls were shot with the use of a sling. One of them was a smidge over 350 yds. and the shot was slightly downhill, fired from a prone position. That shot wouldve been impossible with a bipod and extremely difficult without a sling. And yes, the little 4x scope was more than enough magnification and weighs half of what a variable would. Cheap, effective elk rifles abound in the form old wood and blue hunting rifles that are no longer trendy and therefore sell really cheap. I recently bought my son a old Remington 721 in .270 and if it were all I had to take elk hunting I'd buy or load ammunition with something like a Nosler Partition and n head to the woods. I think you'll find that elk are MUCH harder to find than they are to actually shoot. |
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Posted: 5/15/2016 12:38:52 PM EDT
[#26]
Cant imagine taking a 11lb gun let alone a 14lb gun for an elk hunt, unless you shoot from a vehicle. Now seeing the OP is from texas, and the vast majority of elk hunting is done at some real elevation, things change a lot more than the OP thinks. Even in good shape, that 11lb gun is going to feel like 15-20lbs after walking around at elevations you see when hunting. Nevermind backpack, etc. 8lbs or less would be desireable for an elk rifle, though I can push it to 9lbs myself(I live at 6400 ft and don't see myself hiking 15mi a day). If you take a mountain gun(less than 7lbs, maybe even 5-6lb range) then consider 280 rem or 30-06. Skip the magnums for that light of gun.
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Posted: 5/17/2016 9:37:27 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cant imagine taking a 11lb gun let alone a 14lb gun for an elk hunt, unless you shoot from a vehicle. Now seeing the OP is from texas, and the vast majority of elk hunting is done at some real elevation, things change a lot more than the OP thinks. Even in good shape, that 11lb gun is going to feel like 15-20lbs after walking around at elevations you see when hunting. Nevermind backpack, etc. 8lbs or less would be desireable for an elk rifle, though I can push it to 9lbs myself(I live at 6400 ft and don't see myself hiking 15mi a day). If you take a mountain gun(less than 7lbs, maybe even 5-6lb range) then consider 280 rem or 30-06. Skip the magnums for that light of gun. Im at 8500. My Savage 06 comes in at 8lbs. I feel it by mid day. I picked up a GSR 308 that I may run with open sights this year. I hunt lots of thick woods in my AO. |
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Posted: 5/22/2016 11:49:14 AM EDT
[#28]
Not really much info, OP. What style of hunting? How committed are you to western big game hunting?
If you plan on packing away from the road, and this being a regular event, sell one of your rifles and buy a more appropriate weapon for what you intend to do. |
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Posted: 6/20/2016 10:57:08 AM EDT
[#29]
What state are you hunting? Dragging my ass up and down the jungles of the coast range in Oregon in November is tough work. It made me go with a Tikka T3 in 270 WSM over my Browning BAR I used for years. T3 shoots a ragged hole and weighs in at around 7 pounds. I run a uncle mikes safari type sling.
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Posted: 6/20/2016 11:05:47 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If I were you I'd beg, borrow or buy a 6-8 lb 30-06/270. This. 30.06 or 7mm Mag. I carried an LTR in .308 for many miles, three hunts. I am too old for that shit. Lighter binocs next time, lighter rifle, more water. My trek back to camp last time out was brutal. I never realized until that point how heavy that shit was. The LTR and SPS are 7.5 and 7.25 lbs without ammo or scope. |
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Posted: 6/20/2016 11:40:33 AM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest |
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Posted: 6/23/2016 10:50:11 AM EDT
[#32]
Lightest rifle you have and start getting in shape, like marathon running shape.
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Posted: 6/23/2016 2:46:26 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Lightest rifle you have and start getting in shape, like marathon running shape. This. I'm taking a heavy fun for an antelope hunt. But it's near flat, and little walks from a truck. Heck, most of the spotting is done from a truck. I might carry it a few miles at most. For an elk hunt, I've got a much lighter rifle in 7mm Rem Mag to use. Everything in my pack will go on a scale. No way I'd add an extra 4 lbs of gun. I'd sell it and buy something lighter. |
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Posted: 8/8/2016 3:01:46 PM EDT
[#34]
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities.
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Posted: 8/12/2016 2:39:56 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me
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Posted: 8/13/2016 12:49:48 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
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Posted: 8/13/2016 12:51:01 PM EDT
[#37]
I picked up a kifaru gun bearer that I'll be trying this year
https://store.kifaru.net/gun-bearers-p30.aspx |
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Posted: 8/13/2016 12:52:42 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Dump the bipods IMO they are worthless for hunting. You will usually have time to toss your pack down as a rest i dont know about this , I used to think the same, but the last 2 elk I slayed I used my bipod so I keep it on there, if they are not spooked and you have time to maneuver and find some level ground the bipod is really worth it for long shots |
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Posted: 8/13/2016 1:46:58 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I picked up a kifaru gun bearer that I'll be trying this year https://store.kifaru.net/gun-bearers-p30.aspx We carry light rifles, but are going to try these out as well. |
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Posted: 8/13/2016 9:02:21 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done |
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Posted: 8/13/2016 9:39:10 PM EDT
[#41]
Lower your distance threshold and rebarrel one of your ARs to a more suitable caliber.
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Posted: 8/14/2016 7:23:07 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done There is a time and place for the magnum bolt gun, if it is accurate. On my combo hunt in Frank Church Wilderness I will be carrying an Kimber 8400 300WSM. Great light rifle and very accurate. Practicing from field positions, especially prone, is not fun at all. When the chips are down and I have to make a choice on a longer shot I am very glad to be shooting a 180gr high BC bullet at 3,000 fps. Now, practice, practice! |
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Posted: 8/15/2016 11:11:20 AM EDT
[#43]
Take your Remington, or buy this:
Tikka T3 hunter .270 Winchester Get somebody's take-off synthetic stick for cheap, and save even more weight. |
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Posted: 9/4/2016 10:04:15 AM EDT
[#44]
I have a .300 Weatherby Mag. It has taken alot of elk, sheep, and ram in Montana many years ago by the family friend that gave us the rifle. Him and his dad had the ssme gun.
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Posted: 9/29/2016 11:28:41 PM EDT
[#45]
I'm a bit late on this party.
Having done a few elk trips (I'm located in Idaho right now), I can tell you that A LOT of elk hunting in the mountains is basically armed hiking. You can road hunt (not hunting really, just glassing from the road with some binocs to see if there's anything) sometimes depending on your spot/weather, but it's down to luck of the draw. The elk might be high on a rise up in the clouds with no way to get close except climb up on foot. With that said, you want to save weight wherever possible on your rifle, on your pack, your person, etc. I would recommend a light rifle at least 30-06 or larger, simply because you want your elk to go down and be DRT. Elk can really move over some ground at a full run and if there's a lot of elevation change (which there usually is), tracking down and finding the elk you shot can be a real bitch and add hours to your trip. Once you find it and get it quartered, you usually have to go up or down that big elevation change with the additional weight of an elk quarter on your pack. The main point I would stress is that if you take a shot you want it to be dead ASAP, do not plan on follow up shots. If the cartridge you're planning on using can't pretty much guarantee a kill on a 700 pound bull elk at your max range (in this case you said 400 yards) without fancy shot placement, move to a bigger caliber. Take a lot of consideration into where the animal is at and how hard it's going to be to retrieve before you pull the trigger. I've ran into a few guys that were extremely happy to have shot/downed an elk only to realize that where they shot it will take almost a day of packing it out to retrieve it all. Good luck.  |
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Posted: 9/30/2016 10:49:42 AM EDT
[#46]
My remington M700 300wm crosses the scales at around 9lbs. And it's too heavy at times...
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Posted: 10/8/2016 7:51:49 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done I didn't build this one, but I have worked on it enough to make it reliable to wish I had built one....13 lbs is a toad. They are great elk thumpers. 
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Posted: 10/8/2016 10:14:39 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didn't build this one, but I have worked on it enough to make it reliable to wish I had built one....13 lbs is a toad. They are great elk thumpers. <a href="http://s113.photobucket.com/user/DVCER/media/IMGP0020_zpscb346b0e.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237/DVCER/IMGP0020_zpscb346b0e.jpg</a> Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have an Eberlestock rifle pack, I usually hunt with a Remington 700 LTR with a bull barrel. It is a big old pig to hump around. Get a rifle pack, it will be worth it. Especially when got up and down steep inclines, when you need all four extremities. I hunt with a .308 AR. Thirteen-ish pounds I haul around with me lol me too a Sig 716 with a Leupold mark IV, I lug that heavy bitch around the tree line and if my stamp gets approved before october a AAC SDN-6 will be sitting on the end of it
One day I'll get a lightweight bolt gun in a magnum caliber, but there is something awesome about harvesting a critter with the first full build I've ever done I didn't build this one, but I have worked on it enough to make it reliable to wish I had built one....13 lbs is a toad. They are great elk thumpers. <a href="http://s113.photobucket.com/user/DVCER/media/IMGP0020_zpscb346b0e.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237/DVCER/IMGP0020_zpscb346b0e.jpg</a> Its going with me for 1st rifle this Friday. I lighten it up as much as possible, but it's still a beast. 
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Posted: 10/8/2016 10:56:01 PM EDT
[#49]
What does that beast weigh?
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Posted: 10/9/2016 12:04:43 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What does that beast weigh? It's a toad. Over 13 lbs. but sweet to shoot I bet. |
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