Posted: 1/16/2026 2:17:53 PM EDT
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TLDR: looking for advice on a rifle that can take a bull elk >500 yards. 300 Win Mag seems best on paper. Thanks. I've generally been an AR guy for the past several decades. My 14 year old duaghter harvested her cow elk with a friends 6.5CM at 540 yards a few weeks ago and it got me thinking that I really want something that can reach out there and drop a bull elk. On paper the 300 win mag looks like the round I need. I'll want to run a suppressor on it, and would like to know what the recoil is like with an Omega 36M or 46M? Open to all suggestions. What makes and models should I look at? Would like to keep the rifle <$3K and will ask about optics in another thread down the road. Nearest competent gunsmith is two hours away so I think I'd rather do off the shelf than build...but again, open to suggestions. |
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6.5 prc and 7 prc both seem to be doing well from what I have seen. Both modern cartridges sami spec'ed around longer range shooting. I picked up a 280 ackley not long before 7prc really hit the scene. I might have gone with the PRC if it was on the scene when I bought....didn't really want a magnum cartridge though. |
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Look closely at one of Ryan Pierce’s 300 Norma builds. I want one! (Edit: would need a bump up in budget) Why Norma? The bullet selection is better and the round is not finicky at all. The 245 eol shoots lights out in all loads I have tried. Yes, I also have a 300wm and it is good. But imho the Norma is a better cartridge to load. |
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I have a full battery of elk guns, including a 300wm. I rarely take it, but it is rare for me to get a shot over 100 yards Your area is probably different, we get them in the timber. My long shot with the 300 was 230, and it absolutely flattened the elk out. I hated range time with the 300 till I got it braked. That’s the only gun to give me a scope bite. |
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Originally Posted By muntz: I do, but not a lot these days due to time constraints. Yeah, Id go 300 WM then. Its not perfect, but the shear availability of good factory ammo is hard to beat. Look for something with a faster twist barrel to open up a few more options for heavier bullets. If I was handloading? Probably 7 PRC. Factory loads are kinda shit, but really comes into its own when reloading. |
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I vote Winchester 300 Magnum. Been my hunting companion for several decades. Mine is super accurate with Nosler Partitions. I’d go at least 180 grain bullet. I’ve also heard good things about the Accubond. |
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I would look at 300 PRC since it is the modern version of 300 WM and is now pretty popular. If you want to stick with 300 WM, I would go with a barrel that has 0.050" (3.600" COAL) or 0.150" (3.700" COAL) free bore. This will let you run a longer COAL then the stock 300 WM chamber. In my build, I went with the 0.050" FB since I like to shoot Federal factory match 190's. Building a bolt rifle is now like building an AR with all of the new actions and barrel manufactures there are now. I would look at Aero Precision or Bighorn-Zermatt Arms for the action and Preferred Barrel Blanks, Patriot Valley Arms, or Northland Shooting Supply for the barrel. For the stock/chassis, I would go with MDT or KRG, and make sure that it will take the 3.850 length CIP magazines so you can run a longer COAL. |
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Seekins Element Hunter in 7 PRC. I built a 300 PRC just before the 7 PRC came out and if I had it to do all over again, that's what I'd get. I was able to put my build together with a few really good group buys, Defiance AnTi action, Carbon 6 barrel, XLR Element magnesium chassis w/carbon buttstock. It's really light, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't beat the EH in price, weight or accuracy. |
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Buy a Zermatt TL3 barreled action in 6.5prc or 6.5 grendel. There is nothing im the lower 48 you cannot kill with it. Also, pick the stock of your choice. I recently acquired a new stock for mine and REALLY like it. Chambered in 308 win because I am a real american 😝 |
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Any of the PRC's, 6.5, 7 and 300. I use the 300 PRC. Comparable to the 300 Win Mag close but surpasses it at those long ranges. Capped a cow elk at 166yds last year. Couldn't ask for better performance. |
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Originally Posted By Urimaginaryfrnd: Did you select a rifle or are you still looking? In 300 WM the Sako and Tikka rifles are a good choice. When you are talking long range you could consider 338 Lapua or 375 H&H in a Christensen Arms rifle . 375 H&H is not a good round over 400 yards..A buddy has been shooting it for over 30 years now... |
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Originally Posted By Skg_Mre_Lght: Do not buy a Christensen Arms as suggested in here. I would go with a 6.5 or 7 PRC for what you are wanting to do. I leave all of my super whiz bang magnums at home now, and just hunt elk with my 308. .308 is really fine on elk. I just wouldn’t want to shoot far and I don’t. Attached File |
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Any decent cartridge with good bullets will work..The big advantage to the bigger magnum cartridges is they give you more insurance in case of a bad hit, which is a big deal when you risk an animal not getting recovered.. ..I LR hunt with a 300rum throwing a 230 Berger @3220fps and 5800ft pd energy..I use it because its a very accurate cartridge, has great energy and speed, cheap and easy to reload, everyone has data/loads for it, lots of companies make brass/loaded ammo for it(like a dozen different makers, from starline to ADG), making it easy to get, and brass cost go from cheap to equal to other cartridges and quality is decent to excellent depending on what you want.....Longest shot on a bull moose is 720 yards, also taken several grizzlies, wolves, caribou at 600 plus yards with it...Regardless what you use, practice until you are sure you can make the shot, then practice more, shooting in every condition you can....My go to is an 8" plate, whatever distance you can put every shot from a cold-bore on it, is the distance you can take a game animal at..All of our hunters get time on the plate and whatever that distance is, is what distance they can't exceed on animals..Works well for us, we have never lost an animal.....Choose wisely and good luck... 8" steel plate @858yards.... Attached File |
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Between the 300 Norma Maag and the 300 PRC, I would choose the 300 PRC. I have both and find no difference in optimized loads that would justify the larger bolt head diameter and the additional powder. There is a long list of cartridges that will kill elk. If over 500 yards is part of the spec, go bigger. Don't discount short-action magnums, like the 300 WSM. Good luck. |
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Originally Posted By DVCER: You will find 300WM ammo much easier than anything else. Since you don’t reload, it’s a good choice. Be aware it’ll be a long package with the typical 24+” bbl/can. I work a gun counter at a prominent sporting goods retailer. We currently have 7 boxes of 7PRC on the shelf between three loads (two from Hornady, one from Armscor). We have 17 different .300 WM loads available, the least of which has three boxes on the shelf as of Sunday (my last day in). The only calibers we have more of than .300WM are .30-06 and .308 (as far as reasonable centerfire rifle hunting calibers go, yes we have loads of 5.56 on the shelf but that's not applicable to actual big game hunting). .270 is in a close 4th with 14. We carry zero 6.5PRC. The PRCs are neat calibers with spectacular marketing behind them, but they don't really do anything the other pre-existing magnums do. Hornady's just looking for a reason to sell a chambering license fee and their own ammo  Now that Armscor's getting into the game, I suspect we'll hear a little less about how amazing these brand new calibers exclusively from Hornady are and eventually something new (also, weirdly, exclusive from Hornady!) will take up the slack. Not that that's been done before with others like the Rem SAUM and Winchester Short Mags.  For a handloader who doesn't travel much to hunt, get whatever horns you up. For someone who relies on factory ammo availability and/or travels (especially internationally) to hunt, .300WM will be a much better option (normally I just recommend .30-06 but since OP's looking for 500+ yard capability, I'm hesitant to make it a general recommendation) |