Deer to elk, 60 yards to 600 yards ... what rifle are you grabbing this year?

[Wolfshead]

My go to is my Remington 700 chambered in 30-06.
I handload 150 grain Nosler Accubonds
It has a simple Leupold VX 3i, 3.5-10 x 40 with a duplex reticle.
Nothing fancy but shoots better than I can.
Very confident out to 300 yards on Whitetail, I think I could do out to 400 but don’t have the opportunity to practice that so I won’t try it without knowing for sure.
We have a field we hunt that gives us an opportunity for up to 400 but again not until I know for sure.
Have never hunted Elk. Would love too, but quite possibly will never get the chance.
The buck in the last pic was taken at 267 yds.

 

[Chuck R.]

Well no elk this year, but IF I was going I'd probably use this older REM 700 in .300WM with either Nosler 180 Partitions or a new Nosler 180 Grn AccuBond load I'm working on. It wears a Leupold 4.5-14X and a B&C Alaskan stock with Timney trigger. The 180 partition load is sub-MOA and I have confidence I can get the AB load to similar. "All up" it's 8.3 Lbs. I used it a couple years ago to take a nice 5x4 mulie in western KS at a little over 300yds with a 165 Nosler CT bullet.



I'm working on putting together a guided WY elk hunt and will probably swap the scope when I get closer to going to a 2-12 Leupold 6HD.

Deer...I'm probably going to end up using my M7 in .350. My .260 Rem M7 project doesn't look to be getting done in time. The barreled action isn't finished yet, and the stock (Manners) isn't done yet either. I could use my Nosler M48 in .270, but I'd rather not whack a deer at under 100 yds with a 130grn at over 3000+ FPS. I've developed a pretty good 200grn Hornady Interlock load for the .350 that will get the job done.

 

[edwardware]

Speaking of muzzle loaders I shot this goat, which is way smaller than an elk, at like 120yds. . .

In the parking lot?

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

A couple different 308 that I use but if I know I'm going to have longer shots it will be my trusty Browning A-bolt chambered in 7wsm.

 

[horsemen61]

Oops I forgot to mention the scope it’s an older
VX II 4-12x40

 

[BreechFace]

At one time people managed to kill animals with flintlocks. Somehow the Indians managed to survive using spears and bows. Today you need to stick together a few thousand dollars worth of gadgets to do it. 600 yard shots? You would have to be a really lousy hunter if that is as close as you can get. It must be a city guy thing.

I think there are a lot of hunters out there who have never hunted or not hunted much out west. There are a lot of years where 500 yards is as close as one can get to elk. And 500 yards on elk sized game doesn’t take a tremendous shooter, just one who practices in the off season with their rifle and knows their cartridges trajectory. This is a big reason why flat shooting cartridges are king out here.

I see the comments above all too often as well, and I just chalk it up to ignorance. Ignorance of the fact that we have what are called mountains, ravines, draws, saddles, ridges, peaks, valleys, streams, brush, elevation gain, and a pretty important aspect is limited season lengths on elk. “Just get closer,” is not always an option until the game is anchored and expired with a good shot.

Yep, I figured it'd just be a matter of time before some small brained, know-it-all, tough guy troll showed up. If you don't like the idea of real-world hunting where getting close isn't always an option you're always free to enjoy your flintlock, bow or rock. Knock yourself out ... literally!

Agreed.

@MCMXI just get closer next time to your bighorn sheep...good luck with that. It seems shots on sheep are always greater than 300 yards.

 

[Robert]

This year it will be a Winchester M70 in 308. My 375 H&H is down due to a bad scope and I've yet to send it back to Leupold...

 

[Hugger-4641]

OP narrowed the field when he said "Deer to Elk". If he had thrown in Coyotes and Moose.....
I get the gist of his question.
If I have to choose only one it will be my X-bolt 300wm. But I wouldn't argue that my 6.5cm Savage 110 wouldn't be a valid choice.
However, since I don't have to choose, I plan to kill some deer at 200yds or less with my 94ae 30-30. Maybe kill a couple at 200 to 300yds with my 30-06, 700 cdl.
I hunt a couple spots that offer possibilty of 400+yds, so when I'm there, I'll either have my X-bolt 300wm or my Rem 700 Long range 300wm.

 

[Big_Al]

My old Ted Williams model 53 in 06. Has an old weaver 4x scope, given to me by am old friend who was thinning his collection. All my deer &.elk around here (ne washington) have been shot under 100 yards, I could probably just use the 30-30 & open sights.

 

[LoonWulf]

In the parking lot?

Pretty bloody close this time lol

 

[DeepSouth]

I have a REM 700 chambered in 7mm magnum, topped with a 4 x14x 50 Swarovski.

That set up will kill anything I ever need to shoot (in the lower 48) at distances future than I am comfortable with.

That said I really don’t hunt with it that much, I have other guns I like and generally use them, unless for some reason I need the better optic.

 

[eastbank]

90 precent of the normal hunters should not be shooting at animals at 600 yards, if you can set targets at 100 to 600 yards and make first shot cold barreled hits on a 10" target from a field postion(no bench) you maybe good enough to shoot at animals at those ranges. animals are not going to give you sight in shots very often, i used to shoot long range at williamsport pa. and wind and mirage can and will play hob with your bullets.

 

[stillquietvoice]

We don't have elk here in NY, but we're to take a shot at that distance it would be taken with my rem 700 sps in 7mm08, 24" barrel, Burris 4.5 -14 x 42 and 139 to 150 gr ablr's or sst's. As this is the only rifle I have that will carry enough energy downrange for a clean kill.

Times being what they are though, I haven't gotten as much trigger time so I'd probably only shoot half that distance.

 

[Captcurt]

90 precent of the normal hunters should not be shooting at animals at 600 yards, if you can set targets at 100 to 600 yards and make first shot cold barreled hits on a 10" target from a field postion(no bench) you maybe good enough to shoot at animals at those ranges. animals are not going to give you sight in shots very often, i used to shoot long range at williamsport pa. and wind and mirage can and will play hob with your bullets.

Well said. Besides the wind having an effect on your shot, there is also another variable that we must contend with. The animal itself. I learned this on a 400+ yard shot on a mulie. He was broadside across a canyon and decided to move at the very instant that the trigger broke. The result was a hit through the hips. In the short time that the bullet was crossing that canyon the deer had moved at least 2 feet. Luckily the bullet took out the femoral artery. The buck went down 20 feet from where he was hit.

 

[someguy2800]

I usually use a different rifle every season just for the sake of variety and to give me a reason to do load development. I think this year it will be this Type 99 Arisaka,



And my 358 Yeti



My average shot here in north central Minnesota is like 60 yards. I rarely shoot deer over 100. The deer have been educated to not linger in open spaces, so the best places to hunt are elevated and in places where you can’t see more than 10 yards on the ground.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I will be grabbing the Jeager of course this year, but I got to thinking, what if I did want to increase my range for some reason. I'm quite happy with a pretty short range limitation. Sometimes I do take out my 03A3, the Monkey Mauser, or a .30-30, but they are all open sighted and I wouldn't shoot over 200 with them, and that would be in perfect conditions.

But suppose I wanted a 300 yard maximum range. (I personally would not shoot at an animal further than that, with anything. Your results may vary!)
I believe I would grab my Faux/fake SMLE #4(T) if say I was invited to hunt some open mule deer country, Montana elk, or something like that. I'm kind of proud of this rifle build, I have achieved 1" groups at 100 yards with it, with careful bedding and load development, and she has shot a .50" group on a good day in perfect conditions. That's a far cry from the normal 3MOA of the normal SMLE. It's a Longbranch of course. She's a bit heavy, but weighs less than my 1861 Springfield rifle, which I have carried all day, many days without passing out from exhaustion. No she's obviously not intended for animal targets, but I think she'd perform as well as any hunting rifle.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Pre-64 Model 70 Winchester (1939) in .30-06 with a 4X Leupold scope.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I usually use a different rifle every season just for the sake of variety and to give me a reason to do load development. I think this year it will be this Type 99 Arisaka,

View attachment 1025114

And my 358 Yeti

View attachment 1025119

Wow a 99! That's a very nicely done sporter. This is my 99 "sporter", not so nicely done, but she's accurate. I've had this since I was 16 years old, and you can see it didn't make it through my barrel chopping days. 16.5". Throws a pretty good flame. Didn't make it through my "magnumtitus" days either, and I used to load it HOT. However, I don't think one can hurt the 99.

I only have two scoped rifles, this and the Faux No.4(T). The first deer I ever shot was with a N0.4 SMLE, but then decided I needed a scope like all the other guys, and had one put on this. (not the same scope in the pic.) I shot many deer and coyotes for many years with this rifle before I switched to a Ruger .44 Carbine, which was just as deadly. After the Ruger I went muzzle loader, for 90% of my hunting.

I should probably grab this one of these days just for old time's sake, but I just don't like scopes. Perhaps I'll put some nice irons on it one of these days, and take it hiking/woods-bumming/exploring/trekking.

 

[someguy2800]

View attachment 1025149
Wow a 99! That's a very nicely done sporter. This is my 99 "sporter", not so nicely done, but she's accurate. I've had this since I was 16 years old, and you can see it didn't make it through my barrel chopping days. 16.5". Throws a pretty good flame. Didn't make it through my "magnumtitus" days either, and I used to load it HOT. However, I don't think one can hurt the 99.

I only have two scoped rifles, this and the Faux No.4(T). The first deer I ever shot was with a N0.4 SMLE, but then decided I needed a scope like all the other guys, and had one put on this. (not the same scope in the pic.) I shot many deer and coyotes for many years with this rifle before I switched to a Ruger .44 Carbine, which was just as deadly. After the Ruger I went muzzle loader, for 90% of my hunting.

I should probably grab this one of these days just for old time's sake, but I just don't like scopes. Perhaps I'll put some nice irons on it one of these days, and take it hiking/woods-bumming/exploring/trekking.

I rescued mine from a local gun range. I was there to shoot pistol league one night and saw it laying on on a table behind the counter and asked about it. They explained they weren’t quite sure what it was but had taken it in on trade from a regular customer and he said they were going to put it out on the used shelf as a mystery rifle for $200. I took a quick look over it and said it’s sold, please put it back behind the counter and I’ll come buy it when league is over. The stock was poorly fitted but the metal is nice and someone did a good job sporterizing and bluing the action. I took it home and floated the barrel, glass bedded it, fixed the stock fitment issues around the rear of the action and around the bottom metal, and refinished it in truoil. There was still some original exposed machining marks inside the action so I filed and sanded and all of those smooth and re-blued it. It’s a pretty sharp looking rifle now.

 

[MJD]

View attachment 1024977
Flintlocks? Did I hear flintlocks?

Great looking flintlock - can you share details on this?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Great looking flintlock - can you share about details on this?

Dang. Just hate talking about my Jeager. !!! Well, she's "The Rose of Alabama", or AKA Brown Rosie, made by Keith Lysle (Bird Dog 6) of Alabama. Made it especially for me and I got to help design the rifle. As you can see it's not very fancy, I wanted a "working gun" that would see some rough country. Keith usually makes very high end fancy guns, so this was a bit "different" for him. He sure delivered. I did the final stock sanding and finish. Keith made the stock (walnut) from a blank. Even has "cast-off". That rifle aims it's self.

Anyhow, it's .62" caliber, but she's a little tight, closer to .61". Colerain swamped barrel. A Davis lock (I think...I forget things) with white-lightening vent, she's as fast as a rock lock can get. Most of the time I don't sense any delay in the ignition when firing it. Weighs 8.25#, which is the perfect rifle weight for me, although I do use heavier rifles sometimes, and some times lighter, but she's right in my "comfort" zone. Or still in the comfort zone.

Two deer so far, one up close, and one moving at a paced off 110 yards.

 

[eastbank]

did some one say flintlocks, i ove them.

 

[WisBorn]

I hope to get out here in SC and hunt for feral pigs and maybe a whitetail or two. Planning on using the Savage 243 & 270 both would be new cartridges/rifles for me.

If I would win the elk/mule deer hunt lottery it would be the Weatherby Mark V 7rm. I may have to find some Partition loads for the elk . I like Hornady 154 sst for the medium size game.

The hunting trip I'm looking forward to the most is bow hunting in Wisconsin with my Mathews.

 

[H&Hhunter]

The title is clear enough I think ... one rifle to rule them all.

Rifle season is almost here in MT. Last year I shot three big critters and one smaller one using a Tikka T3 TAC chambered in .300 Win Mag (Federal Trophy Copper 180gr) with no runners but more bloodshot meat than I'd like, so this year I'll be using this custom Kimber chambered in .308 Win. It'll shoot Federal Trophy Copper 150gr and 165gr ammunition into 5-shot sub 5/8" groups and a Barnes LRX 175gr hand load into 1/2" or better groups.

With 5+1 rounds of Federal Trophy Copper 150gr the entire package as shown below is under 10lb which is good in my book. A 10-round magazine loaded to capacity will put it just over 10lb.

Easy to carry, easy to shoot, this rifle should be perfect for this hunting season. The only things that would significantly improve this rifle would be a Tikka or Sako action and a two-stage trigger.

Kimber 84M custom action
Proof 24" barrel
AG Composites carbon fiber stock
CDI Precison custom bottom metal
MAGPUL PMAG 5 7.62 AC
TriggerTech trigger
SilencerCo Omega suppressor
ASR brake and adapter
MAGPUL MS1 QDM sling
Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50mm F1
Nightforce Ultralight rings
EGW 30 MOA rail

View attachment 1024830

I’ll most likely grab my 22” styer scout in .308 Win. But I’d like to smoke one at long range with my .300 Dakota this year.

 

[MJD]

View attachment 1025166

View attachment 1025158
Dang. Just hate talking about my Jeager. !!! Well, she's "The Rose of Alabama", or AKA Brown Rosie, made by Keith Lysle (Bird Dog 6) of Alabama. Made it especially for me and I got to help design the rifle. As you can see it's not very fancy, I wanted a "working gun" that would see some rough country. Keith usually makes very high end fancy guns, so this was a bit "different" for him. He sure delivered. I did the final stock sanding and finish. Keith made the stock (walnut) from a blank. Even has "cast-off". That rifle aims it's self.

Anyhow, it's .62" caliber, but she's a little tight, closer to .61". Colerain swamped barrel. A Davis lock (I think...I forget things) with white-lightening vent, she's as fast as a rock lock can get. Most of the time I don't sense any delay in the ignition when firing it. Weighs 8.25#, which is the perfect rifle weight for me, although I do use heavier rifles sometimes, and some times lighter, but she's right in my "comfort" zone. Or still in the comfort zone.

Two deer so far, one up close, and one moving at a paced off 110 yards.

To my eye, looks like everything you need and nothing you don't. I stand impressed....nicely done.