I Drew My Elk Tag...Now I Just Have to...

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Flatbush Harry

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...choose my rifle and load.

I just checked the CPW website and learned that I drew my first choice unit and hunt season. It's for antlerless elk, 2nd winter rifle season. I'm leaning toward my Win 70 Extreme Weather 7mm RM using 160r Federal Trophy Bonded Tip bullets or Nosler AccuBonds, though I'm going to work up some Barnes TSX/TTSX bullets as well. I'm still toying with the idea of my Rem 700 XCR II .375 H&H with 260r Nosler AccuBonds...it's a less than 1 MOA rifle also and that round will stop anything in North America.

I just talked to my nephew...he, his son and his best friend will be going with me. Four of us should be able to pack out a quarter elk each.

I also need to start getting my butt in better shape. I've got six months til the season starts. My freezer, unlike my hunting pants, has some room in it.

Ain't CO (and some preference points from unsuccessful past applications) grand!

Harry
 
Take the one you shoot the best, and have the most confidence in.

Magic bullets & elephant rifles are not necessary if you can put the bullet where it needs to go.

rc
 
Thanks, rc. I shoot them both equally well though I have put more rounds out with the 7mm RM. The key is finding my optimal load with 160ish gr bullets and getting in shape. Since I'm almost 70, being able to hike up and down hills is as important as marksmanship. I'm more confident of my marksmanship than my conditioning right now. My Winnie is a 0.75 MOA rifle with 162 gr A-MAXs, but they're not hunting bullets.

Best regards and wishes to you. Hoping that all's well,

Harry
 
Relax and practice

I'd choose a less expensive round,so I could do lots of position shooting away from a bench and under field conditions.
A 7mm-8, 308 will punch a hole through a Cow Elk without issue.
Don't forget you may get to carry the rifle and the hindquarters
 
Take the one you like best. Personally I like the Winchester EW a lot better.
 
I forget the GMU and it is not in the posted result. Also the receipt from the application shows last year's GMU which was different one. It doesn't show this year's request. It is one near Meeker for the 2nd winter rifle season. The GMU is relative flatland down from the highlands where the elk hang out before the snow gets too deep. Being almost 70, there are limits to my desire to hike the mountains, but I've got 6 months to get in top shape.

I'm stoked...this may be my last elk hunt and I'm hoping for success.

Harry
 
My buddy and I each took an elk last November from just outside Weston (way down southern Colorado). My buddy used a Ruger American in 30-06 with federal factory loaded 150 grain soft points. He hit his cow in the shoulder and the bullet fragmented inside of the animal, but it was one shot and basically instant death. That was his 4th or 5th in as many years all with similar results. Either he finds the bullet mushroomed inside the animal or if he hits a bone the bullet comes apart. Always one shot kills and no tracking required.

I hand load, so I was running 54.5 grains of 4350 under a 180 grain swift a-frame in my trusty old featherweight model 70. I have some room with this load to get a little more speed out of it, but it shot well enough and I didn't think I really needed to load it to the hilt. I hit both lungs and came out the other side shooting from about 150 yards away. The cow ran about 10-20 yards before she realized she was dead a few seconds later. The exit wound was about the size of a golf ball give or take. That was my 1st elk.

What's the moral of all this rambling? I don't really know! :) I guess it's that shot placement means more than anything. Take the lightest weight gun you shoot the best, because who wants to lug around a 10+ pound rifle all day?

Even though the lighter cheaper federal's my buddy was using did the job, I'm still a fan of a bonded partition style bullet, like the a-frame or a Nosler. I bet those Barnes bullets would behave quite similarly as well.

Good luck on your hunt this year!
 
Thanks to all you well-wishers.

I had originally made my Win M70 EW in .30-06 my go-to with a Zeiss 3-9x40 RapidZ600 reticle. Great all-around rifle. Two years after I got it I spotted a NIB Win M70 EW in 7mm RM for $875 on sale. I grabbed it and put the Zeiss 3.5-10x44 RapidZ800 that I had on a Rem 700 XHR in .25-06 on the new Winny. Great set-up...I was thinking it would be my SpeedGoat rifle but I haven't drawn a Pronghorn tag so I decided I would use it for elk. Then I stumbled across a Rem 700XCR II in .375 H&H. I sold the .25-06, bought the .375 and put in a B&C Medalist Sporter stock in Weatherby configuration and my favorite smith free-floated and skim-bedded it. With 260r Nosler AccuBonds, I get great groups and virtually match the ballistics of the .30-06 with 180 gr bullets. The .375 goes off at about 9 pounds with a Leupy 3-9x40 scope while the Winny goes off at about 8 pounds. Both are weatherproof and I know they'll each get the job done.

I imagine I'll go with the 7mm RM. I'm hoping to go to Alaska next year for fishing...I'll probably take the .375 on that trip. The .30-06 has been blooded (deer), the .25-06 took a coyote or two. The 7mm and the .375 haven't yet bagged anything so their turn is due.

Cheers to all,

Harry
 
I Decided on the Rifle

So I went to the range today to begin testing rifles and loads. I've generated 5-shot 1" groups at 100 yards with my .375 H&H using Fed Premium with 260r Nosler AccuBonds.Today, I shot a couple of 3-shot 0.75" 100 yard groups with my Winnie using Fed Premium ammo with 160gr Trophy Bonded Tip bullets. While I'll be working up additional loads to see how much I can improve things with Hornady SSTs & GMXs, Nosler ABs, Barnes TSX and TTSXs and Sierra GameKings, I'll use the 7mm RM and Fed Premium 160r TBTs as a default load. After I find my preferred load, I've got two chronographs to use working up dope using the altitudes and seasonal weathers of my GMU.

Now to get my aged butt in shape. I've got 6 months. As an observation, having a goal six months in the future is a cool thing.

Cheers,

Harry
 
When I lived on the Western Slope (in a little town named Rifle), my 700 BDL in 7mm mag with a Nosler 160 was the go-to gun. Flat shooting, accurate and did the job.
 
I've been hunting elk with my Win model 70 in 7mm Remington magnum for several years north of Craig, CO. It's a flat-shooting s.o.b. I habitually use 160 grain Nosler Partition bullets as loaded by Federal. It has been a reliable combination.

I can never remember how to look up on the internet whether I've drawn or not, so I usually wait for the mail. I am very excited that you drew and I hope that what might be, but hopefully not, your final hunt will be a thriller for you!

Altitude can kick your backside, so aerobic exercise is a must. Once here, eat well and drink buckets of water.
 
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