Elk Rifle

[Midwesterman]

Looking at 30-06 for dual purpose of elk and whitetail. I’ve always been a “tried and true” over “bells and whistles” guy, but a flat lander like me appreciates a lightweight rifle in the mountains. Tikka superlight? Browning x bolt? Howa? Just looking for opinions!

 

[brymoore]

Hard to beat Tikka’s for reliability and accuracy out of the box. More plastic than I prefer but solid rifles.

 

[coleslaw]

Get a Vanguard and put a Peak 44 stock on it. My .257 Wby comes in under 8lbs scoped and loaded with the Blacktooth stock.

 

[6mm Remington]

Hard to beat a 30-06. A 165 gr. Nosler Accubond, E-tip, or Partition will kill anything you might want to hunt. Tikka builds good accurate rifles. How about a Ruger Hawkeye Hunter with a walnut stock if you want it to be more of a traditional rifle. Ruger builds a really nice rifle with a stout Mauser style action.

Or maybe a Winchester Model 70 EWSS in 30-06.

 

[44hunter45]

I was a Ruger M77 man for decades. Now I'm moving to Model 70's.

 

[pabearhunter]

Bergara 7mm-08 It only takes a small hole in the right spot.

 

[johnnybow]

Get a Vanguard and put a Peak 44 stock on it. My .257 Wby comes in under 8lbs scoped and loaded with the Blacktooth stock.

How's the 257 perform on elk. Thinking about downsizing from 300 mag to my 257 for elk

 

[coleslaw]

How's the 257 perform on elk. Thinking about downsizing from 300 mag to my 257 for elk

I use my Wby for deer, but I've heard good things about the 257 for Elk. Personally, I'd still go with something 7mm or .30 cal. A short action Vanguard with the stock I mentioned would be even lighter. Howa is the same thing as a Vanguard.

 

[JohnCushman]

My Howa 1500 cloverleafs bullet holes at 100 with 180 grain accubonds and has killed the hell out of everything I've shot. Reliable and a good price.

 

[Wildabeest]

My Howa 1500 cloverleafs bullet holes at 100 with 180 grain accubonds and has killed the hell out of everything I've shot. Reliable and a good price.

Thought you were “strictly an archery hunter and only own a shotgun that was passed down from my grandfather”

 

[johnnybow]

My Howa 1500 cloverleafs bullet holes at 100 with 180 grain accubonds and has killed the hell out of everything I've shot. Reliable and a good price.

What caliber

 

[JohnCushman]

What caliber

30-06

 

[JohnCushman]

Thought you were “strictly an archery hunter and only own a shotgun that was passed down from my grandfather”

 

[6mm Remington]

That 257 Weatherby will kill elk. I've shot a couple with a 25-06, but the thread is about 30-06 and it's fantastic.

 

[buffybr]

Like others have posted, its hard to beat a .30-06.

I bought my first centerfire rifle when I still lived in Colorado back in 1967, and it was a .30-06. For about 10 years I didn't have any problem keeping my freezer full of deer, elk, and antelope meat. Back then I loaded it with 150 gr Hornady Spire point bullets for deer and antelope and 180 gr Sierra GameKing bullets for elk, but with the concurrent seasons, either bullet worked fine for deer or elk.

In 1978 I had my .30-06 rechambered to .30 Gibbs, just because I thought the Gibbs case looked really cool. My .30 Gibbs upped the .30-06 velocities a couple of hundred fps, and for the next 20 or so years 180 gr Nosler Partition bullets from it kept my freezers full of elk, moose, caribou, and Mountain goat meat.

I currently have 3 Weatherby Vanguards, a .300 Wby, a .308 Win, and a .223. All shoot moa with my handloads, and if I was considering a new .30-06, I would probably get it in a Vanguard.

The question was asked "How's the 257 perform on elk?" I've mever shot a .257 Wby, but since 1978 my deer and antleope rifle has been my .257 Ackley. It would not be my first choice for an elk hunt, but one year a 117 gr Sierra GameKing bullet from it literally dropped my second best 6x6 bull elk in his tracks. I also had another friend that shot several elk with his .25-06. A .25 caliber bullet put in the right spot will certainly kill a bull elk.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Another Ruger vote here to add to the mix.

Any modern rifle should be up to the task in 30-06. Great cartridge. Look for 165 coppers for a do-all bullet. The Barnes TTSX has been favored by both my Winchester and my Ruger.

Howa's are great rifles, as are tikkas and such. I'd head to a store and put hands on the various models you are looking at, and see which one speaks to you.

 

[Intothemountains]

Hard to beat the Tikka T3X superlights. I own one in 7mm rem mag and have had the pleasure to shoot the same gun in many other calibers (308, 300 win, 270, 7mm-08). Every one of them shot under an inch @100 yards no problem. Just be sure to use a good piece of glass and you will be more than satisfied with accuracy and reliability.

 

[huskyhunter]

I would look really long and hard at the Savage 110 Ultralite with the Proof barrels. My brother has one in 7PRC, and the things shoots great and is nice and light to carry in the mountains.

 

[stealthy_bowman]

Another vote for Tikka T3X superlite. I have one in .308 and it kills everything just as dead as my Winchester featherweight in 30-06 but it is soooo much easier to shoot.

Maybe I’m just becoming a wuss in my older age, but I’ve gotten real tired of having a black and blue shoulder after range time with my 30-06. That’s a non issue with .308 even after shooting it all day long.

 

[Intothemountains]

Hard to beat Tikka’s for reliability and accuracy out of the box. More plastic than I prefer but solid rifles.

Bell and Carlson make a great fiberglass stock for the Tikkas that feel much nicer than the factory stock.