Need elk gun recommendations

[Cohiba]

Nothing wrong with your '06. Not sure on upgrades, I'm a pretty simple person...gun(from the factory), scope, ammo.

When I did live in the 4 corners area I hunted many a place in Durango-Telluride-Dolores Colorado area.

I have a few relatives up there and had access to their ranches and farms.

What I used for elk up in SW Colorado.

300 Weatherby
300 H&H
300 Win Mag

Hope you fix up what you need and have a good hunting trip.



Side note: A buddy of mine who lives in Montana uses 375 H&H on moose...it has a nice kick.

 

[sklfco]

10" barrel tc chambered in .357 max.......

 

[WillR]

I would spend $200 on a jewel or timmeny trigger and the rest on ammo to practice with before the hunt.

 

[adluginb]

.25 Gibbs

 

[Brandi]

Definitely nothing wrong with a .30-06, it's probably the most widely used caliber for elk in the nation. If you want a whole new rifle I would recommend a Savage. The Savage 116 .30-06 Weather Warrior with accu-trigger and accu-stock was voted last year as either #1 or #2 (I can't remember which) in the best "mountain rifles" and one of the top 5 elk rifles by Field and Stream and I absolutely agree.

Savage rifles and the Weatherby Vanguard are rated the two most accurate rifles out the box available. The Vanguard II (IIRC) was a hair bit more accurate but the Savage was extremely close and much lower in price. They are consistently rated in the top five of any best of category. A Savage 116 FCSS .30-06 Weather Warrior was my very first bolt action hunting rifle and I've never owned anything else, well I did replace it but for a newer model of the same gun with the accu-trigger and accu-stock. Sure there are high dollar custom and semi-custom rifles out there that can best it but you will pay out the nose for one. The Savage Weather Warrior .30-06 is also very popular with many professional hunters hunting plains game in Africa and that says a lot for the rifle and caliber. If I ever need another bolt action rifle in a bigger caliber I'll definitely choose another Savage.

 

[Brandi]

I think you need a 300 win mag. A 30-06 is not suitable on modern elk. It might have been ok for the elk from days past but c'mon. Have you seen boots or uniforms from WWII. People were tiny back then. I am pretty sure an elk in the 1940s was bout the size of a shetland pony.

You're right, I found one in my bowl of cereal one morning, just wish I would have had a tag.

 

[AKguy1985]

30-06 is plenty of gun for elk. My great uncle killed one with a .243.

 

[Blitzfike]

Definitely nothing wrong with a .30-06, it's probably the most widely used caliber for elk in the nation. If you want a whole new rifle I would recommend a Savage. The Savage 116 .30-06 Weather Warrior with accu-trigger and accu-stock was voted last year as either #1 or #2 (I can't remember which) in the best "mountain rifles" and one of the top 5 elk rifles by Field and Stream and I absolutely agree.

Savage rifles and the Weatherby Vanguard are rated the two most accurate rifles out the box available. The Vanguard II (IIRC) was a hair bit more accurate but the Savage was extremely close and much lower in price. They are consistently rated in the top five of any best of category. A Savage 116 FCSS .30-06 Weather Warrior was my very first bolt action hunting rifle and I've never owned anything else, well I did replace it but for a newer model of the same gun with the accu-trigger and accu-stock. Sure there are high dollar custom and semi-custom rifles out there that can best it but you will pay out the nose for one. The Savage Weather Warrior .30-06 is also very popular with many professional hunters hunting plains game in Africa and that says a lot for the rifle and caliber. If I ever need another bolt action rifle in a bigger caliber I'll definitely choose another Savage.

Brandi you are singing my song now. I was a "dyed in the wool" evangelist for both the Winchester 70 and the Remington 700 for years and still like them a lot and own a couple. Savage is the way to go for me for sure as I am a member of the barrel nut society. I have converted 10 savages over the years from one caliber to another and can't find anything to compare with them. My choice for Elk would be either 300 win mag or 338 win mag just cause most of the long shots are from peak to peak. I have a Savage 111 that I just converted from 30-06 to 458 win mag and I love it. (Don't ask if I need it, ask instead if I wanted it...) I have 375 H&H, 300 win mag, a bevy of '06 rifles and any will do the job. My Savage 300 win mag as configured kicks lots less than a factory standard '06 and with the big millet scope on it, even my old eyes can settle on a nice beastie at 500 or 600 yards. As to the correct rifle for Elk, it has to be what you are comfortable with and can repeatedly hit the mark with. I like a round that retains energy at the targets range, and will hold together well enough to get the job done. Dennis's '06 round performed as well as any possibly could, it was still there at the far side of the critter, meaning that I imparted ALL its energy into the target and any more would have been wasted if it left the carcass. My dad told me once as a young lad that there were more deer killed in Oklahoma with 22 rimfire than all other calibers combined. That was in the '50s.

 

[dennishoddy]

Sounds like Dennishoddy has a great performing bullet.

 

[Brandi]

Yuppers, I have several guns that I don't need but wanted. I've never owned a bigger rifle caliber than .30-06, other than my .50 Beowulf, but I have wanted one of the "big" calibers and should I ever get one it will be another Savage but I'm not sure I would want to shoot something with that much recoil. My Beowulf is fairly hard on the shoulder but with the brake and the LimbSaver it's tolerable enough to still be fun, but I've heard the calibers in class above the .30-06 class have beastly recoil and not sure that would even be fun to shoot.