Elk gun

[3958]

I am going on an elk hunt in CO in October of 2016.

I am in need of a bolt gun for this and any future trips. There will be many miles of trekking through mountains at high elevation. I am concerned about weight. Also, there is a good chance this rifle will take a beating. It needs to be durable. I will not be shooting strings of 50 rounds, so recoil is not an issue.

Those things being considered, I am seriously looking at the Ruger American Predator, in .308. Optic will most likely be a Leupold of some sort in 3x9. Price is preferred to be less than $1000 total. I'm somewhat flexible with that.

Why I like the Ruger on paper: It's light for a bolt gun. Threaded barrel (strong possibility of a can going on it in the future). I've heard good things through the grapevine about the American action, however have zero trigger time on it.

My question to you, brain trust of M4C, is what are the opinions of this rifle? A search revealed one thread where weight was not an issue. If there is another rifle that fits the bill, a la Rem700 AAC, I am completely open to ideas. The AAC is quite heavy from memory though.

This is my first bolt gun, and will not see any duty use besides dropping delicious 4 legged critters.

[jmnielsen]

I think the Ruger American Predator is a great choice for what you want. My dad has a .308 700 AAC and it's a heavy sumbich. He shot a nice elk with it this year just over 200 yards with Hornady 165gr SSTs. I highly recommend that as an ammo choice. They recovered the bullet in the far shoulder and it expanded perfectly.

Back to the Ruger. I own a few M77s that are very accurate hunting rifles and are light weight for doing a lot of walking. I don't think you can go wrong with the Ruger American Predator, I've read a lot of reviews on them and people really seem to like them. Threaded barrel is a big plus if you plan to suppress someday.

[3958]

Thank you. I'll definitely look into the Hornady SST ammo.

The Ruger seems to be the only rifle that fits my needs right now. Remington doesn't have a threaded barrel besides the AAC. Savage's offerings are heavy as well. Not being a wuss, but being from the midwest, 8k of elevation is going to be tough. The lighter the rifle, the more water I can carry.

5.56 will drop any white tail around here. I don't think that would work for elk. So here I am in the market for a .308.

I cant tell you how excited I am about this hunt.

[Co-gnARR]

I chose the 7mm rem mag because it hase a flatter trajectory with comparable effect on elk, etc. lighter loads are good for white tail, and the heavier loads work for elk. Sadly, I have not had the chance to hunt with it yet.

[mark5pt56]

If you are going to be humping you may want to reconsider what you carry. i would take a look at the Tikka T3 lite line in caliber of your needs. While I love my Winchester Extreme Weather, my Tikka is a pleasure to carry about 1-2 pounds makes a difference. And no, I don't need to "lift more weights"

[steyrman13]

Two things to consider.
If you are spending this much time and money for an elk hunt. Is $1000 budget gun going to be what you want for a once in lifetime shot? If you are doing public lands with a lottery for a tag, even more so of a once in a lifetime chance.
Of the 8 people I know that have hunted elk in Colorado, 7 of their shots were over 400 yards. I think .308 is on the smaller side of choices for caliber out there. Most carry .300 win mag, 7mm mag/ultra mag, etc for the longer range shots.

[3958]

I'll look into the .300 win mag. Any specific rifle handle .300 wm best?

I'll be public ground hunting. Two of the guys I am going with went to this area in 2014. According to them, in this area, 400 yd shots are rare. 200-250 yards will be typical.

[steyrman13]

I'll look into the .300 win mag. Any specific rifle handle .300 wm best?

I'll be public ground hunting. Two of the guys I am going with went to this area in 2014. According to them, in this area, 400 yd shots are rare. 200-250 yards will be typical.

The Tikka T3 suggested, Steyr Prohunter, and ruger American, are all fairly light models.

Yeah definitely depends on where you go as to the distance on shots. One of those people I know that went hunting on public lands had a very short shot around 125. They were in the areas with very dense woods. If you are hunting in those areas, the .308 should be fine.

[Auto-X Fil]

.308 is OK for elk, but for a dedicated hunting rifle that will see relatively few rounds, 300WM is better. I prefer 300 WSM for the short action and softer felt recoil, but WM is a good choice as well. 7mm WSM is a little lighter recoiling and even flatter-shooting at long range, with the right billets. However, 300 WSM is so accurate (it's a favorite of 1000-yd benchrest competitors), and so popular (ammo is in every mom-and-pop hunting shack), that I suggest going that route. If it was going to be a dual-purpose tactical/long-range toy, cheaper 300WM ammo and more detachable mag guns might come into play... But with relatively few rounds going through most hunting guns, WSM is handier.

For a value gun it's hard to beat a Savage. We have a Weather Warrior in 300 WSM with muzzle brake. That thing makes it darned easy to ring the gong at 600 when equipped with a Leupold CDS scope (which I highly recommend).

There is currently a $100 rebate on Leupold scopes, so order this month if possible!

http://www.tacticalwholesalers.com/L..._p_105120.html

https://www.gunsamerica.com/93318946...300-WSM-NE.htm

[krm375]

Don't discount the old 30.06 with bullet selection from light to heavy and the ability to find ammo almost everywhere. i found a used 5 digit serial number rem 700 bdl carbine for an elk hunt in Co. years ago still have it its a light handy rifle that is my primary harsh weather rifle for hunting.