Most rifle elk hunting is not like bowhunting during the bugling season. Movement is more random in big country. You get the shot you get, and within sensible limits, you must be able to take the shot offered. These include some of my favorites, such as the. There are specialized situations where close shots are the norm, but most often, the ideal elk rifle should have enough versatility for shots out to yards and change.
Sometimes you get a point-blank shot; other times you need to stretch it a bit farther. Between the. You can start with the 6. The 6. Faster 6. Then come the. There was a time when I questioned the adequacy of the. I was wrong. The full spectrum of our many 7mms, from 7mm and 7x57 on up to the fastest 7mm magnums, are also fine, but they are not magical giant-slayers.
There is only. The numerous magnum. These are elk cartridges, and as Jack Atcheson Jr. But they are not essential, and despite their effectiveness, all magnums from.
We argue cartridges and calibers endlessly, but bullet choice matters. Elk bullets must be tough enough to provide adequate penetration. Choose at least medium weight for caliber: grains in 6. Avoid quick-opening bullets, especially match bullets; instead, choose controlled-expansion designs intended for hunting larger game.
Elk hunting can be extremely physical—not only steep country, but also altitude and sometimes deep snow to buck. My 8mm Remington Magnum was stocked in dense walnut and had a long barrel. It rides in a gorgeous, checkered, Turkish-walnut, American-style stock that has a high comb to allow for a good check weld, and the action has integral dovetails, so scope bases are not needed. Also, CZ finally rectified that ridiculous reverse-action safety; the comes standard with a new push-to-fire, two-position safety.
And this is one. Chambered for the. But when they do, they expect a high level of quality and well-thought-out features for exactly the type of hunting they do, whether that means deep hikes into the backcountry, long shots on the prairie, or close encounters in the timber. Of all the cartridges that could be used for hunting elk, none are as iconic as the. And while this grand old cartridge can be had in just about any rifle, it deserves one with classic lines.
They then mated it with a stainless-steel barrel with 5R rifling and buried it in a beautifully checkered American walnut stock. And, to bring all this classic goodness into the 21st century, the muzzle is threaded and suppressor-ready.
Savage is often thought of as a manufacturer of bargain rifles. But with their Ultralite, Savage took all of their rifle building expertise and created a top-end, lightweight, hunting rifle that cuts no corners.
It has a carbon wrapped barrel, lightweight stainless receiver, the unbelievably versatile AccuFit stock, a threaded muzzle, detachable magazine, and a 1. I have been hunting elk for 25 years and have made cartridge performance my hobby for longer than that. I use the Sierra Infinity Exterior Ballistics software, numerous reloading manuals, and a chronograph to help me determine the performance of my loads.
Quite often I will duplicate the performance of the premium factory ammunition with my hand loads at a significant savings. If your experience is hunting whitetail deer and you are transitioning now to the Rocky Mountain elk, you will notice that there is a significant difference in size between the species.
I interviewed Brian Dreher, Senior Regional Biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife's southeast region, who described the body weights of common big-game species. Mature southern whitetail bucks will run between and pounds. In the northern states, whitetails will average around to pounds on the hoof. A mature Rocky Mountain bull elk will weigh in between and pounds on the hoof.
A mature cow will average to pounds. Yearling spike bulls will average pounds. That 6-month-old calf born in June can weigh up to pounds by November. In other words, a calf of the year will weigh as much as a whitetail buck by the time the late seasons roll around.
Beyond body size, the thing I noticed when I started hunting elk was the massive bone structure of an elk compared to that of a mule deer. There is a huge difference. The elk needs that massive bone structure in order to carry all that weight. With that in mind there are important factors to consider when you decide on what rifle cartridge to use on your elk hunt. Key among these are downrange energy, bullet performance, recoil, accuracy and cost. I'm going to concentrate on the more common cartridges that we see in the field.
There are many fine cartridges available and if they are not listed here, that in no way indicates that they are not able to get the job done. When you have an elk in your sights you should concentrate on the heart- lung area of the chest cavity just behind the front leg. Head and neck shots are NOT recommended. You will need to penetrate into the tissue with enough destructive force to destroy those vital organs to ensure a clean one shot kill. Cartridges that deliver 1, foot-pounds of energy are sufficient on deer species because they are smaller, thin-skinned and have a much lighter skeletal structure.
The general consensus is that for a broadside shot on an elk you need 1, foot-pounds of energy and at least 2, foot-pounds for any quartering shot. A quartering shot when the animal is partially facing you is the most challenging shot.
You have to penetrate heavy, dense muscle tissue and the heavy bone structure of the shoulder and then still have enough bullet and energy left to destroy the vital organs. On impact, your bullet will begin to mushroom and transfer its energy into the tissue of the animal.
Controlled expansion bullets are designed to retain more of their weight during the extreme conditions of initial expansion, allowing them to penetrate further into the tissue. Standard bullets will usually retain 45 to 55 percent of their original weight after passing through the muscle tissue, bone and vital organs. Controlled expansion bullets are designed to retain 70 to 85 percent of their original weight.
Boat-tail bullets have better aerodynamics with less drag, which lets them retain more velocity and deliver more energy at longer ranges. Controlled expansion, boat-tail cartridges are a very good choice for elk. Many of the manufacturers are now offering premium cartridges that have better down range performance both in energy and bullet construction.
Check their websites for more detailed information. But experience has shown that these light-weight bullets do not penetrate as well as a heavier bullet that is moving at lower velocity. Think about it: What would hurt more -- a golf ball stinging you at mph, a baseball thumping you at 90 mph or a bowling ball hitting you at a bone-crushing 80 mph?
All of them will hurt, but the bowling ball is the one that really gets my attention. I recommend that you use one of the heavier bullets available for your caliber. They have acceptable power at medium ranges with less recoil. All numbers are from standard factory ammunition from major manufacturers.
The caliber is listed along with the bullet weight in grains. Muzzle velocity is feet-per-second at the muzzle. The synthetic stock has matte stainless finish. What differentiates this model from the rest is it being a genuine magnum.
This piece is found in a left-hand model, and it is highly recommended for big game hunting. Description: This is the ideal rifle for hunters looking for a more powerful. This is the best. Its lever action features: hammer block safety, blued metal surfaces, solid top receiver, and side ejection. The inch barrel has 6 grooves and it is deep-cut Ballard-type.
One thing you should know about the ammo is that it was never, nor ever will be, a long-range affair. However, it is one of those cartridges that are so good at what they are intended to do, that it will be around for a long time. Therefore, you have every reason to settle for the Marlin.
Shoot whatever you want as long as you can hit the target with precision. There is no perfect rifle, but the best shooter. What makes you the ideal shooter is the power delivered by your gun. There are many big game hunting rifles in the market that you can choose from, but the ones reviewed in this post are the most effective ones. Do you think we have left out any resourceful products? If so, let us know in comments.
Shawn Harrison is our expert in hunting. He was born in Alaska, so hunting was his hobby since high school. Later, Shawn took a Hunter Training at Alaska Department of Fish and Game to structure his knowledge and now he is open to share his knowledge with our readers. Written by Shawn Harrison. Table of Contents. Shawn Harrison Shawn Harrison is our expert in hunting.
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