Elk Gun?
 

I was wondering what is a good elk rifle for my first elk hunt next season... I live in Colorado and will be hunting in moderate foliage. I have looked at a couple of calibers already but was looking for some help from the pros. These are the calibers that I have already looked at:

.270 Winchester
7mm Remington Magnum
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.300 Winchester Magnum
.300 Winchester Super Mag.
.338 Winchester Magnum
.338 Winchester Super Mag.
*any model 700 sps remington is also an option

My budget is going to have to be around $250.

P.S. Even though my profile says that I'm 13, I'm 6' 2" tall and around 220 pounds... I can take the recoil!

ANY advice is GREATLY appreciated!

RE: Elk Gun?
 

What do you already have?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I dont have anything... I've just been looking, Do you have any suggestions?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

any of those calibers will work fine

RE: Elk Gun?
 

which one of these calibers will be the cheapest and the most reliable?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Go for the 30-06 (180 gr. Nosler Partitions) if this is your first high power long gun. If it just has to have the word "magnum" in it, then go for either the 7mmRM or 300 WMand NO I wouldn't go higher or lower than those. You may be able to find one of those at $250 used. All other things equal, I anticipate the 30-06 will be cheaper. It is a classic and is equally reliable to theothersin terms of function. In terms of reliable in taking game, it will hold its own. Get the 30-06, for your first rifle power isn't everything, versatility and friendliness is. Get the 30-06.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I'm looking into buying a mossberg bolt action .30-06... are mossberg's good rifles? My dad owns a marlin .30-30 and it has lasted for over 20 yrs. can i expect this mossberg to last me for as long as my father's?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I have a friend who has a Mossberg rifle that easily more than 30 years old and taken lots of game with it. While Mossbergs are not a name dropper in the rifle world they generally make sound servicable product.The onlyweakness on my friends riflewas that when the safetywas on it did NOT lock down the bolt handle and while that can be tolerated once you are aware of the problemit can be a disadvantage in the right circumstances. That problem may be gone by now.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

mossberg isn't really on the top tier for quality. 300 is the best all around elk gun whether it be in tight or long range. does $250 cover the scope too because you might end up with some pretty poor quality gear by the end of it. Not trying to put you down, but to be realistic i would think you'd have to spend more money than that.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I actually own a mossberg 30.06 bolt action and there is no way in hell ill switch from that gun. It is acurate reliable not heavy and has some take down power and the kick isnt that bad. I like how the safety is right at the thumb so all you have to do is push up for the gun to be lve and the bolt on it is nice and smooth and kicks the shell good. I've shot fawns to Bull moose with the gun and all you have to do is switch the grains of your bullets and you will have one of the most versitaile guns(i think). But yah for elk i use exactally what Eagle338 uses. A 180 grain nosler partition and they work great. So i would have to suggest the 30.06

RE: Elk Gun?
 

#1 You should really try to save up a little more money. Even on the cheaper rifles $250 is pushing it. I suggest looking at the Stevens 200. It is the same rifle that Savage sold as the model 110 before they updated it. Not pretty but reliable, functional, and generally very accurate. In order to get a good and reliable gun and scope package you will need to spend about $450 - $500. I do not consider the scopes that companies put with their package deals a reliable scope.

#2. The 30-06 or .270 will be the cheapest two cartridges to shoot and ammunition is available any where ammunition is sold. The 30-06 will have the advantage on elk because of the heavier bullets available for it but both are very effective elk cartridges. You DO NOT need a magnum of any kind to hunt and cleanly kill elk.

#3. The new Mossberg is by no means the same rifle that the old Mossberg was. The old one was a Howa 1500 built by Howa for Mossberg. The new Mossberg is just above the Remington 710 in regards to its build quality. No offence to any that have one of these rifles. They do what they are suppose to do, which is send bullets down range, but they leave much to be desired when it comes to a quility built rifle.

Eagle 338, having the safety lock the bolt closed while on safe is not a really desirable feature to have on a rifle as it forces you to take the gun off safe in order to unload it. It is much much safer if the safety is engaged while unloading. The best safety is a three position as it allows you to lock the bolt closed while walking around in the woods but still be able to unload the gun with the safety engaged. Having the safety lock the bolt closed when it is engages is the least desirable safety feature you could have. At least as far as being safe is concerned.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

the $250covers the gun only... ill be looking at scopes ltr. on.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

bigbulls,

the best gun that I have ever bought was a remington! So if the mossberg is half as good as the remington I will DEFINATELY buy it!

RE: Elk Gun?
 

ok so yah i have the older mossberg and i cant see a problem in it because im shooting animals at 500yds and still knocking them down, and the safety can be engaged while unloading but im not to sure on the new one but according to bigbulls it aint the best so i would do some shopping.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

30-06 or 7mm mag. Flip a coin.

One of these are usually cheaper to buy and cheaper to shoot. Ammo at any Wal-mart anywhere. Other guns ammo are slightly harder to find and usually more expensive.

You WILL buy another gun later, so don't worry that you might not be getting everything you might ever want in one package.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

is that new "fusion" ammo any good?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Lethal, that Mossberg you have is a dang fine gun and one of my favorites. The Howa 1500 receivers are one of the strongest production receivers made. I don't think I typed it the same way my brain was thinking it. [8D] ;)

Goose, you would do much better with a Remington 700 than the Mossberg 100 ATR.

In the under $300 budget there are basically three guns I would be looking at.......

* One of the left over Remington 700 ADL's that were discontinued and replaced by the SPS. Or the SPS if you can find one at that price.
* A Howa 1500 Lightning or hunter model.
* Stevens 200.

Any of these three will be absolutely reliable and last your entire life.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

You are certainly entitled to your opinion and you are right 3 position safeties are nice and offer the best of both worlds as on win 70s & ruger 77s etc.Two positon safeties are a compromise, so you have to choose what you consider the lesser of evils. Personally I'd rather trust my own smarts to getthe cartridges out of the gun (30 seconds of identifiable focused task specific effort) with no screw upANDhave a bolt lock down safety thata personcan trust to make sure that duringthe course of a day of brush busting, tree branches, and slinging up against backpacks and backpack straps that you won'tend up with a lifted bolt, an open action, and your live round on the ground 200 yards back, and debris in your action.Now a shot opportunity pops up unexpectedly like they some times do, you unsling your rifleand whoops what do we have here an open action.Seen it happen. My revolver doesn't have any safety at all, trapdoor 45-70, old win 94 isprettycrude too, just hammer trigger muzzlecontrol. Both count on operator smarts but at least the action stays closed.I think I could handle unloading the rifle safely with NO safetyso I'll take the bolt lock down safety system hands down if we are talking 2 position safeties.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

The .300 Win. Mag would be your best choice. Good luck.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Get a 30-06. You can get rounds in any general store in any country in the world. Ammo is cheap too, you can practice with cheap mil ammo if you dont reload. That's all the gun a big game hunter needs.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Go with the 7 Mag. The ammo might cost slightly more than say 30-06 but I prefer the 7 mag cartridge personally.Though you wouldn't go wrong with any of your choices. I would advise against buying the mossberg rifle. I would recommend either a Savage or Remington 700 you will be happier in the long run.If you can find a Howa 1500 in yourprice range it would be a good rifle. The Howa1500 is the same action the Weatherbys used to be built on. You can check the pawn shops and gun stores and possibly find a usedrifle in your price range, Though I think you should save a couple hundred more.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I t sounds like you and your folks need to get to a gun show, and start bargain hunting I have found that some folks at the gun shows, especially some of the old geezers will will shave a goodly amount off the asking price if they know you(a youngster)are buying your first big game rifle,
might get more bang for your dollar!!! 25-06 30-06 270 300 whatever,
buy what you can afford now, you have whole life of gun buying and trading ahead of you!! so if you decide you arn't real happy with what you get you can allways trade up or you might luck out and end up with a family heirloom!!!

Tony

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Goose,
I know what you are going through,I was a poor kid in a family of 7 and the baby at that.So when it came to elk hunting and guns I was always last.

But lucky for youI have done some bargin shopping,for the best bang for your buck you cannot beat the Stevens Modle 200.You can pick one up new for about 250-270 dollars,put a Nikon pro staff on it and be set.It will cost around 400 dollars total.They make it in some fine elk rounds also,30-06,7mm RM,300 Win Mag and 308 win.
If you can't swing that start looking for a used rifle,if a scope is out of the question find a used Savage with open sights in 30-06 or 7mm RM.I know for shure you can find these on Gunbroker for 200-250 dollars,20-25 dollars shipping and you are set.
Ammo wise 30-06 is probaly the cheapest and most vastly found,there is nothing wrong with a 15.00 box of 180grcore-loks,or pay 10 bucks more for noslers.

P.S. If you can't find one by end of Summer have your dad get a hold of me,I could posibly have a deal for you.;)
BBJ

RE: Elk Gun?
 

has anybody tried that new fusion ammo yet?

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Just use some cheap Winchester Super-X ammo or Remington Core-Lokt ammo. It's a lot cheaper than almost anything else you'll find and it will work fine on elk.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

From all reports I have received, the Fusion ammo is great. I'm hoping they come out with the bullet as a component sometime soon.

Also, if you really aren't recoil sensitive - get the .300 Winchester. Most folks on this board, if the truth be known, use lighter calibers because they kick less. The .300 Winchester will give you a little more margin for error if shot placement is less than ideal.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Agrrrr.... My kind of guy!

30-06 is okay though

RE: Elk Gun?
 

For ammo if you have the 30-06, try the Hornady Light Magnum ammo in 165gr. It's high tech world class ammo. Sportsmans Guide has is for 22.00 a box, not really a bad deal tho you may find it cheaper locally.

Another thing to condsider if you succumb to magnumitis is get your stock cut off 1" and get a 1" Pachmayer recoil pad put on, or even the highly overpriced LimbSaver 1" recoil pad.I did that for my 135# wife and she can run thru3 boxes of 150gr 06 ammo pretty quick with no bruising.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Never heard of it!Has anyone else?

As to my choice for an elk rifle,I would go with either a 7mmremmag or a 300winmag.Either provides good power and a flat trajectory with the 7mmremmag providing less recoil.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I agree that 300 is the best all around, although I use a 30-06 because it was given to me free of charge so I've stuck with it. My last purchases was a 375 h&h which I plan to hunt elk in the timber with next year. I would probably describe myself as a little recoil shy until I got the 375. The kick is all mental. Once you start shooting those bigger calibers you realize it really isn't that bad.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

I found a deal here in town on a savage .300 win. mag. It is $220 for the rifle strap and scope. Is this a good deal. the rifle is in excellent condition

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Git 'er done!

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Just last year I took up a first time hunter and he bought a Mossberg 30-06 (the one's they sell at walmart for $250). I put together some handloads and the gun shot good. It is afterall a Savage with a cheaper stock. There is a pawn shop on Sheridan and 25th in Glenwood and they sometimes have cheap rifles. If you can handle the recoil as you say I would look at a 7mm Rem Mag in a 700 BDL. I would also buy (or load) 160gr Seirra GameKing bullets. They perform great and are just about the right weight for anything here in Colorado. A 30-06is also a classicpick and ammo is priced lower than most others but if you can reload the ammo all costs about the same. Good Luck Jovan

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Look at the new Stevens rifles. 250 or less. 30-06 would be a good choice. If you shoot well, the 270 would also fill the bill.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

Goose pick it up while you can,even if the scope is junk.You have the battle 1/2 won,just find a good scope.

I'm telling ya the Sightron SI scopes are good scopes for under 150 bucks.I can get them around here for 139.99 at Big bear in GreatFalls.

Get that gun bought.
BBJ

RE: Elk Gun?
 

The Fusion ammo is great. Best thing on the market for factory ammo. IMO I used it this year in my 270 for mule deer. Nine deer with nine shots non went anywhere. Good accuracy, good expansion and excellent penetration. Federal rates them for elk as well.

RE: Elk Gun?
 

thanks james