Elkshane

I have been hunting for a number of years and have had a lot of different rifles from a Remington 223 varmit to a Weatherby Mark V in 300 Weatherby on the high end. A recent illness forced me to sell just about all of my rifles a few years back. I am almost 70 years of age and looking to acquire a new rifle/scope setup for hunting in the U.S. West and perhaps Western Canada. Most of my hunting will be out of lodges with a guide.

Last year I was kind of talked into a Tikka T3 Lite in 300 WSM and found the "to the rear" recoil to be okay but the verticlejump up recoil of the rifle was really bad and so I sold the outfit. Had a 3-9 Leupold on it. I was resonably accurate with it with about 2" patterns at 100 yards and 6-8 inch patterns at 200 yards with a 180 grain bullet.

Also I did try a muzzle break on a rifle a bit back and really hated the noise and would not want to put a muzzle break on anything new.

My primary hunting target would be Elk with perhaps some mule deer and/or caribou. Based on my previous hunting experience I would say there was a 75% chance my shot distance would be 150 yards or less and 25% chance it would be 250 yards or less.

So now I am looking for a new outfit. I am kind of down to two options.

A: One would be a nice bolt action in Winchester 308 with a 22-24 inch barrel. A couple local dealers have suggested the new Winchester, or a Weatherby SUB-MOA, a Remington 700, and Browning X-Bolt. Scope would be a Burris Signature Select 1.5-6 or a Leupold 2.5-8 in B&C, or a Zeiss Conquest 3-9 with the Rapid Z reticle.

B. Benelli R1 in 300 WSM with about the same scope selections as in A aboveor perhaps a Schmidt-Bender Zenith 1.5-6. The dealer suggested the 300 WSM caliber has he felt the semi-auto action plus the Comfort Tech stock/pad would really reduce the recoil and he knows I have more than 100 rounds of 300 WSM premium ammo and some brass for reloading.

So if anyone out there can make some sense of my situation/opportunity and has some practical usage feedback, suggestions, etc... I would sure welcome some voices of experiences.

ELKSHANE

Folically Challenged

For this setup, I'd suggest a cartridge in the .270,7mm-08, 7x57,or .280 range.You'd take out a goodly portion of the muzzle jump you mentioned with the .300 WSM, but still have plenty of killing power, as well as a a flat shooter to well past 250 yards.

As for the rifle, I'd suggest a lightweight, fast-handling setup. You want a rifle that's not a chore to drag through tangles of alders, and something that slides easily into a saddle scabbard. You're right about going with a 24" barrel or less, & doing so won't hurt the performance if you're not looking at a magnum cartridge.

Perhaps something along the lines of this: http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire_rifles/model_700/model_700_mountain_LSS.asp

I think you're right-on with the scope sizes & quality. Great hunts should have great glass, & you've mentioned some wonderful scopes. I'd suggest that you take your gun to the scope store, & see how the glass looks when you hold it up to your rifle. You don't want a huge scope on a short, slender rifle, as it won't handle well, nor will it be be easy to tote around. 7x or 8x on the top end will still allow you to shoot as far as the cartridges above will go.

FWIW, I went elk hunting in Western Canada with a guide/outfitter, and I took a 24" rifle with a 3-9 Conquest on it. After dragging my tired [rear quarters] through the scrub for what seemed like an eternity, I took a nice 6x5 bull elk.

Then last winter, I found a slim little Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in 7x57, and I jumped on it. I've got it topped with a 2-7 x 35 scope, & it feels much easier to tote around. It's a real sweetheart to shoot, and it drops 173 grain softpoints right on top of one another.

Given that I shot my bull at about 65 yards, and that we had 4 other bulls called-in closer, I think the 7x57 willhave plenty of killing ability and range. I went from a rifle that was almost 9 lbs., and had a 24" barrel, to one that's barely over 8 lbs., and has a 22" barrel. The smaller setup feels much more manageable to me. As an aside, I'm all of 39 years old, and I'm already looking for ways to lighten the load!

By the way, you can probably sell your .300 WSM brass quite easily on this forum, or others.

Good Luck!

FC

BareBack Jack

FC,dose a pretty good job of summing it up.I to would recomend the 280 Rem,7mm-08 at those ranges.The other one would be the 30-06,you just cant go wrong with the "06.

If it were me I would take a WeatherbyMOA in 30-06 topped with a Burris 3-9 Balistic Plex and never look back.If weight is a concern Remington Modle 7 in 7mm-08 and topped with the Luppy 2.5-8 B&C.With elk and the 7mm-08 I have liked the 140 Barnes Tripple shock X.
Good luck.
BBJ

ox1443

I Would Flip A Coin.

Elkshane

Thank you to all the replies so far .. I really didn't expect so much insight quite so soon ... but I sure welcome it ....

I am kind of leaning toward a bolt action of some sort and perhaps the recommended Weatherby SUB-MOA in either 30-06 or 308.I probably should mention that I do my range shooting sitting down but only use shooting sticks for a rest as that is what I use in the field for my hunts. But I am thinking of getting one of these lightweight attachable tripod setups. The weight of the rifle is some but not too much consideration as my sucessfull experiences with Elk and Deer have been with walks of a mile or less as I tend to go to lodges that are fair chase hunts but not too difficult chase for me on my aging bones. On one deer hunt the guide had an old camera tripod attached to his belt with abunchup towel on the top for the rest....worked great! Now if I can only get the guide to carry the rifle and perhaps allow me to use a shoulder for the rifle rest?

It is interesting to remember that on two different successful elk hunts the guides both had rifles in .280 Remington and mentioned that on the rare occasion they used the rifle found that it was more than sufficient.

So I thank you all that have contributed so far and I think I will just go with a nice bolt action and find one that just kind of fits and feel right. I do like a palm swell but I think one can still find the stick on/rubber palm swells without have to pay the many extra bucks.

Thanks again .. I will keep watching for for replies and perhaps look through the for sale listings in this site. As was suggested it might be a good place to list my 300 WSM Winchester XP and Federal ammo and brass.

txhunter58

I would go with the 308 or possibly the '06. At ranges below 250 yards the animals will not know the difference between that and any magnum made. I too will never put another muzzlebrake on a gun. However, the Sims recoil pads do wonders. I can shoot my feather weight 7mm mag (a kicking monster) all day with a Sims pad.

James B

Well some older guys like me don't mind the weight but the shoulder won't take the recoil. I can shoot a 308/30-06/280 with the Cabelas shooters friend recoil pad three or four times before the pain gets to intense so that would be my choice. I like the Browning A bolt or the 700 SPS. I had a Savage 270 WSM with the heavy Varmint barrel that was OK recoil wise but weighed about 11 lbs with the scope and sling. Not a carry gun.[:@]

Elkshane

Thanks to all for the great suggestions. I am about settle on a Tikka T3 Laminated Stock Stainless rifle in Winchester 308 caliber with a Zeiss Conquest scope in 3-9x40 with the Rapid Z 600 reticle. I continue to be open to feedback/suggestions/recommendations especially anyone who might have experience with the Zeiss Conquest and the Rapid Z reticle.

Thanks again to all who have reviewed and or responsed.

elkshane