I' d go with the Tikka in .338 Win Mag. I personally can' t shoot it, but it puts a little distance between itself and the .270 Win, which a 7mm Rem Mag does not.

My ideal for elk is the .270 Wby Mag with 150gr Nosler Partitions for long-range shooting and the .338-06 with 210gr Partitions for anything under 200 yards.

I' d opt for the Tikka .338. Your .270 is enough rifle for deer, take a bigger step up, rather than an incremental step. I saw a beautiful Tikka 338 this weekend, was sorely tempted myself. Unfortunately I' m a few seasons away from taking an elk hunt.

I' m not getting down on the other calibers, they' re good rounds, but from everything I' ve read the .338 is a more appropriate tool for the job.

First Time,

I don' t know what part of the country you are from; however, here in Colorado and all the states I' ve ever hunted in, 338 ammo is as common as dirt -- been around for a long time -- much more available than some of the new sexy sizzle calibers currently being introduced. The " installed base" is huge -- take a look at " Poll: What' s your favorite big game rifle?" 30-06 is clearly in first place with the 338 and 7mm tied for second and everything else " falls away" from there.

Pick which ever caliber you want; however, again, I recommend that you don' t build a rack of rifles with the calibers ALL clustered in the mid-range -- space them out so you have the rifles available to match the tool to the given job.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

I' m in northern Minnesota. The rifles of choice here range up to an occational 7mm. Mostly 30-06 and 30-30' s. .270 and 308' s are very common and a few, not many, use .243' s......I don' t know of anyone using a .338 around here. Thanks for the info. Ryan

The issue of my elk rifle has been solved. I picked up the Tikka .338 today at the gun auction. It' s a honey of a looker, and the trigger is crisp and set at what I' m guessing to be about 3#' s. Hope to shoot it this week and will get ya' all a range report.

Marlin 1895 Guide in 45/70 is the best rifle period! Combined with Garrett loads, you can propel a 420 grain projectile at 1850 fps! Thats over 3250 lbs./ft. of energy and knockdown power. And if you are not good enough to get within 45/70 range (100-200 yds.) you should probably be hunting foxes with the damn English elite types!

First Time,

Congrats on spacing out the rifles in your rack and on acquiring a fine elk thumper.

Since you are stepping out of your " familiarity envelope" with a 338, here are a few thoughts on moving up out of the " light weight class" and getting your relationship with your new " hammer" off to a good start.

** Start out with a box of 200 gr cartridges - starting with Federal Premium 250gr High Energy ammo might be a bit of a shocker.

** Take your first few shots standing up (more body flex) and just worry about hitting the backstop until you' ve gotten " introduced" at the gut level and you' ve mentally quantified what you' re handling. No better way to get " beat up" than bench shooting.

** Make sure your stock fits, i.e. your wrapped around thumb is at least 1/2" from your nose/upper lip -- if not, then a slip on recoil pad or a insert a wadded pair of leather gloves between the butt and your shoulder, both are a short term fix to a stock that is too short for your body type.

** If it came with a scope on it, then check out the scope' s front/back mounting placement and eye relief vs. your brow.

** In lighter calibers, you can have these factors out of place with no overt problems -- little different with these mid-range magnums.

** Go enjoy yourself -- you' re ready to go anywhere and face anything in North America -- my boys, 165 pounds and 20 years old hunt elk with 338' s -- you' ll do fine.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

500 yards eh? think you need a new guide..not a new gun.

Best cartridge - 338-06
Best action - 1895 Winchester
Best boot - Danner Elk Hunters (lace to toe, insulated)

Other ' an thet, I agree with Bigbore. ' Specially ' bout the dam englanders.

I' ve always hunted elk with a 30-06. Mine was given to me by my grandpa. He' d used it for years and between the two of us it' s killed alot of elk, no problem.