Whats the ultimte rifle for hunting elk? Taking into account trajectory, knock down power, and accuracy, what gun would you all want for the once in a life time elk hunt?

I use the 300ultramag myself as it shoots very flat and delivers a lot of energy.My own rifles are very accurate with my handloads.

Choice #1
Remington 700 BDL....... just because that is my favorite rifle, Weaver Grand Slam Scope, 7mm Rem Mag or 30-06. Any factory loaded premium ammo of 175 grain for the 7mm or 180 grain for the ' 06. (practical choice)

Choice #2
The Remington 700 Classic in 35 Whelen (if you could find one), loaded with 225 grain premiums. (The once in a lifetime dream choice)

Choice #3
While both the 7mm Rem Mag and 30-06 are good elk guns, many people today are on the big Mag craze and will say more power is needed. If the 35 Whelen could not be found and one was looking for a MORE THAN ENOUGH GUN, I' d take the 300 Weatherby Magnum. (Gunned to the hilt choice)

Since the elk is such an extremely dificult animal to put down with a bullet (I think they wear armor now) I would go with the 338-378 Weatherby mag. Heck I could take one at 700 yards if need be (Only with a perfectly placed shot right behind the shoulder) and for those really close shots it would be just enough to get through the shoulder bone to break it. I would probably still need a follow up shot though.

Once in a lifetime elk hunt? May as well use your deer rifle with heavy for caliber quality bullets. Example: 30-06 with 180gr Nosler Partitions.

There are some " ultimate" elk rifle/cartridge combinations out there all right but for most folks, all too often:
1. The rifle costs too much
2. The ammo costs too much
3. They weigh too much
4. They kick too much
5. The muzzle blast is too much
6. They get folks upset too much

As you can see " ultimate" is just too much for most folks. If you are not allergic to the word Magnum and decide to break free of the crowd, then ultimate will have to be crafted by you not for you. I' d recommend " bigger, faster, stronger" .

Bigger than a 30-06.
Faster than a 30-06.
Strong bullets.

Beyond that, the rifle/cartridge combo will have to be yours according to what you can handle.

A place to start for a general statistical cross section of the folks on this forum might be the " Whats Your Favorite Big Game Rifle?" poll in this section.

Never Go Undergunned
EKM

Hmm, tough one.
Id go with a Winchester Model 70 Classic stainless in 7mm Rem Mag, Leupold Vari X III 3-9x40 with 140 grain barnes X bullets

Scott

340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

A 300 or 340 weatherby would do just fine. If ammo cost is a factor than the good old 338 win mag would come along.

Rifle? Either a Sako or Sauer would be nice. Since you mentioned ultimate.

340

That Sott must be a smart fellow. That is my setup as well, except I chosed a 160 gr. Barnes XLC.

I currently shoot a 7mm Rem Mag and I' ve never had any problems with it but if I had to start over and go buy a new rifle, I would choose a 300 Ultra Mag. Lots of knock down power from a long ways away. Real accurate and recoil is manageable.