Lots of dead coyotes won't agree with you.

I'd get a Remington Model 700 in 338 Remington Ultra Mag or a Browning X-Bolt in 325 Winchester Short Mag. Both are awesome calibers with great knockdown power. I shot my first elk with a 30-06 but wouldn't use less than a 300 Win. Mag now.

This was written by a friend of mine. Hopefully it backs up some of what i've been saying. He's a biologist, and knows elk very well.

http://www.biggamehunt.net/blogs/wes...er-elk-hunting

30.06. 25.06 is flatter shooting but will not have the knock down power, like the 30.06 for the bigger animals like bear or elk.

Just bought a Savage, but I looked real close at the Series II before I did, and it's a real nice gun. Economical too, you can pick one up under $500 on line.

Make sure to check the state regulations on caliber restrictions. The best caliber to hunt elk with, is almost always the caliber you shoot the most accurate with, and are the most comfortable with. A 338RUM is useless if one can not hit the broad side of a barn due to the fierce recoil. Depending on range, and terrain/vegetation, a 243 would suffice, though not my idea of a good gun. A 30/30 in the hands of a competent shooter can, and has killed its fair share of elk. You just have to accept your maximum distance limits. I myself, have a 30/30, 30'06, 7mm rem mag, 300 win mag, 300RUM, 375H&H, and a 45/70, and every one of them is suitable for elk, and I have plenty of trigger time behind them all, so I am confident with them. A 308, 270, 280, all your 30 caliber magnums, 7mm's, and pretty much on up from there works. If you want to shoot longer ranges, and are capable, then look at the 300 magnums and bigger.

My 7mm mag, and 300RUM are both winchester M70s, and have seen elk hunting. The 300win is an Xbolt, and is what my wife shoots, and the 375 is a remmy 798. If I'm going to hunt wide open area, or thinner timber, the RUM comes with me. If I dont know what I'll see, the 7mm or 375 comes with me, as they have lower power scopes. If its thick timber and brush, my marlin 45/70 with ghost ring sights rides alongside me.
Thats my two cents, not adjusted for inflation.

This is very true and in that case the 243 is the better choice if that's the gun you're accurate with.

asking what kind of gun to use is like asking whats a good beer! EVERYONE has a different chioce... personally i use a 223 for all my elk hunting in colorado and works great!

Yah you do!!!!! Apparently u Aint Got No Taste In Beer Drinkin Keystone Light!

Take a look at these, might even go with a 7MM RM;

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=117270

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=117249

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=113410

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=87768

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=99595

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=90826

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86358

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86703

I hope you are joking. You do know its illegal to hunt elk in colorado with a 223, don't you? http://wildlife.state.co.us/RulesReg...s/BigGame.aspx

Page 12:

1. CEN TERFIRE RIFLES

a. Must be minimum of .24 caliber (6 mm).
b. Must have a minimum 16-inch barrel and be at least 26 inches long.
c. If semiautomatic, they can hold a maximum of six rounds in the magazine
and chamber combined.
d. Must use expanding bullets that weigh minimum 70 grains for deer,
pronghorn and bear, 85 grains for elk and moose, and have an impact
energy (at 100 yards) of 1,000-ft. pounds as rated by manufacturer.
e. It is illegal to hunt game birds, small-game mammals or furbearers with a
centerfire rifle larger than .23 caliber during regular rifle deer and elk seasons
west of I-25, without an unfilled deer or elk license for the season. A

small-game, furbearer or unfilled big-game license is required

Nevermind, he was just joking. Have I told the story about the coworker, who claims his wife shoots golfballs at 400 yards, with a 22rimfire?

easy gentlemen i was just kidding about the 223 to get these guys fired up! Ive never been to colorado nor own a 223 lol.......sorry streetglide ahahahahaha

Well next time clue us in,lol. I had hoped you were joking, but if you've been around the block a few times, you know there are some who think the 223 is the end all be all of game calibers, because it works in an ar15. :poke:

thanks For The Links!!...Im Down Too 4 calibers with a little more studying on ballistics!

7mm...300 Win....308....270

The .270 with a 150gr Partition will kill elk easily. Then you also have a great caliber for deer too.

Jack O Conner's favorite caliber for good reason.

Get any of what you have listed. The 308 is a short action, the rest will be long action guns. You cant go wrong with any of them. I would not hesitate to take any of them hunting. I will say, if the argument of meat loss comes up, you will see that with any high velocity round, and of those listed, the 308 would have the least amount of damage to meat, as it is the slowest of the bunch. Me, Ill give up a little meat to anchor an elk.

Yes Sir....thanks for the advice!

I might want to have a sports car with a 400 HP engine even if I'm only going to use if for taking the kids to school and driving a suburban commute to work.

Maybe the poster wanted to have a rifle that COULD perform at the maximum realistic hunting range of 500 yards? Now we can debate what the maximum realistic hunting range is, but it seems to me I've read that many feel an elk hunter ought to be ready to take 300+ yard shots in some elk hunting environments. I've taken two elk -- one at about 50 yards and the other at maybe 200 yards. My hunting partners have taken 4 other elk at ranges between these yardage values while I was taking my two elk. But that doesn't mean that some times, somewhere someone may not be constrainted to a shot longer than this range.

I read that many think that the Winchester .338 Magnum is an excellent long range elk rifle. One book I read referred to it as the "King of the Elk Cartridges." I don't know if that is on point or not, but it makes me want to own one of these, maybe in a nice Winchester Super Grade with a 26" barrel. Sigh. Until my ship comes in, however, I will just have to keep killing elk with my .30-06.

Like!!!!!!

Dare to be different. 300RUM, but not in the everybody-has-a-model-700 rifle, but in the M70 from winchester.

I have a 300 Win Mag that would certainly work for elk out to 500 yards, but I would never take a shot at that range. My personal comfort for long range shots is about 300 yards and even closer if at all possible. The rifle I used for elk hunting this year (I didn't get or even see an elk), was my 358 Win. It has an effective range of about 250 yards for elk. Just my opinion, but a big part of hunting is stalking and working my way to get as close as possible before taking a shot. Otherwise, I feel like a sniper rather than a hunter.

Why do people think that if you shoot an animal @ 100yds. you're a hunter and if you shoot an animal 500yds. you're sniper.
Do you think that if you take an animal @ 100yds. it makes you a better hunter than a guy that takes an animal @ 500yds?

I don't know. Do you think you're better taking one at 500yds, than someone taking one at 50 yds?

Nope,how about you? Do you think you're better taking one @ 50yds. than someone taking one @ 500yds.?

It's not quite that simple. If all the closer you can get to an animal is 500 yards because they have exceptional senses and you have no cover or means to stalk them, maybe not.

On the other hand, if all the closer you can get to an animal is 500 yards because you can't read terrain, can't use cover or concealment well, because you sound like a freight train walking through the woods, or because that's how far they are from the road or trail you're driving on, then absolutely yes - you may need to consider sharpening and relying on your shooting skills because your hunting skills probably won't cut it.

500 yards is often at about the threshold where it's no longer a matter of "holdover" or the gimmicky extra subtensions provided by a BDC reticle that put a bullet on target. With the exception of RR, I don't see too many of the long-range fans here ever hint at some of the other factors which come into greater play in the 400-500 yard window and every yard that comes after. So, at what point are you computing solutions to targets, and at what point are you just "guessing"? Sometimes it's just better to be lucky than it is to be good?

Most of the guys who I hear talking about their "700-yard elk" are the cowboys who don't have the first idea what their pace count is, let alone know enough of ballistics and physics to reliably or predictably put a bullet on target at that kind of range. Hey, makes for a good story, though. The same guys talk about how big that walleye was they caught two years ago.

Whatever floats your boat. You might consider that some of us can shoot well beyond 500 yards but choose not to when we're hunting. Different activity. Different combination of skillsets.

I don't think about it. I just do it. Actually, i've done both.

I don't hunt for antlers. I consider it bragging. So, thinking i'm better than you doesn't even enter my mind.

How about you?

IowaWhitetails, they just giving you a hard time cause your state is charging 540 bucks for an out of state deer hunt and can't even use a rifle ( scowl) Anyway, not that I care but at Cabelas there sure are a lot of Magnums on the used rack that never been shot. The Redfield Revolution 2x7 is 180 bucks there too, kind of high but a nice scope however. This might get you under budget. I shot .270 win @ 400 yds quite a few times across a gravel pit. With a 7600 pump and got 12-16" groups , not so good. It was very hard getting the bullet where I wanted it. Not that I care.

Hard to read and makes no sense.

You must have thought about long range hunt somewhat you called it "boring".

Ok, makes no sense. I'll try again. Iowawhitetails is from Iowa. Out of state deer tag is 540 bucks. Maybe everyone is nidging him cause he has a deer tag there and the rest have to pay 540 for a tag he gets for 30 bucks. Funny thing is he can't use his new rifle in Iowa. It's a shotgun only state. Many out west don't know that I guess. Now, if I need a new magnum for 500 yd shots for under 800 bucks I'd go to Cabelas, there are used Magnums all over the shelves there that have never been shot and Redfield Revolutions are nice scopes for 190 bucks. The mag craze is over so they are on the used shelves. As for 500 yd shots I could never do it. About 12"-16" groups is the best I could do with my .270 win. 7600 pump. Some guys can shoot long ranges from experience but never was good enough so be ready to do some shooting.

I did more than think about it. I tried it. Shot some elk at long range, and decided I had more fun trying to get close. Plus, I enjoy being in the dark timber.


The one exception is coyote hunting. I shoot them at long range, but all my big game will be up close.

Pick what you like, and go fill the freezer. No reason to have to defend how you hunt, and if someone else doesn't like it? So what? It's not that important.

May want to re-read the OP, he wants a toy, and something to take out west if or when he goes elk hunting. For that, a slug gun isn't the ideal gun. Something else, I thought Iowa changed the rules for resident hunters, and allow rifles for certain areas now. Perhaps the OP can elaborate more. I don't see those of us living out west fussing about $540 for a whitetail tag. We get elk tags here for something in the $40 range, and even the nonresident tag is a little less the what Iowa thinks their whitetail are worth. So I dont see envy there,lol. From my own experience, I never had alot of luck with accuracy with the 7600 pump. Good glass, plenty of practice, and a decent gun goes a long ways for long range shooting. If you're the kind who shoots 10 rounds a year, its not for you. You need to know your gun, know your ammo, better then your wife.

The 7600 pump was never designed for long range accuracy. Well not past about 200 yrds., if that.
For long range, it would seem preferable to use a bolt action or single shot rifle.

I agree with muley hunter,i agree!!

I use a Winchester Model 70 in a 30-06. I shoot Federal Premiums with a Barnes TSX 180gr bullet. Finally I have it topped with a Swarovski 4-12x50.

I don't think your $1k limit is enough for a gun and quality optics.

I hunt Colorado and we have killed 10 elk in the past 7 years. My bull this year was the furthest we have taken an elk at 176 yards. Most have been under 100 yards with the closest being 25 yards.

Don't get a magnum, its not needed and you will flinch yourself off the target.

Best of luck . . . Rob

This can hold true with about any centerfire rifle. It doesn't have to even be a magnum. With a good recoil pad, and some basic shooting skills, a flinch will not happen. My wife shoots both a 7mm Rem mag, and a 300 win mag, with no flinch. I shoot a 300RUM, 375H&H, and no flinch. The one gun I have that would be most likely to give someone a flinch, isn't even a magnum. A 45/70 lever gun, loaded to lever gun levels is one fierce kicking gun. So that old phrase about magnums is as much hype as saying a 308 is horribly inaccurate, but an '06 is magical.

It's alligators in Florida. crocs live in Africa... Different continent... But u can take ur 300 over there for plains game.... Just saying...

I shoot a .300 win mag and feel quite confident out to 300 yards, but don't have anywhere to hunt where that is an option.

my answer would be Thompson center omega 50vcal...but u said u shoot CVA...omega is great for knock down power and distance..plus built for precision/competition shooting...light trigger. really nice weapon if u like muzzleloaders,,,personally love mine..

Not true. Your two examples are hardly representative of the 40 million hunters in the US. I know at least 10 hunters who had to back to smaller calibers, because they started to develop a flinch from magnums.

Magnums aren't needed. If you can't kill with a 30-06. You're doing something wrong.