If you were going to buy a rifle for a Wyoming elk hunt. What would you buy and why? Which scope would you put on it?

Remington 700 in the caliber you are comfortable with. I like Nikon for the money.

"I buy" eh?

So it's not foryou, thus I don't need to inquire as to what you already own, what you have already experienced, how much gumption you've got, your recoil managment skills, etc, etc,etc....[:'(]

Well, don't really need to buy anything in order to go, but if I was adding one on just because, then probably a 338-378 Weatherby and a Leupy scope with 3 to 4 on the low end and 12 to 16 on the high end. (2nd choice 338 RUM, 3rd choice 300 RUM in a Stainless Sendero with the same scope).

Why? Because I can handle the friskier cartridges just fine and I really like the results I see of off the end of my barrel when I use cartridges in that genre, especially with elk type critters. I like them to just "give it up right then and there" even without a CNS shot; I hate tracking, even short (100 yard jobs), especially if you're looking to pop more than one out of a herd.... the results need to be definitive. I like Barnes TSX bullets so let's push'em.

BUCKTOWN

Easy.... Tikka Lite 300 Win Mag with a Bushnell Elite 3200 with Rain Guard 3x9x40

It is a shooter.... and don't get fooled by the shortmags...

Browning a-bolt or kimber 8400 in .338 win mag or .325 wsm with a leupold vx3 or vxL in 4.5x-14.

I'd build a custom 338 Lapua and top it with a Leupold VX-7 3.5-14x50

Id take my Tikka T3 Stainless Lite in 300 WSM! I love that gun!

BUCKTOWN;
These guys would be a lot of fun at party's, huh?
I have a Ruger M77 in stainless with composite stock in the .300 WIN MAG. (Not that short s@!t)
Topped with a Nikon Monarch 3 - 9. I use this gun for everything. Antelope, bear, deer, elk, moose (if I ever get a tag!). Will do it all.

Example: Last Friday I took a mulie doe at 397 yards . . . uphill, into the sun, with a crosswind. Well, that might be stretching it a bit. But it knocked her down at 397! Winchester Supreme AccuBond in 180 grains for everything.

You won't be sorry, and a gun you could likely use at home for local game.

Well, since you asked, I would go with a Remington 700 Mountain LSS in .30-'06, likely with a 2-7(or 8)x 3_ scope.

I'm very partial to Remingtons - they just seem to fit me like nothing else. I currently have a 700 CDL in .30-'06 with a Zeiss Conquest in 3-9x40 perched atop it in Leupold Dual Dovetail rings. It's a wonderful setup, and I took a nice 6x5 with it in October. After draggingthat riflethrough some nasty-a$$ scrub up in BC, though, I'm thinking that saving some weight & barrel length might not be such a bad thing after all. The Mountain LSS is 2" shorter, & roughly 1 lb. lighter. Some weight could also be saved in the scope and rings, too.

The .30-'06 can get the job done well, though I won't deny that the .338 WM would add substantially more oomph. However, shooting a 6½ lb. rifle chambered in .338 WMwould be too rich for my blood, recoil-wise. I'd consider a Remington Model 7 CDL in .350 Remington Magnum, but that rifle weighs nearly as much as the Model 700.

I'm absolutely in love with my Conquest, but a smaller scope in 7x or 8x would still be perfectly adequate even well past the '06's range. I'd consider the Conquest in 2.5-8x32, or the Nikon Monarchs, Brownings, Bushnell Elites, or even the (gulp!) Leupolds in the same magnifcation range. Ilovemy Dual Dovetail Rings, but if Talley Lightweights or something else would offer me the same secure hold with a weight savings, I'd consider those.

Such a setup wouldn't be ideal at the range: the barrel would heat up very quickly, & that kind ofscope wouldn't be my 1st choice for shooting targets at 200 to 300 yards. However, the gun would come up lightning-fast, be quite accurate, have enough guts to quickly harvest everything save for the biggest bears, be manageable in recoil thanks to the excellent R3 pad, slide easily into a saddle scabbard, handle the weather very well, not be overly bothered by being drug through the brush. Most importantly, it would fit me like a glove.

The only down side I can see is that the bolt wouldn't lock in the closed position with the safety engaged, like the Rugers, Savages, and probably some others do. That became more than a slight annoyance during my forays into the brambles.

But, that's MY choice. What's YOURS?

FC

Oh! You'll need a 327 ultra lazerpuaroni and zeisswarski 3-20 80mm.
Just buy what ever round in the 270 range on up that you will be comfortable with and shoot well. 3 -9 X optics and you're ready to go.
It's a personal choice for the rifle. Remington, Tikka,Sako,Ruger,Browning et al are all good. Go with what fits and feels good to you chambered ina round that you can have no problem with the recoil. Optics buy the best you can afford. Bushnell,Leupold,Burris,Nikon etc all make good scopes.