Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Hello all,

I'm stuck; Which gun would you choose for hunting Elkin the High Country ofWyoming,here's whatI havenarrowed my choices down to:

Sako 85 .300
Sako 85 .338
Weatherbymag .300
Weatherby mag .340

Thanks, and let the opinions fly !!

Speedgoater

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

325 WSM or 300 Win Mag or 300 WSM.good luck

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

If it were me it would be either of the Sako's. My reasoning would be ammunition availability, cost of brass, amount of powder required, recoil, etc. The .338 would be great with 250 gr accubonds or comparable for those quartering away shots but in almost all shots the 300 Win Mag would be a great choice as well with . Quartering away and through the rib cage and into the lungs.

Which caliber will you be the most comfortable shooting, and which cartridge will give you the most confidence on your hunt?

I am doing a moose hunt in the Yukon this fall and I am shooting a new 7mm wildcat I developed. My back up gun will be a .338 Win Mag.

You aren't going to be shooting this guy probably even at 300 yards let alone 4 or 500. Hit right at reasonable distances any of these guns will drop Mr. Moose where he stands.

Good luck.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Sako 85 .300
Sako 85 .338

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Before you presume that you're "stuck", what are you currently hunting with? Unless this is your first hunting trip, you may already own a perfectly capable elk rifle that you're already comfortable shooting.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Thanks Homer,

I have aretired and finnicky7mm, a.270 for Pigs,Mulies and Whitetails and a .243 for Blacktails and Antilope.My Sako Finnlight .270 is atack driver and a light option, butI'd rathersmash an elk with a big club than try and track one down after hitting one with my .270.

Speedgoater

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Sako 85 in either chamberings. But, personally,I would opt for a WSM over the longer version.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

I like the 338WM with Federal's 250 grn Nosler Partitions. Besides those Sakos are nice rifles.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Given a known "tack driver" versus an otherwise unknown magnum, your .270 would be hard for me to leave behind.



I've hunted elk with everything from a .243 up to a .375 H&H. There's no guarantee a bigger caliber or cartridge will do the work any more quickly than will a smaller one, provided I do my part and put the bullet where it needs to go. The rage today seems to be that you need a big magnum to "reach out" to those long-way-off elk. In practice, I've always found too many trees in the way to see all that far in the first place. Occasionally, I'll find a meadow or canyon where I can see 300 yards or so, but that's about it.

Personally, I'd stick with the known quantity in your .270. Myuncle usedhis for years on elk, and I don't recall a case where it failed him.

Of course, if you're burning to buy something bigger, I'd opt for something in a different class than your .270 - likely the .338.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

Did I say SAKO.Oh yeah,SAKO..................;)either round will do the job.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

I would choose the one that delivers the flattest trajectory with the bullet having the greatest sectional density. (Given adequate accuracy, of course!) Perhaps this would be the .340 WM, I suspect! Unless you could handle the .338/.378 Weatherby!

In the high country of Colorado and New Mexico, I have found the 7mm Rem. Mag., firing a 175-grain Nosler Partition at 3070 FPS, is all I need. But I don't take 400+ yard shots either any more!

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

When I think high country, I think of a lightweight setup....and in the .300 wsm that's a great combo.

My 2 elk rifles however are a .300 win mag, purchased before the WSM's came out, and a .340wby, my newer ultimate elk rifle.....neither is light....both almost identical and my .340 I would argue kicks less, but it does have a pachayr pad on it.

I think all 4 options you have chose are great options, anyone of them would work and do the job perfectly. Both are quality rifles in great calibers. In griz country though I think a .338 is a better option than a .300

My vote is for either rifle in .338 or .340....

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

.340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

For me, 340 Weatherby, hands down.
For you, I have no idea.

RE: Elk Gun For Wy. High Country
 

.270 through the lungs no problems pick a good bullet and be done with it. if you want an excuse to get a new gun go for it just remember you have to carry the gun in and your elk and rifle out.