Looking for some advice. I am planning a Colorado Elk and Mule Deer hunt in November. This will be my first western hunt. I have both a 338, and a 7mmRUM. Any advice as to which caliber will best serve me? Not sure how long the shots might be. I can shoot both calibers equally well. The 338 is stainless/synthetic, and the 7mmRUM is stainless/laminated. Also, if you feel one caliber is better than the other, what bullet would you re commend?

Again, this is my first Big game hunt, so any advice will be a huge help. I have asked some folks the same question, and their responce mostly is its a toss-up.

Thanks in advance..............

between those 2 i would pick the 7 rum with 160gr partitions loaded up. you' ll have awesome trajectory and a 160gr will work great on elk and mulies.

cheers

I would go with your .338 Win. Mag. I would use Federal 225 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw HE, Federal 225 gr. Nosler Partition HE, PMC 225 Barnes XFB, Remington 225 gr. Swift A-Frame, or Winchester 230 gr. Fail Safe. Good luck on your hunt.

I would go with the lightest to carry, but then again Im not going anytime soon.

Latts,
Nice selection of rifles in your rack -- good job!
Take both of them along, a back up gun in camp never hurts when a major trip and $$$$ are at play.

Since you can shoot both rifles equally well (none of this recoil shyness crapolla)......

IF you' ll be hunting ELK AND DEER at the SAME TIME, then use the 338 WinMag with 250 grain noslers (Federal Premium stuff with Trophy Bonded Bear Claws is fine if you want to step it up a notch), i.e. gear up for the heavier/tougher animal of the two -- elk.

IF you' ll be hunting them seperately, then 7mmRUM for deer (bullet hardly matters -- deer kill easy) and the 338 WinMag (as above) for elk -- don' t kill so easy.

Side note, I' ve had longer shots on deer than I' ve had on elk -- elk are animals of the timber -- we' ve had plenty of shots under 100 yards, my longest 210 yards -- don' t need a screamer for that -- what you do need is a cartridge capable of blazing through to the so called " boiler room" regardless of the angle presented and regardless of what body parts are in the way! Bones? Shoulders? No problem! Coming Through! Elk don' t tend to run 125 yards turn sideways and " pose" while looking back at you like deer do. Therefore the easy " thread it in behind the shoulder" shot that so many deer hunters think they' ll get on an elk may not be there.

Of course someone out there will tell you that all you need is a 30-30 " pop gun" --- go figure .... and so it goes. I like your style better. Good Luck.

Never Go Undergunned (and you' re not with either one of those two),
EKM

would go with the 338win mag. due to more available types of bullets and sizes. plus it must be somewhat cheaper for the 338win mag ammo than the 7mm RUM.

but go with whatever you shoot the best. from what i hear average shot is about 200yds.

I would go with at least a 460 Weatherby Mag. Those elk have big teeth. For deer the 338 will work up close say within 50 yards.

I guess the answer to your questions depends on where your hunting for Elk in Colorado. Most of the heavily hit units have some pretty non impressive bulls in them and the 7 RUM would be great for that and the deer you will probably run into. If your hunting heavy timber the 7 rum would not be my first choice and i will always pick the 338 in that situation. For hunting open country as well as timber and all body size animals the 338 is much better and the recoil is probably not that far off then that of a 7 rum.

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Use the .338 with 210gr Nosler Partition or at least 225 grain of a non controlled expansion bullet.

The .338 is plenty for the deer and better on the elk.
The 7 is plenty for the deer and not as good on the elk. If you only had the 7 it would be fine, but the .338 is the better choice if you can shoot them both equally well.