Elk / Whitetail combo rifle
 

There's been a few threads on the boards lately about elk rifle and calibers.Let me run this scenario by you guys......You're an eastern whitetail hunter but every 3 or 4 years you save up for a trip out west to hunt elk. You only have one rifle to cover BOTH situations. Let's hear what your choice of rifle , caliber and scope {including power} would be.

For me I would have to say a Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather in 308 with a Leupold VXIII 3 x 9.

Boy there can be a lot of right answer's to this one. I'll take my Mod 70 Featherweight in 6.5x55 with the 2-7x Redfield scope.

If you can save up for an western elk hunt plus $$$ travel -

You can afford 2 rifles!

I would always take a back-up rifle on a far away $$$$$ hunt!

Yours is the proverbial elk/deer gun question which is exactly how the majority of elk are killed (with "deer" rifles). Whatever you enjoy and are good with on deer, then use that on elk but just select an appropriate, PREMIUM QUALITY bullet for the elk!

I have a safe full of rifles but for my customers wanting what you just asked for 9 xs of 10 i recommended a 7mag of their likings (go with your pick of a quality rifle. I despise the "walmart" 700s anymore but the better 700s are still great guns, i like sakos, brownings and weatherbys, kimber etc) and scopewise i always recommended that you cant buy "to good of a scope". For starters id recommend something like the 4x12x40 (or 50, your pick) Leupold X2, plenty power, quality, durability and wont break the bank.

Main thing with easterners going for elk, go in shape and KNOWING what your rifle is doing at whatever distances you are willing to shoot! ;)
HL

I know guys that go out west every year. They agree with HatchieLuvr.

Only two things matter in the end.

One, being in shape so you can got to them, and more importantly, to get them out of the woods. Being out of shape, and having to do more work than you normally do in the eastern woods makes for a miserable experience.

Two, have enough scope on a reliable gun to make the longer shots. Be proficient with the combo you have. Western hunting can be far different than anything we deal with in the east.

I've hiked the White Tank Mountains near Phoenix. Beautiful country. Very rugged, with major visibility. Nothing exists like that in all of Wisconsin. I guarantee you that much. It's a totally different landscape, and you need to be ready for it.

Nothing wrong with that setup Jerry. As long as you are familiar with the rifle, and can shoot good with it and its reliable, then thats what you should take. Always a good idea to bring a second rifle that you are comfortable with as well, as a backup, especially coming from NY. Personally, I have an '06, 7mm rem mag, 300win, 300RUM, 375H&H, and a 45/70 to pull from for elk, and I guess you could throw my 30/30 in there too. I shoot all of them decent to great, but all you really need, is a second rifle.

.300 mag
.30-06

elk/deer combo rifle? IMO you bring an elk rifle 1st and foremost, and use it on deer.

a .300mag 180gr TSX/Nosler partition, will kill a deer no problem.

I'd say any elk rifle/cartridge would be my choice...

EDIT...so re read the question...
If you're gonna use your rifle on deer for the next 30 years and hunt elk maybe twice in those 30 years... no reason to buy an elk rifle to use twice when you're gonna deer hunt every year with it. Also btw down the road sometime you can buy an elk rifle if that time ever comes.
I'd certainly buy a rifle for eastern deer that could double for elk probably...ie 30-06, 270win/wsm, 7mm rem.mag., 300mag,

my short list of deer rifles that could double for elk would be...
any of the .270's
7mm Rem.Mag.
.30-06

I'd avoid the .25-06 for elk, the .243win, I'd prefer something larger than the 308 case, ie 7mm-08, 308, although the 308, 338federal, etc..certainly could take an elk probably at under 200yds, and would make for a good deer cartridge,

my top 2 choices I think would be .270 WSM and 7mm Rem.Mag.

I agree, not to mention priorities!

I also suggest bringing 2 qualified rifles on any hunt.
ie for an elk hunt, don't bring a 300mag and your .243win as your backup rifle.

I once read about a 5 rifle game battery for the world with each being able to back up another rifle...the list was..

.243 Win.
.280 Rem
.30-06
.375H&H
.458 Lott

each one of these rifles can back up the 1 next to them...

.270
.30-06
They back up each other just fine...

I'd use my 7MM RM, but I too believe in bring a back-up rifle on important hunts.

However, to answer your question, a .30-06 IMO is able to handle the widest range of bullets to hunt both deer or elk effectively.