Niko

Hi!
i'm 15 years old and has just begun hunting..i want to ask you "pro's" what's a good elk hunting gun?? i've been thinking about a Tikka, Sako or Remington.. what's your tips??

Niko (ps.´Sorry for the bad English if it's bad English!!)

HighDesertWolf

I would go with a remington in either 30-06 or 300 win mag, if you are recoil sensitive go with a 30-06 either one will work great on elk, just the 300 win mag will give you a little more range. But either way do yourself and the animal a favor make sure you are confident with the shot before you pull the trigger. So practice alot at whatever distance you plan on taking the animal at.

pharaoh2

No offense here, but your 15 years old. Your not fully developed yet, and probably won't take to the heavy recoil of the heavy mags very well, esspecially for a first rifle. I would suggest starting with a .270 Winchester, a 7mm-08 Remington, or a .308 Winchester. These are all long range rifles with enough power to kill an elk. But where are you hunting? Is it more likly you will be hunting in the trees where shots under 150 yards are the norm? If so, I would suggest my old stand by and get a 30-30. They have a bad reputation, but will kill the biggest elk that walks if the shots are close. Also, they are easy to handle, are light weight and fast pointing, and are not too expensive. Buy that rifle, a cheap loading set and load Nosler Partitions and you are set for deer, elk moose whatever. Good luck.

PaJack

I would use a Remington in the 30-06,that will take care of all of your hunting need's...

Moose_Maximus

I was pretty big at 15, and could've handled some pretty stout firearms.

So how about a Remington 7400 in .30-06? Not as much recoil, and plenty of boom.

handloader1

I suggest a Thompson Center Encore in .308 Win (rifle barrel). When you grow older, you can purchase more potent barrels. Good luck.

halcon

I would suggest you look around before buying anything and try to see if it would be possible to shoot some of the calibers you are considering buying . Try local shooting ranges and such if possible . I buy and sell guns as a hobby and you wouldn't believe some of the good deals I have got from people that buy to much gun the first time .

Virginia7

As this sounds like it will be your first hunting rifle, I'd recommend you go with a
Remington bolt action rifle. Sako is excellent, but a little pricey for a first rifle. The Tikka is okay too, but I think you'll find a better selection with the Remingtons. Don't rule out the Rugers or Winchesters.

As already noted, it would be a good idea if you could try out some different rifles and
cartridges at the local ranges first. Don't be bashful. Just let folks know you're new at this, and would appreciate it if you could try firing a shot or two. Make a note of each rifle you try, especially how it feels and how it "fits" you. You could maybe try to grade each on a scale of 1 to 5. Listen to the advice you will get, but beware the "know it all types". And, remember, you are doing this to pick a rifle for yourself. Just because
a gun is perfect for someone else doesn't mean it has to be the one for you. Besides, few people will admit that the rifle that they own is not exactly the greatest even if they
don't like it much. Hard to admit to another they made a mistake, or wish they had spent a little more, and gotten brand x, or that they really can't handle the recoil, etc.

A 30-06 would make an excellent choice for most all your hunting needs, including Elk.
A couple of other good choices would be .308Win., .270Win., and the .280Remington.
I'd stay away from the magnums for a first gun unless you have had opportunity to try
one, and know you can handle the recoil, etc. For that matter, there's really nothing in
the lower 48states that requires a magnum to hunt with anyway.

Probably one of the best buys on the market today is the Remington 700 ADL with the
synthetic stock. It's available in a lot of cartridge chamberings too, including those I noted above. But remember, that's just my opinion. Try to check one out first to see how it fits you, if you like it. Good luck.

HighDesertWolf

Thats alot of great advice, I forgot to take into consideration you may not be as big a 15 year old as I was . when I was 15 I stood 6' 4" tall and weighed 260 lbs. I Began shooting a 300 win mag when I was 13. One caliber mentioned the 308 win is an excellent caliber also one of my favorites. Its hunting capabilities are endless, I use one for elk when hunting in wooded terrain with a 180 grain nosler partitions where shots generally are no further then 100 yards. In my first post I was assuming you might be hunting in the west where shots could possibly be out to 400 yards, even to 400 yards with good shot placement you dont neccisarily need a magnum, but any of the other calibers mentioned in other posts will do the trick except for the 30-30 it would be quite iffy for shots over 150 yards. good luck

NVMIKE

Take a look at the old faithful 30-06. To start you can use smaller bullets which wont kick as hard, then you can switch to heavier loads when your ready. With this caliber you'll be ready for any north american animals.