First hunt

tkmoore1026 · #1 02-19-2007, 06:27 PM

I am getting ready to go elk hunting for the first time in the fall. I will be buying a gun in march for the trip. My friend suggested a .300 rem ultra mag. is this gun too big? I have heard both positive and negative things. I also enjoy shooting long range. 400 + yards.

skeet · #2 02-19-2007, 07:46 PM

Let me welcome ya to Hunt Chat. Lots to learn here and maybe you can teach us all a little.
As far as the rifle caliber. It'll kill an elk for certain. What do you shoot now? If you don't shoot a big kicker you might want to drop back a little on the caliber. I've shot a lot of calibers and my favorite for moose etc was a 338 Win Mag. But it is a bit of a kicker too. Hard to shoot when they beat on ya. Would you have married momma(if you're married) if she had beat ya with a big stick evey time ya wanted to have fun?? Unless you are a masochist I doubt it. This is just my opinion now but the biggest and nastiest I personally go with is a 300 Win Mag. It does recoil a bit less than these new Super duper mags. In fact the ol 30-06 is a hard caliber to beat in my opinion.

Dan Morris · #3 02-19-2007, 08:34 PM

Skeet's got some good questions and answers on the 06. I'm a little skeptic on 400yd shots........let us know a little more about your shooting back ground and we'll try to come up with proper answers.
BTW, welcome to the group.
Dan

skeet · #4 02-19-2007, 11:56 PM

400 Yds is a LLLOOOONNNNNGGGG shot on any elk under any but the most perfect conditions. Killed an antelope one time a bit farther than that but it was almost perfect in my opinion. Go with something a bit smaller than the Super Duper and shoot at reasonable ranges. You'll enjoy the experience a bit more, I think! It is called hunting after all.

M.T. Pockets · #5 02-20-2007, 08:33 AM

The .300 Ultra Mag is one heck of an elk rifle. But, it's an awful lot of rifle. It's also heavy & long. If you know what you're getting into you can sure consider it, also, price the ammo before you buy one. (It is cheaper than Weatherby though)

Personally, I shoot the old fashioned .300 Win. Mag. and would recommend it to anybody. I'd also consider a .300 Win Short Mag. but if you have a .30-06 that would serve you fine too.

The bullet choice is probably more important than the cartridge. I like controlled expansion bullets, at least Nosler Partitions, but better yet Swift A-Frames or Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. I've used Fail Safes 3 times, they penetrated well, but not a lot of damage inside. Core Lokt Ultra is also a good choice at a more reasonable price.

I wouldn't worry about the rifle choice as long as you shoot a lot and get very, very familiar and confident with it shooting from field positions. Get some shooting sticks and practice with field rests like rocks & trees.

The most important thing you'll probably need is a great (not good, but great) pair of boots. Get some with air-bob soles and high ankle support, they'll be your best friends.

tkmoore1026 · #6 02-23-2007, 07:18 PM

I am not planning on shooting elk past 300 yards. the comment on 400+ yards was aimed at target shooting. as far as the Marriage Question, I dove in about 5 years ago and she will be accompanying me in the hunt.

M.T. Pockets · #7 02-24-2007, 08:33 AM

Where are you going on your hunt ?

Hammerforged · #8 02-27-2007, 07:31 PM

I recommend a Ruger M77 in 30-06. Its a great cartridge (maybe the best ever) and it puts things down. Also, in the Ruger, it is a reliable gun that wont break the bank or break your heart if your take a tumble down a rock slide, etc. You will have money left over for important things like waterproof boots and a decent scope for the gun.

Load it up with 180 grainers and get to within 300 yards.

Good luck!

Dan Morris · #9 02-27-2007, 08:48 PM

I've shot a 06 for bout 50 years and have had no troubles with it, 180gr Barnes bullet. Rifle is pre 64 Mod 70 topped with a Leupold 4x. Never had any troubles, I limit my range. I'd rather
have a clean kill than loose an animal or have to track.Main trick...at least to me, is plenty of range time!
Good hunting!
Dan

grayghost · #10 03-01-2007, 01:20 PM

I have a 300RUM but just took my first animal with it a couple of weeks ago in Zimbabwe: a Zebra. The recoil doesn't bother me near as much as when I first bought it as I was experiencing shoulder problems. It was diagnosed as "abrasive capulitis." I have since recovered and the recoil is managable. It is an excellent Elk cartridge but personally, all of the Elk I have taken were with the .280 using 160 grain Speer Grand Slams. Shot placement and bullet construction are very important when hunting Elk, so I would recommend using what your most comfortable with. Most of the .30 calibers are good on Elk. Make your first (and hopefully your only shot) count. Best of luck on your hunt. grayghost

scalerman · #11 03-02-2007, 10:38 AM

There you go 280 Remington would be my recommendation. I personnally am a big fan of the single shot rifle. You can get a sinlge shot with a 26 or 28" barrel. this will allow you to have the same muzzle velocity as the 7MM Rem Mag and the gun will still be the same length as a bolt action.

MtnMike2 · #12 03-02-2007, 11:03 AM

Friends out here like the .300 Win Mag a lot. I use a 350 Rem Mag and a Pre-64 Win M70 30-06. The .300 Win is truly a great elk rifle but it does have a lot of recoil. There are a lot of folks out there who are fans of the 7mm Mag, and they shoot long distance a little flatter, but I like the 30 cals. Whichever you decide on, practice, practice, practice. In fact, you should run a couple of miles uphill to get your heart rate up before you practice. Obviously, shooting paper is much different than shooting wapiti...
Good luck and happy hunting!

Mike M

Trapper7 · #13 04-25-2007, 04:27 PM

I use a 30-06 with reloaded Barnes bullets. The past two years I've been using the triple shock. I use 150 grain bullets. Every elk I've shot, the bullet has passed completely through the elk. My shot ranged from 100-300 yards. I've shot 7 elk with the -06. Two dropped in their tracks, and five ran off. None of them went farther than 75 yards. All were front shoulder hit.

IMO, you don't need to go with the big magnums to kill an elk. One of my hunting partners shoots a 300 Weatherby. He's had elk run off after they were hit in the shoulder too. I really didn't see much difference in the caliber's ability to kill an elk. Besides, his shells cost about 4 times as much as my reloads do.