The Accurate Reloading Forums
Thick Woods Elk Rifle
11 February 2013, 02:19
SDhunterThick Woods Elk Rifle
quote:
For the black timber and elk, nothing beats a 55 lb. longbow and a 300 gr. arrow tipped by a really sharp broadhead. You need to get real close!!!!!!!!!
I prefer 60# traditional bows and 620gr arrows myself.
As far as barrel length, I much prefer 21-23" barrels and guns < 8# all up and RTG hunting, 7.5# is even better. Much under 7 and they feel a little sqirrely to me. YMMV, but that is my personal preference.
11 February 2013, 03:22
Snowwolfequote:
Originally posted by SDhunter:
quote:
I've never been in a situation hunting where I wished I had a shorter barreled rifle so that I could swing it faster or easier.
I only have about 30+ years under my belt. I can honestly say the exact same thing.
Try turning around to face a brownie intent on taking the deer away from you while hunting on Kodiak
The main reason I love my Ruger 375 with it's 20 inch barrel, even thought about cutting it down to 18.
But for most hunting I agree with you. 22-24 inch barrels are fine.
My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost.
11 February 2013, 04:02
AzGuyquote:
Originally posted by specneeds:. I have a Remington 375 H&H that is collecting dust and thought I should turn it into something useful before hunting season. I
You already have the rifle/performance you want.... Just cut down the 375 to whatever length you want...the elk will not notice the difference between 18 vs 24 inch barrel.
DRSS &
Bolt Action Trash
11 February 2013, 04:42
GrenadierHere's just what you need right here in AR:
http://forums.accuratereloadin...291064581#129106458111 February 2013, 07:09
Biggs300My experience is pretty much like that of Dr. Lou. The rifle I use most in dark timber is my 358 Win. My 9.3x62 would probably work as well or maybe a bit better in some cases, but my 358 Win is compact, lightweight and is a pleasure to carry and shoot.
Start young, hunt hard, and enjoy God's bounty.
11 February 2013, 07:44
SnellstromThe trouble I always have is if I plan a hunt to go one way it goes another. Sure as can be if I carry an open sighted thumper into the timber when I walk out of the timber there would be my Bull 400 yards away waiting for me. I try to be prepared for every occasion because if I'm not thats where the problem will be.
For me that means a "do all" cartridge with a variable scope that will work from 15 yards to 450 yards.
Just me but I've Elk hunted a great deal and they are not always predictable.
11 February 2013, 11:26
Norwegianwoodsquote:
Originally posted by AzGuy:
quote:
Originally posted by specneeds:. I have a Remington 375 H&H that is collecting dust and thought I should turn it into something useful before hunting season. I
You already have the rifle/performance you want.... Just cut down the 375 to whatever length you want...the elk will not notice the difference between 18 vs 24 inch barrel.
This would my choice too. Cut the barrel to 18-20" and then spend extra money on a high quality scope that is good in low light conditions.
My choice for the scope would be a SWAROVSKI Z6 1,7-10X42 or a ZEISS VICTORY HT 2,5-10X50.
11 February 2013, 21:25
chrystechBAR IN 300 WIN MAG.
11 February 2013, 21:57
martOne of my mentors was a die hard elk hunter and racked up an impressive number of elk over his long career. His favorite rifle was a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 358. He used Speer 250 bullets and always claimed he could eat right up to the bullet hole. He was a still hunter and loved to go in the thick stuff and dig them out. He was often successful when others were not.
In my limited elk experience (seven elk between my wife and I) we have taken most of them in fairly open country with a 308, 30-06 and 300 H&H.
Mart
"...I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprize, and independance to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." Thomas Jefferson
11 February 2013, 23:08
PeglegI put this together to hunt Elk in thick woods.
An intermediate action mauser in 358 Win. Open sights and 22" barrel.
The only easy day is yesterday!
12 February 2013, 04:23
465H&HThe quality of my deep woods elk hunting experience jumped up considerably when I switched to a lovely little Jeffery 450/400 3" double rifle. The elk just hate it!
465H&H
12 February 2013, 04:33
N E 450 No2My pick would be a 9,3x74R double or a 450/400 double, both scoped.
But they are a little spendy.
However a 18 to 20" 375 H&H quick firing bolt rifle, like a Blaser R 93 Tracker works just dandy.
They all have work great for a thick woods black bear rifle for me as well.
DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY
12 February 2013, 06:52
eezridrWinchester 88 Lever action in 284 Win. with Barnes TSX, North Forks or 150 NP's.
Short, light, fast, reliable, and good to 300 yards. Add a 2.5X8 Leupold and you are in business.
EZ
12 February 2013, 07:06
boom stickSo many options
Here are a few more.
Bullet choice and Scope are important here.
Win 88, BLR, Savage 99 in 358 Win with 180 grain CEB ESP Raptor.
Illuminated low power variable scope or 3 power 2moa red dot.
Have your cake and eat it too combos.
The bullet will determine a lot of the stopping power.
Shoot out to 300 yards with quick target acquisition in the dark woods with those.
Quick follow up shots but not many animals run after being shot in the heart and lungs with those Raptor bullets. Make it short and light with an efficient cartridge.
35 Whelen or 350 Rem Mag or 9,3x62 30-06 ect in a variety of rigs I would feel confident with too. Rem 7600 is hard to beat as well or 1895 lever action in 30-06 or 35 Whelen.
12 February 2013, 09:32
Idaho SharpshooterIsn't there a Browning BLR in 358 in the classifieds?
12 February 2013, 17:16
eezridrquote:
Originally posted by eezridr:
Not a repeater and a project of sorts.
What about a Ruger #1 in 338/06 with a 22" or 24" barrel using 210 NP's. Find any old #1 and put a new pipe on it.
Again, something very short, fast and a nice short range punch with enough horsepower for 300 yards. How about a 1X6X24 leupold VX6 with illuminated reticle? I recently acquired one of these scopes and cannot tell a lot of difference, if any between it and 1X6X42 kahles. At 56 my eyes canot take in much more light that a 5mm exit pupil if that much. It is a pretty bright scope. It will have the same exit pupil at your 10X42 binocs @ 6X and gives you a true 1X on the low end for close work. Do you need more than 6X on something the size of an elk @300 yards?
Use the lighter bullets (200's/210's) with a rifle this light as not to pound you. You need a light rifle in elk country!
12 February 2013, 17:40
JonPThis might be just the ticket...not a big bore though
http://www.gunbroker.com/Aucti....aspx?Item=32922725012 February 2013, 19:30
TomPI don't know too much about this, but the two Remington 760s I've seen shot about 1.75 inch groups at 100 yards, and heard about some that were considerably worse. I'd take one to a range before buying it and try it out first.
TomP
Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong to be put right.
Carl Schurz (1829 - 1906)
14 February 2013, 00:25
buffybrquote:
Originally posted by bartsche:
Try pulling a 26 to 30 in barreled rfile out of a saddle scabbard.
I used my horses for hunting deer and elk for over 20 years, and never had any problems pulling my 24" barreled bolt rifle from my scabbord
Try sqeezing through oak brush or river bottom Tamaracks with the long barrel...
Again, I've done this for over 40 years with 24-28" barreled bolt rifles, and have never experienced any problems.
NRA Endowment Life Member
Life Member Wild Sheep Foundation
14 February 2013, 01:43
tiggertatequote:
Originally posted by buffybr:
quote:
Originally posted by bartsche:
Try sqeezing through oak brush or river bottom Tamaracks with the long barrel...
Again, I've done this for over 40 years with 24-28" barreled bolt rifles, and have never experienced any problems.
Lately my fat ass is more of a problem in that regard than my rifle barrels.
"Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson.
14 February 2013, 06:59
HeatEverybody's going to have their own idea here. Big heavy and slow seems to work in most peoples mind. Fast and light doesn't, right?
What about big heavy and fast? Would that not work?
Ken....
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so. " - Ronald Reagan
14 February 2013, 07:33
bartschequote:
Originally posted by buffybr:
quote:
Originally posted by bartsche:
Try sqeezing through oak brush or river bottom Tamaracks with the long barrel...
Again, I've done this for over 40 years with 24-28" barreled bolt rifles, and have never experienced any problems.
I hear ya. It didn't take me 40 years ,however, to learn that oak brush and tamaracks aren't that easy to get in and out of and should be avoided whenever possible.
I guess the length of barrel coming out of the scabbard would be a little dependent on the length of your arm.
Started once with a new rifle with a 30" barrel . Didn't take more than one hunt to cut and crown it to 27". After thhe next outing it went to 25". Still wasn't as good as it could have been on the extraction but it worked. Maybe I'm not as dextrous as most. Oh well!!!
roger
Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone..
14 February 2013, 08:21
Bob WhelenMy brother has a Winchester model 71 in 348 Winchester. It sports the ugliest side mount ever that holds a Weaver K4. As to range, maybe not a 300 yard rifle, but at least 200. It is the finest heavy timber, heavy-hitter that I have ever seen !
14 February 2013, 13:16
AFRICAN LEADWOODIf short and handy is what you like then a double or a single shot falling block will get you that. If you fee lthe need for a second shot (which you often don't have in thick cover anyway) then the doubles make sense.
In really thick cover wih a possbily poor shot angle I'd want a decent calibre say .33 or larger with a 250gr, or heavier, reliable bullet.
The FN O/U should work in 9.3x74. So would a No1 even (in 450/400). Or a Dakota Model 10...
14 February 2013, 17:58
p dog shooterquote:
Originally posted by TomP:
I don't know too much about this, but the two Remington 760s I've seen shot about 1.75 inch groups at 100 yards, and heard about some that were considerably worse. I'd take one to a range before buying it and try it out first.
One could use a 4 inch rifle for this and still kill all the elk he would want.
Heck at 300 yards it still puts them all with in 12 inchs way more then a min of dead elk.
Your still with in 6 inchs of your aiming point How big is a elk kill zone BIG your not shooting Pdogs are we.
You don't need a half min rifle or a one min rifle to kill most of your big game out to 300 yards.
14 February 2013, 21:17
loud-n-boomerI have hunted elk in the thick timber around my parent's home in Colorado most of my life. The fastest pointing gun for me the will reliably drop an elk quickly has been a Ruger No. 1H in .375 H&H with a low power variable scope kept on the lowest power setting, and shooting 260-grain Nosler partitions. It will also work just fine on them at your 300-yard max range.
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx
15 February 2013, 00:35
Doublegunquote:
Originally posted by Pegleg:
I put this together to hunt Elk in thick woods.
An intermediate action mauser in 358 Win. Open sights and 22" barrel.
Now that's a great looking rifle.
15 February 2013, 13:44
Wstrnhuntrquote:
Originally posted by Biebs:
Browning BLR in 325 WSM (about $900)
I have been looking at that Caliber a lot latley for an Elk round! And as much as I love my 358 Win BLR, especialy for Elk in thick timber, frankly I would rather have my 30-06 for a 300 yd Elk shot. Or maybe even a light, handy 7X57 with some 160 gn slugs.
That 325 WSM looks like a fabulous Elk round to me though. But I have never owned any WSM so that much is just speculation on my part.
AK-47
The only Communist Idea that Liberals don't like.
16 February 2013, 17:47
Brad30-06 works for me... but what do I know?
17 February 2013, 00:45
WstrnhuntrNice looking Montana Bull Brad!!
Is that another lightweight Kimber?
AK-47
The only Communist Idea that Liberals don't like.
17 February 2013, 02:30
wympleMy son-in-law hunts whitetail the coolest I've ever witnessed. During our long gun season he hunts them like you would birds or rabbits, he stalks. He has a nose for where they will lay up in the cold and it's like magic watching him work. It's always in the timber, and requires a quick shot, which he is. He's a mean shot on pheasant, quail. I wanted to try this, as it never takes him much time and I have a patience problem in a stand. I picked up a Rugger 77 in .257 Roberts, as recommended to me. I could not for some reason get that thing up on target with any comfort or haste, it just didn't fit. I sold it to a buddy for the lower price of a .270 Mossberg 4X4. He still thinks that it was a crazy deal for me. I'm probably the only guy that ever made that trade, or would make that trade. But the 4X4 shoulders up quick and easy for me, and I like it. I think it comes in 06 or 308, one or the other, as well. Unfortunately, I'm not the hunter apparently to stalk deer anyway. But he used it and said it was almost as easy as his Handi Rifle. We don't have elk in Iowa outside a pen, but I think in the thickets it should be light and easy for YOU to shoulder up pretty quick. While my opinion will carry zero weight, I'd take a short, light gun I could handle, in any caliber big enough. I have enough trouble without adding on more.
17 February 2013, 09:07
Bradquote:
Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr:
Nice looking Montana Bull Brad!!
Is that another lightweight Kimber?
WH, thanks!
Rifle is an M70 Fwt in Bansner stock.
17 February 2013, 21:33
WYWhen I was 14 years of age (looong ago)I had a '06 built on a surplus '03 Springfield. Cut magazine to 3 shot capacity, barrel to 18 1/2" and turned it way down. Quite accurate. Used to be my everything rifle when living in N W Penna. Deer, bear, turkey, woodchuck. Often killed woodchucks at 3 - 400 yards. Should have patented the lightweight thing!
It works well here in WY. For doing what you are talking about my 9.3 Chapuis w/1.6 - 6 Swarovski illuminated circle dot goes along.
Under most conditions when shooting eating game I'm not an advocate of quick shots unless I'm all but certain of placing a bullet in the forward 1/3 of the animal.
Whichever rifle you take on a walk it will occasionally not be the best for the situation.
DRSS
NRA Life Member
VDD-GNA
17 February 2013, 21:39
WYquote:
any
In the last two seasons my wife and I have five elk between the two of us. All shot with my 7-08 ULA with a 25" barrel and 140 TTSX. No bullets recovered. Ranges were between 45-350+ yards.
Another opinion to make you decision more confusing!
DRSS
NRA Life Member
VDD-GNA
18 February 2013, 16:40
BigNateIf your stuck on bolt guns, the M600 in .308 has proven to be incredibly handy. This one wears a 2.5x Weaver.
18 February 2013, 22:04
bartschequote:
Originally posted by BigNate:
If your stuck on bolt guns, the M600 in .308 has proven to be incredibly handy. This one wears a 2.5x Weaver.
Great choice!
roger
Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone..
18 February 2013, 23:07
CZWhy not a Luxxus single shot Model 11 in 300 H&H flanged with 200gr bullet or one in 375 H&H Flanged?
CZ
18 February 2013, 23:18
Mike_Dettorrethis is like arguing over a 59 degree wedge over a pitching wedge...
The problem with any specialized rifle is what if the other shot pops up...
That is why I am a fan of a 308 win boltgun 22-23" bbl, and 2-3.5 x 7-10 power scope...
Good from 3-300 yards
MikeLegistine actu quod scripsi?
Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.
What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.
20 February 2013, 10:31
SDhunterquote:
Posted 16 February 2013 06:47Hide Post
30-06 works for me... but what do I know?
You know what works for you.
Everyone is different, and because of that, they should pick the rifle they like. There is a range of cartridges/calibers that will perform adequately.
20 February 2013, 19:02
joesterI really like BLRs for the type of hunting you describe. Their clips allow for all types of ammo, not only round nose. Keeping a 2nd loaded clip w/another type or weight of same-caliber ammo is useful, as long as it has similar zero to whats in clip #1.
