I have a good friend who has invited me to hunt elk with him in Idaho this fall. My parents bought me license and tags for my birth day, but I want to buy a rifle to use. My 7-08 is not enough gun in my opinion although my friend "the elk hunter" says it's fine. I am looking to buy a new rifle this spring 300 Win+. Since I am still in school I want to spend less than a grand on rifle, mounts, scope and dies. But I also don't want to buy anything cheap, fragile, or that I will feel the need to upgrade anytime soon. Suggestions? Input? Ideas on chambering? I can always borrow a rifle if I have to, but I'd rather buy one of my own and work up a load for it this summer.

Thanks for your help:

A.

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian!

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I HUNT LONG RANGE.AND YES I USE MATCHKING'S.

If you don't have a good set of hunting boots, or pack, or clothing, et al, put the savings on the rifle/scope into that gear.

First off, let me say that your friend is right about the 7-08 being enough. It won't serve for every possible scenario, but it will cover a majority of them by using Remington ammo loaded with Nosler partitions and proper shot placement.
You didn't mention if you currently reload.
As far as rifles go, Ruger, Remington, Savage and Winchester are the basics and there are others as well. You should go to a gun shop and closely inspect what they have in stock and see what you like and what fits you well. Features to look for are: style of safety (the winchester 3 position vs. the remington on-off for example), action - controlled round feed (winchester) or push feed (remington), magazine type - detachable or internal, stock material - wood, laminate or fiber. Do you want iron sights on the rifle? These are all things that you must consider.
As for chamberings: there are more options available now than at any time before. If you must have a magnum, good ones start at the 7mm Rem, .300 Win, .300 WSM, .300 Rem Ultra, .300 Wby, .338 Win, .340 Wby and keep going up. The recoil with any of these will be more to much more than your 7-08. It depends on your tolerance.
Personal opinion on this, but the .30-06 is very good indeed and very versatile.
A new magnum rifle, mounts, scope and dies for under $1,000.00 might be tought to do.
However, if you don't mind a used rifle, you can find countless magnums on the used gun racks that have the "shot 20 times and traded in" look to them. This would be an excellent way of upgrading and staying under your $1,000.00 budget. It might already come with a good scope.
The main factor in any rifle you have or buy is practice and lots of it. You need to know what both you and the rifle are capable of.
I am sure that I have missed a few things, but others will add to it.
Good luck.

I'd recommend that you visit a gun shop or three, and check out some rifles in person. I personally have a strong Remington preference, but must admit that the Ruger stock fits real well, and you get a lot of gun for your money. Shoulder some different rifles & see if one just "feels" better to you. Fit and feel mean a lot.

For caliber, be realistic. Will you get to hunt elk again, or will it be mainly WV whitetails? A 338 Mag is about ideal for elk, but a bit much for deer. A 300 Mag or 7mm Mag is closer to a compromise. But honestly, a good old 30-06 will do it all for you. Don't get too wrapped up in a "specialty" caliber or gun.

For optics, it's hard to go wrong with a Leupold. Either one of the new Vari-X 1 or Vari-X II models, or look for a used one to save a few bucks. Unless it was truly abused, a used Leupold represents a great value.

I wish you the best of luck!

7mm Rem Mag, 300 WinMag, 338 Winmag are all great deer to elk rounds. Personally, my large gun is a .338 WinMag. Good Luck! MM

The 30-06 is really not a big step up from my 7-08, but is probably the most common elk cartridge there is. I want something a little more. Too bad nobody chambers a 35 Whelen or 338-06 from the factory. That would be more usefull to me than a 338 Win Mag. But I can load a 338 down too. I don't know.

As for scopes I was thinking a 2-7 leopold or Burris on a weaver type base. Doesn't somebody make a detachable peep sight that attaches to a weaver base? That would be trick, but I may not have the $.

As for brand, Dad is a Remington man, but I really don't have a favorite. The winchester safety is nice, an adjustable trigger is nice too. Free rings is good, and saves me some money. Winchesters run about 650-700 and will eat up too much of my budget, but they have the best plastic stock. Rugers are ugly, but their basic blued/wood stock model is cheap. My 7-08 is a Remington 700, but I don't really have any special feeling for it either. Thanks for your help:

A.

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian!

Your parents sound like nice folks.

You should be able to buy a really nice big bore magnum and scope for less than $1000.

I picked up two of my big bore elk rifles off of the used gun rack for less than that. One is a browning A-bolt in .338 win mag it only cost me $400. I think whoever owned it took it to the range once and found out it kicked a bit too much for them. I put a Leupold Vari X II 3X9 on it for $200 and bought a set of dies all for less than $700. The other is a BAR grade II in 300 win mag that already had a decent scope on it Redfield 3X9 widefield in swing over mounts it cost me $700. I have seen quite a few big bores that are reasonably priced like these were down here in the Houston area.

I have the same rig, using it for moose and red deer, and I �m wery satisfied with it.

Lots of other combos will do just as good, but with the Ruger you also get a pair of integral scope rings as well, and it is a rock solid set up IMO.

Anyway...welcome to the best forum there is, and good luck with your elk hunt !!

Regards Arild

quote:

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Originally posted by Arturis:
Too bad nobody chambers a 35 Whelen or 338-06 from the factory.

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Remington used to chamber their M700 in 35 Whelen. Don't be afraid to buy a used gun in good condition. No more of a crap shoot than a new one any more.

(As a matter of fact, my gunsmith has a 35 Whelen M700 take-off barrel sitting in his shop right now).

Remember the 7mm in the shape of the 7x57mm has a long history in Africa and was used with great success on everything from the smallest plains game to elephant!
The 7-08 and the 7x57mm are pretty similar and as already mentioned the secret would be using premium bullets and picking your shots.

Now, if you really want a new rifle suitable for elk take a look at the various Remchesters available in .35Whellen.. or as my personal choice would be in your shoes, a CZ 550 American in 9.3x62 fitted with CZ rings and a used M8 6x42 Leupold. You will find quite a lot of praise for the 9.3x62 over in the African forum..ammo is not a problem if you reload.

Pete

I have heard lots about the 9.3x62 on this site. Anyone that puts it down looses all respect. But I can't find it in my manuals anywhere. The 286 grain partition looks like a perfect elk bullet. How does a CZ rifle compare to the Ruger? The CZ has a adjustable trigger right? Doesn't the saftey work opposite everything else in the world? Is there any web site that has retail prices for CZ's? Do they make a 338? They come with rings too, don't they? Is the 9.3x62 worth it?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, but I will not have a second chance to do this right. By the way, I am all set with a pack and field glasses (borrowed) and I have a great pair of Rockies already broken in.

Thanks Again;

A.

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian!

[This message has been edited by Arturis (edited 03-22-2002).]

A.

Save a cow, eat a vegetarian!

quote:

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However, if you don't mind a used rifle, you can find countless magnums on the used gun racks that have the "shot 20 times and traded in" look to them. This would be an excellent way of upgrading and staying under your $1,000.00 budget. It might already come with a good scope.

[/B]

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I firmly suggest to go this route. Most 300-338 rifles are not used much and there are lots of them floating around at gunshops. The best way is to see which people are trustworthy and when a nice piece comes in, they give you dibs. I have purchased my best rifles that way and will likely never buy a new unit again. Up here you can get into a nice used unit, M70 300-338push feed with decent glass for 700Can at a show or on the rack. That nwould even leave room for your best gear......quality Binos

BR

I have an old Ruger M77 Mk11 Allweather and I love the gun apart from the looks of the stock!
Having said that I think the CZ 550 is the best value rifle in its class on the market today. Out of the box they are usually very accurate and come with decent triggers... My
Ruger took two trips to the smith to get its trigger right.

Take a look how many people are using the CZ's for the basis of a custom rifle...the CZ 550 is what the pre64 Winchester was 50 years ago...

Another possiblity would be a Tikka. Again they are a good solid rifle but they have a bit more alloy on them than the CZ and generally run I bit dearer here in the UK. Tikka do produce a very nice SS/synthetic although I'm not sure in what calibres.

I have yet to meet anybody who was dissappointed after buying a CZ....

Peter

9.3x62 data is in the Nosler or Vihtavuori manual, probably others.

If I were you and wanted a new rifle, I'd probably haunt the pawnshops for your rifle action of choice (personally I would be watching for a Mark X or sporterized Mauser) in .270 or .30-06 with a trashed barrel or some kind of ugly hand-whittled stock to knock the price down.

Alternatively you could check into the price of an unbarreled Mark X action from Charles Daly.

Replace or rework the trigger if necessary, get it rebarreled to .338-06 or .35 Whelen and put it in a Butler Creek stock. Leupold 4x scope for $200-ish and some kind of cross-slot scope mount like Weaver, Burris or Warne.

If it were me I'd just take my Mark X .30-06 with 200-gr. Partitions.

Have fun on your hunt, where in Idaho are you going?

John

If you're looking for a solid hunting rifle, IMHO, the Ruger is the most gun for the $. Since you already have small bore, which in my mind is 30 cal and under, then take the jump to a medium bore. Since you handload, use a 210 gr partition at 2700 fps, recoil will be relatively mild, and you can work up to heavier bullets and more speed, though the 210 @ 2700 is outstanding for whitetail up to elk. Remember, you can always load a big gun down to little gun levels, but you can't make a little gun into a big gun.

Despite my preference for the 35 caliber, I'll freely admit that the 338 win mag is the NA standard medium bore. Anywhere big game is hunted, factory ammo is available. That isn't the case for more esoteric rounds. Even if you handload, it is still prudent for the traveling hunter to have a chambering that you can get factory fodder for, should the need arise.

I agree with Paul stay with the average off the shelf cartidges. The Ultra mags will beat you to death.

I am partial to the 358 bore and 35 Whelen but the 338 win would be a fine addition to your 7-08.

I picked up two Ruger M77's tang safety models for $365.00 ea. both in 338 Win. I added the VAR-II For 189.00, then 60.00 for the trigger. With 225 gr handloads at 2880 fps groups .75" all day. The second one is at the gunsmith for a re-barrel.

I think you can find a lot of quality rifles on the used rack. Just be patient.

just my .02 worth

BD

Good luck with your elk hunt.

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Shoot straight, shoot often.
Matt

I have a Savage 110 in 30-06 that shoots so good I want to throw rocks at some of my other "custom" rifles. It's ugly with the original stock, but I have a semifinished, laminated I am getting ready to sand out, finish and pillar bed that should make pretty and shoot even better.

Lots of ways to jump here and all the advice is good. Work through it, mull it over, decide which fits you best, then go for it and enjoy your hunts.

The CZ is available in a lot of calibers and a new one can be had off the NET for as little as $429.00. An awful lot of rifle for the money.

That said I have a couple of ideas on a new rifle. In town here there are a couple that would fit the bill quite well.

Savage bolt 7 mag for $279 new put a pair of rings on it and a 3-9 Leo. You'd have plenty of money left over for practice and health club memberships.

Number two is a Weatherby 375 (there econo version) for about $600, same scope and you still are under $1000.

The Wallmart 300 Weatherby is a super idea!!

Just my thoughts

"GET TO THE HILL"

Dog

Ruger M77 MKII ($440)
Leup VXII 3-9 ($270)
Rings ($40)
Sling ($20)
Tax and Fees ($60)

Total: Approximately $830