I am choosing which rifle barrel (takedown set) to take on an Idaho elk hunt. We will be hunting on foot, and both rifles weigh very nearly the same at 6.25 pounds. The rifles each shoot less than 1 inch groups from bags with proven handloads, and the offhand shooting would be the same for both rifles. So it all breaks down to terminal ballistic performance.

Both rifles mentioned will be shooting Nosler Partitions at these velocities.

Oh, the 175grain bullet is from a 7mm wearing a 6X42 Swaro scope, and the 286 grain is 9.3mm wearing a 4X42 Kahles scope. I could load for a bit more but these are getting near max for my setup.

My other elk have all been killed with 150 grain 270 bullets, so both of these are a move up in calibers.

Opinions? I am leaning toward the 9.3mm 286 grain, with the idea to keep all shots well within 300 yards and keep it simple, and that lets me justify the 7mm barrel for dedicated deer hunting with lighter faster loads.

On the other hand, with the 7mm I could also take some 150 grainer NPs that shoot submoa at 2900 fps for the long shots....

Options are all good...

[ 09-12-2003, 04:28: Message edited by: Jameister ]

It depends on where/how you are hunting. I take my .338-06 for the thicker stuff & if I am hunting more open areas where I may need a bit more reach, then my 7mmDakota/160grNP @ 3250 or this year my .338x74/225grNAB @ 2850 would get the nod. So, I would take them both!

Hard to fit two rifles into a backpack...kind of heavy too.

As a frequent out of state hunter I am always faced with a similar dilemna. My advice is to take the one that best covers any and ALL opportunities...I'd take the 7mm.

Id use the 9.3 for the elk hunt. Not that the 7mm isnt sufficient, it surely is, but the 9.3 is a whole lot more elk gun and then some. What is the point in having the 9.3 if you arent going to use it on the type of game it is best suited for? The 9.3 is darn near ideal for elk, so use it!

If its too far to shoot with the 9.3, then its pretty darn far to be shooting at elk. I use a 35 whelen and dont feel at all handicapped by keeping the range to less than 300 yards. Some folks do i guess. They must shoot better than me

[ 09-12-2003, 05:57: Message edited by: SeanD ]

Depends on what range you intend to shoot the Elk.

I like heavy large cal bullets so the 286 Grainer is thenway I would go

Nosler's tech guys say a 286-grain Partition will not expand below 2,000 fps. With your load it drops below that around 200 yards. If you really need that last hundred yards, take the 7mm.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

Jameister

Not knowing exactley where in Idaho you will be hunting makes it a little more difficult to give a good answer. However, I have hunted in parts of Idaho where the 6 power scope on your one rifle could prove a handicap. Even 4 power can be plenty in some places I have chased the "Wily Wapiti". If you are going to be in more open country then it might be less of a factor, but trying to find a place to shoot at the south end of a north bound bull elk at 35 to 50 yards that is really hauling the mail in dark timber can be a chore sometimes. I would actually give more thought to the scopes involved than the calibers. Either caliber will kill an elk very dead if you hit him right, and that means you have to be able to see them well to hit them right.

Good luck on your hunt in the "Gem State". I'm sure you will enjoy your time there.

Sorry Jam. missed the back packing part. Go w/ the 7mm, it will allow you a few more options, although for elk I like the 160gr especially if you hunt some in the timber.

I too have much the same setup. I have built a lightweight contender carbine, one barrel in .375 JDJ (260gr. @ 2400fps)4x scope and a 6.5 JDJ (125gr. at estimated 2700fps.) 6x scope! I have the luxury of taking both, but the .375 will be what I am carrying until my elk hunting is over. Then the 6.5 will come out for mule deer and coyote hunting.

So I would give the 9.3 the nod. I have confidence that the 9.3 partition should still expand below the 2000 another poster mentioned, even though a 9.3mm solid wouldn't be all that bad either !

Man we must think along the same lines!!!

Take the 7mm. Those ballistics are good for any elk you'll encounter under all conditions in which you might find him.

AD

I would have to agree with SeanD's comments for the same reasons.

[ 09-13-2003, 23:46: Message edited by: savage49494 ]

Is your 7mm a 280 or 7x64? I agree with those reccomending the 7mm... it's a better "all-arounder." Personally I'd load it with a 160 Partition or Failsafe, but that's just me.

My 7mm is a 7X65R single shot Merkel. the 9,3X74R is a second barrel for the same rifle. Bit of recoil with the bigger bullets. just got some of the new accubonds in 160 grain. will load today and shoot tomorrow... maybe I can find the one pill that can do it all.

Jameister

[ 09-14-2003, 21:54: Message edited by: Jameister ]

if you do your part, the elk won't know the difference. they are not armor-plated.

Jameister, in which Unit will you be hunting?? As said above, your 'scope is more important than which of those two calibers will down an elk. Either caliber will work just fine, if you shoot accurately.

My two buds and I just returned from a four day elk/deer scouting trip, in Unit 37A, for elk opening Oct. 1st. (We finally got lucky and were drawn as a party-of-three for that Controlled Bull Elk unit.)

Over there, a good variable 'scope would come in handy, with at least a low range of 1 1/2x, or, 2x. One would have no problem at all with the upper power being 7x or 8x. A lot of very thick country, and a lot of very open country abounds in much of Idaho.

Best of luck. L.W.

I will be back in my old stomping grounds: units 26 and 27 in the river of no return wilderness. elevation 4k-7k. straight up and straight down. rolling open with few thick areas.

This rifle does not have the option of seeing the open sites through the scope mounts, so the lower mag of a variable scope could be worth doing. I certainly have other scopes and extra QD mounts for it. maybe a 2.2-9X42?

On the 7mm.

just take the 7 and go hunting. It is way more gun than you will need.

Jameister, yep, I know Units 26/27 and as you said, straight up and straight down. Or, as I call it, "heart attack" country. My Unit, 37A, ain't hardly much different!

2x7 would be fine. That's what I use on my Ruger .338 W.M. I have a 1 1/2x5 Burris on my backup .280 Remington. Both are just fine for where I hunt.

Good luck. Hope you tag that "big six."

L.W.

Jameister, I have a 7x65R case I picked up below an elevated shooting stand within view of an East German guard tower while in the BDR. This was in 1988 before reunification. A close friend lived in the Eichsfeld region and my wife and I spent one winter there enoying the rich culture and beautiful landscapes... my how things changed there just after we left!

Brad: Things changed from lots of money but nothing to buy, to lots of things to buy but no money. Capitalism vs. communism.

Or as Ronald Reagan said it so simply: "Supply side economics". limited by the supply of money not the supply of goods.