# I need a elk hunting rifle for Colorado. Advice please.



## yooperkenny (Jul 13, 2004)

kumma said:


> ...What can i say the Finns know how to make guns...


I am sold on the Tikkas - browse some forums about hunting out west (e.g. Realtree's Big Game or Rifle subforums) and you'll find many recommendations based upon personal experience. Then again, I might just be brainwashed by all the Finnlanders up here! :lol: 

As others have said it's very important to find a rifle that fits you well and just feels good in your hands.

Let me be the first to recommend one of the Nikon Monarch UCC scopes, which claim 98% light transmission - although I also own a Leupold that is quite nice as well.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

Huntsman27 said:


> The synthetic stocks on the Savages and Stevens have all worked great without changing impact with temp/climate changes. Also add the fact shooting better than 1/2 inch groups without any stock tinkering [bedding and all that mess] I think we have a winner! Though Walnut stocks are nice to look at, That first big scratch on a Super Grade M-70....I am sure you can hear the "Oh Schmidt!


ahh, the first scratch is the only one that hurts.. they're easy after that.. 

i've got to think about it.. since i'd be using that savage 10ML II in regular firearms season, i'll be shooting smokeless powder through it. given that, i could save a ton of money on buying a blued, synthetic stock rifle instead of the laminate, stainless steel model. natchez has the blued synthetic for $399, vs. the stainless laminate for $519.

i'm probably over-emphasizing the stock material. i tend to get a little detail oriented, when i'll probably never see the difference in the way i use the gun..


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## Huntsman27 (Sep 29, 2004)

the extra for optics upgrade. I like the wood stocks too, and the problem is I have the wants for the new Rem 750 [wood] in 35 Whelen, and another 204 Ruger [probably a Savage] and the 243 Savage 114 wood...Of course this is hard to explain to the wife.


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## ID-Birddog (Mar 9, 2004)

I recommend the Savage, great gun for the money. And to get back to your original post, a .243 will take elk. My girlfriend shot one of hers with a 243 and her friend killed her moose with one shot from her .243. They are both pretty recoil sensitive. I have since got my girl a 7mm-08 and she is shooting good with it. 
I took a cow elk several years ago with my .32 Winchester Special, it's all shot placement and knowing the limitations of the caliber. I feel more confidence in my girlfriend shooting her .243 or 7mm-08 than some of the yahoos who come out here with their super magnums they have only shot a few times because of recoil and have developed a flinch. 
For optics, I recommend a simple fixed 4X Leupold. lightweight and reliable. When you start humping the western "hills" you will appreciate every ounce you can leave back at camp. If you want a good variable, the Mueller scopes are nice and don't cost a small fortune. I put their mil-dot tactical on my work gun and am very impressed. My partner has the Leupold tactical on his sniper rifle and the Mueller is just as good for 1/3 the price.
Good luck in whatever you choose and hope your hunt is enjoyable. One thing that is just as important as equipment if not more is your physical fitness. Hunting is hard work. You can expect to be in the hills all day hiking up and down mountains. you do not sit in a blind waiting for elk to come by. Do yourself a favor and get in shape. Also, good quality footwear is a must. Sidehilling can be very punishing. You do not want to blister your feet the first day and spend the rest of your hunt with painful feet.
Just my 2 cents.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

ID-Birddog said:


> I recommend the Savage, great gun for the money. And to get back to your original post, a .243 will take elk. My girlfriend shot one of hers with a 243 and her friend killed her moose with one shot from her .243. They are both pretty recoil sensitive..


we don't need to get into this argument. one dead elk and one dead moose does not mean the .243 is a good elk or moose gun.

given the right shot placement, a 243 will kill anything on this planet. shot placement is critical for any round, so it really becomes a poor argument when discussing reasons for using a particular round.

recoil cannot be eliminated. if someone is so recoil sensitive that they need to shoot moose with a 243, then maybe they ought to stick to smaller animals. 

so lets get back to realistic elk rounds.


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## ID-Birddog (Mar 9, 2004)

Ya, you're right rz, Lets talk about the best elk/deer you have taken with YOUR rifles. My girlfrind has killed 4 elk, 10 deer, 1 antelope with a "non-elk" taking gun (some guns she used were as big as 264 and 30 caliber). Her friend, who is an immigrant from England has taken 1 Moose, 4 Elk, 14 Mule Deer, 3 Pronghorns all with her .243.
If you have not hunted out here then have a coke and a smile and shut the **** up.
No argument intended of course.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

ID-Birddog said:


> Ya, you're right rz, Lets talk about the best elk/deer you have taken with YOUR rifles. My girlfrind has killed 4 elk, 10 deer, 1 antelope with a "non-elk" taking gun (some guns she used were as big as 264 and 30 caliber). Her friend, who is an immigrant from England has taken 1 Moose, 4 Elk, 14 Mule Deer, 3 Pronghorns all with her .243.
> If you have not hunted out here then have a coke and a smile and shut the **** up.
> No argument intended of course.


give me a break. first of all, we're not talking deer, antelope or pronghorns, so why even bring them up.

i don't care where you live OR hunt. very few people have shot enough elk to confidently say which caliber is best. i doubt you have, mr. idaho. i'm quite certain your girlfriend and her friend haven't, with 8 between them. in light of that, its best to conservatively estimate the caliber size.

i've not seen a reputable source recommend a .243 for elk. by reputable, i mean someone having shot dozens upon dozens of elk/moose/caribou sized animals, with several different cartridges. none. not one have i ever read that would even mention the 243 as a potential round.

so sure, tell your girlfriend to fire away with her 243. sooner or later, she'll be tracking a lost animal for miles, if she ever finds it.. (though i wouldn't be surprised if that hasn't already happened)

what is this unreal infactuation with 243???? sooner or later we're going to see a thread here where someone says they are going to africa for cape buffalo, and inevitably someone will bring up the damned 243.. HEY, my cousin's girlfriend's brother shot a cape buffalo with a 243, so it must be a legitimate cape buffalo round!!!


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## ID-Birddog (Mar 9, 2004)

First of all Tin Horn, an Antelope and a Pronghorn are the same animal.
Second, you never told us YOUR best Rocky Mountain hunt.
And third.................I never said the .243 is the best big game caliber. I only said it can and does kill big game. If you will read back you will find I said the .30-06 is my preference. 
I also stated that every year when I help pack out out elk (on saddle packs with my horses) we always find at least one with old bullet wounds in it's aZZZZZZZZZZZZZ end from some yahoo, probably a guy with the latest,greatest super mag. I know one bullet for sure last year measured .338 inches. The most powerful bullet known to man won't permently down an elk any more than the lightest round.
As YOU stated, it's placement. However when you call out my girlfriend and her friend for using a .243 and dismiss it. I get riled. Again, tell us YOUR best Rocky Mountain hunting experiance. I am sure we can all benefit from YOUR vast experiances.


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

I guess it depends on one's definition antelope, as an pronghorn isn't a true antelope, but is commonly referred as one in north america.

You guys should tone it down a bit, let's try and focus on helping the orginal poster with his quest to find a nice .06


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

jeez guys like you crack me up.. 

do you think the original poster was asking for "marginal" elk guns?

or maybe, you thought he was asking "is it possible" to kill an elk with a .243?

hmmm.. please tell me - where in this thread did someone say the .243 *couldn't* kill an elk?

look hard, its not there. so tell me, why does a guy like yourself feel as though he needs to advocate the 243 for elk, when you yourself, said it wasn't an optimal round? cause your girlfriend shoots it?

bring enough gun.

my best rocky mountain hunt? don't have one! never hunted elk! but that's right - you're one of those hunters that believes another hunter's opinion is invalid if he doesn't share the same experiences. believe me, i'm basing my knowledge of elk rifles on people far more experienced than you, who have shot far more head of big game. is that sufficient?

listen - we're not arguing still hunting tactics for elk. we're not debating travel patterns, whereabouts, hunting methods, etc. of elk.. those are things that i'd have no opinion on because i've never hunted them. but i don't need to shoot an elk with a .243, or a turkey with a .410, or a black bear with a .223 (and so on) to know that there are vastly better guns for the task!! get over yourself!!


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## Violator22 (Nov 10, 2004)

You don't need the latest supermag, or something that is capable of shoot father than you can, I use an old Savage 303, many of the Ute's here use 30-30's due to reliability. Find something in at least a 25 cal or bigger, preferable. Get something that you can comfortably shoot at least 3 in groups at 250 yards, tupperware stocks are great out here as the weather can get crappy real fast. By the way my back-up rifle is a 250 Savage. If you can't hit pie plates at 250 yards, you don't need to be shooting that far. All about "YOUR" capabilities. JMHO. Les


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## ID-Birddog (Mar 9, 2004)

I'm so glad you live yourself vicariously through others. If you will so kindly refer yourself to the first post in this goat rope thread you will see that the original poster referenced the .243 in line 5. He implied that he shot it very well.
I am glad you finally admitted you know nothing about rocky mountain elk hunting. 
I am siimply trying to share some hunting knowledge with someone who asked. I know I do not have the same knowledge as your friends who "have shot more elk than I," 
but I try. I am looking out my window at 10,500 foot peaks in the distance while watching elk in their wintering range trying to figure out what gun would kill them most efficiently. The answer always comes back, the gun that the shooter can shoot most accurately. 
So again explain why guys like me "crack you up."


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## Howitzer (Nov 1, 2004)

Use your trusty .243 and if anyone gives you flak ask them how many elk they have killed. Although the .243 is on the light side to get the job done and a .30 is optimal you can be assured that a well placed shot with your .243 will do the same as a heavy .30. 

The new Tikka is an amazing gun for the money it is rapidly becoming the factory gun of choice amongst my circle of hunters.


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## Howitzer (Nov 1, 2004)

ID-Birddog said:


> I'm so glad you live yourself vicariously through others. If you will so kindly refer yourself to the first post in this goat rope thread you will see that the original poster referenced the .243 in line 5. He implied that he shot it very well.
> I am glad you finally admitted you know nothing about rocky mountain elk hunting.
> I am siimply trying to share some hunting knowledge with someone who asked. I know I do not have the same knowledge as your friends who "have shot more elk than I,"
> but I try. I am looking out my window at 10,500 foot peaks in the distance while watching elk in their wintering range trying to figure out what gun would kill them most efficiently. The answer always comes back, the gun that the shooter can shoot most accurately.
> So again explain why guys like me "crack you up."


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## Violator22 (Nov 10, 2004)

Oh and by the way, a lot of Elk have been killed with the 243 out here, I will get you a list if I can find it. But a lot of the guides out here frown on it. They are addicted to the latest Super-mags and such. By the way in Europe they don't use our monster Calibers, even for big game, they will use the old 22 high Power on Elk there. Just depends on Shot placement. Les


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Do you guys out west notice that most of the big magnum shooters come from east of the Mississippi? I found that most of the locals out there shoot what ever they are comfortable with.

I use a Browning A-Bolt 30-06 for everything. I have found this to be my best gun. I have often thought about getting a 300 or the 7MM. I guess I just decided the 30-06 has been the best gun for me. Easy to get ammo and will work for just about everything. I really like the savage 270 my son shoots. Accurate, not much kick, inexpensive and shoots flat.

I took a real nice bull in MT with this same gun. One shot through the shoulder at 170 yards. Using 155 gr Hornady light mags. He went 75 yards and went down. Many would say that was to light of load. If I had to do it all over again I would have went with a 180 gr bullet. The 155 gr blew up inside with no exit wound. Had no blood trail at all.

Another thing I noticed. Listen to the locals. they pass up quite a few bulls if they can't drive up to them. They have many more chances then we do so they can afford to do things different. They sure have much more experience then us hunters who spend 1-2 weeks a year out there.


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## Violator22 (Nov 10, 2004)

I was brought up in Michigan, Army moved me here and i liked it so much i stayed. Yes, honestly the most popular caliber out here would have to be a 30-06 or the 270. The shoot what you are comfortable with is how I was brought up. I get a good laugh, every now and then someone will show up in our hunting party with the latest super-mag, then tell us all how great it is. Get them up to test shoot their rifle and they flinch so much when they pull the trigger the round might have landed on the moon. Personally I use one rifle for just about everything, and I learned early on the more you shoot what you hunt with the more proficient shot you will be. Les


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## Howitzer (Nov 1, 2004)

kingfisher 11 said:


> Do you guys out west notice that most of the big magnum shooters come from east of the Mississippi? I found that most of the locals out there shoot what ever they are comfortable with.


Yip, a 416 Rigby is the optimum _round_ but I would not want to carry or shoot it so I loosen that standard to the gun that i have handy and shots well. In another thread that a guy who knows a guy whos uncle best friends brother has shot an Elk says that anything less that anything less than a super xyz magnum is not the round you should use for elk , deer or squirrels.

Shoot what you know and put it in the boiler room, end of story. Just make sure its something you can shoot well off hand or having carrying it all day.


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## 7MM Magnum (Sep 10, 2003)

kbkrause said:


> Remington 700 BDL. No DM, one more thing to "misplace". I like the floorplate drop better.
> 
> Get a trigger job to get the pull down to something a little more light.


Also a 700 BDL but I when *FROM* a floorplate drop to a drop Mag. Those [email protected] sprung steel spring setups drive me nutz!   

No more collecting my shells outta' the snow! :lol:


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## ID-Birddog (Mar 9, 2004)

we have our share or magnum shooters out here too, but yeah it comes down to shooting something you can put in a realistic target in a realistic shooting situation every time. 
If a guy can put 5 out of 5 in a 10 inch plate at 500 yards from a hunting hold with a .458 Win Mag, then use it. But most often it comes down to an old familiar rifle.


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