Is the grass greener on the other side? Rifle question

[Ucsdryder]

I have never hunted elk with a rifle, having 8 seasons under my belt for archery. All of my rifle hunting has been deer and hogs. Now that I am in Colorado my rifle will be getting a lot more use!

Current setup: pre-64 Winchester model 70 30-06 with Leupold 3x9. I have been shooting 150gr core-lokt for a long time with excellent success.

First question...the 150gr core-lokt shoot well in my gun and I don\'t really want to have to zero in a 165/180 grain bullet. Can I get away with 150s for cow elk to 300 yards?

Second question...the M70 is heavy! I keep thinking a tikka t3 stainless in 300wm with a 22\" barrel sure would be nice to carry around and beat up. Is the pound or 2 and the more potent load going to make a big enough difference? I know that\'s kind of a personal question but I will ask it anyways!

 

[elky McElkerson]

my first (and sadly) my only elk was knocked down with the same gun!! but mine is newer..post 64 i guess.

i figured the bullets this way. i drew unit 36 in NM. that tag is like a unicorn. seriously. in the grand scheme of things, the bullet was way way way low in the \"cost\" of things. i bought Federal Prem bullets loaded with nosler partitions. 180 gr. this hunt may NEVER happen to me again, so i got the bullets and took the time to adjust the elevation at the range. strangely, my rifle LOVED that bullet and performed tight little groups. i was ready..if it happened i could trust the bullet..zero doubt. my bullet choice wont fail me.

i had other things to worry about. like..i was really fat. and drank too much.

 

[cnelk]

My son shot his first elk with the exact gun and bullet.

IMO the \'06 with 150gr bullets is a top ranking all around gun for western big game

Also,
At the end of the day all guns get heavy

 

[cohunter14]

I have to agree that the \'06 with a 150gr Core-Lokt will get the job done just fine on a bull or cow inside of 300 yards.

As far getting a lighter gun, the one thing to keep in mind is the recoil. The lighter a gun is, the more you will feel the recoil. By stepping up from a 30-06 to a 300 Win Mag, the felt recoil will already be increasing. Add in a lighter gun and it will increase more. One other thing to think about: if you go with a 22\" barrel, you are losing some of the ballistic benefit that the gun gains over the 30-06. Just a couple of things to think about! I\'m not saying that the recoil will be overbearing or that you shouldn\'t add another gun to your safe (can never have too many!), but just giving you things to think about.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Yes a muzzle break would be a necessity on a 6lb magnum rifle.

Fondled a 7mm stainless super lite at cabelas today. Amazing how light it was!! Definitely not as smooth as my pre-64 but still felt solid.

Living 10 minutes from cabelas is a curse!

 

[americanbwana]

Not sure what kind of stock you have on that rifle, but you might be able to save some weight with an aftermarket stock.

I switched my M70 stock to Hogue a couple of years ago and love it. The prices aren\'t bad right now if you don\'t mind the color. I think the cheapest one right now is the Gillie Green. This is the color I put on my rifle and it looks way cool.

Two benefits I\'ve experienced is less perceived recoil (The stock has a little \'give\'), and it doesn\'t slide off my shoulder when I\'m walking around with it slung.

 

[Deertick]

Well, I don\'t like a heavy rifle.

Yes, I know, recoil. (And I don\'t like recoil, either!) And I know that \"all guns are heavy\" by the end of the day.

But ... I am now shooting a little Ruger Compact in .308 and I love it. Light, points well, recoil is very manageable, and it shoots well, too.

For light rifles, I like the Tikkas, the Ruger (of course) and a Remington Model 7 would be cool, too.

 

[Wake26]

I Love my Brownings. It depends on what kind of terrain that I am going to be hunting. If I know that most of my shots are going to be closer, then my Browning BLR 308 gets to go. If I know that I might have to reach out there a little bit then the Browning X bolt in 300 win mag is my choice. One thing that I have notice is the recoil pad on my 300 is amazing, it takes quite a bit of the felt recoil out of the gun. where as my cousins Ruger 300 kicks like a mule, 2-3 shots out of it and you are ready to put it back in the case. I did just get a new scope mounted on grandpas trusty old 30-06. I can\'t wait to take it into the woods.