.308 Henry Long Ranger good for Elk?

[Wolfshead]

Thank you for your insight!
Much appreciated!

 

[abbrown]

A browning BLR in 7mm08 has been plenty for a cow elk and red deer hind (so far).

 

[West.mass.hunter]

I’m kind of in a similar situation. I also have a 308 Long Ranger and am also going to CO for elk. I’m not worried about it being inadequate as I’ve taken a moose with an old model 99 in 308 and the Long Ranger is more accurate than my 99.
My problem is “wanting” a dedicated “elk” gun which to me is a bolt gun. No real need for a bolt action where and how I hunt in New England so I don’t have any beside a 223. It’s a bit hard to justify buying a bolt gun for elk as I’d probably end up getting it in 308 anyways but it’s also hard to justify NOT getting a new gun
Long winded way for me to state that your 308 Long ranger will be just fine if you do your part

 

[Kyguy]

Take said rifle.... kill elk. Tell "friends" to f-off. I've got one in 6.5 that shoots well too. I was going to sell it because the LOP is long for me, but I decided to cut and see what happens. I was thinking it would get me too close to the bolt, but after cutting it and playing around, I think it's going to work out just fine.... as long as I don't crawl the stock too much. LOL. If it works out, I know that I'll be buying the rest of the damn things. They're just too neat of a rifle.

 

[LongWayAround]

Man, if I didn't know any better, I'd think it sounds like you guys are saying .308 is more than adequate for killing an elk.

^^ sarcasm

I keep getting told it's equivalent to shooting a whitetail with a 5.56

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

Check out the .223 kill thread. There's a whole lot of dead animals in there. Probably most of them being whitetails.

Your gun would be just fine. Probably not most people's first pick, just being a lever.

Everyone sees videos of elk being shot at mid to long range and expects that's how it's done. Reality is that most of the are killed at very manageable ranges. Closer shots are usually quick opportunities and are not conducive to getting on film.

Also realistically, first time elk hunters are typically less successful than more experienced hunters. I would roll with what you have for a first trip and buy a new gun if you want for a future trip.

You would be better off buying ammo to practice than buying a new gun. I've never shot a scoped lever gun, but I would try to practice keeping the target in the scope while running the lever.

 

[Tobe_B]

Straight irons, haha what a badass you'd be. I've been fairly impressed with this rifle.

Henry did a good job with it. I initially thought it would be a sweet fun gun to take into the brush. It's far more than that. As accurate as my bolt guns and a little faster. If anyone's interested in buying one I highly recommend it!

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

Great. I’ve been meandering around contemplating the 5.56 long Ranger…this isn’t helping me save money.