Elk & Deer Rifle

[7RemMag]

I see a lot of great considerations here, including one or two fellas suggesting a cartridge near and dear to me, the 7mm Rem Mag.

Why not consider a .308, though? Sure, it’s not incredibly impressive ballistically, but it’s plenty capable of doing everything OP is wanting inside of 300. Factory ammo is incredibly easy to find, and so aren’t projectiles if he decides to mess with reloading.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Fellow Texan here who also hunts out West, OP. 6.5 CM gets my vote. Plenty of fun and they're just known to shoot well and makes my wind calls easier with higher BC options. We've had a bunch of calibers and still do but the more we hunt and the more we shoot the less we're impressed with the bigger calibers. Wife has a brand new 223 and hand me down 6.5 CM and likely won't ever shoot her 308 again. My youngest adult son just upgraded from 308 to 6.5 CM, and I myself have had a lot but my two rifles now are the 6.5 PRC and 6.5 CM. I just sold a few and got my first Tikka in 6.5 CM and shot it the first time last weekend and it shot so well I doubt I'll ever feel the need for the PRC again so probably should sell it but I just got it last year lol. My brain is telling me to keep it in case we do a Nilgai hunt and I want to fling something bonded at bone but they're honestly highly overlapped in functionality.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Nostalgia of a 270 Winchester with less than a handful of foot pounds more recoil, trumps a 6.5 cm. IMO. If three or four foot pounds of recoil makes or breaks a cartridge for one shot in the field on game... with, again ways to mitigate recoil at the bench so there is no handicap shooting a rifle at the range. Again, this discussion is good spirited banter.

There it is.

Shooting rifles in 270 win is nostalgic and just American as F.

 

[86indy]

I agree with both of these and went the 270 route. As I shoot more and go down the rabbit hole of wanting to experiment can see why the 6.5 is desirable with all the factory ammo offerings though. I can find a lot of 6.5 options on the shelf.


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[BigNate]

Of the ones OP listed the 25 CM is the best all around choice for one gun. I've taken elk with both a .257 Roberts and. 25-06 and both work just fine. The 25CM out performs the 6 & 6.5 CM, delivers enough bullet at enough velocity for elk, and can be used for everything smaller.

Ideally I'd suggest a 223 with 77gr TMKs for everything up to deer, then buy another identical rifle in something "bigger"( 25CM, 6.5 PRC, ?) when it's time to hunt elk.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

I agree with the 25CM but right now doesn't seem anybody is making rifles chambered in 25CM and ammo availability and variety will likely never match the 6.5. I don't really care about variety as long as the M's shoot well and maybe some good manufacturers will add the caliber to their list soon.

 

[ElkArcher918]

I’m sure this question has been asked multiple times, but wanted to get some advice. Currently am avid Waterfowl hunter, I’ve shot a couple deer with either a borrowed .270 or .308 and determined it’s my time to buy a rifle to start hunting Deer and Similiar game more seriously. I personally don’t want a huge gun case full of rifles I never shoot so I want to stick to a fewer rifles that I shoot better and more often.

My over all goal is elk and deer with the possibility to shoot NRL hunter, even though there’s a good chance I never do. I at first leaned towards a 8.6 BLK so that I could hunt hogs and big game since I live in Texas but the ballistics past 300 yards don’t excite me. So currently I’m leaning towards a 7 prc or 300 win mag and then later on building a dedicated thermal gun In 22-250, 22 Creedmore or 25 Creedmore. I’d like to be able to easily purchase ammo from a major manufacturer like Barnes or Hornady but I do have an interest in reloading if I get the time and money for it.

So my question is am I on the right path caliber wise or should I look as something else. I also would prefer a Short action if possible, however I do know that 7 prc and 300 win mag are not short action so it’s not a requirement.

Just my humble opinion. Sounds like you are looking for one versatile do all rifle. For deer and elk I would lean towards the 6.5 PRC. Adequate availability of ammo, manageable recoil, proven performance on elk at reasonable distances. Can be used for long-distance target shooting. Once you start getting into the 7 PRC, 300 PRC, 300 WG you're stepping up to more recoil and overkill on deer.

 

[cpurg]

A 6.5prc will cover everything you want and some. Which is nearly a 270win but short action.
Your 8.6 blk comment is throwing a wrench in my following of your thought process. Subsonic rounds are not the best for overall hunting.

I’m sure this question has been asked multiple times, but wanted to get some advice. Currently am avid Waterfowl hunter, I’ve shot a couple deer with either a borrowed .270 or .308 and determined it’s my time to buy a rifle to start hunting Deer and Similiar game more seriously. I personally don’t want a huge gun case full of rifles I never shoot so I want to stick to a fewer rifles that I shoot better and more often.

My over all goal is elk and deer with the possibility to shoot NRL hunter, even though there’s a good chance I never do. I at first leaned towards a 8.6 BLK so that I could hunt hogs and big game since I live in Texas but the ballistics past 300 yards don’t excite me. So currently I’m leaning towards a 7 prc or 300 win mag and then later on building a dedicated thermal gun In 22-250, 22 Creedmore or 25 Creedmore. I’d like to be able to easily purchase ammo from a major manufacturer like Barnes or Hornady but I do have an interest in reloading if I get the time and money for it.

So my question is am I on the right path caliber wise or should I look as something else. I also would prefer a Short action if possible, however I do know that 7 prc and 300 win mag are not short action so it’s not a requirement.

 

[MountainMan83]

My Savage 110 Storm in 308 is my everything rifle - elk, deer, antelope, bear, moose. I use Barnes 168 gr TTSX and feel confident out to 400 yards. Everything I have shot has gone down in a short distance, ammo is readily available, and recoil is manageable. Can’t think of any reason why I would want to switch to anything else

 

[Mad Line]

I think if you are serious about elk hunting I would go with the 7 PRC. If elk hunting isn't really something you will do or do often then I would look at something like the 6.5 PRC. Just my thoughts...

 

[cpurg]

I’m sure this question has been asked multiple times, but wanted to get some advice. Currently am avid Waterfowl hunter, I’ve shot a couple deer with either a borrowed .270 or .308 and determined it’s my time to buy a rifle to start hunting Deer and Similiar game more seriously. I personally don’t want a huge gun case full of rifles I never shoot so I want to stick to a fewer rifles that I shoot better and more often.

My over all goal is elk and deer with the possibility to shoot NRL hunter, even though there’s a good chance I never do. I at first leaned towards a 8.6 BLK so that I could hunt hogs and big game since I live in Texas but the ballistics past 300 yards don’t excite me. So currently I’m leaning towards a 7 prc or 300 win mag and then later on building a dedicated thermal gun In 22-250, 22 Creedmore or 25 Creedmore. I’d like to be able to easily purchase ammo from a major manufacturer like Barnes or Hornady but I do have an interest in reloading if I get the time and money for it.

So my question is am I on the right path caliber wise or should I look as something else. I also would prefer a Short action if possible, however I do know that 7 prc and 300 win mag are not short action so it’s not a requirement.

Around I think the 270 is the best. Lower recoil and the reloading options are numerous. I always load a high grain hollow point boattail for just about everything and load the grain down for small game

 

[3325]

Around I think the 270 is the best. Lower recoil and the reloading options are numerous. I always load a high grain hollow point boattail for just about everything and load the grain down for small game

Sitka gear and a six point something or other?

Nah.

 

[Wmmichael20]

I'm a fan of the ol 270w have had mine for 30 years, but also hunt with others,personally wish the 7mm-08 was more popular and ammo was more readily available, I've been impressed with the lowley 6.5 grendel but then again the same issue to a bigger extent than the aforementioned, with all the available ammo options I can definitely see the appeal of the 6.5 creedmore and in the future I believe I may just give it a whirl.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

In the late 90s I read an article in outdoor life about the new 300 wsm. Been using one the last 25 years for elk, deer, antelope. It never ceases to amaze me how well the cartridge does the job.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I always liked the 300 WSM. If I was looking for that kind of round and I didn't have a perfectly fine 300 Win Mag when the WSM came out it would have been the choice. I went in a different direction and had a 35 Whelen AI built in the early 2000s. That's been my Huckleberry ever since. With a 270 Win, 280 Rem, 30-06 already in the house, if things ever go to heck in a handbasket I've got brass that's basically interchangeable between all four of them.

With that said, the 270 Winchester is a Workhorse with some Thoroughbred in it from the start and it's endured for a century.

 

[uthuntr]

Late to the game. Do not listen to anyone that says 6.5 CM or less. Pick up a 7 mag and close the app. I personally have a 6.5 for deer, and was talked into 300 PRC for elk in a similar thread I started. Better to have 2 than one do it all in my opinion.

 

[deepandsteep]

6.5CM, put a great scope on it. Get intimate with it. Keep it at 6-700 tops. Zero kick with a small break. Never once had an issue killing elk with it out West. Good luck!