Help me with an Elk Gun

[Seekbigger]

So if you had a $2000 budget and you wanted the best Elk Rifle set up you could get for that money, what would it be? My son drew a Ky Bull Elk Rifle tag, also drew the most prestigious regulated unit to hunt and I want him to have the best chance possible! I know the gun is only as good as who is behind it, but he is a pretty good shooter and from what I can gather we should be shooting under 400 yards in this area. Thanks for any suggestions, God Bless!

 

[wind gypsy]

including scope? Or just rifle?

 

[Seekbigger]

Scope included, I have a pretty good scope and maybe it’s good enough but not sure?

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Scope included, I have a pretty good scope and maybe it’s good enough but not sure?

This is RS, the answer you're going to get is a Tikka T3x for the rifle and it's a good choice so you have more wiggle room for the accessories and optics.

 

[CJ_BG]

Most suggestions here are probably going to sound like

tikka t3x lite/superlite

swfa 3-15/maven rs1.2

some might tell you to put a stock on it


One thing I did notice was that KY has a caliber restriction of .27, so for cartrdige I'd be looking at either 270 win or 7mm-08 rem, one benefit of the 7-08 is that there is a tmk available for it and multiple eld bullets.

 

[mlob1one]

I'd get a Tikka ( 6.5prc, 270, or 7mm-08), and a Leupold vx5 3-15x.

The tikka is The Leupold scope is $900-$1,200, depending upon which you buy.
I found them with plenty of inventory at Sportsman's Warehouse.

What an epic hunt. Have a great time.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Seekbigger]

I have a brand new leupold Vx-3hd 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL
Would that be a decent choice or do I need something better?

 

[nnmarcher]

I have a brand new leupold Vx-3hd 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL
Would that be a decent choice or do I need something better?

I think many RS users will point you to the Scope Evaluations:

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations​

 

[xebadir]

I have a brand new leupold Vx-3hd 3.5-10x40 CDS-ZL
Would that be a decent choice or do I need something better?

That scope should be great in KY, not going to need excessive magnification.

I'd think carefully about the types of shots you might encounter, and how that might influence your caliber choice. You don't really care as much about the longer shots as you don't have the open terrain. A heavier bullet might be beneficial if you are dealing with more in the way of brush, but also will come down to what he can handle round wise. 270 Win is a decent choice all round, and kills plenty of elk, as do others suggested above.

My other suggestion is that if you do go a Tikka T3X, I'd actually go away from the superlite, unless you plan to hike alot with it/take it out west - the hunter stock is a better balance. I own a superlite in the 270, and until I replaced the recoil pad (went the backfire model), I found it downright unpleasant to shoot for the way it shoulders (Tikka pads are badly sculpted). I think it comes down alot to its lower weight and a crappy back recoil pad - so if you were to go this route, I'd look at either a new pad, or changing out the stock.

 

[D_wit22]

Whatever gun he uses now will be the best gun. Being familiar with a gun is WAY more important than a new gun with more power. My opinion

 

[Seekbigger]

Well he is 19 and stout as a mule, that being said though I’m not really wanting one that will knock you down to shoot lol. I don’t figure I can afford a muzzle brake or suppressor right now so just have to deal with a stock gun. Most of Ky is pretty thick so a heavier caliber will probably be beneficial.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Whatever gun he uses now will be the best gun. Being familiar with a gun is WAY more important than a new gun with more power. My opinion

There's a lot of value in this, OP ^^. Elk don't require anything more than deer to kill them so if he's already setup then I would strongly consider "run what he brung" and use what he's got.

 

[CJ_BG]

Whatever gun he uses now will be the best gun. Being familiar with a gun is WAY more important than a new gun with more power. My opinion

The only exception to this would be if his weapon doesn't meet caliber restrictions

 

[CJ_BG]

Well he is 19 and stout as a mule, that being said though I’m not really wanting one that will knock you down to shoot lol. I don’t figure I can afford a muzzle brake or suppressor right now so just have to deal with a stock gun. Most of Ky is pretty thick so a heavier caliber will probably be beneficial.

If he doesn't have a gun that meets the caliber restrictions already I would still stick with either the 270, 7-08, or a 308. If you need to have significantly better wounding under 400yds than a 160 TMK out of a 7-08 then we can easily get into really big stuff without seeing a lot of improvement.

 

[Seekbigger]

Well we hardly ever rifle hunt and what hunting he has done has been with a 30-30! We are bow hunters to the bone! So I’m wanting something with more range than that. We have until end of September to practice and plan to do a bunch of shooting between now and then. Lots of guys say go with a 300 win mag, I’ve never shot one but I would expect the recoil to be pretty stiff and it’s it really necessary to have a caliber that big?

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Well we hardly ever rifle hunt and what hunting he has done has been with a 30-30! We are bow hunters to the bone! So I’m wanting something with more range than that. We have until end of September to practice and plan to do a bunch of shooting between now and then. Lots of guys say go with a 300 win mag, I’ve never shot one but I would expect the recoil to be pretty stiff and it’s it really necessary to have a caliber that big?

Good call, and no absolutely not. Listen to the crew here they'll keep you taken care of. 308 will be fine if you want a 30 caliber, 30-06 is fine, but the smaller calibers are going to be a joy to shoot and will kill fine as well.

 

[zpearo]

Well we hardly ever rifle hunt and what hunting he has done has been with a 30-30! We are bow hunters to the bone! So I’m wanting something with more range than that. We have until end of September to practice and plan to do a bunch of shooting between now and then. Lots of guys say go with a 300 win mag, I’ve never shot one but I would expect the recoil to be pretty stiff and it’s it really necessary to have a caliber that big?

You don't need a caliber that big. The previously recommended 270 or 7mm-08 would be great.

 

[Caseknife]

7-08 or 308 would be just fine caliber wise, no need to go magnum.

 

[sndmn11]

@EuroOptic can get you the rifle and bangers

Tikka T3x Lite 7mm-08 Rem 22" 1:9 Bbl Black Rifle JRTXE352 | Flat Rate Shipping! - EuroOptic

Tikka T3x Lite 7mm-08 Rem 22" 1:9 Bbl Black Rifle JRTXE352 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Hornady Superformance 7mm-08 Rem 139gr Ammunition w/SST Bullets (20/Box) 80573 For Sale - EuroOptic

Hornady Superformance 7mm-08 Rem 139gr Ammunition w/SST Bullets (20/Box) 80573 For Sale

www.eurooptic.com

@Unknown Munitions can get you rings https://www.unknownmunitions.com/product/um-tikka-rings/

Reliable scope https://swfa.com/collections/swfa-s...d-mil-quad-reticle-30mm-tube-1-mil-clicks-ffp

$775 rifle
$625 scope
$150 rings
$450 ammo

 

[Dan Carey]

Yep there are pros and cons to calibers. The 270 win is a good one if you want an all around long range hunting rifle. Then there is the 308 that has proven time and again to be a very good choice. Then there is the 300 Win mag that will break your shoulder and some ribs and black your eye, but, will kill an Elk at ranges most people can't see that far. I shoot a 300 and its never let me down, but its put a lot down.