Lighter recoiling elk rifle

[slamdmini]

My dad is looking to get a new rifle for elk. He's in his seventies now and would like a rifle/cartridge that is lighter recoiling but still good on elk. To give a bit of context he can shoot a .270 fine but a 30-06 is too much. He's looking for a couple things:
-Lighter on recoil
-Not too heavy so he can still carry it in the mountains
-threaded so he can use a suppressor.
Any suggestions would be great. Thanks guys

 

[Loper]

The most common respnse you are going to get in this forum is probably a Tikka 243 or 6.5 CM for a light recoiling elk rifle. Some models are threaded others you can get cut and threaded. .Judt make sure he chooses the correct bullet, 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip for 243 and Hornady 140 ELD-M, 143 ELD-X, or Sierra 130 TMK.for the 6.5.

I’m sure others with have a few varying suggestions.

 

[406life]

It's all relative, but my 300WM suppressed is very manageable on recoil. My 6.5CM suppressed is basically recoilless. Also could look at an AR-10 in .308. It suppressed would be smooth too.

 

[Marbles]

I'm happy with my 1:8 twist 243 T3x Lite cut and threaded at 17 inches. I hand load 108 ELD-Ms. A 6 Creedmoor barrel would get him access to great factory loads.

Mine has only taken 2 mountain goats, but the 6 mms take moose just fine for others up here.

A 6.5 Creedmoor T3x Lite cut and threaded at 16-20 inches would also be easy if he is fine with a 270.

 

[Nicaburns]

If he can handle a .270 then a 6.5 PRC would be a breeze with a brake or supressor!
Tikka or Browning XBolt would be amazing

 

[jimh406]

How heavy of a rifle does he want to carry? Does he/you reload or will it be factory ammo only?

As noted, a suppressor will reduce recoil. Short action non magnums generally do better with short barrels.

I think 7mm-08 or 308 is worth a consideration.

 

[OXN939]

To give a bit of context he can shoot a .270 fine but a 30-06 is too much.

Just killed a large cow elk with my 7mm-08, which sounds like exactly what you're looking for. That thing punches way above its paygrade with copper 120s. Minimal recoil, easy to find components and ammo, light and handy short action, great barrel life, good BC, easy to shoot accurately. Tough combo to beat for the lower 48 really.

 

[Spoonbill]

If he already has a 270 then just keep using that.
If he wants a new rifle a few people on this forum have shot elk with a 22 creed. @mxgsfmdpx killed a moose with one this year. You can have a tikka 22-250 1-8” punched out to 22 creed

 

[Deerhunter6250]

Just killed a large cow elk with my 7mm-08, which sounds like exactly what you're looking for. That thing punches way above its paygrade with copper 120s. Minimal recoil, easy to find components and ammo, light and handy short action, great barrel life, good BC, easy to shoot accurately. Tough combo to beat for the lower 48 really.

What OXN939 said. 7-08 works great and has everything your looking for. My daughter shoots a Kimber Montana and I borrow it for the reasons you listed.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Get him a silencer. My dad is 73 and hunts with a suppressed 300 weatherby with no issues.

 

[HuntHarder]

All the cool kids on here use .223 for anything in North America.

 

[ElGuapo]

All the cool kids on here use .223 for anything in North America.

Wouldn’t you believe that, if you spent time here on the internet

 

[slamdmini]

Forgot to mention he doesn't reload so he'd be using factory loads. Id guess his 270 is between 9-10 lbs. And his current rifles are not threaded and he wants a suppressor. And I think he just wants a new toy. Haha. He has a 243 but I think it's a bit light for elk. I was thinking about a 7mm-08 but having not shot one I wasn't sure. Thanks for the help so far guys

 

[Ferrulewax]

6.5 cm

Forgot to mention he doesn't reload so he'd be using factory loads. Id guess his 270 is between 9-10 lbs. And his current rifles are not threaded and he wants a suppressor. And I think he just wants a new toy. Haha. He has a 243 but I think it's a bit light for elk. I was thinking about a 7mm-08 but having not shot one I wasn't sure. Thanks for the help so far guys

6.5cm. Precision hunter or hornady match ELDM. Most people here will tell you to get a tikka t3x and have it threaded. At least thats what I’m in the process of doing, haha.

 

[Dave0317]

The most common respnse you are going to get in this forum is probably a Tikka 243 or 6.5 CM for a light recoiling elk rifle. Some models are threaded others you can get cut and threaded. .Judt make sure he chooses the correct bullet, 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip for 243 and Hornady 140 ELD-M, 143 ELD-X, or Sierra 130 TMK.for the 6.5.

I’m sure others with have a few varying suggestions.

Agree 100 percent.
My dad is about the same age, and even for someone my age, these are the two choices I would narrow it down to. Distant third choice would be a Tikka 6 creedmoor. Distant third solely due to the initial expense of set up, having to re-chamber a barrel right off the bat, etc.

Once you have read up on the .223 and 6mm/.243 threads, you won’t have any doubt that they are all more than effective enough. If he is noticing recoil issues, err on the light side and go .243. 6.5 recoil is pretty mild when suppressed, but less is always better. Listen to episode 469 of the Hunt Backcountry podcast on why smaller calibers may be better for big game hunting.

 

[roadrunner]

A tikka doesn't reduce recoil by itself...

 

[z987k]

You can get a Ruger American gen2 factory chambered in 6CM in a 16 or 20" barrel that's threaded. They shoot. They're pretty cheap. I'm not a fan of the stock, but you can fix that or it might not really bother you.

 

[Jimss]

I just bought a 300 win mag and put an area 419 sidewinder muzzlebreak on it. Believe it or not it kicks a lot less than my 270.

I’ve always liked at least 30 cals for elk because of the velocity and drop at longer ranges. My son just shot a mtn goat with it and the goat hardly moved.

I have a 300 wsm and it’s always been my favorite until I tried my new 300 win with brake. The price of shells are a lot cheaper and more available than other calibers.

Take a look at some of the YouTube videos of the sidewinder muzzle brkes and it may open some doors to a great 30 cal elk rifle!

 

[dreadi]

Recently I got a Seekins PH2 6.5 PRC to sub for my 10+lb 300WM this year because the WM needs a rebarrel. After getting enough rounds down range for the velocity to stabilize, I compared it to the WM handloads I was using. 6.5 PRC factory rounds were performing better on paper compared to the WM past 200yds. WM factory rounds hand better numbers than the PRC past 200yds.

Factory 6.5 PRC ammo I'm using costs 50% less than the factory WM ammo I was using sometimes.

The 6.5 weighs less and recoils less than the WM. I did not have the revelation of the load comparisons until after I sent my WM for rebarrling and I thought, "Why did I bother?" However, I'm hoping my barrel length and twist rate choices will work for the heavier 200gr plus rounds I'd like to use.

 

[Ron.C]

I shoot a 7mm-08.

Its worked very well on elk, bear, and deer. Very manageable recoil. I now handload but have also shot factory 139 gr hornady whitetail ammo and they shoot great. I've taken a number of deer and 2 bears with the hornady's and I would not hesitate to use them on elk.

https://www.hornady.com/ammunition/rifle/7mm-rem-mag-139-gr-interlock-sp-american-whitetail#!/