Your perfect elk rifle

Lotta good elk rifles out there :)
THAT is an easy statement to agree with - If it's a dedicated elk (and bigger) rifle I'd go .30 and up for sure - 338 Win Mag is damn hard to beat ….. 325 WSM launching 220's as well BUT the 338 WM is so easy to find ammo and bullets for it a no-brainer
 
THAT is an easy statement to agree with - If it's a dedicated elk (and bigger) rifle I'd go .30 and up for sure - 338 Win Mag is damn hard to beat ….. 325 WSM launching 220's as well BUT the 338 WM is so easy to find ammo and bullets for it a no-brainer
On my way to Wyoming right now with a .325 in the case. Didn’t have time to finish a load for the Weathermark.
 
Historically, I have liked (1) Mark X Mauser with Brown kevlar stock and 29" Douglas stainless barrel in .338 win mag (250 Hornady spire point at 2900 fps); (2) NULA .284 with 28" barrel (175 Hornady at 2850, 154 at 3100); and I guess my favorite now is NULA .338-06 with 24" barrel. As Ken Waters said, the best way to improve the .35 Whelen is to neck it to .338. Elmer Keith was right about his .33 OKH.
 
I have only shot elk in North Idaho, and my farthest shot might have been 150 yards. If I still lived there and chased elk every year, the left hand Remington 700 LSS in 30-06 I bought for its action would be sporting a 20-22” Hart # 3 barrel chambered in 338-06 and it would be sitting in a McMillan Hunter’s Edge stock, topped with a Leupold 2.5-8.

As a cheaper, and likely lighter, alternative, I could probably get a Tikka T3x in 270 Win or 30-06 and have it re-bored/re-chambered for 338-06.
 
Love my tikka t3 superlite in 7mag. Leupold vx2 3-9, Talley rings.

It shoots sub-moa groups out of the box with any factory load I throw at it, shoots super flat and is light as they come. Takes a bit of getting use to on the shoulder though.
 
Love my tikka t3 superlite in 7mag. Leupold vx2 3-9, Talley rings.

It shoots sub-moa groups out of the box with any factory load I throw at it, shoots super flat and is light as they come. Takes a bit of getting use to on the shoulder though.
put an aircell pad on it and that'll cure that last part fast
 
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By the way, if you want a .338-06 but don't want to custom build one, get a Ruger .338 RCM assuming you can find a lifetime supply of the Hornady cases (just in case, since the cartridge hasn't taken off in popularity). The rcm is a short, fat case with the same capacity and performance. I have one of them, too.
 
I ignored the 325 for awhile because they didn’t have the high BC hunting bullets. I realized that I never shoot at game beyond 400 yards and generally much closer. It’s extremely close to .338 win mag factory ammo in “power” and it comes in a 5.75 pound (naked) rifle with cerakote. Absolutely perfect for ME, far from perfect for you guys that shoot 700+
 
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