PEAX Equipment

Advice on new elk rifle

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B-low Zero

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I currently own a Howa 1500 in 270 , love the gun but with a heavy barrel the thing turns into a real bear to lug around.

Was looking at a Ruger American in 308

Savage 16 in 308

Any experience with either of these?
 
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Also any other suggestions would be welcome . Love a Kimber in 280ai but that's out of my reach for the moment looking to spend about 750-800$ and be ready to go
 
270

B-low Zero said:
Also any other suggestions would be welcome . Love a Kimber in 280ai but that's out of my reach for the moment looking to spend about 750-800$ and be ready to go
Click to expand...

might consider a lighter 270, it gets the job done on elk to 300 with a good bullet all day everyday, and you already have one, so no need for new reloading equipment etc if your in to that.

I left PA for the west in 91, all I had was a ruger stainless syn 270 and an 870 12 gauge, they did everything i needed until my quest for more bit me. 7mm mag, 280 remington, 300 win mag, 338 win mag, 375 HH my dad had to have and leave with me, then the down size, 257 roberts, 25-06, a 243 kids gun, all killed elk, and did it well when in range and a good shot was available. wife and I have carried 257 weatherby here for everything the last 6 years, and I am sold on it as a 400 yard fixed scope gun, + or minus 8 inches 0 - 400 yards with 120 partition does it every time.

all that said, don't be fooled by caliber/bullet weight for an elk gun, good bullets and accuracy are everything, energy transfer is key.

older i get, the more i love speed energy, jmho
 
You mentioned the quest for more , that's where I am I live my 270 and I'm planning on keeping it around it is absolutely beautiful when shooting paper. I had also been thinking of a 7mm-08 got my son one and that thing is a tack driver.

Appreciate your reply
 
I own a Tikka T3x Superlite in 7mm Mag. Got the Sportsmen's Warehouse special, which is stainless with a fluted barrel. My dad has the stainless T3x Lite in 300 Win Mag, and my good friend has the T3x Lite with a blued barrel in 300 Win Mag. Mine weighs 6 lbs on the dot without the scope, and is still lighter than my old 30-06 with a scope and a Harris Bi-pod. All 3 guns mentioned above are under 6.5lbs and shoot well under the Sub MOA guarantee that Tikka has. Mine will shoot bug holes (sub 1 inch at 200 yards) with factory HSM 168gr Berger VLDs, Remington 150gr premier accutips, and Hornady 162gr ELD-Xs. I have mine Zeroed at 270, so it's got a 3" point blank range of ~330yards (3" high at 150, which is it's highest point, 3" low at 330). The actions on the Tikka's are amazingly smooth and simple, the triggers are crisp and light, and the only complaint someone could have is the cheap (albeit light) feeling stock. Mine was on the higher end of the price tag for Tikkas, being fluted and stainless, and I paid $650 for it when it had a $100 rebate going. I won't ever buy a different brand of rifle, being very impressed with the "bang for the buck" that Tikka provides. I know there's a handful of Hunttalkers that would back up my findings with their own Tikkas. Hope the info helps!
 
Tikka T3X chambered in 7mm08, .270, .270WSM, .280, 7mmRemMag, .308, 30-06, 300WSM or 300WinMag.

Ruger Americans are nice starter or backup guns, but upgrading to Tikka is worth every penny. The Savage 16 is nice too, but still no Tikka -- I have all three so speak from experience.
 
B-low Zero said:
Also any other suggestions would be welcome . Love a Kimber in 280ai but that's out of my reach for the moment looking to spend about 750-800$ and be ready to go
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What about the Kimberly in the Hunter model? That’s in your price range.
 
The Hell's Canyon rifles I've been able to find are 1k+ , going to check out a couple of shops today I know one is a Tikka dealer. Found a Kimber 84 chambered in the 280ai for 859.99 that has my eye at the moment. A little more than I wanted to spend but it's been my experience sooner or later im going to spend that or find some "reason" I need that rifle. I appreciate all the replies gives me a great jump on what I'm really looking for. I will keep you all updated.
 
I would look at a short mag caliber. My 300 wsm Sako is a great elk rifle . 308 would work fine but the short mag has a flattered trajectory and mine has less recoil than the 308 loads I used to shoot.
Lots of good advice above, those Kimbers sound nice .
 
You can listen to a ton of opinions about what guys shoot around here, but the truth is a 308, or a 7-08, out of a Ruger RA is going to DRT an elk just as fast as anything else. A little internet shopping and you can easily top it off with a nice Leupold.

I did a RA Wolf rebore project, to a 338 Fed, complete with a trigger rebuild (UPS disaster), shipping and a Leupold 2X7 for under $800. Luv it !
 
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For an inexpensive good gun (can't believe I typed that) I would really look hard at the Tikka's. Love my 300 Win Mag but anything 270 and up would be a great caliber.

I, personally, like to stay with the more common calibers (270 win, 7 mm rem mag, 308, 30-06 300 Win Mag). A friend forgot to bring enough 270 Weatherby mag ammo on the last elk hunt, had a heck of a time finding more out in the middle of nowhere. Ended up finding one box in Craig Co. and not in the bullet he was happy with which meant throwing a few runs down range with the new ammo just to make sure he was still on. I like to have access to plenty of factory ammo in a wide array of bullet weights and velocities and be able in an emergency run to the hardware store or Walmart and get a box. Also don't have a problem paying for premium ammo but really hate to cough up $100 bucks for some of the less common stuff.
 
Just anecdotal, but my hunting partner has a Kimber in 280 AI and while it is a nice rifle that shoots well I have NOT been impressed with the performance on elk. I have seen 2 of his elk and a couple of muleys basically shake off the first (well placed) shots and require at least 1 more to anchor them. Just thought I would throw that out ....BTW, I shoot a Savage 110 in '06 and love everything about it except the stock.
 
You could do something different. I opt for singleshots in any variety of .45 that has a hyphen. Take your pick. They all let the light and air in, and the blood out, make two holes just about every single time which aids in tracking in the event you didn't quite "do your part". Why run with the pack when you can venture into less traveled country?
 
SFC B said:
Just anecdotal, but my hunting partner has a Kimber in 280 AI and while it is a nice rifle that shoots well I have NOT been impressed with the performance on elk. I have seen 2 of his elk and a couple of muleys basically shake off the first (well placed) shots and require at least 1 more to anchor them. Just thought I would throw that out ....BTW, I shoot a Savage 110 in '06 and love everything about it except the stock.
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What bullet/range?
 
There's not a thing wrong with a Ruger American. My wife has one in .308 that shoots sub MOA with factory ammo. I had one in 30-06 that shot sub MOA with factory ammo as well. They're not the most aesthetically pleasing, but they shoot awesome for the price and they're not all that heavy. A lot of guys on here are going to tell you that you have to spend a bunch of cash on a higher end rifle, but when it comes right down to it, you can do just as much with a 'budget' rifle. For about the same price point I got my Howa 1500 30-06 (with a regular barrel) as a package with the scope. I didn't like the Nikko Sterling scope, so I sold it to a buddy and put an old Leupold scope on it that I already had.
 
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