Need advice, and I'm betting you can give it to me, PawPaw. I want to work up a rifle for long-range plains hunting. The caliber I want to use is 300 Win Magnum, but I would settle for 7mm Magnum. I have a WIN (Post-64) M70 in .243, and love it (but .243 is too light for elk), and there are quite a few of those around in those magnum calibers, and the prices are not too bad.Thanks for asking. Let's see what we can learn.
Is the Savage 110 any better? Better trigger? I will probably restock the rifle into a heavier composite stock. A longer barrel is a plus.
If you were looking for such a rifle (shots to be taken at out to 500 yards), what would YOU be looking for?
I'm no fan of the .300 Winchester Magnum, but that is purely personal prejudice. I'm told that the .300 Win Mag is one of the top ten of cartridge sales every year and I know that it's been used by the military, the police, and lots of sportsmen. Lots of folks love the cartridge and lots of folks consider it the very best cartridge for elk hunting. If you're looking for a plains elk cartridge, the .300 Win Mag is a good place to start.
However, I am a fan of the Savage 110. I am convinced that Savage is the best bang for the buck in centerfire rifles. The Accutrigger is the best factory trigger in the market today. When Savage came out with the Accutrigger it took the firearms industry by storm. Other companies started work on better triggers and a couple (Marlin, Remington) came out last year. Triggers are getting better across the industry because of Savage. Savage was the first to offer factory stocks that were pillar-bedded. Savage rifles made a reputation for themselves based on accuracy, durability and cost.
There is no doubt that I'm a cheer-leader for Savage rifles. Unabashed, I put my money where my mouth is. I've bought four since 2003, in 7mm Mag, .30-06, .243 Win, and .308 Win. I kept the -06 and the .243 for myself and gifted the 7 Mag and the .308. I've got a couple of Savage rimfires in the cabinet also. I'm always on the look out for other rifles, but I'm not so blind to Savage that I overlook the other brands. I'm also a fan of Ruger rifles, Winchester, and Howa rifles. I think Howa is another brand that is often overlooked by those who buy rifles on a budget.
However, back to Savage rifles. This year, Savage came out with a new innovation. The Accu-Stock. It's the first factory stock offered with a full aluminum bedding channel. Folks have been offering full metal bedding for several years now, but this is the first time a factory has offered it, out the door.
I'd look at the Model 111FCNS In .300 magnum, it carries the Accu-trigger and the Accu-stock. MSRP at $656.00. Or, there's the 116FHSS, which is the stainless version. It also has the accu-stock and a list price of $755.00. Either of those would be fine rifles. Before I put a laminate stock on a rifle, I'd check the weight. Laminate stocks are heavy, and while that weight is a good thing sometimes, it's also a bad thing sometimes.
However, you asked what I would look for in an elk rifle, and I have no experience hunting elk, neither on the plains nor in the mountains. I'd be a poor counselor if I tried to give advice on that matter. We'd have to go to the literature, or seek the advice of people who have experience.
I'd probably just take my Savage 110, in .30-06.
I've only shot one elk with my ol' Win. 670 .30-06, but she went down like a rock (of course, the fact that it was a spine hit didn't hurt--I found out later that my base had worked loose). My hunting partner also shot an elk with a .30-06 and dropped it with one, well-placed shot (lung).
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, the .30-06 will do it if the shooter can place his shot well. (Of course, that can be said about a lot of calibers for elk, from the .260 to the 7-08 and on up.) True, the .30-06 isn't a wonder round that's hyped in the gun rags as the next great thing. But the .30-06 doesn't need all that noise to prove itself because it already has done so for decades on end. It's plenty of gun for elk within 300 yards, maybe a bit more for someone who's a better shot than I, and anyone who says differently can be summarily dismissed as being a know-nothing blow-hard.
Thanks, PawPaw. That info on the Savage rifles has me thinking in a new direction. That aluminum-bedding system just screams long-range accuracy, and the AccuTrigger is already legendary.
ReplyDeleteSavage is a good bet- They are producing quality rifles at a reasonable price!
ReplyDeleteThis is just IMO and I'm sure it will get long. I'm sorry Rivrdog, I don't know you, and you may have the chops for this, but this applies to more than you.
ReplyDeleteUnless you are a REALLY good shot and have lots of practice shooting at ranges of over 400 yards, you do not want to be considering taking shots at elk at 500 yards. Setting the sights high after practicing at 300yards isn't all there is to it.
All this assumes perfection when the hammer drops. Punching paper is one thing at those ranges but the range estimation, the wind drift/swirl, and shooting positions available in a field setting put too many variables into taking live game at those ranges. With a 300yard zero, 500yards gives you more than 30" of drop in even a 300mag, never mind the 5" of variable in a 1 MOA rifle. The velocity has dropped to less than 2k so the bullet is unlikely to expand properly as well.
Elk are tough, they can absorb multiple hits from really big rifles/bullets, even at close range, with very little visible effect if it isn't a central nervous system hit. It isn't unusual for them to travel 3-500 yards after a good heart/lung hit. Trailing an animal hit at 200 yards is one thing, and not at all easy at times but even finding the trail of one hit at twice that+ is getting iffy.
WV: maters Because it does.