Rifle Caliber for Hunting the West

[NPV]

So I may be making a trip out west to MT in 2022-2023 for an elk trip and who knows may just stay out there and escape CT (not kidding).

So needless to say I’ve got some time but am starting to research a rifle setup for hunting in that portion of the country. At this point for the money I’ve pretty much settle on a Seekins Havak PH2 as it seems to offer the best bang for the buck and a Vortex Razor Viper HST or Razor LHT (budget dependent).

The question is which caliber should I be looking at? 7mm RM, 6.5 PRC, 28 Nosler seem to be at the top of the heap for this type of hunting but figured I’d solicit some advice here. I do have access to a 1k range here and am set up to hand load as well. Looking around it seems like components for 28 Nosler are astronomical for not a lot more performance compared to the 7mm RM. And that performance gap may even be narrowed if hand loading.

This won’t be a PRC rifle or anything but I would like to shoot it a few times a year without having to worry about burning up a barrel.

[GJM]

I don't hear good things about 6.5 PRC on elk. .300 Win Mag is a known, successful elk cartridge, and what I have my Seekins Element in. Recoil isn't bad despite the rifle being lightweight. I have shot a bunch of elk with .270 class magnums, with great results too.

[Nephrology]

I left CT for good in 2012. Now live, appropriately, out West (not MT). Still go back to see family but otherwise in every way strongly recommend.

[MK11]

I'm sort of interested in what you decide on a rifle but extremely interested to hear where you have access to a 1,000 yard range in CT.

[NPV]

I'm sort of interested in what you decide on a rifle but extremely interested to hear where you have access to a 1,000 yard range in CT.

Not in CT but just over the border into MA, Granby Bow & Gun club.

[ccmdfd]

I don't hear good things about 6.5 PRC on elk.

Interesting. It seems to be one of the most popular of the 6.5's.

[Suvorov]

30-06?

Probably the single most popular hunting round in the Western US and has proven itself more than capable on elk. I realize it doesn’t have the legs of the .300WM or some of the newer cartridges but do you really plan on taking shots at distances where those rounds ballistics matter?

[UNM1136]

Mark Larue likes the 6.5 Grendel. I like it more than .243, or 25-06 or similar. My dad has a bunch of elk with a run of the mill .270, I like the 30-06 and .308, because I have an -06 and don't mind .308. 6.5 Creedmoore is my next full on rifle purchase, and plenty for elk. After much homework I bought my daughter a ballistically similar .260 Remingon for elk. Would have gone 7-08 if I had to. I practice a lot, and before taking my kids, have them practice hard too.

Elk are tough, but tend to get overthought. A good round in a good caliber in the boiler room. Magnums are OK, but far from necessary. Find a good gun (IMHO 6.5mm or larger) and get good with it. The bigger/faster/more powerful rounds are nice, but the tradeoffs are recoil, muzzle blast, cost, etc.

pat

[GJM]

Some thoughts on bullet selection:

https://fieldethos.com/match-bullets-suck-for-hunting/

On caliber, based on having harvested pushing two dozen elk, guided and on my own, there is a difference between what caliber works in ideal conditions, and what caliber works in bad conditions, like a tough angle, a wounded animal, or heavy snow when your range finder doesn't work.

[wcj]

Nothing replaces a competent, ethical rifleman. Use premium bullets, I have never had a nosler partition fail, I've seen good results with some bonded and solid barnes, I just trust partitions.

Forty years of elk tags and as many elk are behind my thoughts, also helped an outfitter friend over half of those years and saw another hundred or so taken. 300 mag in your choice of headstamps seems most popular. Stay with bullets on the heavier range for your caliber. Magnum loads and better bullets help when you are not perfect, an efficient humane shot is the goal.

I started with a 7mm Rem mag, took several with it. Switched to a 340 Weatherby I built on a Rem 700 action, never looked back. Thirty plus years of one shot elk, none have traveled over 25 yards after shot. Just finished processing this years for the freezer.

Good luck.