New To Firearms

[wunder6]

So after almost 20 years of not hunting with firearms I'm looking at getting back into it. My question is which caliber would you all recommend? Would like to possibly find something I could use at home for white tail as well as out west for elk. I've seen on other posts that a 270 might be a good choice. Also have heard that a 308 might not be a bad option. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I'm pretty clueless when it comes to firearms.

[husky390]

.308, .270, and 30-06 will all get the job done. I primarily hunt with a .308, it works very well on whitetail but haven't shot an elk with it yet. I prefer Barnes Vortex ammo.


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[baddaddy]

There are many good cartridges that can be used. Alot will depend on range and recoil tolerance. On the short action side there's .260 Remington, 6.5 creedmore, 7-08 or .308. On the standard action there's 25-06, 6.5 Swede, .270, .280,30-06, 7mm mag, 300 mag, .338 win mag, or 35 Whelen. Any of these will work. The 7mm-08 and .308 are popular as well as the .270, 30-06, and the magnums are all popular. If you want something different, the .280 and 35 Whelen are hard to beat. Just my .02.

[Brendan]

If you're not an "enthusiast" and don't really have a specific caliber in mind, .30-06 is hard to beat for a do-it-all gun. .308 and 7mm-08 behind that if you want a little less recoil. 270 would work too if you like that, and is a little flatter shooting but a little lighter.

I've heard great things about the Tikka T3 for a reasonably-priced rifle that you can get in stainless and shoots well.

[Tigger]

I would also recommend 30/06 or 7 mm-08. Lots of factory ammo and it will shoot everything from pronghorn to moose. A 7mm Magnum has just a little bit more of everything.....velocity, energy, trajectory, and recoil.

My dad has a Tikka T3 and it is a great gun. But 1 thing I don't like about it is that it does not have a bolt release lever. So you have to put the safety into the fire position in order to unload it. for that reason, I don't think it is probably the best choice for an inexperienced hunter. A Sako A7 is a great choice. I have that one and I love it.

I have a Ruger American and it isn't flashy but it shoots well and they have a good reputation. Fairly inexpensive in that $400 range too.

Whatever you get, do NOT go cheap on the scope. You will regret it big time. I would highly recommend Leupold because of their first rate customer service (google it). Others to consider: Vortex and Nikon.

You can be in to a Ruger American with a Leupold scope for well under $1,000.

[Elkduds]

There is no replacement for bullet placement. Less powerful guns recoil less, thus are easier to shoot accurately. Modern bullet technology has given smaller calibers better penetration along w flatter trajectories. My 2 big game rifles are 7mm Rem mag and 270 Win (non-mag). In practical terms the only difference between these is an additional 100 yards of range for the magnum, out around 3-400 yards. I have never needed those extra yards, my longest shot was about 250 yds, most shots less than 200, hunting in CO. If I spent most of my hunting time on deer I would look hard @ the short calibers: 308, 7mm08, 6.5 Creedmoor, all of which will cleanly kill well-shot elk @ ranges past 300. If I had to have more juice, 270, 30-06. Magnums are for those who like to shoot game @ longer ranges, odd angles, and enjoy the extra noise, recoil and expense when they pull the trigger. Tikka lightweight in 7-08 or 270 would be the first one I handled @ the gun shop.

[DBLGBL]

Don't forget the short magnums.

2gbl

[Swede]

I like the 270 Win, and 308 Win, but even though I don't own one, I have to admit the 30-06 is probably the best all around cartridge ever produced. It is plenty for Whitetails and elk. The nice thing is that you can load it with heavier bullets for elk and scale back to 150 grains for deer. If you don't like to re-sight your gun, go with 165 grain or 180 grain bullets and stick with them. They will do the job for you. Also you really don't need to buy expensive select bullets to kill deer and elk. As someone said before me on this thread, shot placement is the most important. If you shoot a lighter caliber like a 6.5 Swede, be careful and limit your range. I have killed both deer and elk with a 6.5 Swede, a 338 Win Mag. and calibers in between. They all work if you hit the vital area.

[Indian Summer]

I am a fan of guns that don't result in anything but a dead elk on the ground. If you aren't a fan of recoil they've invented a super simple solution which is a muzzle brake. They work like a charm and are relatively cheap.

There are tons of guns that will kill elk and just as many opinions about them. I think that you should think more about what is enough gun for an elk before prioritizing what might be too much gun for deer. If you lean toward a lighter caliber choose one where you can easily find heavier bullet weights. BUT...... I'd rather see you choose a larger caliber with an option for lighter ammo.

I loved my 7mm Rem Mag back in the day. But these days I lean toward the .300s. In all of my years of outfitting there is no question that the .300 Win Mag was THE most popular gun to show up in camp. Compared to a .300 Ultra Mag which can definitely be too much gun for some people AND ammo is really hard to find and costs an arm and a leg, it is a great choice. .300 Win Mag ammo is EVERYWHERE. From observation I see lots of fans of the .308 so I'd suggest looking into that. I just honestly don't have any experience to comment on that gun but I think it's worth mentioning.

The one big thing I would say is get the right tool for the job. Think long and hard about the style of hunting you prefer. Think about if that will change when you hunt with a rifle. Will you be sticking to the timber still hunting or is there a chance you will be on the edges or shooting in the open. Elk country can be big and in some places it's nothing to see elk too far to shoot. I hate it when that happens!

I have images burned in my mind of bulls standing there that would have been mine if they were "just a little bit closer". YUK! I also have images of blood trails that petered out because of less than perfect shots from light guns. That's something else to think about..... a perfect shot from any caliber will kill elk but what about when you make a shot that doesn't exactly land where you'd hoped???

[Charina]

I have no reservations about a .243 with a monolithic copper slug for elk. Not a bit of hesitation. But then again, that's from the perspective of one that has recently moved (again) to flinging comparatively slow pointy sticks at elk.

Accuracy is primary. Whether its the largest magnum caliber, .06, .243, or an arrow, accuracy is what is all comes down to. The biggest baddest gun won't put it down if you poke the paunch. Pick a caliber from .243 on up, and get good with it. If you are in the smaller calibers, make sure your bullet is strong enough for an elk and you'll be fine IMO.

Perhaps I'm just a wimp or something, but I have to work to ward off flinch on my 30.06. I do plenty of dry fires to keep my body and trigger finger honest. It's hard to believe that most people shooting the magnum calibers are not hurting their accuracy due to flinch.

[saddlesore]

If you look at statistics there is more 30-06 ammo sold than any other cartridge. That doesn't mean a hoot,if you are recoil shy.However,due to a really messed up shoulder,I put a muzzle brake on mine and now it is little bit more than a .243.However those brakes put another $300 cost on you gun.
A .308 can recoil as bad as an .06. The .06 has more bullet weights available than about any other cartridge.
I consider a.243 a bit light for elk,especially someone with limited experience.

Th e.308,7-08 ,0 r.270 are all in the median and will kill any elk you come across.
If you have some budget constraints look at some of the Savages.Not the most beautiful ,but will out shoot most of the production rifles right out of the box. Accuracy wise. Again ,small budget,you can get a package deal including a cheap scope that will serve you until you can save enough for a better scope.

Just starting out,chose a rifle that takes common cartridge.,like .308,.30-06, 7-08 , .270 . Those you can find almost anywhere and they are they are ones that go on sale most frequently.

If you like recoil ,then look at the 300 mag,7 mag or .338

[wunder6]

Hey thanks for all the input guys. Whole lotta choices out there, but I think I've at least narrowed it down to a few: .308, 7mm and the 300 win mag. As far as sights go I got a connection for Vortex at 40% off retail price which makes it pretty appealing.