Best Long Range Caliber for "Big" Bull Elk ?

[augnmike]

Regarding getting your gun dialed in I sent my 6x45 to Corbon and he produced the best round for that gun. Sent it back to me with 100 rounds of the same ammo, he said it was "shooting better now". It's one hole for a three shot group at 100 yds!! He is wrapping up my Weatherby .300 win mag and sending me 100 rounds of what he developed and said "it's shooting pretty nice" can't wait to see what "pretty nice" looks like compared to "shooting better now". Also having my US Optics 3.2-17 made with a custom dial for the ballistics of the specific round Corbon developed.

As has been mentioned there is nothing like having confidence in your weapon of choice but when it's all said and done a man has to know his limitations.

 

[chap_dog48]

300 Weatherby Mag. is my go to for any animal. However is it a Vangaurd or a Mark V. Mark V's are the better rifle, it has the 9 locking bolt lugs that increase bolt action accuracy for the 300 mag cartridge. The vangaurds as still good and I have one for my back up rifle. I shoot the Barnes bullets and I took my elk last year with it and had a shot at 383yd and the bullet did the damage it needed no problem.

Also AZ Jim I noticed you posted opportunity to hunt land in 23 for elk do you have that same connection in 22 this year. I have a tag burning up in my hands. If not, Gator is getting my fired up for the hunt. Thanks Kurt

 

[myfriendis410]

Actually the Mark V is not noted for stellar accuracy. The nine bolt lugs are not engaging together; a common failing in the design. Added to the incredible freebore the Mark V is only guaranteed to shoot into 1.5" at 100 yards with factory ammunition. You will NEVER see a Weatherby rifle on the line in a rifle competition. The Vanguard has a greater capability to shoot well if it is put together correctly. My personal experience with the Weatherby line is that one CAN get a Mark V to shoot with a lot of work and the Vanguard can normally be trusted to shoot spectacularly well with a minimum of work.

The rifle Jim was discussing is a Mark V Accumark. Still; they are beautiful rifles, well made and more than capable of being used for their intended purpose which is to kill big animals!

 

[augnmike]

The one I was talking about is the Vanguard Sub-MOA frame but now has a new barrel, fully bedded and a Micro Bastard brake on it. It was shooting 5/8" prior to the work can't wait to see it now.

 

[sancho]

congrats on the tag!!!

how about the 7mm RUM?

finding ammo would be a challenge. do you require off the shelf ammo? if not, a 7mm RUM would be trick! get a MacMillian long range rifle and go for the horizon shots!

 

[stalker00]

AZ i suggest you ask this question on LONG RANGE HUNTING ONLINE MAGAZINE, they might have some insightful answers for you. That style of hunting is what they cater to.

 

[coothunter]

I love the .300 Weatherby Mag caliber for anything big. Flat, fast, powerful. The only bad things are the kick and the cost.

 

[sdnative13]

I personally love my tc encore for this exact reason. I don't have to buy a brand new gun just a different barrel. And at least in my experience it is deadly accurate with my mark IV sitting atop. Under 1" Moa at 100 yards.

 

[bobby7321]

Should be getting our accumark in .30-.378 back from HART any day. Had them re-barrel exactly for this type of long range hunting. Had them build it around the 200 grain MTH22 bullet (aka one long ass cartridge) from Cutting Edge Bullets. We will see how it does. I like choosing a new rifle for an upcoming hunt, it just adds to the fun and the build-up to the hunt.

 

[easymoney]

It's amazing, the number of different calibers and loads today. Not like the old days at all...
I have been waiting for an AA 6.5 grendel upper for an AR lower I've got. They say this cal with a 120grn barnes tsx, hornaday or nosler bullet is the cats meow on most things long range and with the needed energy for a one shot kill. Not that I have needed more than one in the past, it will interesting to see if this works as well on big game(hogs or larger) as it does on zombies...

 

[AZ Jim]

So it looks like it is going to be the .300 Win Mag in the McMillan rifle for me. Now to pick out a scope. It currently has an old Zeiss 3x9 on it, but seems a bit short and hard to get the right eye relief for me. It seems to me that some of my newer Nikons and Burris scopes have just as good or better clarity. So I was thinking about upgrading. Swarovskis are out my price range, so I was thinking about a Leupold or Vortex ??? Any suggestions based on experience for long range shooting?

Thx,

AZ Jim

 

[catchdog]

Leupold

 

[Mr. Luckypants]

Funny how 95% of the folks here don't shoot/hunt long range but is making recommendation for "long range" caliber. I remember most folks here will only shoot out to 100yds with a rifle and 20yds with a bow. Anything further will get you in trouble with these folks. Rant off.

Now that you've found your caliber, I suggest you find the highest BC bullet and work around that. I personally like the 208grn AMAX with a BC of .648. Bergers are up there in BC as well.

Scope: Leupold with turrets are a must. You'll need to know your bullet drop at the elevation you're hunting. So chrono your loads and put that in a ballistic caculator to find your drops. Also, know your rifle and load capability. Don't fool yourself in thinking that a 1/4" group at 100yds will be good at 600yds. You need to practice at all distances you intend to shoot.

Example: I can put 5 shots inside of 2.5" at 600yds. That doesn't mean my rifle/load is good enough at 1000yds. So practice and know your effective maximum range.