Rifle and Factory Load for Elk

[leoparddog]

I wish you luck on your hip replacement, healing fast and getting in shape carefully. Obey the Dr. and PT orders and all that stuff. Do you know where you will be hunting yet? Will you be on horseback or ATVs or heaven forbid - Hiking?

I spent 8 months last year in Summit County CO at 10,000' and would often hike up to 12,000 feet. No matter what the elevation is, even 5,000 feet is noticeable when you are exerting yourself, so yes get in as good shape as you can and don't push yourself. Hiking 100 yards and stopping to catch your breath is no shame especially up hill. You won't be able to acclimate to the altitude on a single hunt but you can prepare your legs for it.

Personally, if I was paying for a CO hunt, they'd better be providing horses or ATVs unless we're ranch hunting from the truck.
Good luck!

 

[Lilly001]

For elk you will want to stay with those heavier bullets.
But later on, for deer and such, you can shoot lighter bullets at near 30-06 levels.
I shoot 150 grain spritzers (Hornady) in mine and it’s a real killer.

 

[JR924]

leoparddog, thanks for the well wishes. Not sure where I will be hunting in Co. I think the close energy of the 175 sierra prohunter 8x57 handload with the 180 gr 30.06 factory load that is recommended for elk hopefully is the way to go and will shoot 1 MOA at 100 yard. Trying to get a metro county swat team member to go with me to test the rifle's potential.. The Guide is my wife's nephew. He has a cabin up in the woods we will stay at. Did not see any ATVs or horses at his house. Thinking it will be a lot of walking. He emphasized to me to get in shape.

 

[aabradley82]

I’ve got one of those Saurs in 9.3x62. You out to be good to go

 

[Nimrod71]

Bullethead and EverGreen make good points. With your new rifle you have one of the many parts you need for your first western elk hunt. Like above you will need to practice and become proficient out to 300 yds. with your rifle. I have killed elk from 50 yds out to 400 yds. You will need to learn to judge range on an elk sized target and then learn where to place the bullet for a clean kill.

Another important thing you will need is boots. Good mountain climbing boots are very important. I learned this the hard way. I suggest you order a pair of Danner Hood Winter Lite boots. I have been using these for over 30 years and I am on my third pair. Yes they are expensive but they work and I have not had foot problems or broken and ankle since I started wearing them. Walking and climbing rock mountains is a heck of a lot different than flat land.

 

[Evergreen]

I am out of shape and overweight. Getting hip replacement tomorrow. The elk hunt is an incentive for my brothers and I to get in shape. I like the bleachers idea. I did order a pack of 175 grain Sierra Prohunter (2400 fps) from the handloader. If they work out, he is going to produce me a hotter load (2700 fps to 2800 fps) to see if they shoot well. If not we will try a different heavier bullet. I see no reason why this rifle will not shoot most bullets good as the reviews indicate that. I really like this guy so hope his handloads are high quality. I will chronograph for performance and consistency. Great customer service.

The ammo was about $66 with free shipping. Expensive but not as much since the ammo prices went up. I went on Ammo Seek and the looked at the cheapest price for S&B 8x57 196 grain SPCE. I have bought this before as about $19 a few years back plus shipping I think at Sportsman Warehouse. The cheapest price for this ammo today was at Ventura Mutitions. Price is 32.99 + 17.39 shipping for a total of $50.38. Maybe you can do better but thinking you will still pay over $40 if you include shipping.

Thanks for the posts.​

I am not a health nut by far but start slow, I'm sure you will have some physical therapy with the hip, let that be your catalyst, after pt start walking a little further everyday then hit the bleachers, get some knee braces/compression sleeves, ease into it, don't hit it hard and hurt something else in the process, I myself have a hard time remembering I'm not 20 anymore haha. Nice looking rifle ya got by the way

 

[rosewood]

Forget that ranging stuff. That is what range finders are for. Also, a good guide will have one himself. Just need to know how far your bullet drops. I have printed out "DOPE" charts and taped on my stock for quick reference.

Rosewood

 

[Elkbane]

^^^This!!!
Know your rifle and its capabilities. IMO, a drop chart or ballistic reticle coupled with a rangefinder are extremely important for getting off a good shot that lands on target.

I've hunted elk in CO, WY and ID - 19 trips, and have been blessed to take 17 elk. Shots ranged from 30 to 600 yards. Two things I would NEVER be without are a rangefinder and a good set of shooting sticks. It doesn't really matter what caliber / load you shoot as long as you know where your bullet will hit at any practical distance.

Your guide may be well equipped with a rangefinder or he may be a cowhand who can't tell ranges any better that you can, and I can tell you from experience, its nearly impossible for us southerners to gauge distance in the open Western landscape.

I currently use these style shooting sticks
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1007639326?pid=635392

and for scope, a Zeiss Conquest 4-15x44 scope with a z-800 reticle, tuned to my load for a 280AI with 160 grain Nosler Accubond. Both of these have served me well.

Elkbane

 

[rosewood]

I watch a lot of hunting shows and apparently most of those guides/hunters don't know how to navigate with a compass. They will spot a game animal then hike to where they think it was and can't find it.

If you take a range finder (one that has a really long range), a compass then a GPS, you can measure the distance to the animal, use the compass to get a bearing, then input that data (using the projection feature) in a GPS and it will calculate the GPS location of that animal. Then you use the GPS to navigate to that location. Easy Peasy and should put within viewing distance of where the animal was when you ranged him. This could be done before GPS, but since you can't always walk in a straight line, the GPS allows you to go around a mountain or gulley an still find your coordinate.

Rosewood

 

[deers2ward]

leoparddog, thanks for the well wishes. Not sure where I will be hunting in Co..... The Guide is my wife's nephew. He has a cabin up in the woods we will stay at. Did not see any ATVs or horses at his house. Thinking it will be a lot of walking. He emphasized to me to get in shape.

This may sound harsh, but you should know exactly where you are going. The name of the nearest town, the Game Management Unit. (Not so you can share here, but so YOU know). You should know if it is an over the counter "OTC" tag, or whether it is a draw (in which case you need to be purchasing a pref point in 2022) Call the nephew, ask what unit he is in, where his cabin is. Is he charging you money for this? If so, does his outfitting business (is he a guide who works for an outfitter, or is he running a 1 man show) have a website or name? (again not to be shared here, but if I were you I would do research on it.)

Ask him what a typical day will look like. What elevation will you start at each day, what elevations might you climb to? What is an average number of miles you will hike each day? Will you haul everything you need for the day on your pack or will you come back to the cabin for lunch? Will you possibly be spiking out overnight up in elk country (in which case you will have camp on your back=heavier pack) or will you come back to the cabin each night? What is the terrain, is it oakbrush and sage? Aspens and dark timber? Will it be spot and stalk or will you be ambush hunting/watching fields/parks?

Hopefully your nephew is the next Cam Hanes, Remi Warren, Dustin Roe, etc. and I am just a jerk on the internet, but I just want to make sure you are not one of these guys who comes back from out west without a punched tag, and shocked at how much harder it was than what you thought. I recommend you ask your nephew all of the above questions at a minimum, and then put a plan together to get into the best shape of your life. If this is really a once in a lifetime thing for you, I want you to enjoy every minute of it, be successful, and be able to look at that bull on your wall for the rest of your life!