Elk hunt this fall. New rifle/caliber.

[pennlineman]

My muzzle loading and bear camp buddies have been talking about going out west for the past couple of years. This year we put the plan in motion with a Colorado elk hunt in October. Very excited! I've always wanted to do this. I already have most of the gear I need and some of it is already packed, LOL!

I have lots of hunting rifles, but the first thought that went through my mind is that I don't have what I consider the perfect elk rifle. Sure, I have rifles that are adequate. A .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag and .30-06 should do the job. But I have a gap. I just couldn't get it out of my mind that a fast .30 would be perfect. In my warped mind anyways. The next step up would be my .375 H&H, to heavy of a gun for the mountain terrain in CO.

So my quest for a .30 magnum began. A 300 Winchester or Weatherby magnum have long been on my want list. In my research another cartridge caught my attention. The .300 Winchester Short Mag. Considering that I want a lite, but not too lite weight rifle and the short action .300 WSM seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Then the coincidence that the LGS had a gently used Weatherby Vanguard Sub MOA on the rack sealed the deal. I picked this up last week and put a Leupold 3X9 on it.



I already have some factory ammo to generate brass, dies, and bought some reloader-22. I'm thinking that I'm going to use 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets for the hunt. Confident I've picked the right rifle combination for this adventure. I'll be using the same bullets in my trusty .30-06 and taking it along as a backup in case the .300 get damaged along the way.

[customloaded]

Excellent choice...good luck and very smart to bring a back up.

The wife and I just put in for our Colorado hunts last week...Unit 6 first choice and Unit 4 2nd choice for buck...then we buy left over cow tags when they become available later in the year and after we get there, over the counter state wide bull tags...

I added a non-res small game this year and duck stamp...figured I might as well do some bird hunting while there if I can too...LOL

Good luck..hope to see you on the "Slopes!"

CL

[TerryK]

For big energy needs I use the 300 WSM. Plenty of power in a light short action. Weight is probably more important that caliber when I have to hunt hard.

[GrumpyBear]

Very nice !

Range report expected !

Should be just the ticket.

We have taken elk in Colorado with everything from 270's to 338 win mags.

[Qtrborecrazy]

Good rifle and caliber, have a successful and safe hunt. I got dibs on some burger meat.

[pennlineman]

Very nice !

Range report expected !

Should be just the ticket.

We have taken elk in Colorado with everything from 270's to 338 win mags.

Maybe this weekend, I've got 4 days off. I know deep down one of my other rifles would have been fine. This may be a once in a life time chance for me and that rifle seemed the perfect fit. (Not real hard for me to come up with a reason for a new gun.)

Good rifle and caliber, have a successful and safe hunt. I got dibs on some burger meat.

Hell Qtrbore, if our paths cross after the hunt and I'm successful, your welcome to a few steaks.

[GrumpyBear]

[QUOTE=pennlineman;3023592]Maybe this weekend, I've got 4 days off. I know deep down one of my other rifles would have been fine. This may be a once in a life time chance for me and that rifle seemed the perfect fit. (Not real hard for me to come up with a reason for a new gun.) /QUOTE]

^^^^^ I know what you mean.

[lovecrazy]

Range report expected ! Should be just the ticket. We have taken elk in Colorado with everything from 270's to 338 win mags.???

[USMC3531]

my 300wsm prefers 150gr over 180 ( I know you want a heavier projo though) Iv yet to try some 165+-gr maybe this summer.

[pennlineman]

Range report expected ! Should be just the ticket. We have taken elk in Colorado with everything from 270's to 338 win mags.???

I bought a second 300 WSM as a back up rifle. It is a Winchester model 70. I took it out last week and got it sighted in close. My best group was right at an inch. The rest were in the neighborhood of 1.5" and a couple groups where I know a pulled one. All with factory ammo. I'm going to take the Weatherby out here in a little bit, also my .30-06.

I never could shoot real well from the bench. My goal is to get both of the 300 WSM's close and start tweeking the scope in field positions. I have to admit my rifle skills are suffering a bit. It's been about 20 years since I've taken rifle shooting seriously, focusing mostly on pistol.

I've got about 800 rounds of .30-06 loaded up and have the stuff to reload 300 WSM once I generate some brass. The skills are still there, I just need to dust them off some and get back to being comfortable with a rifle.