Help me choose my cow elk rifle and load

[HighUintas]

How well can you shoot each of those guns from field positions when your heart is pounding? I'd give the nod to the '06 if you're thinking a long shot is likely, if not for the extra punch then for the extra weight to hold that reticle still. If the shot is going to be shorter and not hindered by the weight of the gun, go with the lighter one.

These are just my thoughts on what I'd do. I'm a bow hunter and this October will be the first time I'm humping my rifle into the woods. So in the end, I'd just go with whichever gun you feel more confident in shooting in the field

 

[Kimber7man]

7mm08 and 140 Accubond gets my vote.

I used the Nosler factory 140 E-tip on my cow elk 2 years ago, it was only about 2,780 at the muzzle but sailed through the cow at 370 yards and is buried somewhere in the Wyoming hills. So I’m thinking the Accubond at 2,850 or so would put the whompum on a cow.

 

[Newtosavage]

How well can you shoot each of those guns from field positions when your heart is pounding? I'd give the nod to the '06 if you're thinking a long shot is likely, if not for the extra punch then for the extra weight to hold that reticle still. If the shot is going to be shorter and not hindered by the weight of the gun, go with the lighter one.

These are just my thoughts on what I'd do. I'm a bow hunter and this October will be the first time I'm humping my rifle into the woods. So in the end, I'd just go with whichever gun you feel more confident in shooting in the field

I wish I could predict the shot distance. If I could, I'd probably know where to start looking for them! LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

7mm08 and 140 Accubond gets my vote.

I used the Nosler factory 140 E-tip on my cow elk 2 years ago, it was only about 2,780 at the muzzle but sailed through the cow at 370 yards and is buried somewhere in the Wyoming hills. So I’m thinking the Accubond at 2,850 or so would put the whompum on a cow.

To be honest, I'm leaning that direction myself.

Gonna take them all to the range this week and see what kind of groups I get at 300 yards (farthest range I have until I get to CO). That will help me decide, I'm sure.

 

[sndmn11]

I would take the 30-06. I like TTSX/GMX/trophy copper results on our meat.

 

[Montana Slim]

Vote for the 7mm-08 and hammers here... then take pics and let us know how the hammers perform

 

[Newtosavage]

Vote for the 7mm-08 and hammers here... then take pics and let us know how the hammers perform

Oh, you want ME to be the guinea pig eh?

I think I'll test them on a few whitetails this fall. Not sure I'm ready to go punching elk with 131 Hammers just yet. The accuracy and ballistics are appealing as hell, but I'm prolly gonna be carrying the 7mm-08 with 140 Accubonds (that Lightweight Storm is just a joy to carry) and have the '06 as a backup. But that could change once I get to CO and have a chance to shoot them at 400 yards, at elevation. That will be the final "confidence" test, I think.

 

[Thoff1989]

Which rifle do you like more?
Chances are the shots might take place closer to dawn and dusk so how does the 33mm VX1 perform in low light conditions?

 

[JakeSCH]

Which one would you prefer to have in the photo?

I tend to lean toward copper because I don't want to feed my kids lead. Like other have said, take what you are most confident in.

 

[Newtosavage]

Which rifle do you like more?
Chances are the shots might take place closer to dawn and dusk so how does the 33mm VX1 perform in low light conditions?

The 7x33 brightness is actually quite good. Slightly better than the 9x40 setting.

 

[Montana Slim]

Oh, you want ME to be the guinea pig eh?

I think I'll test them on a few whitetails this fall. Not sure I'm ready to go punching elk with 131 Hammers just yet. The accuracy and ballistics are appealing as hell, but I'm prolly gonna be carrying the 7mm-08 with 140 Accubonds (that Lightweight Storm is just a joy to carry) and have the '06 as a backup. But that could change once I get to CO and have a chance to shoot them at 400 yards, at elevation. That will be the final "confidence" test, I think.

Yup. I think it's a great opportunity for a bullet I'd like to try!

 

[Newtosavage]

Yup. I think it's a great opportunity for a bullet I'd like to try!

Oh, I have high hopes for the bullet, considering the groups I get with it, and the velocity. Just not sure I'm ready to rely on it for my first elk. The other two loads are time-tested.

 

[RS3579]

It's looking like I have two really good choices for my October cow elk hunt in Colorado. I'll probably bring both rifles anyway, but I'm curious which rifle and load you would choose to tote around. We'll be starting from the truck every morning and I expect we'll put about 3-6 miles on our boots every day, anywhere from 7K to 10K, depending on the weather, sign, hunting pressure, etc.

Rifle 1 is a stainless Savage 116 in 30-06.
It wears a 3-9x40 VX-1 w/ LR reticle.
Carry weight is 7 lbs. 2 oz. and it's 43" long
it shoots 168-grain TTSX's into cloverleafs at 2800 fps.

Rifle 2 is a stainless Savage LW Storm in 7mm-08.
It has a 2-7x33 VX-1 w/ LR reticle.
Carry weight is 6 lbs. 6 oz. and it's 40" long

I have two very accurate loads for it:
a) 131 Hammer Hunters cloverleaf @ 2985 fps, and
b) 140 Nosler Accubonds go 0.6" @ 2830 fps.

So you're leaving the truck an hour before daylight for an all-day hike. Which one you takin' and why? Thanks!

So what did you decide on?

 

[Newtosavage]

So what did you decide on?

I took both to a public range in CO the day before the season opened and figured whichever one I left there more confident in, would be the one I'd carry. Turned out it was the '06. Rounds on target to 300 were very predictable. The 7mm-08/Hammer/SWFA Ultralight combo gave me a few unexplainable rounds at 200 and 300 and despite being 1/2 lighter, it remained my backup. I grew pretty fond of that LWS '06 on that trip, and have since. It's very predictable. Not the most accurate rifle I've ever owned, but accurate enough and never any surprises.

 

[Bezamaelee]

No question, 7-08 and Accubonds.

I LOVE this caliber and bullet. I’m admitted
7mm-08 fanboy

 

[txhunter581]

And how did the hunt go????

You never have to second guess taking an ‘06 on an elk hunt.

That said if I had to pick between a 130 and 140 gr billet for an elk, I am taking the 140 grain. I don’t care if the “ft lbs” is exactly the same, the edge goes to the bigger bullet for an elk.

 

[AaronMColeman]

Funny I saw the title and thought hmm 7-08 or 30-06 would be perfect. Take whichever you like. I’ve seen BIG bulls taken over 500y with both rounds.

I LOVE 30-06 and think it’s the most underrated round (I know weird thing to say considering it’s killed more animals the last 115 years than any other round). People gravitate toward sexier rounds (I myself fall into this trap and shoot a lot of 300wsm and 6.5x284 Norma...but I’d gladly take my little 30-06 on any hunt on earth).

don’t think too hard. I would have no problem with 500y with either round.

 

[AaronMColeman]

I ran the numbers, and at 8K feet, 40 deg., 23 in HG and 65% humidity:

The '06 168 TTSX is at 2200 fps. at 500 yards (1804 ft. lbs.)

By comparison, the 131 Hammer is at 2113 fps. at 500 (1329 ft. lbs.)

For the sake of comparison, the Accubond is at 2260 fps. at 500 (1588 ft. lbs.)

I just realized the hunt is over. Hope the OP got a full freezer!

the more I hunt and shoot, the more I feel like traditional loads in short rifles are the secret sauce of western hunting. I’m a huge fan of a partition or Sierra game king at 2800fps from a 30-06 with a 20” barrel. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

also the more I hunt the more obsessed I become with comparing the accuboand, Berger, accubond LR, tipped game king, whatever. I love obsessing over ft/lb and terminal energy. But at the end of the day 500y is not long anymore due to modern rifles and bullets, and I return to the old Sierra game king. And I also don’t buy into the 1600fr/lb as minimum for elk. I think anything over 1000ft/lb placed well will certainly kill any animal on 4 legs.

 

[realunlucky]

I just realized the hunt is over. Hope the OP got a full freezer!

the more I hunt and shoot, the more I feel like traditional loads in short rifles are the secret sauce of western hunting. I’m a huge fan of a partition or Sierra game king at 2800fps from a 30-06 with a 20” barrel. It doesn’t have to be fancy.

also the more I hunt the more obsessed I become with comparing the accuboand, Berger, accubond LR, tipped game king, whatever. I love obsessing over ft/lb and terminal energy. But at the end of the day 500y is not long anymore due to modern rifles and bullets, and I return to the old Sierra game king. And I also don’t buy into the 1600fr/lb as minimum for elk. I think anything over 1000ft/lb placed well will certainly kill any animal on 4 legs.

What bullet do the manufacturer say will expand at 1000?

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[AaronMColeman]

What bullet do the manufacturer say will expand at 1000?

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No sorry for the confusion. I think 1000ft/lb is plenty to take an elk. I’m no expert but the lowest speed I’ve seen for reliable expansion (according to manufacturers) is probably the accubond LR at I believe 1200fps? So put those numbers together to figure out the max range for that bullet. That’s my recipe and it’s worked in m experience.