Best choice for elk hunt of my rifles

[mcseal2]

I'm headed to the Bighorn mountains in late October looking for a trophy bull. I'll be hunting in a unit I've visited several times before, got a broken up bull that would have been around 330" intact and a 300" 6pt. Due to my flinch and an issue with the Remington style safety I no longer have either of the 7 mags I used on those trips. Previous shots were 400 and 478yds on those two bulls. I wanted to see what everyone would recommend out of the 3 rifles I have available for the trip currently. I know they are all on the lighter end, but with my flinch I shoot these calibers much better than the bigger ones and all are accurate.

1. My M70 264WM custom rifle 25" #4 fluted McGowan barrel. 10.15lbs ready to hunt weight (scope, sling ammo included) Vortex Viper 4-16 with turret matched to my load. Shooting 140gr Berger VLD hunting at 2950fps, under 1/2" groups. Custom walnut thumbhole stock Devcon bedded and floated.

2. My M70 custom 270 win 24" Pac-Nor #3 fluted barrel. I just got it back from the gunsmith. 8.7lbs ready to hunt weight. Leupold Vari X III 4.5-14x scope with CDS turret. B&C aluminum bedded lightweight stock. 140gr accubond at 3000fps. I'm hoping that I can make that work out, I already have a turret set up for the 140gr accubond at 3000fps for my old 270WSM I used to have. I'm still breaking the barrel in but have already got sub MOA groups with my load that gets 2925fps from a 22" barrel, hopefully will get 3k from the 24".

3. Ruger American 270 win 22" barrel. 7.9lbs ready to hunt. Vortex Diamondback 4-12x scope with BDC reticle. 140gr accubond at 2925fps avg group .625"

I also have a box of 150gr .277 long range accubonds to play with, but didn't figure I'd ever get a turret built and back in time for the new rifle this late.

 

[mattdeere]

Which one do you feel the most comfortable with? That's the one I would take as the 270 and 264 WM will work well for elk.

 

[mcseal2]

Really doesn't matter much, I shoot them all well. The 270 I just got back was my first rifle and one I had lots of history with so I'm confident in it also. I primarily use the 264WM around home and for plains hunts but it is the heaviest of the rifles. Also I'm not quite as confident in the Berger for a critter as big as an elk as I am in the accubond. The berger would likely do fine, I've just used the accubond successfully and know what it will do.

 

[mnhunter]

Sounds like you need 3 elk tags.

I like the sounds of that .270 (#2) pushing an AB.

 

[BleuBijou]

I am with the others on which ever you feel or shoot the best with. I hope you are taking a back up any way, so may as well be both .270's so you have one ammo!! Good luck and show us some pic's when you get home.

 

[zacii]

I like either, or both, of the 270s.

That 264 is kinda heavy, I think.

Sent from my Galaxy S2

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Number two would be my choice

 

[MOHunter]

I like the accubonds. Both .270s sound great.

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Likely what will happen is I will take all 3 to Wyoming. My friend that is going along just has his one 7mm Magnum to take, so I'll take a back-up for each of us just in case. Probably what I'll do is pack the 2nd choice 270 to start with and if it starts feeling heavy I'll go to the American. The 264 is my pet rifle that I've taken most of my game with but it was never intended to be a mountain gun. I wanted the extra BC of the Berger for the windy plains at home and on muley/antelope hunts, and the extra rifle weight just helps me get steady for reaching. It has been deadly for that but I'm not sure I really want to pack it up a mountain.

 

[Bonepicker]

my dad has takin at least a dozen animals with a 7mm-08, including 350+ caribou to 64'' bulls, go what your confortable with and nothing less

 

[HiMtnHnter]

Use #3 and I will hold onto the other two for you . . . Just kidding, I would use #1.

 

[mcseal2]

I went and shot the 270 (#2) this evening and think it will probably get the job. I got the first 12 shots through it cleaning every round a few days back, shot 9 150gr round nose federals just to get on paper and start the break in (a friend bought them by mistake and gave them to me). The last 3 shots I switched to the 140gr accubond load I use for the #3 rifle and it shot just under 1" cleaning every shot. After letting it soak and getting all the copper out I shot one of the round noses for a fouler, and then my first 3 shot group without cleaning every shot. I made a pretty little cloverleaf, outside to outside was .68" center to center was .4". Next step is to get it over the chronograph, but I think my chances of getting 3K and matching my CDS turret are pretty good.

 

[Old Hunter]

I like the Model 70 Winchesters a lot in .270. I'd go with that gun no matter what else you had.

I called up Nosler once when I had a .270. I asked him what he liked better for elk. The AB, or Partition. He didn't hesitate for a nano second, and said the Partition.

Absolute truth.

 

[Musket Man]

I would go with the model 70 .270 hands down but Im just a bit partial to model 70's and .270's I would also pick it because of the Leupold scope on it because in my experience they can take a hell of a beating and still be dead on. The .264 has always interested me but I have never owned 1 and I think yours would be on the heavy side for packing in the mountains. I agree with you on the remington safety. I had 1 go off on me years ago when I touched the safety and Im kinda gun shy of them. I do have a model 700 .270 that has been a great gun (its not the 1 that went off) but I havent used it much since I got my model 70 .270

 

[Drhorsepower]

I think the one you feel more comfortable with, what I'm more curious about is the safety issue you mentioned with you rem?

 

[mcseal2]

The safety issue is that when I carry a rifle on a sling I switch shoulders with it at times due to terrain or fatigue. When I carry a right handed bolt gun over my left shoulder the straight slide safety can rub into the fire position against my pack. Even with the chamber empty this lets the bolt rub open and exposes the chamber to debris. Probably would never happen without a pack, or maybe even with a narrower pack. The 3 position safety like an M70 or Ruger M77 has locks the bolt in the rear position and the safety has to swing all the way around to hit fire, so this isn't an issue. Tang safetys work good also, but some don't lock the bolt in the rear position.

 

[Musket Man]

I really like the safety in the bolt like the model 70. Its much more reliable then the ones like the 700.

 

[bigshot]

I'd go with #3 since its the lightest rifle and very accurate.