Your valued opinions appreciated.

[Screwbolts]

modified5, praying for a speedy recovery on your health related issues! Please take a look at CBD oil to possibly help your health recovery!

On the trusty 30-30 I differ from all the above. IMHO I would use it with a good cast 170 to 190 grain boolit over and before any factory loading!

Heal fast and aim small hit small,

Ken

[JM7.7x58]

I would buy or borrow a back up gun with a scope.

You have lost a lot of weight and your health is poor. You will likely get tired easily and will be breathing deeply. Making a great shot will be difficult. Use enough gun.

Hope your health improves and wishing you a memorable hunt.

I’m in agreement with the above quote.

The 170 grain 30-30 will be below 1500 pounds of energy before it gets to a 100 yards.

I would ask for help. I can think of many people in my life that would be more than happy to loan me their old .308/30-06/7.62x54R/.303/300WM/7mmRemMag/.270. All of these calibers, with good factory ammo, will still be above 1500 pounds of energy at 200 yards. I’m talking $300-$400 rigs, nothing fancy, dented wood, a little rust here and there, 1980’s 4X scopes.

These people wouldn’t expect anything in return, only their gun back in good working order or a proper replacement if destroyed. However, they all would happily take ten pounds of elk burger and a thank you.

Good luck, I hope you have a great hunt!

JM

[popper]

LeverRevolution is 3" drop and 1100 ft-# @ 150. 2200 fps or better. If it's SW elk, they are like a northern deer, ~3-400#,not 5-700#. Hornady loads em hot.
I'd say you 06 scope is broke or installed 90 deg. off. Rings are hard to break, scopes aren't.

[fcvan]

I went to the range with several friends in Northern Cal who were sighting in with the new 'required' lead free ammo. Since I wouldn't be hunting, I shot my loads from a .308 with a cast 150gr spitzer. I nailed the target all day long while they barely managed 3moa. Good day at the range.

A week later, I went hunting with a friend who had a license and tags for deer and bear. It was a great day out with my pardner (recovering from a broken hip) just as muscle/backup. We had a great day 'driving with rifles' but saw great track and sign. The best thing was spending time with a good friend. He tracked a deer for a bit, I tracked a bear for hundreds of yards, we both had great sandwiches his wife prepared. Isn't that what it is all about ?

[Landshark9025]

Last year during a cow elk hunt, I had a quad rollover accident that snapped off my scope. Fast forward to 2019 and I had a quad bypass, and have been dealing with stage four prostate cancer. I haven't had a ton of time to fix the ol 30-06 and shoot her. I got some new mounts, installed the scope and took it out today. The rifle itself shoots as well as ever. Almost clover leafs at 100 yards. I ran out of up adjustment which is most likely the mounts, but the groups kept moving around on paper. I would move it right, and it would move down. Anyway, I can't take it on my bull elk hunt in two weeks. My 7 mag shoots just as good as ever so it will be my primary.
The other issue I had was recoil. I have lost over 40 lbs due to my illnesses and recoil is suddenly an issue. I used to be able to shoot my 06 all day and it not bother me. After shooting 6 I had to consciously not flinch.
All that back story to get to my point. Since I am going to be 8 hours from home I don't want to be without a backup.
What would your opinion be about a 30-30 with the heaviest premium bullet I can get? I know it would be a 150 yard TOPS round, but would it get the job done with a well placed shot? It will be a scoped 1894ae Winchester.
Ready, go.

Sounds like you need a caliber that starts with a "4".

[modified5]

Sounds like you need a caliber that starts with a "4".

I have considered taking one of my .44 magnums, but thought that might be a little light.

[Tripplebeards]

My Ruger 77/44 is as light as a BB gun and doesn’t recoil much with 21 grains of H110 and a 265 Lyman devastator. It has a muzzle velocity around 1750 FPS.

[modified5]

My Ruger 77/44 is as light as a BB gun and doesn’t recoil much with 21 grains of H110 and a 265 Lyman devastator. It has a muzzle velocity around 1750 FPS.

But would you take an elk with it?

[Tripplebeards]

But would you take an elk with it?

That’s a good question. I have not shot one myself but ALOT of elk have been shot with a 44 mag handgun at a lot less velocity...so yes a 44 mag would take an elk. IMO I would limit shots under 150 yards even though my penetration testing shows it would take an elk further. It’s virtually the same velocity as a muzzle loader with the same type boolits that have taken tons of elk way, way past 150 yards. I have a TC Omega I shoot three pellets of Tripple 7 in. My Load is with a 300 grain TC saboted shockwave . I can shoot 4” groups dead center at 300 yards with it and it was passing through an old stump I was shooting at that close to a foot in diameter. With this load my groups at 350 yards open up to a foot on center so I know my limitations with it. It’s not a much heavier load or faster than my 77/44. I would feel confident at 200 yards and beyond with my 77/44 if i groups tested it knowing it could I hit where I aimed but I haven’t shot for groups beyond 150 yards so once again I know my limitations with myself and my 77/44 till I do more testing. The key is to do ALOT do shooting, testing, and be confident, in your gun, load, and shooting capabilities before you ever enter the woods. If I were going to shoot 500 yards and beyond(which to me is not hunting) I’d take my 300 RUM loaded with 180 Swift sciroccos. But if I was hunting...and do my job getting close to my quarry, yes a pistol calibered rifle is more that capable of taking an elk IMO.

The alloy I tested last year went through 12 plus milk jugs and kept going with 23.8 grains of H110 . It was an 80/20 with 15% pewter added. It went completely through three deer last year and never expanded even after hitting several bones. So I sure it would blow right through an Elk as well and moderate distances.

Are there better caliber choices...definitely.

[dk17hmr]

I wouldn't use a hollow point but a good wfn 265gr at 1750fps from a 44 mag rifle would work well at close range on elk.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

If using a 30-30, I would load the Barnes 190 grain 'Original' pure copper/pure lead to safe, reliable 'max' velocity for the 30-30. I have taken an elk cow with a Marlin 336 32 Special. Broadside or slightly quartering away will work OK. I do usually use a 358 Win. I would replace the scope that was in the wreck. I have had a few scopes fail, recoil mostly, but a couple loosened up from riding in a truck over rough, washboard roads. Whenever I have a wandering zero problem, the scope is my first suspect - Leupold, Burris, Weaver, Bushnell included.

[modified5]

I have the Lee 300 grain wfn that I haven't tried out yet. I would have the choice of two Ruger revolvers, a Rossi R92 or a my Contender. Handgun recoil doesn't seem to bother me at all. I have just lost so much muscle mass that bigger rifles start to bother me after six shots. I shot my 45-70 barrel on the Contender and I was fine so even a heavy hitting ,44 mag would be no big deal.

[pls1911]

There's lots of discussion regarding 30/30 here, and I've been around the horn with most calibers ranging from olittle to big, and within limits all I shoot now is 30/30. In over 50 years of hunting , I've only taken 2 shots at 100+ yards, most shots being more like 50! I simply enjoy the challenge and blood pumping thrill of getting close and personal.
I'd not hesitate to use the 30/30 on elk... it's been enough gun for generations. The 30/30 would be fine even with well known cast bullets , proper bullet placement, and strict adherence to system limitations...my own and the round's.

[Markopolo]

a 44 cal flat point boolit would surely "smack" down a elk.. and a 100 yards is not what I consider close, so if you can get 100 yard shot with a 44 in the bread basket, that elk is d.e.a.d!!!!

and a 30-30 is a fine weapon and will destroy an elk.. any lung shot on a large animal like an elk is going to kill it. elk and moose have a ton of blood in them. a good shot in the boiler room is meat on the table. pick your boolit, make it a heavy flat point, and go kill you an elk.

go get em Tiger!!!

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve only seen one elk harvested. A 400” bull on a game farm close to 20 years ago. My buddy used my rifle and I got to tag along. Have to say game farms are not my cup of tea but to each their own...$4500 to walk up and shoot a game animal Doesn't do it for me. I met country singer Arron Tipton who was there with a handicapped hunter along with a big BSing TV crew at the same time being filmed for a hunting TV show. You should have heard that TV production crew laying down the smack. I could tell Tipton was a little embarrassed and almost felt sorry for him at the time. He seemed like a nice guy though. After that I quit watching the outdoor channel...it now was as fake to me as professional wrestling. Mostly game farm hunting..which I basically already knew. You wonder how those guys would always shoot a 200” whitetail and see 10 of them every time they hunted.lol. My buddy used 150 grain seirra game kings I loaded up out of my 30-06, Remington 7600. Definitely not what I would call an elk bullet. His first shot was approximately 50 yards away. After the first shot that big bull Elk lifted its front leg a little and ran a good thirty to forty yards like it wasn’t hit till he shot it again. It fell over instantly at the second shot and kicked a little. Neither bullet exited. I shot a whitetail with the same bullet. It hit the leg on the other side and never exited. No blood trail and the deer ran a good 60/75 yards before expiring with a blown up heart. I only use those bullets for plinking now and stick to 180 grain core locts...my all time favorite. So what I’m getting at is bullet/boolit choice plays a big role as well. He shot a huge “wild” boar there a week prior using 180 grain nosler accurips I loaded up around 2700 fps. Slammed it to the ground!

Long story short, my buddy took the animal in to get mounted and was belittled by his father in law so badly for shooting a fenced in animal that he never picked up the mount.