my wife asked me how many deer & elk rifles I own,
I told her I don,t really know, because if you lock several in a gun safe they get bored an have sex ,
so you never know when a new one will show up......
she just smiles and said that sounds all too similar to expensive designer pocket books and shoes...
if you lock them in a dark closet
decent quality optics are mandatory
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply....x42mm-30mm-tube-nikoplex-reticle-matte-finish
just a tip or two,
(1) use gas check bullet designs, they consistently provide less bore fouling
(2) use 215 fed primers as they seem to be the most consistent in my testing
(3) size the bullets you cast at .459, any smaller and accuracy seems to suffer
(4) if you graph out bullet weight vs velocity , and retained energy at 100 and 200 yards,
you get a curve indicating the 350 grain -420 grain weight is about ideal, in the 45/70 and 450 marlin rifles
all cartridges should be loaded to near max length the magazine can handle for best functional durability/consistency
as the loaded cartridge length must be rather consistent, heavier projectiles take up more of the available powder capacity, on reason projectiles over about 420 grains are not ideal.
http://gaschecks.castpics.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=17
heres a few molds I find work well.
http://www.neihandtools.com/catalog/index.html
the 355 seems to shoot well with most powders
the pointed 405 can be used in the browning BLR box magazine but its marginally less accurate than the 355 grain in my experience, your rifle might be different
BTW I cast my bullets from 95% WW alloy and 5% pure tin, sized and lubed to .459 diam
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/6...er-458-diameter-405-grain-flat-nose-gas-check
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/6...er-458-diameter-405-grain-flat-nose-gas-check
heres jacketed bullets well documented to work well,in a 450 marlin
https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/45-cal-458-350-gr-interlock-rn#!/
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...-government-458-diameter-405-grain-soft-point
https://www.speer-ammo.com/bullets/rifle-bullets/hot-cor-rifle-bullets/458/458-350-fn-bullet
https://www.speer-ammo.com/bullets/...flat-nose-rifle-bullets/458/458-400-fn-bullet
IMR 3031 and WW748 , and RL7 powders all work rather well.
https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/45-cal-458-350-gr-interlock-rn#!/
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/2084_36_758/products_id/97089
high quality scopes, proper install procedures and the better quality scope mounts goes a long way toward reducing problems
you don,t need to buy the most expensive mounts or rings but a decent quality mount is critical.
IVE never yet had a properly installed weaver style base and rings fail
https://shop.brownells.com/optics/r...MI-fyIgLi12QIVmbXACh3gcQOeEAQYASABEgJTs_D_BwE
https://shop.brownells.com/optics-m...MI-fyIgLi12QIVmbXACh3gcQOeEAQYASABEgJTs_D_BwE
Ive seen lots of cheap mounts fail
youll have a damn hard time beating, the value for cost, on this laminated marine coat bolt action rifle in 375 ruger for under $500 for a good elk rifle, in fact I'm rather seriously tempted to buy one and I really don,t even need a new elk rifle, as I have two that are top quality and well proven.
but ,considering that most similar 375 ruger caliber rifles will cost 2-to 4 times that amount this is a darn bargain,
yes youll notice the recoil but it only takes one well placed shot to drop any elk and this will easily allow shots to at least 450 yards in skilled hands.
obviously selecting the perfect elk rifle is a personal choice , and like selecting a wife, each of us has a different set of characteristics we are looking for, but the basics remain the same, you'll want something that you feel comfortable with and something you'll be 100% sure can be dependable, and it certainly won,t hurt if it looks good, and handles well.
and similar to a wife, a great deal of how it functions and does its job is almost 100% dependent on how well you work with, maintain and take care of ,the selected choice you made, and understand the limitations your choice may place, on your options , working along with that choice.
yeah, I,ve often wondered if elk being a reasonably large,400-800 plus lb animal had a tendency,
if wounded,,too stomp and gore hunters like a cape buffalo ,or claw and bite like a Kodiak bear,
if we would see what I consider rather un-realistically light caliber rifles being used on elk.
I know a few guys in my hunt club think theres nothing unsporting or unethical in using a 24-25 caliber rifle,
on elk, I know of a few cases where several follow -up shots were required,
now obviously bullet selection shot placement and hunter skill plays a huge part here, not just the cartridge used....
but still I think if the hunter could reasonably be expected to be at serious risk if he failed to deliver a first shot stop mortal wound,
we might see a shift to larger bores and a bit more power in respect to the consequences of failing to deliver a rapidly lethal wound
https://www.loaddata.com/articles/pdf/loaddevelopment2lowres1.pdf
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/375-ruger/
http://www.realguns.com/loads/375Ruger.htm
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/358892/redding-2-die-set-375-ruger
https://www.midwayusa.com/375-ruger/br?cid=19468
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/9...-375-diameter-270-grain-spire-point-box-of-50
https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators/#!/
