what are you looking for in an elk rifle

yes the cost has increased a great deal,here in the U.S.A. theres still a good deal of public land open to use by the average guy who is willing to do the required research to find it and in some cases get required permits
yes the best hunting is frequently on larger privately owned ranches , but if your willing to do the research theres millions of acres of BLM and military base, national forest and national parks that can be hunted by joe average if hes willing to buy a licence, topo maps and research the requirements to gain access
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5389835.html

http://www.mytopo.com/maps/index.cfm?usetopo=1&lat=39.5606803&lon=-106.8924623

,over the last 45 years, when I first started hunting in Colorado we would get 3-4 guys , too drive out in a truck too split gas cost and drive out, too Colorado, driving strait through swapping drivers every 4-5 hours this generally took 44-47 hours.
total trip cost including over the counter licences was under $1200, now the cost is about $2300 if we spit the fuel cost three ways and buy , $1100 in deer/elk licences
we would occasionally arrange too rent a second truck and have to pick up a couple other guys who chose to fly into Denver ,the guys driving out would transport the bulk of equipment even for the guys we picked up who fly into Colorado, we would all camp in tents for 7-9 days while hunting
this led quickly too a firm adopted rule,
each person was limited to what would fit inside a single military style duffel bag,
and one hard side rifle case(and your back-pack needed to fit inside that single duffel bag along with the other gear, if that rule was not firmly enforced you would not ever believe the amount of crap some guys wanted to bring or transport.
yes we also transported a couple large coolers and a large tent for common use, but nothing else or the amount of equipment guys would want to pack ,would quickly , and vastly exceed the area available in a pick-up truck bed.
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CURRENT COLORADO Nonresident License + Fishing Combo*
Elk, Cow $ 484
Elk, Bull or Either Sex $ 644
Deer $ 389
Moose $ 2,149
Pronghorn, Buck or Doe $ 389
Bear $ 354

when I started hunting in colorado
a combo deer & elk licence cost about $300
yes they are effectively pricing themselve out of the average guys ability to hunt colorado, and several other states as well
http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/top-colorado-otc-elk-hunt-units/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...f-the-longest-shots-ive-made.6154/#post-51351

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...om-friends-over-your-choice.10059/#post-50694

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ecent-carbine-on-an-elk-hunt.9932/#post-40035

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/elk-hunting-tips.1095/#post-25711

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/jack-stopped-over-last-night.9854/#post-37534
 
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The 5-10k I was quoting, exclude the permit. This is only to have access to the grounds which are privately held by people with a pedigree not wanting to mix with commoners.
 
does anyone else tend to load for max accuracy, and
not really really give much thought to using a hand-load,
that may be slightly slower than the listed max reachable predicted velocity's?
I had a guy I hunt with come over to B.S. and plan next seasons hunt, while I was reloading last evening.
as I was in the process the guy was flipping through several of my reloading manuals and comparing loads and predicted velocities.
now over the past 4 plus decades ,I've tried a dozen different bullets and powders and found a very consistent load using the h4831 powder, a federal 215 primer and and a 250 grain hornady bullet , but I was loading the new 270 grain low drag bullets

https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/338-cal-.338-270-gr-eld-x#!/
when he looked up the potential velocity , he looked like he was having a minor stroke!
he repeatedly pointed out that I could have easily loaded a 225 grain bullet and potentially gained an easy 350 fps-500 fps
when I pointed out that the loads Id used for decades were not cracking the 2800 fps barrier he seemed to think Id lost my mind!
" why would you carry a 340 wby mag if your not going to load it to well past 3000 fps was his main concern"
honestly I can count the number of times I've even seen a legal bull elk that looked like it was worth shooting, on public land, at ranges over 300 yards in the last 46 years on a single hand and still have unused fingers.. In my experience a 338 caliber, 250 grain bullet pushed too just under 2800 fps kills anything I've ever used it on.
yes in theory I could gain a bit flatter trajectory and a bit more impact energy by boosting velocity with hotter loads... but I don,t see any benefit!
now I'm not suggesting loading down to lower velocity as a goal,
but if my most accurate load happens to be 50 fps-100 fps slower than the max listed velocity you can find listed in the manuals,
I don,t, miss a minutes sleep worrying about the rifles lethality.
I'd bet he would totally flip out if he knew my back-up rifle was a 20" sako 375H&H carbine that barely brakes 2450 fps with a 270 grain bullet and that both rifles have a long very successful record of dumping elk!
while the rifles might seem a bit too powerful in many peoples opinion
I think most of us tend to select the rifles and calibers we have the most confidence in,
or have had the best results using.
keep in mind, being in good physical condition, knowing the games habits and anatomy and dogged, persistence, and learning how too shoot rapidly and accurately from field positions will have far far more effect on your success than any change you make in the rifle you carry.
you can have the best equipment available, but if your not willing to cross enough territory to be in the right place ate the right time, and that generally will not be in sight of camp,your hurting your odds of success.

I've never regretted using a synthetic stock/stainless weatherby mark V in 340 weatherby,(similar to these two pictures)
for most of my western hunting
I've used a sako 375 H&H carbine for the thicker timber
they all have their strong and weak features, some guys prefer brunettes some blonds, its all a mater of what best matches your idea of perfection,
I tend to grab the rifle that best matches the terrain and game I intend to hunt , and I've come to prefer and favor the 33-45 calibers personally, but after almost 50 years of hunting big game I've come to realize that the guy holding the tool and his level of experience, and persistence, is by far the most important factor determining the likely success. select about anything with a common deer rifles power level, like a 270 win-308 win and an experienced and knowledgeable and persistent hunter cam make it work rather effectively.

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http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...rs-for-elk-are-not-mandatory.1275/#post-31728

http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=340 Wby. Mag.&Weight=All&type=Rifle&Source=

http://www.accuratereloading.com/340wby.html

https://load-data.nosler.com/load-d...0772fd6c-40c8-42c2-8bd4-b07762458c69-0-ab_gsb
 
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