24" or 26" 300wm barrel for elk

[Ledd Slinger]

Thanks all for your input. William, is this helping you also ??

I would also add that you don't have to use a big caliber hunting rifle to do all of your off hand shooting practice. Using a good 22LR to shoot at small targets is excellent for practicing off hand.

As a child, my brother and I use to have all kinds of shooting competitions in the woods with a Ruger 10/22. Kind of like playing "HORSE" in basketball. We would make a shot and the other would have to match it. If you missed, the other person got the point. 5 points won the match. Of course off hand shots were always the hardest and shooting at smaller targets added to the difficulty. We would shoot little film canisters at 50 yards, small douglas fir tree pine cones, rocks, etc... We were finely tuning our shooting skills and didn't even really know it at the time. To us, we were just having fun.

If you like to shoot gophers, ground squirrels, or prairie dogs, start taking a bunch of your shots off hand. Anybody can hit varmints sitting on a bench with a rest. Off hand shots on small varmints is an excellent challenge. I have shot many prairie dogs and gophers at 20-150 yards. Of course I don't hit them every single time, but the practice makes me better and adds a fun aspect to your outing. A ground squirrel is about the size of a deer's heart, give or take. If you can even get good enough to where you are consistently hitting really close to them at 100 yards (hitting the dirt at their feet or missing by an inch or two to the side) , you can bet you'll be in the kill zone of a deer at that distance. Eventually you'll get to where you hit them fairly consistently. Again, pulling up and shooting fast with the weapon in motion is what works best for me.

Also just getting a nice shotgun and joining a club to shoot clays is excellent practice. If there's no clubs around, buy your own clay thrower and go out with a buddy. Clay shooting is some of the best off hand shooting practice you can get for moving targets. When we are done shooting, we will walk out in the field and shoot all of the missed clays or big parts of partial hit clays. During this part, ill usually load 3" BB rounds and a full choke then try to take all my shots at no closer than 50 yards. So then I am getting off hand practice on stationary targets as well.

 

[William Hester]

I would also add that you don't have to use a big caliber hunting rifle to do all of your off hand shooting practice. Using a good 22LR to shoot at small targets is excellent for practicing off hand.

As a child, my brother and I use to have all kinds of shooting competitions in the woods with a Ruger 10/22. Kind of like playing "HORSE" in basketball. We would make a shot and the other would have to match it. If you missed, the other person got the point. 5 points won the match. Of course off hand shots were always the hardest and shooting at smaller targets added to the difficulty. We would shoot little film canisters at 50 yards, small douglas fir tree pine cones, rocks, etc... We were finely tuning our shooting skills and didn't even really know it at the time. To us, we were just having fun.

If you like to shoot gophers, ground squirrels, or prairie dogs, start taking a bunch of your shots off hand. Anybody can hit varmints sitting on a bench with a rest. Off hand shots on small varmints is an excellent challenge. I have shot many prairie dogs and gophers at 50-150 yards. Of course I don't hit them every single time, but the practice makes me better and adds a fun aspect to your outing. A ground squirrel is about the size of a deer's heart, give or take. If you can even get good enough to where you are consistently hitting really close to them at 100 yards (hitting the dirt at their feet or missing by an inch or two to the side) , you can bet you'll be in the kill zone of a deer at that distance. Eventually you'll get to where you hit them fairly often. Again, pulling up and shooting fast with the weapon in motion is what works best for me.

Really enjoy the stories from times past. I learned to shoot off a high bridge by my dad throwing a beer can into a fast flowing river (unethical, I know, but different times and didn't know any better back then) and shooting it as many times as possible before it got out of sight. I miss those days.

 

[CTK]

Just enjoying this thread, I looked at Nosler data for 180gr 300 win mag. Their max loads with some powders show over 3100 fps. From a 24" barrel. This surprised me. I have never owned a Magnum rifle and had always heard that you needed a 26" barrel to achieve the "true potential" of a Magnum round. 3100 fps. 180gr bullet is strong stuff.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Just enjoying this thread, I looked at Nosler data for 180gr 300 win mag. Their max loads with some powders show over 3100 fps. From a 24" barrel. This surprised me. I have never owned a Magnum rifle and had always heard that you needed a 26" barrel to achieve the "true potential" of a Magnum round. 3100 fps. 180gr bullet is strong stuff.

With faster powders like RL19, I have pushed 180gr bullets over 3200 fps in a 300 win Mag with a 24" barrel.
Two of my loads yielded the following speed (I was loading powder OVER max listed charges so I will not show the charge weights):
RL19, 180gr Swift Scirrocco II at 3230 fps
RL19, 178gr Hornady A-Max at 3250 fps.

It's a beast when pushed to its true potential. Never have had a 300 win Mag with a 26" barrel, but generally speaking, each inch of extra barrel length over 24" can add about 30 fps with the right powders. I've read that after you reach 28", the speed gains are about half that.

 

[wapiti25]

I have a 338 mag that I used a 27" barrel, after hunting with it I cut the barrel to 25" much better. I would go with the 24" if adding a break.

 

[Richard Coody]

I don't want to drift off topic more than I already have ............ I find it very difficult to hit anything, anything if I am not off a bench and bagss or prone with a bipod. So I have practice and work cut out for me. A 25/26 - inch barrel is in the future for me, but not enough time and $ this season. But I should get an easy 100 fps over my stock 22-inch barrel.

well learning to use the rifle sling will really help. i adjust my sling where i can take a wrap and get good tension on it with my left arm and kind of.tuck the elbow in. steadies it up well for me.

i too am a shotgunner. i have kill quite a few with the snapshooter technique. usually a surprise for both of us at shorter ranges.

 

[jbhotrod]

Took a cow at 330yds kneeling with a 20lb. 338 edge LOL. Also a rag head with a 300 mag off hand 75-100 yds or so.

Aint realize youre a vet Mr Alex, thanks for your service! If you had your hands on a .300 WM Im assuming you were a sniper? What was it, Mk. 13 Mod X? M2010? ???

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Aint realize youre a vet Mr Alex, thanks for your service! If you had your hands on a .300 WM Im assuming you were a sniper? What was it, Mk. 13 Mod X? M2010? ???

LOL! No, rag head is what you young bull elk with a lousy rack.

 

[William Hester]

I thank all of you for your input and help. I just purchased a 26" Proof carbon fiber savage prefit, threaded for a brake w/ thread cap. (Prefit because it will eventually be a switch barrel for my young son.) It's going on a bighorn tl3 and this is what the proof savage prefits were tested on with excellent results. From listening to the members here, I got the impression that you really won't go wrong either way. I want to use the brake for target shooting and learning my rifle. When it comes time for the hunt, I will just put the thread protector back on and maybe do a little fine tuning before the trip. And once again, I really do appreciate all of the input and shared experience.

 

[onelastshot]

Typically I'd vote for the 26" barrel but with the addition of a brake I think you're going to find it unruly with a 26" barrel and a brake on top of it.

 

[CTK]

I thank all of you for your input and help. I just purchased a 26" Proof carbon fiber savage prefit, threaded for a brake w/ thread cap. (Prefit because it will eventually be a switch barrel for my young son.) It's going on a bighorn tl3 and this is what the proof savage prefits were tested on with excellent results. From listening to the members here, I got the impression that you really won't go wrong either way. I want to use the brake for target shooting and learning my rifle. When it comes time for the hunt, I will just put the thread protector back on and maybe do a little fine tuning before the trip. And once again, I really do appreciate all of the input and shared experience.

Bighorn actions are awesome.

 

[ebb]

Foe several months before my elk hunt, my partner and I shoot twice a week. After a few weeks and guns and ammo were decided on we would check zero first with 3 shots. Then shot 2 liter coke jugs off hand. 18 or 20 shots was enough for me out of a 338 winmag per sesion. When the day came there was a willing young aspen tree just where I needed it.

 

[ebb]

The vital area of an elk is way bigger than you think.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Not sure what elevation you are hunting at or how physically fit you are, but the barrel length difference between 24 & 26 inches is a very small factor. Weight, to me, IS a factor once up at 6000-9000 feet.

 

[nockhunter]

Get a Ruger #1 with a 26" barrel, same overall length as Rem 700 long action with a 22" barrel.

Mike

 

[284winner]

I am new to the sport of hunting elk, but I understand that alot of hiking will be involved. I am not sure of the areas or terrain that I will one day be hunting. I would like to know the length of barrel that would be best for most elk terrains. Keep in mind that weight difference would be minor because I will be purchasing a proof carbon fiber barrel. However, I would be adding a brake, which would add about 2" to the barrel length. Would the 26" + brake be too long for the rougher terrains or should I go 24"+brake?

Too much emphasise is put on concern of long barrel rifles. The concern of Weight and length being a big factor for carrying thru game country. As Alex stated, much elk country is open. Many other game species ( mule deer, whitetails, pronghorn, caribou, moose and even bears) are hunted in open terrain . If a hunter is doing his part in preparing for the hunt by exercise, the extra pound or two of carry weight will not matter. Bears in thick swamps or deep woods deer hunting won't require longer barrel guns nor the calibers that typically use longer tubes for range. A two inch increase won't make or break a hunt where moving thru a fair amount of cover is required. Neither will a pound or two in extra weight. They make these wonderful things called slings that carry the weight on a hunters back or shoulder. I prefer carrying In an eberlestock style rifle carry sleeve or a backpack style harness. The weight is entirely on the hunters back. Use what shoots the best and offers maximum performance. Also what ranges dictate.

 

[scubohuntr]

Depends who's going to be carrying the rifle. If I had a horse and a saddle scabbard, I'd be all over the 26" barrels. Since I don't have a horse, 20" featherweight sounds awfully good. You can shave most of a pound pretty easily going from 26" medium contour to 20" featherweight, with no other changes. The velocity cost is trivial. Add to that a good synthetic stock and judicious choice of optics, you can be carrying significantly less weight. Since you carry your rifle for the entire hunt, and hopefully only shoot it once, you would think more people would place carry weight at a top priority. I haven't built a specialized elk rifle yet (shooting what I already have for now) but if I did it would likely end up being a six-pound .284 in a Kevlar stock with a compact 3-10 scope. If I developed an unexpected allergy to recoil, probably a 6.5 Creedmoor at sevenish pounds. That's a good 2-3 pounds less than what I'm carrying now.

If you have trouble shooting offhand, look around and find a nearby club that shoots metallic silhouette or Service Rifle. Shooting offhand is not that difficult, but it does take practice and the muscles involved need to be developed. After a summer of shooting silhouette or service rifle on the weekends, you'll be surprised how much more confident you are making offhand shots. You can even shoot silhouette with your hunting rifle, if it's not a super-kablowie ultra magnum that damages steel targets.

 

[Flouncer]

Just saw this . . . . I would also add that you don't have to use a big caliber hunting rifle to do all of your off hand shooting practice. Using a good 22LR to shoot at small targets is excellent for practicing off hand. Cant wait to try this. Sac Valley Shooting has steel targets fro .22 RF at 25-50 yards you can wail away at.

 

[TheOtherZilla]

Have any of you experienced hunters shot an Elk off hand ? Not using stix or sling ? - thanks

Many times.. And just for the record I would use a shorter barrel. Like a 22-24 " My go to Elk rifle is a SAKO in a Manlicher stock. Has like a 20" barrel. Killed a lot of Elk with that rig..

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Hunting rifles are a completely different animal vs bench or prone rifles. I prefer good balance, quick handling and maneuverability over a few fps in a hunting rifle. Not even close in my mind. Forget about the small ballistic details...You're shooting offhand or maybe a tree or fence post when hunting. Know your drops but more importantly, know your own limitations. In the field, very few..if any, can out shoot good equipment. Just my 2 cents worth.