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Best Elk Rifle?

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LaBonte said:
...75% of their time scoping out the potential of an area and the rest is the actual hunt..

The old man I learned from had a neat saying:

"If you don't we the butt out of your pants on an elk hunt, you're hiking and not hunting."
 
The area we hunt elk in doesn't require "scouting"....they're always around. That's a big advantage for out of state hunters.....we set up camp 2 days before the Saturday AM opening and after the Thursday AM camp set up, we just sit back and enjoy being in the Rockies. Friday AM, after a lavish breakfast ,a 1000 ft climb gets us into the "hunting area" and we "ditch" and hide the "butcher packs" which have all the necessities to process and haul out an elk whether it be daylight or darkness. A very quiet "tour" of the area is made if a new guy is in the party.

Friday evening is when the MLers are loaded, the gear is readied, lunches are made, water containers are filled then an early bedtime. Four AM comes early and the 1000 ft climb mandates a light breakfast.

No longer elk hunt, but my son and friends still do.....during that time my thoughts are in the Rockies.....Fred
 
I dont have a "distance concern". Where I hunt and my methods involve very little glassing. Most of the time the binoculars are left in camp or the car. I rely on blind calling or still hunting in the thick stuff.
 
The energy tables that I have looked at and produced don't show a lot of difference in energy between a 54 and a 58 prb. The reason is that the 58 has a lower muzzle velocity and a heavier bullet but the 54 has a faster muzzle velocity and lighter bullet. I don't have exact numbers with me (I'm at work).

The only advantage that I think the 58 has is that it will make a slightly larger hole and a potentially easier to follow blood trail. All things considered I have a 54 when I hunt elk with a muzzleloader. Most of my elk hunting is still done with one of those infernal CF things.
 
elkslayer said:
The energy tables that I have looked at and produced don't show a lot of difference in energy between a 54 and a 58 prb. The reason is that the 58 has a lower muzzle velocity and a heavier bullet but the 54 has a faster muzzle velocity and lighter bullet.

We have to be careful when comparing things and ensure we're talking apples to apples.
The statement that load data charts show they have different muzzle velocities is a bit misleading...can't compare the two based upon an equal powder charge.

The .58cal has a larger bore volume and heavier ball of course, so that to compare muzzle velocities, it has to be done with an appropriate powder charge to get the larger / heavier .570" ball's muzzle velocity up to equal the velocity of the .54cal ball its being compared to.

Rest assured, a .570" ball out of a .58cal can just as easily be driven to the same muzzle velocity as a .530" ball out of a .54cal...then, when comparing apples & apples, the .58cal is in an entirely different league than the smaller .54cal.
 
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