Possible elk hunting trip

[billybob123]

I've put me, the son and grandson in for cow elk tags and we have a shot at getting them. They're going to be using a 7MM-08 and a .30-06. I want to use my M38 and was wondering what bullet you guys use for hunting deer or elk? My shot will have to be kept to under 200 yards due to my eyesight and keeping my M38 all original with open sights. I do reload and have some x54 brass so if I would do better reloading then please let me know your experiences.

[tjtM38]

I would stick to your 30-06 with a good quality 180 grain to 200 grain bullet. Forget the 7mm-08; too light. If you are bound and determined to try to take an elk with a M38, once again, I would go with a 180 to 200 grain bullet in a heavy load. Good luck with the combat sights; it wouldn't be my first choice for hunting.

[steelbuttplate]

The hunting rounds I have are 203 grain, enough for anything in North America. Try some on target @ 100 yd. and 200 yd. before hunting. You can make a hunting bullet out of anything thats not steel core, by grinding off the tip.

[Sonny]

My go to hunting rig is a Winchester model 70 in .30-06 and I've shot a few elk with it from ranges of 30 yards to 275 yards,never had one get away from me.
The 7mm-08 is very capable of taking an elk provided the the shooter does his part.There's guys up here that drop moose with a 7mm-08 without problem.There is also guys up here that wound a moose with a .338 mag and have it get away from them.
As for your M38 yes it would be a blast to drop an elk with one of those but I'm thinking 200 yards is a long long shot for iron sights.Would it be possible to sling a light weight scoped rifle over your shoulder for the long shots and carry the m38 for close range shots?As for ammo for the m38 I'd get a good quality 180 grainer.

Good luck and post some pics if you are successful.

:edit:

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=57133

[billybob123]

Thanks guys I am going to get a couple of types of bullets and test them out while I still have plenty of time. My M38 is fairly accurate being about 2 MOA with plain old Milsurp ammo. I'm going to test it out to 200 yards just to see if it and me are accurate enough for that, if not then any shot I take will be max of 125 yards. I'm fairly confident with it to that range. Does any manufacturer make .310 diameter ammo?

[tjtM38]

Does any manufacturer make .310 diameter ammo?

I don't think so. .310 is standard for 7.62x39, but 7.62x54r factory ammo is either .311 or .312 on every factory ammo I have used. If you reload you can get a .310 diameter bullet, but the weights aren't heavy enough for your purposes. Most of them are 123 grain for the AK-47 round. I have been reloading some 7.62x54r with Sierra Pro-Hunter .311 diameter 180 Grain SP spitzer bullets and getting good results with them in my M91/30. I have not tried them in my M38.

[billybob123]

Thanks for the reloading info, I will get a batch of those and give them a whirl. What powder do you use and how many grains.

[tjtM38]

Thanks for the reloading info, I will get a batch of those and give them a whirl. What powder do you use and how many grains.

I am working up a load with Hodgdon H380, and I started with 44.5 grains which is supposed to yield about 2300 FPS according to the Hornady Reloading manual (8th edition). I usually don't get anywhere close to max loads with these old guns. I use the same bullet in .303 British with 38 grains of IMR 4320 and it is one of the most easy shooting heavy bullet loads I have ever used in the Enfield. Then again, I am not trying to hunt with these rifles; just punching paper. You may want to look at the available factory loads for 7.62x54r. One that comes to mind is the Brown Bear 203 grain soft point. Brown Bear is some of the best shooting current factory ammo in my 1933 Izhevsk M91/30.

[entropy]

I agree with steelbuttplate, I'd use the 203 gr. SP.

[Sonny]

I agree with steelbuttplate, I'd use the 203 gr. SP.

I'm not to sure about that,no I can not speak of first hand knowledge but.

I've heard guys say that the cheap 203 gr SP ammo (on left) doesn't hold together very well.In other words no penetration,the bullet goes to pieces.This is not what you want if you say hit an upper leg bone or shoulder bone.
Bigger is not always better.I'd stick to a well construcked 180 gr bullet(on right) that will reach in and take out the heart/lungs.

This 'my idea' is better than yours could go on for a long time but it's just my two cents.

[entropy]

I have no terminal ballistics report on either bullet in 7.62x54R. I hunt WI deer with 165 gr. Hornadys and 150 gr. Midway moly-coated bulk bullets. Haven't got one with the 7.62 yet. I do still have some 203 gr., just in case I get a shot (pun intended) at a moose or elk hunt...ok, I'd probably load up some 200 Partitions for that.

[millman]

Thanks for the reloading info, I will get a batch of those and give them a whirl. What powder do you use and how many grains.

I am working up a load with Hodgdon H380, and I started with 44.5 grains which is supposed to yield about 2300 FPS according to the Hornady Reloading manual (8th edition). I usually don't get anywhere close to max loads with these old guns. I use the same bullet in .303 British with 38 grains of IMR 4320 and it is one of the most easy shooting heavy bullet loads I have ever used in the Enfield. Then again, I am not trying to hunt with these rifles; just punching paper. You may want to look at the available factory loads for 7.62x54r. One that comes to mind is the Brown Bear 203 grain soft point. Brown Bear is some of the best shooting current factory ammo in my 1933 Izhevsk M91/30.

Be careful loading hunting rounds with H380. I use it in my 6.5x55 reloads, and it is very good, BUT, it is hard to ignite at low temperatures. Below freezing and it produces hangfires and sooty cases. H380 is great in the summer, but if your hunting season is in the cold like it is here, I would feel much better using a flake or stick powder. I have not had temp issues with 4064. Someone once told me magnum primers would overcome this problem, and then someone told me to never use magnum primers in a non magnum round. I don't know. I just made some 4064 loads for my Swedish Mauser.

[tjtM38]

Regarding Millman's comment about H380 and cold temps, I had not heard about that issue, but then it probably does not matter much down here. I like the IMR powders and 4064 works great in several cartridges, including 7.62x54r and .30-06. Lately, I have been using some IMR 4320 and it sure is consistent in the .303 and .30-06. H380 looks and smells a lot like Winchester 748, another ball powder that I use infrequently in .30-30 loads. Appreciate Millman's input and experience.

[Sonny]

Here you go BillyBob123 .a few pics to get you pumped up for your upcoming cow elk hunt.

No you can't shoot these cause they are in a National park.

[billybob123]

I should know within 10 days if one of us got picked for the tags I put us in for....some folks on fakebook are reporting credit card hits last night for their licenses...and the process is supposed to run until the 12th for all of them to be awarded.

[billybob123]

#1 Grandson flamed out, email said "unsuccessful elk"....one down, two to go.

[ffuries]

#1 Grandson flamed out, email said "unsuccessful elk"....one down, two to go.

Here's hoping at least one of you is a winner!

[billybob123]

We all flamed out...LOL. I knew it was a long shot. You usually need 4 points to get this unit and we each only had 2. It's fairly easy hunting with an over 85% success rate. Well there's always next year or the year after or the year after the year after...

[millman]

We all flamed out...LOL. I knew it was a long shot. You usually need 4 points to get this unit and we each only had 2. It's fairly easy hunting with an over 85% success rate. Well there's always next year or the year after or the year after the year after...

What are the points based on?

[billybob123]

We all flamed out...LOL. I knew it was a long shot. You usually need 4 points to get this unit and we each only had 2. It's fairly easy hunting with an over 85% success rate. Well there's always next year or the year after or the year after the year after...

What are the points based on?

You get 1 point per year you apply for the unit you are not chosen for. Points accumulate and the more points you have the more chances you have of being picked. For example there are several OIL (once in a lifetime) hunts and most of them you need 20+ points to get picked. In an OIL hunt you get picked once and then you can never apply for that hunt again even if you don't bag an animal.

I could buy OTC (over the counter) tags but those are tags left in areas no one wants to hunt in because of terrain or lack of game. I live in the Rockies and being 60 years old I have to be a little selective of where I put in for so I can make sure I can actually hunt the area. Some areas have a low altitude of 7,000 feet and go up to 10,000 feet and you may have to hike several miles through that just to get to where the elk are. The area we put in for has a low altitude of 5500 and high of 7500 and is fairly accessible.