Adequate for elk? Beginner

[EmeraldBullet]

I'm fairly new to hunting, but I really like the idea of providing for myself.

I bought  a sig m716 patrol rifle to defend my property against a black bear. Unfortunately, I scared away the bear and a huge mountain lion made its home here when the bear left. The Mountain lion killed my neighbors pitbull and cat but that is besides the point. 

I recently these holidays reconnected with my Godfather, and he hunts elk. He invited me to go with him, I just want to make sure my rifle is adequate for that purpose. I have a trijicon acog with red dot mounted on it. I also can get a long barrel shot gun from my grandpa if that is better, he was given the shotgun from his father and it only has been fired 3 times, but the pass is bad and I would have to drive to the eastern side of the state to get the shotgun.

Thanks for all advice in advance.

[bobcat]

Yes, perfectly adequate with the right bullet. I'd go with a good 150 grain bullet, Barnes or Nosler Accubond would be good choices.

[actionshooter]

I wouldn't hesitate to use it with the right ammo/bullet.

[EmeraldBullet]

You wouldn't want a heavier grain bullet? 150 is easy to find but I feel like closer to 200 grain might have more stepping power. I don't know...Thanks for the brand recommendation too.

[bobcat]

It's all personal preference on bullet weight. Anything from 150 to 180 will work fine on elk from a 308.

With the 100% copper bullets such as the Barnes, the more velocity the better. It ensures the bullet will expand properly. So with copper bullets I'd definitely go with the 150.

[EmeraldBullet]

I see, you want the bullet to be big enough but also tosses with enough velocity. Would it be better for me to fire 7.62 ammo with the over gassed setting?

[bobcat]

Maybe someone else can answer that last question. I'm not familiar with your rifle.

[EmeraldBullet]

Maybe someone else can answer that last question. I'm not familiar with your rifle.

No problem, you already have been a big help. Thank you so much.

[Dan-o]

308 is a perfectly acceptable elk round.

More important than the round......   Putting the bullet into the vitals.

PRACTICE and PROFICIENCY mean way more than getting a bigger gun.

Good luck!

Dan

[12Gauge]

I see, you want the bullet to be big enough but also tosses with enough velocity. Would it be better for me to fire 7.62 ammo with the over gassed setting?

I would not, 7.62 ammo does not expand so well, you want the bullet to expand when it makes contact with the animal.   
A suggestion for ammo;  Federal Fusion 165 grains.  Stay within 150 and 180 grains and you will be fine, I don't think you need anything heavier. 

[coachcw]

So your 716 is typically a 1.5 moa gun. That being said I'd play with  different amo   and she  what  she likes . My bet would be  a  lighter bullet  my stabilize quicker and   be more accurate . 308 s  typically  like  165 and 168 grain bullets both the accubond  and throphy bonded perform well. If you can shoot 1.5 off the bench you should consider limiting your shots  to uunder  200 yards . Stay in the pocket .

[EmeraldBullet]

So your 716 is typically a 1.5 moa gun. That being said I'd play with  different amo   and she  what  she likes . My bet would be  a  lighter bullet  my stabilize quicker and   be more accurate . 308 s  typically  like  165 and 168 grain bullets both the accubond  and throphy bonded perform well. If you can shoot 1.5 off the bench you should consider limiting your shots  to uunder  200 yards . Stay in the pocket .

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have my trijicon acog sighted in for 150 yards, so I definitely will keep it under 200. Even at those ranges I find the red dot more accurate than the scope, may just be my shooting style. Thanks again for the help!

[Karl Blanchard]

Coach is spot on.  Every .308 I have loaded for shot the 165's well.  With a 10 twist 16" tube, I'd go with a 150 or 165 nosler partition.  Great bullet that will perform amazing at the velocities that gun will be spitting them at.  Good luck, and like has been said already, practice practice practice.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

308 is a perfectly acceptable elk round.

More important than the round......   Putting the bullet into the vitals.

PRACTICE and PROFICIENCY mean way more than getting a bigger gun.

Good luck!

Dan

 

[EmeraldBullet]

Thanks guys, really appreciate it. I practice as much as I can, unfortunately most ranges in my area don't allow the rifle I have or limit me to single shot loads (defeats the purpose of owning a semi auto capable .308).

[bobcat]

Just go out in the woods, that's what I do. We've got one spot we can shoot out to about 350 yards and another where we can get to 500.

[EmeraldBullet]

Yeah I have a Subaru so guess I should just go up in a mountain. Just need to pick a day some friends can come with to make it worth while. Then some microbrews afterwords!

[bobcat]

The Subaru should work! Although right now might not be the best time to go- not sure how much snow there might be up in the hills. I know Capitol Forest has quite a bit of snow right now.

[RadSav]

With a 16" barrel I'd probably go with a soft core controlled expansion bullet like the Partition, Core-Lokt or Innerlock in 150 to 165.  To my way of thinking the bonded core and all copper bullets are going to fall short on velocity at very close ranges.  I'm not a huge fan of the Partition 90% of the time, but this may be a case where it is possibly your best option.  I would not hesitate for a moment shooting an elk out to 250 yards with that gun loaded with a 150 or 165 grain Partition.

[EmeraldBullet]

With a 16" barrel I'd probably go with a soft core controlled expansion bullet like the Partition, Core-Lokt or Innerlock in 150 to 165.  To my way of thinking the bonded core and all copper bullets are going to fall short on velocity at very close ranges.  I'm not a huge fan of the Partition 90% of the time, but this may be a case where it is possibly your best option.  I would not hesitate for a moment shooting an elk out to 250 yards with that gun loaded with a 150 or 165 grain Partition.

I actually have one mag of that exact ammo, thanks for the suggestion RadSav!

[Buzz2401]

My wife got her first two elk with a 165gr TSX in 308.  Neither went more then 50 yards.  But that wasn't good enough for her so she stepped up to a 300 wsm in a Sako Finnlight.  Man I love my wife.

[Biggerhammer]

The Hornady Superformance 165's shot the best through mine but open the gas system up because on the standard setting it flat rocked the bolt carrier group and increased recoil was very noticeable. I've shot everything under the sun I could find factory wise through my 716 and mines about a 1 1/2 MOA carbine. Which doesn't impress me much. Haven't taken the time to handload for it due to the fact I'm not big on the .308 and just need it to shoot MOA of idiot if need be with ball ammo.

I have shot 30-40 Rockchucks with it.

[RadSav]

The Hornady Superformance 165's shot the best through mine but open the gas system up because on the standard setting it flat rocked the bolt carrier group and increased recoil was very noticeable.

Did you happen to shoot that through a chrony?  Curious what that Superformance stuff does in such a short barrel.  Suppose to be impressive in short tubes, but I've never tried it.

[Biggerhammer]

The Hornady Superformance 165's shot the best through mine but open the gas system up because on the standard setting it flat rocked the bolt carrier group and increased recoil was very noticeable.

Did you happen to shoot that through a chrony?  Curious what that Superformance stuff does in such a short barrel.  Suppose to be impressive in short tubes, but I've never tried it.

I never clocked it and I haven't used it much. Got it four years or so ago, shot it with a bunch of different factory .308 ammo I had partial boxes of that I got from a friend. Took it out a couple weekends and shot some chucks. Pulled the optics and it's been jammed in the back of a safe since.

The fact of the matter is out past 600 yards my 16" Grendel with 123gr A-Max's beats it across the board.

[JJB11B]

should take that post and put it in the AR15 for elk thread lol

[Biggerhammer]

should take that post and put it in the AR15 for elk thread lol

If some were a smart as they think they are, they would already know that. I don't agree with Bill Alexander's buisness pitch and actions with the proprietary deal but he knew he was pitching a supirior platform to the .308 when it came to distance. As you and I know, two legged varmints are a whole different deal.

[JJB11B]

I am glad I read this thread, I have been eyeing a 716 for a while...Might just pass on it....

[Biggerhammer]

I am glad I read this thread, I have been eyeing a 716 for a while...Might just pass on it....

I'll sell you one!

[Boss .300 winmag]

I am glad I read this thread, I have been eyeing a 716 for a while...Might just pass on it....

I'll sell you one!

Pics of it. 

[Biggerhammer]

I am glad I read this thread, I have been eyeing a 716 for a while...Might just pass on it....

I'll sell you one!

Pics of it. 

[JJB11B]

I am glad I read this thread, I have been eyeing a 716 for a while...Might just pass on it....

I'll sell you one!

For cheaper than I can get into a 6.5 Grendel?

[Stein]

It's all personal preference on bullet weight. Anything from 150 to 180 will work fine on elk from a 308.

With the 100% copper bullets such as the Barnes, the more velocity the better. It ensures the bullet will expand properly. So with copper bullets I'd definitely go with the 150.

Ditto, with Barnes you need 1500 fps at Impact to open reliably.  In a 308, I would guess 350 yards at least for 168s. 


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[Biggerhammer]

A 150gr Accubond will cover everything quite well for what the .308 Win is worth.

[JJB11B]

I shot a deer in the head with a 168 Gr Sierra Match King.....Worked like a champ 100 yards +/- a few

[Biggerhammer]

I shot a deer in the head with a 168 Gr Sierra Match King.....Worked like a champ 100 yards +/- a few

Hahaha! Reminds me of a time I was standing with a friend on a big rock slide in Eastern WA. There was on clump of sage in the middle of the slide near us ( 20 yards ). This small two point Muile stands up out of his bed in the clump. My buddy promptly pops him in the head with his HK91 and a black hills factory 168gr Sierra MK. We looked through the rock for the better part of a hour and couldn't Find the off side antler.

So he made a wood plague , mounted the single two point antler and used it as a hat rack. That was 25 years ago, I still smile ever time I see it.

[Bob33]

I killed quite a few deer and a couple elk in my younger days with Sierra Pro Hunter bullets before I learned they couldn't.

[JJB11B]

I shot a deer in the head with a 168 Gr Sierra Match King.....Worked like a champ 100 yards +/- a few

Hahaha! Reminds me of a time I was standing with a friend on a big rock slide in Eastern WA. There was on clump of sage in the middle of the slide near us ( 20 yards ). This small two point Muile stands up out of his bed in the clump. My buddy promptly pops him in the head with his HK91 and a black hills factory 168gr Sierra MK. We looked through the rock for the better part of a hour and couldn't Find the off side antler.

So he made a wood plague , mounted the single two point antler and used it as a hat rack. That was 25 years ago, I still smile ever time I see it.

Those are the best kind of things in life. 25 years later just looking puts the smile right back on your face

[Biggerhammer]

I shot a deer in the head with a 168 Gr Sierra Match King.....Worked like a champ 100 yards +/- a few

Hahaha! Reminds me of a time I was standing with a friend on a big rock slide in Eastern WA. There was on clump of sage in the middle of the slide near us ( 20 yards ). This small two point Muile stands up out of his bed in the clump. My buddy promptly pops him in the head with his HK91 and a black hills factory 168gr Sierra MK. We looked through the rock for the better part of a hour and couldn't Find the off side antler.

So he made a wood plague , mounted the single two point antler and used it as a hat rack. That was 25 years ago, I still smile ever time I see it.

Those are the best kind of things in life. 25 years later just looking puts the smile right back on your face

Haha! That little guy was still stubbling around half asleep when his ticket got punched.


My friend looked at me with a smirk and said "Match Kings can't kill chit". They were talking trash about the MK's back then.

[JJB11B]

I shot a deer in the head with a 168 Gr Sierra Match King.....Worked like a champ 100 yards +/- a few

Hahaha! Reminds me of a time I was standing with a friend on a big rock slide in Eastern WA. There was on clump of sage in the middle of the slide near us ( 20 yards ). This small two point Muile stands up out of his bed in the clump. My buddy promptly pops him in the head with his HK91 and a black hills factory 168gr Sierra MK. We looked through the rock for the better part of a hour and couldn't Find the off side antler.

So he made a wood plague , mounted the single two point antler and used it as a hat rack. That was 25 years ago, I still smile ever time I see it.

Those are the best kind of things in life. 25 years later just looking puts the smile right back on your face

Haha! That little guy was still stubbling around half asleep when his ticket got punched.


My friend looked at me with a smirk and said "Match Kings can't kill chit". They were talking trash about the MK's back then.

I shot this doe in her bed, had to roll over once to my left then aim just right of center to ensure the bullet exiting wouldn't smash her hind quarters, you should have heard CoryTDF when I pulled the trigger ! it was an unsightly seen...Quintin Taratino status....

[EmeraldBullet]

The Hornady Superformance 165's shot the best through mine but open the gas system up because on the standard setting it flat rocked the bolt carrier group and increased recoil was very noticeable. I've shot everything under the sun I could find factory wise through my 716 and mines about a 1 1/2 MOA carbine. Which doesn't impress me much. Haven't taken the time to handload for it due to the fact I'm not big on the .308 and just need it to shoot MOA of idiot if need be with ball ammo.

I have shot 30-40 Rockchucks with it.

Thanks for the suggestions. Have to ask, what didn't you like about the 716? Seems very reliable for me so far and it spits out any .308 or 7.62 ammo which can be nice on the budget.

[EmeraldBullet]

What would happen if I targeted a turkey with this rifle? Would that be fine or just make a mess? Thanks again for the help.

[JimmyHoffa]

What would happen if I targeted a turkey with this rifle? Would that be fine or just make a mess? Thanks again for the help.

makes a big mess if you hit it in the wrong spot, lose a bunch of meat.  Some states it's legal to take turkey with a rifle.

[bobcat]

Only shotguns are legal for turkey in Washington.

[EmeraldBullet]

Only shotguns are legal for turkey in Washington.

Thank you for letting me know this. I have a shotgun from my grandpa his father gave him, only been fired twice. I just have to cross the pass to pick it up. Not a big deal, just glad I didn't try it with my sig, trying to keep things legal.

[EmeraldBullet]

Only shotguns are legal for turkey in Washington.

Can you shoot a Turkey on the reservation with a sig?