IMO, a Sendero is way too heavy to be carrying over hill and dale on a mountain hunt. That is, unless you have your own personal porter to tote it for you (for everyone knows a gun weighs less when someone else is carrying it). Stick with a standard bolt gun with a sporter-weight barrel.

I've shot elk with the .338 WM, .300 WM, .30-06, and 7mm RM. All are perfectly adequate calibers. FWIW, when I leave for the Jarbridge country of Nevada next month, my elk rifle will be a Win M70 in .300 WM shooting 200 gr Nosler PTs. All up with sling and full magazine, it weighs a little less than 9 lbs.

Bought my best friend a Remington Model 7 "whitetail classic" is 300wsm for Christmas with elk-intentions. Really nice rifle, light, balances well, fluted barrel, laminated stock.

Don't overlook the Kimber Montana either.

One does not need a heavy long barreled hog, to shoot accurately long distance. Learn to shoot a light rifle and you will be much happier!

Put my vote in for the Vanguard.

I am not sure what you are interested in but I have 3 custom rifles for sale in the trading post that I just finished you may be interested in. they are a
300 win,
308,
270 WSM.
All weigh about 8-9 lbs, full custom projects guaranteed to shoot 1/2 moa.
So don't walk up the mountain shoot them at distance then go pick up your elk

That's crazy talk. There is a helluva difference in carrying a 7 lb rifle vs. a 10-12 lb. rifle in the high country. I dont care what kind of shape you are in. Toting a 10-12 lb. rifle in elk country is unnecessary-especially in this day and age.

If you elk hunt a lot and carry a 12 lb. rifle around in the high country you are torturing yourself for no reason.

My rigged out Sako Finnlight in .300 WSM weighs 7 1/2 lbs. 25 inch barrel. This ain't 1967 anymore.

7.5lb rifle is a lot more comfortable than a 9 to 10lb rifle when hunting elk IMO. Been there done that with both weights. Current elk rifle is tikka t3 in 270WSM, easily sub MOA with 140gr accubonds and is enough for an elk I ma encounter in the mountains.

You're probably going to flog me for saying this, but I doubt I've put 100 rounds through my primary deer rifle since I bought it in 1980. Probably killed 30-50 deer with it and the last time I can recall missing a deer with it was when I was 17 about 2 years after I got it (over 30 years ago). It happens to like cheapo Winchester PowerPoints. I have sighted it in twice-once when I bought it and once about 15 years ago when I changed scopes. I do check to make sure it is still sighted in every year-usually that takes 1 shot (or two if I just feel like it).

I have hunted elk,antelope,sheep,and bear and the rifles I have used on those hunts have been bought because they "fit" me and have the particular qualities I am looking for. I take time to make sure the scopes are properly mounted, sight them in, and go hunting. (Ok that is not entirely true for the sheep hunt I did spend a little range time with my rifle.)

I have taken animals on each of these hunts. Some have required more than one shot but the only miss was a second shot on an antelope as he was running at 300+ yards (a shot that was not necessary anyway).

I am always very confident in my rifles but I am a hunter, not a shooter by any means (as you can see).

I've never found the extra weight bothersome. Many do, some don't. But there is a reason, and that's shoot ability. I like long shots. A heavy rifle is easier for me to shoot long distance with. I have always preferred heavy rifles.

It's certainly a tradeoff. 7.5-8 lbs is hefty enough for me-but I ALWAYS make a good rest and would never take a shot over 400 yards and only then under perfect conditions. My actual max range is probably closer to 300.

I do know my limitations and stick with them.

I own a heavy .300 WM that is a trued Remington 700 and barreled with a 25" Krieger tube. It has all the bells and whistles: oversize recoil lug, big bolt handle, Jewell trigger, and HS stock. It's a half-inch gun with most any load I feed it. Unfortunately it weighs 12 lbs empty. Seven years ago, I schlepped that beast all over Mexico's Sierra Madres and shot a fine coues deer at 368 yds. NEVER AGAIN!
Any number of sporter-weight rifles could have made that shot as well, and if I ever go back for another coues, I'll be shooting a more reasonably-weighted rifle....something under 8 lbs.

Sneaky, I like long shots too--at coyotes, hogs, and prairie dogs. I hope you are true to your THF moniker and try to "sneak" as close as possible to big game trophies. I'm talking about a 95+% probability of making a killing shot with the first round. To fling hopeful shots at absurd ranges just to prove the mettle of your shooting and your equipment is unethical and unbecoming of a true sportsman. Wanton waste of game by careless wounding should be avoided at all costs, I think we'll all agree.

Last October, I was hunting moose in Wyoming. My guide said an elk hunter from the previous year had insisted that the guide and hunter BACK UP from the 300+-yd shot presented, so he could attempt a 500+-yd kill. The guide would have none of that nonsense. The hunter then made a perfect, surgical one-shot kill, of course. But instead of being happy with his hunt, he was surly and aloof afterwards. And the guide received no tip either. At the end of my successful hunt, I tipped the guide generously....hopefully reward enough for his ethical behavior over the elk incident.

I don't pass up any reasonable shot, be it close or short. Shooting far is not a novelty for me. It's just another tool to ensure that I bring something home for the wife to see the fruits of my labor. For without that, my hunting days would surely be numbered.

Solid thinking.

You know, it may be purely mental on my part. I tend to associate heft with quality. I associate quality with precision. And precision, to me, equates to more success in the field. When I tote a rifle that feels solid, I feel more confident.

Light rifles feel like toys in my hands. I can see if the quality is there or not. But if it doesn't have a solid, hefty feel to it, I don't care for it.

I do have exceptions, though. A trim over/under is hard to beat. I like a light shotgun. Don't ask me why.

Not gonna flog you.

Maybe I'm more nervous than you, maybe more prepared. Maybe I shoot farther than most. I wrote what I wrote, because I see lots of guys say they're going to shoot to 500 or 600 yards. In reality, they have no business doing it, because they don't practice it. Write on the wall, if this November, I have line of sight on a bull elk out to 800 yards, and I can't close the distance, I'll be squeezing the trigger. But I will have practiced with THAT rifle.

If someone is going to zero at 100 yards, and hunt at 100 yards, then lots of practice isn't necessary.

I do know my limitations may cost me an animal some day but I'm OK with that. It takes more work that I am willing to put in to get good at long range shooting.

I would stretch that number out to 300 for me but I would never take a shot like what you are describing.

But,to me at my limitations I have never found it too taxing to remember to 1)get a good rest, 2)shoulder the rifle firmly, 3)steady the crosshairs, and 4)sqeeeeeze the trigger.

Like the Cowboys' Blain Nye said about Clint Longley when he won a big game after Roger went down: "It was the triumph of an uncluttered mind."

I respect that. At least you're honest with yourself and us.

Time off from the FD, Family, travel, cost of the hunt all add up to me wanting to increase my odds of getting an elk when I go.

Plus there are just too many numbers and dials and crossbars and such on those fancy scopes y'all use. Scares the bejabbers outta me!

Only thing that amazes me is after those long shots is walking two miles to get to and then trying to remember where that animal was standing when they took that 700yard shot.

He'll I walked past my antelope twice and that was only roughly 300 yards from my last shot. Then when I got to the truck and drove back in the pasture to pick him up, I had to jump up on top of the cab to find him again lol

Anything 500 and under just using MOA is pretty easy, any thing over that is a cluster in my head

Have made 500+ yard shots on pronghorn using just standard duplex scopes. Know your gun and your ability with it and 500 yard first shot kills are not that bad with a flat shooting rifle. We did it for a long time before all these dro dials and BDC scopes became available.

^^ If you really do some calculations on your BC (gunwerks actually has a great calculator) you will see that everything starts to change around 500 thats where really good equipment comes into play. I am going on an elk hunt here in a few weeks and I do good amount of long range stuff. So I was getting my 300 ready for those 700 yard marks in high altitude and people really do not understand the differences when environmental factors change, and after 500 it is exponential. That being said I am like Fireman, If a elk shows up at 800 I know I can nail it. I personally do not mind a little more weight for the additional stability. My rifle is a 9 lb rifle with out the scope on a 26 inch barrel. But I would take it anywhere because I know how it shoots. All I have to say is get the best optics you can and the best rifle you can afford, and be sure to look for a good BC bullet. Not trying to push my rifles, I will say this for any custom rifle. Its the difference in driving a toyota corola and a Bentley. You will never go back, but if you only shoot 100-200 yards its probably not worth the extra money, after that I personally say its worth it.

That's my method on quite a few rifles....MPBR zero, crosshairs on back @400, post on back @ 500, use the windage post as necessary.

I just not comfortable over 500. Yotes all day long but not deer, antelope, etc . I tried 598 couple years back and wind ate me up.

This year pushed it about as far as I was comfortable with and that was right at 475. Grant it shot was spot on, I feel like I was lucky because 15min later wind picked up. i just use plex on all my scopes

You can download swaro's and save different loads