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Selecting the best elk rifles is like choosing the world’s most beautiful people. It’s subjective, for one. But also, the “best” may not be practical for you. A Hollywood star might set your heart a flutter, but they probably wouldn’t adapt well to your Colorado cow town. Similarly, today’s cutting-edge, long-range wonder rifles won’t do you much good if you like to hunt in the timber. Then there’s price. A list of nothing but the finest rifles made would be cool, but most of us wouldn't be able to afford any of them. Finally, your standard Top 10 list can't quite cover the wide selection of really good elk rifles that are out there.
So, what follows is a baker’s dozen of the best—depending. Bolt-guns, lever-guns, semi-automatics, and even single-shots can all be capable elk rifles, but you need to match the rifle and the cartridge its chambered for to where and how you hunt and to what fits your budget. To that end, here are my top 13 elk rifles, listed in three different price categories with options ideally suited for everything from the thickest timber to the high chaparral and wide open spaces. Budget-priced elk rifles retail for less than a grand. Mid-priced elk rifles cost twice that or a little more. And finally, unless you’ve got a hell of a lot more money than I do, a rifle retailing for more than $3,000 counts as high-end.
Best Bargain Elk Rifles
America’s long tradition of building plain, affordable, hard-working elk rifles started with the Hawken rifle of the 1800s, and it continues today with low-cost trustworthy options like the Ruger American, Savage Axis, Weatherby Vanguard, and others. You’d be well-served with any of those, but here are my picks for the top affordable elk rifles, all of which will get the job done for less than a grand..
Howa 1500 Hogue Rifle
Recommended cartridge: 308 Winchester
Suggested retail price: $559
In my opinion, Howa rifles are some of the most overlooked bolt-actions currently offered. Yes, they are made in Japan, but they are made well, and the Howa action with its M16/Sako-style extractor and plunger ejector is very reliable. The Howa 1500 Houge comes with a Hogue OverMolded stock and a hinged floor plate, a HACT two-stage trigger, and a three-position safety that locks the bolt in the safe position. For cleaning, you can also remove the firing pin from the bolt without special tools. Twenty-two-inch barrels are standard, 24-inch with magnum chamberings. Out of the box, the Howa Hogue will weigh about 7.5 pounds, and it comes with a sub-MOA guarantee. It’s a fantastic deal because the Hogue stock alone costs half as much as Howa wants for their rifle.
Ruger American Gen II
Recommended cartridge: 6.5 PRC
Suggested retail price: $729
The second generation of a product or a rifle is usually only slightly different from the original, often not enough to justify the upgrade. That was not the case with the Ruger Gen II American bolt action rifle. With a host of enhancements to include a better looking and better feeling fully adjustable stock, fluted barrel, three-position bolt-locking safety, Picatinny scope rail, threaded muzzle and a Cerakote finish, the Gen II is significantly better than the original American bolt-action rifle. But the best part is that the Gen II only cost $130 more. Available in almost 20 chamberings that include several elk-capable cartridges, the American Gen II is a hell of a lot of rifle for the money. It would make a great first elk rifle for a new hunter, and it will serve the veteran elk hunter just as well. Don’t be surprised when you can cover every group you shoot with your Gen II with a quarter.
Related: Ruger American Gen II Full Review
Winchester XPR Hunter (Scope Combo) True Timber Strata
Recommended cartridge: 270 Winchester
Suggested retail price: $979.99
After buying a new elk rifle, most hunters need to also buy a new riflescope and scope rings, and this adds even more cash to the pile. Some rifle manufacturers like Winchester offer combo packages that include a riflescope with the rifle, and this can be a good way to save some money. Winchester’s XPR Hunter Scope Combo is a great example of this. It comes with a Vortex 3-9x40 Crossfire II riflescope with a BDC reticle that is already mounted on Weaver bases in Weaver scope rings, which is about a $200 value. The rifle has a composite stock finished in True Timber Strata camo, Winchester’s MOA trigger, a bolt-unlock button, button-rifled and free-floated barrel, and a detachable magazine. Also, all the metal surfaces are finished with a Perma-Coate FDE finish. If you want a good affordable rifle that saves you the trouble of buying a scope and rings separately, this is a great option.
Best Mid-Priced Elk Rifles
There are plenty of elk hunters who don’t mind cutting back on five-dollar cups of coffee, while saving to buy a really nice elk rifle. But when they do, they expect a high level of quality and well-thought-out features for exactly the type of hunting they’ll be doing, whether that means deep hikes into the backcountry, long shots on the prairie, or close encounters in the timber. Here are four rifle that meet those requirements and cost roughly between $1,500 and $3000.
Ruger Hawkeye Hunter
Recommended Caliber: .30/06
Suggested retail price: $1,429
Of all the cartridges that could be used for hunting elk, maybe none is more iconic that the 30/06 Springfield. And while this grand old cartridge can be had in just about any rifle, it deserves one with classic lines and a walnut stock. With the Hawkeye Hunter, Ruger took their famous Hawkeye action and built it from stainless steel. Then they mated it with a stainless-steel barrel with 5R rifling and buried it in a beautifully checkered American walnut stock. To help with the longer shots, Ruger added a 20 MOA Picatinny rail that’s held in place with four 8X40 screws. And to bring all this classic goodness into the 21st century, the muzzle is threaded and is suppressor ready.
Marlin 1895 Trapper w/ Magpul Stock
Recommended cartridge: 45-70 Government
Suggested retail price: $1,649
Some elk hunters do not need to reach across canyons to kill their elk. They need a quick handling rifle that is at home in the dark timber where the elk hide from all the other hunters out stumbling around in the open country. Few rifles serve this purpose better than a lever-action rifle, and when it comes to lever-action elk rifles, the Marlin 1895 Trapper is at the top of the list. There are several versions of the Marlin Trapper but the 1895 version with the Magpul stock is what I consider the ultimate elk killer. It has a stainless-steel finish with black accents to match the polymer Magpul stock, and the buttstock is adjustable for length of pull and comb height. Also, the stock comes with a hidden compartment that allows you to carry—hidden—a full load of extra 45-70 ammo. Finished out with a short scope rail and an adjustable rear aperture sight, it’s hard to imagine being better equipped to head into the woods to battle it out with a big bull elk.
Related: Marlin 1895 Trapper Magpul Full Review
Savage 110 Ultralite
Recommended cartridge: 7mm PRC
Suggested retail price: $1,739
Savage is often thought of as a manufacturer of bargain rifles. It’s true they make some great guns for not a lot of money. But with their Model 110 Ultralite, Savage took all of their rifle-building expertise and created a top-end, lightweight hunting rifle that cuts no corners. By teaming up with Proof Research, Savage was able to build a bolt-action rifle in 7mm PRC that weighs just a shade more than 6 pounds, and it’s loaded with features modern-day elk hunters dream about. It has a carbon wrapped barrel, lightweight stainless receiver, the unbelievably versatile AccuFit stock, an AccuTrigger, and a threaded muzzle. And if you don’t like it in 7mm PRC, there are five other elk-capable chamberings to choose from.
Browning BAR MK 3 Speed
Recommended cartridge: 300 Winchester Magnum
Suggested retail price: $2,019
Every list of great elk rifles must include a semi-automatic elk rifle, and the history of the Browning BAR and its short stroke gas piston operation with a rotary bolt makes it a natural choice. The MK 3 Speed version of the BAR might look a bit different than the wood-stocked BAR your granddaddy had, but it will still deliver, and it will deliver fast and accurate repetitive fire in 300 Winchester Magnum. It features a fluted barrel with all the metal surfaces coated in Cerakote. The composite stock with overmold gripping panels has Browning’s OVIX camo finish and the stock is adjustable for cast and drop. If that’s not enough coolness to get you excited, Browning offers a dozen different BARs for you to choose from, with prices ranging from $1,640 to $4,670 There is no other elk rifle that will go better with your “Buckmark” tattoo.
Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT
Recommended cartridge: 280 Ackley Improved
Suggested retail price: $2,049.99
If you are looking for one of the most affordable and great-shooting bolt-action rifles that can be had for elk hunting, you have to consider the Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT rifle. With the radically new manufacturing technology Christensen Arms uses in their featherweight FFT stock, combined with one of their hand-lapped carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels, you get a great-shooting, easy-packing, and reliable bolt-action rifle that won’t weigh you down. Carbon-fiber-wrapped barrels have become as common as a toothache today, but many don’t realize that Christensen Arms was the first to do it. The Ridgeline FFT is offered in a lot of elk-capable cartridges but is one of only a few factory made rifles available in 280 Ackley Improved. All that combined with a TriggerTech trigger, and a sub-MOA precision guarantee makes the Ridgeline FFT an affordable, trustworthy, and easy carrying elk rifle.
Related: Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT Full Review
Ruger No. 1 International Lipsey’s Exclusive
Recommended cartridge: 9.3x62
Suggested price: $2,479
Bill Ruger stunned the world in 1966 when he introduced the falling-block Ruger No. 1 single-shot rifle. Even back then, most shooters and hunters thought the single-shot rifle was outdated, but No. 1s sold and sold well. In fact, some hunters still prefer them and the strict dedication they require to the application of good hunting skills and the one shot precision they demand. The Ruger No. 1 is no longer a cataloged regular edition Ruger rifle, but each year they are offered in select editions in limited quantities. If you act quickly, you can probably find one of the coolest and the latest No. 1s that’s ever been offered. It is the Lipsey’s exclusive fast-handling, Mannlicher-stocked, 36-inch long, International version in walnut and blued steel that’s chambered for the 9.3x62. What is a 9.3x62? It’s a European cartridge that has a great history in Africa for things like buffalo and even elephant, but it has less recoil than a 375 H&H. Will it kill an elk? Damned straight it will.
Wilson Combat NULA Model 20
Recommended cartridge: 358 Winchester
Suggested price: $2,995
When Melvin Forbes introduced his Model 20 custom rifle in 1985, it changed the way the world looked at lightweight hunting rifles. Who would have thought a 5-pound rifle could shoot like a bench rest rifle and balance perfectly. Wilson Combat took over the reins at New Ultra-Light Arms in 2022 and modernized the rifle to include a hinged floor plate, Timney Elite Hunter trigger with a safety that locks the bolt, and a threaded muzzle. What Wilson Combat did not change was the gravity-defying design and how incredibly well these rifles shoot. Melvin Forbes famous creation lives on and is available in five short-action cartridges. It’s one of the few modern rifles offered in 358 Winchester. Through hunting season, they’re on sale for $2,695, direct from Wilson Combat. That’s a big deal; when Melvin Forbes last offered his rifle it cost $4,200.
Related: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20 Full Review
Best Expensive Elk Rifles
For those who have the money, compromises are not made when it comes to selecting an elk rifle. Some hunters will save for years just to get that special rifle they’ve been dreaming of. Narrowing the vast field of high-end elk-capable rifles to just as few is about as hard as finding a fresh pile of unicorn poop, but I’ve done it. Below an option unmatched in versatility, a canyon rim to canyon rim option, and a limited edition one of a kind rifle that will make credit cards with high limits cringe.
Sauer 505 Synchro XT
Recommended cartridge: multi-caliber
Suggested price: $3,604.99
The precise engineering behind this rifle is clear from the moment you pick it up. Not only is it a multi-caliber rifle that allows you to swap between different cartridges on the bed of your pickup truck, but it also runs as smooth as a milkshake slips through a straw. In addition to changing the cartridge it shoots, you can also swap between a synthetic and a high-grade wood stock. Yeah, you’ll need a tool to do all this, but it comes with the rifle and is ingeniously incorporated into one of the rifle’s sling swivel studs. The 505 has a fantastically wonderful trigger that is user adjustable, a detachable magazine, and a very unique and superbly designed one-piece quick-detach scope mount. The Sauer 505 could be the only rifle you’ll need for the rest of your life, whether you’re hunting elk, coyotes, whitetail deer, or African buffalo.
Related: Sauer 505 Synchro XT Full Review
Proof Glacier Ti
Recommended cartridge: 7mm Backcountry
Suggested retail price: $7,499
For those who go deep for elk by riding a horse or burning up boot leather, a light rifle is critical. If you’re one to stretch the distance on shots because you know you have the skill, a precision rifle is mandatory. But what if both long walks and long shots describe the way you hunt elk? If so, there’s a rifle for you and it’s called the Proof Research Glacier Ti. Built around a 20- to 26-inch carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel, a titanium action and carbon-fiber stock, this rifle will weigh between 5.30 and 6.25 pounds. It has a TriggerTech trigger, a threaded muzzle, and comes with a ½ MOA accuracy guarantee. It’s light enough to go anywhere and accurate enough to shoot anything. The 7mm Backcountry seems like a perfect match, but it’s also available in seven other elk-killing cartridges. With a retail price of roughly $6,500, start saving now for next season, and start thinking about exactly how you want yours built. You can sometimes find new Glacier Ti rifles for sale, but this one is best as a full custom rifle.
Related: Proof Research Glacier Ti Full Review
Weatherby Mark V 80th Anniversary Commemorative Rifle
Recommended cartridge: 300 Weatherby Magnum
Suggested retail price: $12,499
Yes, this rifle is expensive, and yes, it is only offered in limited quantities. But this is a one of a kind rifle 80th Anniversary Weatherby, and it will only be made this year and there will never be another one like it. If you are a Weatherby fan, there is a lot about this rifle to like because it melds the original Weatherby lines with modern features. It has a high-grade walnut stock and an engraved titanium action. It also has a threaded, carbon-fiber barrel with a muzzle brake and is fitted with a TriggerTech trigger. This limited edition rifle also comes with its own hard case and a box or retro-packaged ammunition. It may cost more than a divorce, and it might even cause one, but this is an elegant elk killer like no other. If this rifle really trips your trigger but you just cannot afford risking your marriage, check out the Weatherby Model 307 Adventure SD. It only costs $1,949 and is available in 300 Weatherby Magnum, too.
