Mountain Hunting Rifle Setup 

Glad it was helpful! 👍

thanks Bill!

thanks Jeff!

@@CliffGray 😊 23:53 23:54

Thanks man! 7mm has killed a bunch of elk!

Thanks man!

Thank you and I agree. I believe hunting and long range shooting are two different things.

It's true the only thing stopping .270 from being a great caliber is .007" and it's unfortunate the new military rifle isn't in .284 caliber.

Good to know! Thanks

Thanks Eric👍 sounds like a great setup on your end

6.5 Creedmoore is perfect for women

Yes! that’s a great question

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Thanks Ryan. That muzzle brake is from a small gun smith here in Colorado - I believe it’s called Valley Gun Services. They make those brakes in house. Been years since I had them do one. Always worked well for me.

What stock is that I have a tikka t3 7mm mag and info on hunting stocks is hard to come by

I use a hatch bipod or my trekking poles with a Quik stix adapter, both are adjustable where I can shoot prone to Indian style. I’m 6’. The Harris bipods don’t vary enough. I use to use them but I just find better options now Hope that helps. Thanks

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good stuff!

Thanks George! This winter I’ll try to get together a video on my tikka. It actually took an insane wreck on a backpack… several hundred feet. But i just got it back repaired and shooting well!

160-190grn, try a couple different ones and see what groups best from your rifle.

I use the tall one 👍

sounds like you have your setup dialed man!

@@CliffGray I’ll prob be hunting with the same two rifles when the sun sets on my ability to hunt

And on sale right now for 15.99 Amazon prime day deal! Lol. Just bought one.

Hey Sal, I tried to look up that cheek rest and ammo pocket in my old orders but can't find it. I have had it for years - I do like it. It looks just like the cheap ones you can buy on Amazon from Allen Company. That may even be what it is. It's an expensive thing but gets the job done. I don't like the leather ones, personally. Thanks!

@@CliffGray Thanks Bud, hope to bump into you in the Flattop this season .

I'll check them out! thanks

I agree

I used one of these borrowed from a close friend. On a recent December elk hunt in CO. It totally failed on me (legs collapsed and wouldn't support my rifle) I've shot off it before he shoots thousands of rounds per year off it. I think my gun being heavy ~14lbs+cold+snow was too much. Folded it down stacked 2 packs and harvested my elk with 1 at 450. Murphys law is a certainty in the mountains. I agree with long range practices shooting at 1000+ at least once a month makes 450-600 feel like a chip shot when it counts.

Also suppressors.

Glad the channel is useful! .308 is a great caliber. Great ammo availability... elk, deer, bears, everything in the states - it works great. Good luck!

yeah man, great caliber

It’ll work just fine! 👍

For recoil reasons... Id go with 270 over 7mm rem mag....and 3006 over 300 win........for the guys that don't care about recoil so much...id shoot a 300 win over the 3006 or the 7 mm rem mag

My first choice as a center-fire rifle has always been a 270. As a child I figured more power than a 308 and less recoil than a 30-06. I've since bought my first rifle, a Savage 270 in 2017 and love this rifle. Made shots to 1200 yards with the 2.5-15x50 Bushnell Forge I put on this incredible rifle

thanks for the nice comment. I appreciate it! For someone looking to be in hunting for a lifetime, no issues spending some money on a nice rifle.

I haven’t had the magazine freeze… sounds like there had to have been some humidity build up. I say that because I have had light fire pin strikes with tikkas. Late season hunts in crazy cold temps, -10 or worse type stuff. Only happens if vehicle is involved… rifle going in/out of heated vehicle gets some condensation going

mcmillian

Yeah, no problem. Accuracy is king 👍

That is fine too, vs the pic rail. Its just a compatibility choice. Go through your system, tripod, spotting scope, panhead, rifle attachements, and figure out how to minimize the hassle.

They are awesome. It’s too bad they are a pain to get in some states. I hope they become common in western hunting. A little hassle with some extra barrel length but overall awesome

Nothing wrong with the 270 of your only going after coyotes! (I like the bigger calibers like Elmer). Though, the last couple years, I am running a 270, a 270 WSM. She is wicked with 130 Nosler partitions. Though, a hurning partner told me to get my 300 RUM out for next week's elk hunt. He thinks I might have to shoot 1000 yards. (oh boy).

All my Tikkas are T3 Stainless

I don’t have any experience with it, but I don’t split hairs on calibers. Guys are going to tell you it’s too light for elk… bullets weights below 130grn, etc… That’s bs if you can shoot it accurately. I’m a skinny little recoil sensitive nerd so I spent a lot of my time elk hunting with a .270. Very similar energy, ballistics and recoil. 👍

Hey Alvaro - just depends on the situation and distance. Best to just go practice at varying distances and setups. If I can’t keep the crosshairs within vital-sized area… I move to a sturdier setup. For me, shooting prone off a bipod vs shooting sticks, the group size at a 100yd test is roughly 1” worse. At 300-400yds it opens up to a 3-4” differential worse group.

@@CliffGray appreciate the response ill make sure to grab one your videos help alot man i appreciate it

Im just curious when I go on the manufacturer website I’m selecting a gun, why do the sort them by caliber and not cartridge?

@@marcosgil9707 because even some of those manufacturers use those two words interchangeably even though it’s incorrect. A caliber is the diameter like 6mm, 6.5mm, .277, .284/7mm .30 cal, etc… a cartridge is the assembly of all of the components from the bullet, powder, brass, primer. People also say horn when for an elk or deer 🦌 it’s actually antler.

Good caliber - technically better than the .308 but the .308 has way better ammo availability. .308 is more practical for most folks because of this.

Hi James, for the most part I don’t guide much any longer. In future years I’ll probably guide some to keep my skillset up… but for now I am focusing on my own hunts and friends’ hunts. 👍👍👍

@@CliffGrayGood for you. You can pick and chose and really enjoy quality of life!

It's going to vary on your gun. I have found that Tikkas are pretty sensitive to the load they prefer. In terms of factory ammo, I have had good luck with Federal Bergers 168grn

@@CliffGray Roger that, thanks Cliff!

That is a NXS 50, 5.5-22. Magnification depends on use. If you are talking open country, sheep/goat/mulies, a high magnification is nice. However, in thicker country it can be a detriment. Harder to reacquire targets. For higher mag scopes you also need a larger objective for light gathering... heavier, bulky, less likely to fit in a scabbard, etc... Because I am really dependent on holding the wind with my reticle and always shoot a second focal plane scope, I keep my scopes on the highest magnification 99% of the time and choose them for my rifles based on that. Outside of big mountain hunts, something like a 4.5-14x40mm is good "all-around".

True Hunts I’ve kind of got my eye on the nightforce 42, 2.5x10 NXS. I think for 500 yards and less it’ll do the job. Thanks for the reply, I always enjoy your videos!

All BS. Aside nightforce vs Leupold vx3hd or vx5/vx6 Leupold good enough? Or get the nighforce, or step up to a swarsky?

Yes

I don't say it lightly, but I do believe the 30+06 is the winner of the one gun debate. I haven't used one for years.... But, nice to know I have a few of them. In the safe.

That's a Kemo Sabe hat, a client gave it to me years ago as a tip

I always torque to spec but agree that a few lbs over probably isn’t doing anything. Good rings, even tightening of screws, etc… avoids slipping in my experience quality rings is huge. I’ve actually guided hunters that had their scopes off zero, retorqed the ring screws, resulting in the gun coming right back to their zero. If your rings are torqued to x lbs when you zero, they should be torqued to x lbs every time you shoot. Just controlling another variable. At least that’s how I view it. Thanks for the comment!

With heavy-recoiling rifles, your optics and optics mounting solutions are more prone to being damaged or coming loose. I think this is one of the reasons why the .30 bores had higher average travel distances on moose from the shot location in the 14,000+ sample size Scandinavian game hunting survey. It isn’t because .30 bores are ballistically-inferior for terminal performance, just that they are harder to shoot often, harder to shoot well from lightweight rifles, while maintaining secure mounting solutions and optics internals' integrity. 6.5s and 7mms performed better in that survey, with shorter travel distances from the shot. If you are shooting heavy-recoiling magnums or even lightweight .308s, it’s a good idea to use rings and scopes from the same manufacturer, or have rings lapped to that particular scope by a smart, experienced gunsmith. You’ll also want to use rings with at least 2 sets of fasteners per ring, not the single fastener rings. Rings I have never had problems with: NightForce, Badger Ordnance, issue M3A rings with the M24 Sniper Weapon System, ArmaLite, DTA/Desert Tech, and Seekins Precision when talking bolt guns (I have far more mounts for ARs). I also measure my scope tubes to see if they are in-fact the exact tube diameter stated, and every quality/high dollar scope has been within spec so far. Only wealthy men can afford cheap optics and rings, especially when you factor in what it costs time-wise for a hunt or shooting course. I grew up with legacy Weaver 4x on my .270 Win, but my first scope purchase was a $1200 Leupold. NightForce and Vortex Viper PST Gen II or Razor are kind of the gold standards in ruggedness/reliability/durability. I’ve seen a lot of scopes literally break within the morning of a long range course, or early in their life with a low round count. Over-torquing can strip out the threads in the ring. The combined torque values of 4 fasteners in one ring are sufficient to retain zero and securely hold the scope. I used to do accuracy-testing for a high dollar precision rifle company that builds everything from .243 to .50 BMG rifles. I would go to the range with a truck full of rifles chambered in .308 to .338LM, and migrate the same scope from one rifle to the next when shooting proof groups for the customers. Rifles had to shoot 1/2” or they didn’t ship. The scope I was using was a Schmidt & Bender PMII, which I eventually broke. The side focus died on it after weeks of .308, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Lapua Magnum. The mount stayed true without the scope ever coming loose. That was a one-piece mount, 34mm rings of course.

@@LRRPFco52 Thanks fpr the informative reply. I do over torque my rings compared to manufacturer specs.a lot. I probably do not have as much experience with it as you. With high quality rings, steel or 7075 aluminum, I have even torqued them to 50 inch pounds, taking care that everything is even. I have not had any adverse event doing so. I have had screws torqued to 50 break on me when removing, with rings using smaller screws. Luckily, I am skilled at removing them! I have adopted the practice of torqueing rings for 22LR to 25 pounds, standard centerfires to 30 pounds, and 300 win mag to 35 pounds. This has worked well for me. I dont use any cheap scopes or rings. All my guns are superbly accurate, or they are sold. In the case of the 22LR, I am torquing so tight primarily to guard against bumps and drops; I have good solid scopes and mounts on them too.

@@gabell727 A big potential problem scope manufacturers have pointed out is the cumulative torque compressing the rings can distort or deform the scope tube body, especially 6061 tubes or lighter scopes. The next issue is what you've already experienced: fasteners snapping. Another issue I I've seen multiple times with Aero Precision lightweight mounts is the rings actually failing. This is why I follow reputable manufacturer torque specs and don't exceed them.

@@LRRPFco52 I am aware of this, and I have also read that the most likely part to fail is the paralax adjustment. When this happens, it should be obvious, as the knob will not turn. This has never happened to me, but It is sometimes solved by simply loosening the rings. Highend rings with appropriately sized screws can take 50 pounds with no problem; I am only going to 35. I have seen knuckleheads who damaged their screws and rings. I dont think they used a torque wrench. That might be OK for some, but not for them. My Nightforce, Leupold, and highend Nikon scopes have endured my torqueing for years. They all have lifetime warranties which I have never used. I always have a spare rifle. I don't use lock tight, I never retorque my scopes unless remounting, and they have never slipped as far as I know. My point of impact is there. Since it has been working so well for me, I don't plan to change. I knew I was taking a risk, but it has worked out well for me. Now that I have bragged about it, they will now probably all fall apart!

That’s a kemo sabe Gus hat. Years ago the owner of those stores gave it to me as a tip… that was a long time ago!

Yeah 30-06 is a good caliber 👍

My pop was stationed at a base in Caif. where 2 of his buddies got the itch to bear hunt around Kenai for browns, so they checked out 2 Garands from the armory and away they went. They found a huge boar and one took his shot, which pissed the bear off and charged these 2 fearless Marines. They emptied stripper clip after stripper clip into that bear, which ended up dying right at their feet. That pretty much ended their urge to hunt brownies in Alaska. .30/06 ball ammo; 165 g military issue. These were guys that shot match with my pop. They never missed.

Hey Scott - I’m working on more clarity - this was an older video… but hey man thanks for watching 8 times 😜 That is a Hatch bipod. You have to install a forearm pic rail. I show that setup on my $1,500 mountain rifle setup video. Here in next few weeks I’m reviewing the Quik-stix clip adapter, so if you have trekking poles with you all the time you might consider it. I’ve heard good things. Hope that helps. Good luck 👍

So with the Quick-stix clip would replace the bipod?

It's good but you better be a hand loader!!! Actually I have some ammo and brass (need it)? Nevermind, it's just 280 Remington (not ackly).

@@jackdundon2261 I have Nosler 160 Accubond and Hornady ELD-X 162 grain ammo, but have fire formed some 280 for loading.

Where did you get the 35 Whelen? I've only seen the single shot rifles.

@@Bouldergoat I ordered it through my local firearms dealer. Lipsey's only made a limited number of 35 Whelens in their #1 rifle. I got my first one from CVA in a break action Scout model.

haha!

Elmer Keith said it best, the 270 is adequate for coyotes. But ultimately the one gun debate does have a clear winter and that is a 30-06. I packed a lot of guns personally. the last few years. I've been very very pleased with my browning a bolt 270 WSM but I'm also a hand loader. And I am lucky it should sub MOA with 130 grain nosler partitions with a max load of imr4350. (My goto powder for the BIG GUNS).

RU-vid deletes comments if I put it in here. Check out the information page on the channel page. It’s on there.