I'm no expert hunter and started doing it late in life at 44 after many years of camping, hiking, backpacking, and some paper punching with SA Rugers. For the last 11 years it's what I look forward to more than those pursuits. After a year of carrying a Remington 700 SPS, I decided to get what I really always wanted - a No. 1. That got me into reloading, more No. 1s followed, and, well, you folks probably know where this is going.
This year I saved nearly all of my leave and drew tags to hunt three rifle seasons in CO with No. 1s.
I just took a nice pronghorn doe this week with a K1B that I had re-barreled to 6.5-06. The rifle shoots 3/8" groups with 50.5 grains of RL-19 and 140 Partitions if I do my part. That load took the doe at 257 yards in a good breeze. Wonderful cartridge.
In a couple of weeks I'll hunt bull elk with a recently acquired K1A in 35 Whelen that seems to prefer the 250 Partition and 53.5 grains of RL-15. I haven't found a good recipe for the 225 Partition in that rifle yet, but my backup with be a blue 1A in that chambering that does like them with 58.0 grains of RL-15. Both of these rifles have very long throats and it's difficult to find the right seating depth for accuracy. The lands cannot be reached at any reasonable seating depth. The 1A is a light and easy carrying rifle in this chambering.
The week after that I'll hunt deer and cow elk in a different area with a 1A in 6.5x55 using 46.0 grains of RL-22 and the 140 Partition. This combination is capable of 3/4" groups with just the right forearm screw tension and bit of inner tube under the barrel (got that tip on this forum - thanks!). I have previously taken deer with a 1A in 30-06 using factory loads, and a 7x57 RSI that is absolutely deadly with the 160 Partition and 47.5 or 49.5 grains of RL-19. The RSI is a joy to carry in the mountains and usually goes along regardless of what other rifle might be taken.
I'm still not a very proficient hunter and have yet to get a shot at an elk, but there isn't much I'd rather be doing and it sure beats 60+ hour weeks at the office the rest of the year.