Deer Rifle

Looking for a new rifle for use primarily on whitetail deer. Would also like to be able to use possibly on larger game such as elk. Calb. possible are 270, 280 or 300. Read several recent threads about the 300 mag. Think 270 or 280 would be a better choice? New to high power and need some imput.

Randy been having problems posting messages lately. If you seen my question before, sorry.

Randy,

As a former owner and shooter of the .270 I highly recommend the .30-06. A variety of reasons for this, but the main reason is that they are far more versatile. There are a number of powder charge/ball mass combinations that one can use to fine-tune. Then there are the reload potentials...

Bruce Hodson

Take a look at the rec.guns website for some general advice on which cartridge to choose. There's no need for a 300WinMag, and several reasons not to chose that cartridge.

i hunt whitetails with primarily a 30-06 and i,ve never had a problem with knock down power i use 165 grain grand slams (reloaded)

well must say that i am very happy just with my 30-30. but will have to say many friends have said the 30-06.

I have used both the 30-30 and the 30-06, depends where you hunt!!! 30-30 is to me the best brush gun..lucky if you get a 50 yard shot!! I've used the 30-06 for those corn field shots that you get at least 100 yards sparkie!!

If you're new to high power (by which I think you mean centerfire rifle), the .300 Win Mag may not be the place to start. Enough shooters find the recoil of this cartridge to be objectionable that you should borrow one and try it out. Ask around, you should be able to persuade someone with a .300 Mag to let you shoot a box factory ammo (your purchase) through it, especially if you sweeten the deal by letting them have the empty brass (.300 Mag shooters tend to be handloaders). The .270 and the .280 are excellent choices for long shots on deer. The .280 has a bit more 'umph', but is a little harder to buy ammo for; the .270 is a trifle lighter, but is much more common. Both are much more than 'minimally powerful' enough for deer, either whitetail or mule. Both will kill any deer or elk that you hit in the right place, and out to about 275 or 300 yards, they shoot flat enough to just forget about trajectory. If you are going to own only one centerfire rifle, it HAS to be one that you can practice with, so pick a rifle that you can handle for 20 rounds shot in one afternoon. On that score, watch out for large magnums. I'm not AGAINST magums, they have some desirable properties, but they also have some costs & penalties. The .300 H&H Magnum has been around since 1925; if the big case was simply 'better, end of statement', how come the 30-06 continued, and how come a new 'medium' .308 Win has become a top seller since its introduction in the 1950s? There are no 'magic' cartridges that will make shots 300 yards further than their competition. And there are a large number of 'perfectly adequate' deer cartridges on the market, probably starting with the .250 Savage and going up from there. The deer hunters of the world are not close-minded traditionalists; if the non-magnums didn't do the job, they'd be traded in in a big hurry on something stronger. So go shopping, and buy a high-quality gun in any adequate cartridge, put a good scope on top, and it's easy to spend the next quarter-century in the field without ever encountering a fair shot at fair range that your outfit won't make. Cartridge comparisons sell outdoor magazines, so they get written about a lot more than they really deserve.

My personal choice for deer is the 243 its light to carry has low recoil its cheaper to reload for the exterior ballistics are almost identical to a 270 and if you get a chance to hunt elk it gives you an excuse to buy another gun another gun another gun