I am getting my first deer rifle for christmas this year. I have hunted with my shotgun for a couple years and now i want a rifle. I will be using it for whitetails in michigan. Where i hunt i will probably be shooting less than 100 yds. I have shot 3 deer and they were all less than 50 yards. However i also need this gun to perform well when i go out to Montana next year for mulies and antelope. At first I wanted a .243 and im still thinking about it, I also am looking at the 7mm-08, and the .270. I probably going to get a savage rifle and put like a vari-x II on it. Can someone please tell me the pros and cons of theses rifles, and which one would suffice for shots from 20 yds to 300yds. I am also willing to look at other calibers if you have a better idea. Thanks for your help-Sam
You can' t go wrong with either the 7mm-08 or the 270. I' d pick either of these two over the 243 simply because they give you some more options down the road. I don' t think you' ll notice much of a performance difference in either at your ranges as well. I like the 7mm-08 simply because it is a short action, but that is simply personal preferance. You won' t be sorry with either. In fact, all from the 6mms to the 8mms will not be all that different on deer within 200 yards. Find something you can shoot & they' ll all kill deer effectively.
If you' re going to stick " solely" with whitetails, I' d opt for the 270..........and even possibly a 25-06. Nothin wrong with a .243 for deer, either (Bashin begin LOL)
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The more you cry, the less you have to pee
You can almost get 2 used Savages for $500 if you shop around. Last one I picked up was $245 but now I am seeing them in the $275-300 range. I don' t really pay attention to new.
Too easy a question - as long as you' re a normal sized adult, you' ll have no problem handling a .270, and it' s probably the second-most-popular caliber in the world, after the .30-06. The .243 is a fine gun, but for bigger whitetails and mulies, I' d prefer a little more umph. The only problem with the 7mm-08 is that you' ll be paying more and travelling further to find ammo for it. Get a .270, and when you' re buying $12 boxes of ammo from any Wal-Mart in America, you' ll thank me.
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' I had him to myself as he lay there in the crushed ferns - all by myself, a boy alone in a cathedral of oaks and cypress in a vast swamp...I knew then that I was the richest boy in the world as I stroked the hide of my first deer.'
-Ruark
FL/GA Hunter, there aren' t many Wal Mart stores that wouldn' t have 7mm-08 Rem ammo either. It isn' t any more expensive than 270 Win ammo. The 7mm-08 is finally coming into its own popularity wise and rightly so. It is an excellent cartridge.
Fair enough about the 7-08 being in Wal-Mart, but (and of course this is a small matter) if I were in a hunting camp in the middle of nowhere, and my ammo fell to the bottom of a lake, it' d be more likely I could scrounge up a .270 shell somewhere.
Also, my brother has to buy 7-08 ammo, I know for a fact it' s more expensive than .270 in this part of the country.
............
Just went to Bass Pro Shops online, and made sure I wasn' t spouting a bunch of garbage. For comparison purposes, I couldn' t find a Federal cartridge for 7mm-08, in comparison with every flavor being offered in .270. Also, for the same Remington Core-Lokt bullet, the 7mm-08 cost $2 more than the .270.
Now, of course, you should be buying a rifle because it fits you and your needs. However, all other things being equal, .270 ammo is much more available and cheaper. The 7mm-08 is growing in popularity very rapidly, but it' s still not in .270 territory.
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' I had him to myself as he lay there in the crushed ferns - all by myself, a boy alone in a cathedral of oaks and cypress in a vast swamp...I knew then that I was the richest boy in the world as I stroked the hide of my first deer.'
-Ruark
I love my 7mm-08. I' ve had it for 6 years, and it' s killed plenty of deer with no problem. My Dad offered to trade me for his 30-06 just because he really likes how short, and compact this gun is. It' s a Remington Model 7 Youth if I recall correctly. I' ve had it for 6-7 years - ever since I turned 11.
All of the Wal-Marts I have been to carry ammo for it, but I realize some may not. Sports stores like Academy, Oshman' s, etc. also carry ammo, and so do most of the gun/hunting stores around here. I order my bullets from a loader in South Carolina, and they' re quite expensive - damn worth it, though!
Hehe... 7mm08, you sure you aren' t my brother in disguise? He' s had is 7-08 since he was 12 (7 whole years ago), and it' s universally accepted as the best-shooting gun in my family. Now, that' s not saying he' s the best shooter in the family.
I honestly can' t say anything bad about that gun. It' s short, sweet, crisp, and beautiful. It' ll shoot with any caliber on earth. When posed with a question like this, though, you have to know all the information - that' s why I brought up the availability/cost question. I love my .270, and I know it' ll shoot with anything you bring to camp. On top of that, the only gun you' re more likely to see in camp is the ' 06.... there' s something to be said for picking the popular gun.
Bottom line, 7mm-08, .270, Nuge, you won' t be disappointed. Congrats on your new gun, and put some serious range time in. You' ll love it. [8D]
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' I had him to myself as he lay there in the crushed ferns - all by myself, a boy alone in a cathedral of oaks and cypress in a vast swamp...I knew then that I was the richest boy in the world as I stroked the hide of my first deer.'
-Ruark
Gettin my first deer rifle.
