Which should I get for deer hunting... I have a .270 and I love it. I just really want to add another deer rifle for fun, and I don't want to go to a smaller caliber than the .270. I hunt from thick cover to open fields..... which one would you guys choose...30-06 or .300wsm.
Also if I added a 3rd deer rifle(after the .300wsm or '.06)--- what caliber would you choose would you choose next. (7-08, .308, 7mm wsm, .243, 25-06 or any others) Thanks.
Terry.. I have a .270 Browning ABolt II with Boss.... I want to add either an 06 or .300wsm (i have neither of them)... which one would you go with.. Also if I added one of those... what would be the 3rd rifle to add. Thanks
If you want fun, you need a big bore lever gun. Marlin 45-70 . I have a .444 Marlin and it is great. They didn't offer the 45-70 when I bought mine. If buying new I would get the 45-70 . If you can find a bargain on a .444 snap it up. Although those who bought the .444 don't get rid of them very often. They make a .450 mag but i would stay away from that. It's too new I would worry about ammo /case avalibility in the future. The .450 is a unique case. Might be hard to find down the road. The 45-70 has been around forever lots of brass out there, the .444 has a good following and brass is common .
Sorry I didn't read your post carefully. OK if I had a .270 already I would definitely NOT get an 06 as they are too similar in my opinion epecially on deer size game. Not sure what type of cover you hunt but the .270 would certainly handle the long shots. If you hunt closer cover I would take a look at a bigger bore. I and many of my buddies use .358 wins (now available in a BLR again), .35 whelens and .350 rem mags. As already mentioned the .45-70 and .444 are also awsome deer killers.
A good 3 gun deer battery would be:
.270 bolt action
.358 BLR Lever or 45-70 Guide gun
.300 magnum.
You would be covered for everything in north america.
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You have a .270Win and if you can shoot that rifle, you can take everything up to dangerous bears. If you are willing to only take shoots within the limits of your .270Win, you can certainly take elk and moose with that rifle/cartridge combo. To jump up to 30-06 is not enough reason to get a rifle, considering that the .270Win will do just about everything that a 30-06 will do and will shoot flatter then does a 30-06. The 30-06 will get you into heavier bullets, but with the newer premium bullets, you may never need heavier then 150gr.
The way you phrased your question, you may simply want another deer rifle. Okay, in that case, I'd opt for the 300WSM, over the 30-06. Again, you were talking strictly deer and wanting a three rifle battery. Okay, third piece a .243Win. The .243Win can prove to be a little light for deer, but if you get good with a rifle in that cartridge, it can be fun to pick shots on white tail deer and pronghorn sized animals and go for one shot neck shots. In terms of tack driving accuracy, you can get it from a well set up rifle in .243Win.
For deer the .270 and 30-06 are too close to see a real difference. The .300 WSM would be more of a step up in performance. Personally though, since you already have a fine cartridge for open areas, I would look at brush type or close quarters gun like a 45-70 lever gun or the new/old Remington 673 in 350 Rem. Mag.
If you don't handload, the 30.06 offers more varity of factory loads. There are two factory loads for the .300 WSM a Win. 150 gr. Ballistic Silvertip, and a Win 180 gr. Fail Safe. The 150 gr. Ballistic Tip will take care of medium game, and the 180 gr. Fail Safe will take care of large game as long as the rifle likes these loads. Good luck.
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Actually handloader there are at least 15 different factory loads for the 300 WSM. Winchester loads five of them adding the 180 grain accubond this year. Federal loads ten different loads, adding many new loadings this year including the accubond, barnes TSX, and nosler solid base.
As for the original question I would go with the 300 WSM myself. The 30-06 won't do anything better or worse than the .270. The WSM will fire the heavier 180 grain bullets as fast and flat as the .270 will fire its 140 grainers. After that I would either get a big bore lever rifle or a 338 of some sort or a heavy varmint/ target rifle.
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30-06 or .300wsm
