I'm trying to decide which caliber to get for deer hunting. I already have a 30-30 for a brush gun but I need a field gun. My longest shots will be around 300 yds. What do you recomend?
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For me personally, i'd pick them in the order you have them!
I like the 280 Rem. best by far, out to 300 yards for deer sized game, but the 308 Win. will also work fine. As for the 7 mag's., they are over powered, in a longer heavier gun, that just isn't needed for this purpose.
Throw moose in the mix, and i'de move up to a 30-06 or 7 Rem. mag.
300 yards? i would just get a 30.06. Easy to find ammo in alot of different grains, and cheap. .308 would work well too but the 06 has a little more power.
What oldelkhunter said. Ammo, as well as rifles, are not as common for the .280 as for the other calibers mentioned.
However, if you handload, the .280 is a great choice. There are lots of 7mm bullets out there for every application, and the .280 performs only a little less well than the 7mm mag. The .280 will be a lot easier than a 7 mm mag on your shoulder and ears as well. Brass, bullets and dies can be had online if your local guy doesn't stock 'em.
never had a 280, but from what i understand its very similar to the 7mm rem mag. factory loads. however its alot harder to find ammo for and the 308 wont have the range of the other two. therefore go with thew 7mm rem. mag. great performer, lots of easy to find ammo choices.
The 280 all the way. I have had three 280 Remingtons and five 7mm Rem Mags. The 280 will do anything that the mag will do with less noise, muzzle blast and recoil. The one I have now has a 26 inch barrel and shoots real small groups. For deer it will do the job every time and works just as well on Elk or Moose. I took a big moose with it shooting the 175 grain Nosler Partition. It took two steps and bit the dirt. The 280 is by far the most under rated caliber in America.
Slayer-22 The 7mm Rem. Mag. and 308 Winchester are my favorite calibers. The 308 will get the job done at all yardages. This 30 cal. does great on most big game animals. The 7mm Rem. Mag. is exceptional for longer ranges where the game is in the range of Elk and Moose. The 308 has better energy and knock down power than the 30-06 until you get to the 190 gr. bullet and up. Both have a very good selction of bullets to match the game. If I had to pick one, it would be the 308 Win.
Good Hunting...
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.280, .308, or 7mm Rem. mag.
