ORIGINAL: Amorpatriae
i suppose my original inquiry has created some tangents or evolved into more questions from me. less recoil isn't my main concern, but i would like a round that will have the best expansion at a range less than 100 yds. the longest shot on the property is roughly 140 yds.
i've completed one season on the property and we haven't quite found the deer's pattern. i've spotted dear from as close as 30 yds and as far as 100 yds. a rifle that will fit this range comfortably is what i'm looking for.
the deer i harvested this past season i took with my 280 at 60 yds, but it felt to me as "too much rifle" (if that makes any sense) for that distance. i have my eye on hangun hunting after i get a couple more seasons under my belt.
You are not over gunned. I’ve read your post and I am trying to understand what you’re looking for. If your stated max range on this property will not exceed 150 yards then the marlin lever action 336 is an awesome choice. I have one in 35rem and it tends to anchor deer in short order. I have mine zeroed at 135yd and my longest shot was 168yds, which it performed flawlessly. A 280 is considered a high velocity round and HV rounds have a reputation for poor terminal performance at short distances mainly due to frangible bullets designed for long range shots, where the velocity will have dropped. Modern bonded core bullets have alleviated this somewhat. A good bonded bullet should perform well even at the shorter distances you mentioned. If you still want a different riffle than your 280, you never have enough, than by all means get one. Any sufficient caliber (totally diff question) bolt in a non-mag short action or a marlin lever will do. Before you buy a new bolt check out the handling of the marlin. It is short, shoulders well, and for me just handles great. It is my “go to” riffle for tight situations and in my climber because of this. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll haul my varmint ruger 25-06 up a tree with me if there is even a chance at a longer-range shot, but my marlin is more comfortable to have with me in a climber. Besides the marlin is relatively cheap and depending on caliber, ammo is easily found.
good hunting