Pawildman

HDW............Glad you brought that up......Kinda been thinking the same thing myself. If recoil sensitivity is a problem, any advice to switch to shotgun/slugs is gonna make things worse. Lighter calibers are probably the best route, combined with a heavier total gun/scope weight. Some of the "featherweight" rifles out there can give a pretty good jolt just for that reason. A combination of lighter caliber and heavier package should help a lot.

elgallo114

If it's just recoil, I'd go with a .243. I think this cartridge is about the smallest you should go for deer, and it kicks like a pellet gun.

Best part is availability of rifles and ammo in this caliber. Not very expensive either.

Rebel Hog

Very good advice!

DANTHEHUNTER

So now we are back to the 30-30 !!! Light recoil ,100 yard range, great bullet availbility , Cheap to purchase. I always wanted one in a bolt action with a 22 or 24 inch barrel to see the preformance of the round in the style of rifle.

crimedog

Why hasn't anybody mentioned the 35 whelen? If it's recoil sensitivity what kind of 280 rifle is it, if you have one of the mountain rifles it will appear you have more gun than you need but the 280 is a great round (wish I had a Remington CDL in 280) and not too much gun for 60-100 yards, it's just not a good round in 6 lb rifles. If it is recoil sensitivity try a heavier gun or one of the Remington autoloader's 7400 or 750 in 243 and308. I too do not like recoil but a gunsmith can install better recoil pads than factories install, and having a gunsmith fit the gun better to your bodywill help alot.

If you just want a round more suited to short range work which I have and is the 750 remington autoloader in 35 whelen, ammo is difficult to get but well suited to the work you are looking at. Nothing is wrong with 30-30's, 357, 44, 41, 308, 243took my first deer with30-30 and would use it anytime, I have just graduated to bigger rounds with the help of gunsmith's.

HighDesertWolf

a 300 grain bullet at 2100 fps that sound about even with my muzzle loader and to say the least it kicks a hell of alot harder then a 243 bolt gun try more like a 300 win mag for comparison.

buckstalker1187

For smaller than .280I would suggest 250 savage 257 roberts or a 25-35 in winchester 94. These are smaller (meaning in bullet diameter.) They also have less recoil. A .243 is smaller than the 280 and also has less recoil, but does have better capabilities than the 100 yard rangeor less that you seem to be looking for.

Even the 250 savage and 257 roberts will be lethal on whitetails beyond 100 yards.

Were you asking for a caliber thats maximum effective range was 100 yards or less and that is smaller than .280?

Thereare very few rifles that fit that billand are smaller than .280.
The 25-35 , and 25-20 are about the only thatI can think of that would (ONLY) be effective inside 100 yards and. And I honestly wouldn't use the 25-20. My choice would be the 25-35 and even that is still effective beyond 100 yds.

There are a few in the larger calibers that are good (inside) 100 yds. they are the 44 mag, 357, 32-20, 32-40, 38-40, 38-55. And in my opinion, I would only use about 3 of these rounds for deer inside 100 yds. And also good luck finding some of these cartridges and the guns that fire them. You can find them , but some might cost an arm and a leg.

If you want less recoil,I would go with what alot of the other members are recommending. .243,.244 rem, 6mm, 250 savage, 257 roberts, 25-35, 25-06, 6.5mm, 7mm-08, 7-30 waters, 300 savage, 30-30.

Most of theseare considered (mild) cartridges, and they have all killed thier fair share of deer. However, They can and will all be effective beyond 100 yds. If I had my choice between the list of sub 100 yd guns and this (mild cartridge list)...... I would choose any of those mentioned on the mild cartridge list over the ones mentioned in the short range list.

JagMagMan

Again, I believe that the so-called "brush buster" is a total myth!
So, I don't think that you can EVER be OVER GUNNED, for power, or range!
Murphy's law comes into play when you think that "I'm not going to get a longer shot, so I NEED a short range gun!"
Sure as you go that route, a long range shot will present itself!

My motto is, " LONG range guns/calibers CAN make a SHORT shot! SHORT range calibers CANNOT make a LONG range shot!"

DANTHEHUNTER

mello_collins

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