HD Road King

How would a .270 or .280 work in the heavy brushy woods of Northern Minnesota? I have been reading quite a bit of positive remarks on either of these calibers. Which of these calibers would be the better of the two? I used to shoot a 30/06 Woodsmaster years ago but I sold it. I am totally unfamiliar with this caliber of gun. My Dad's guns were always heavy hitters, other than his little .35 Remington. I wish that we still had that one, It was a great brush gun. I am planning on shooting Muzzle loader next year and just purchased a gun for that. Iwas thinking of going in and putting a rifle on lay away next week. I was kind of interested in the Tikka bolt action with the synthetic stock. Would this be a good rifle in that caliber or would there be a better gun to go with? Brand and caliber wise? I would like to keep it under $850.00 if possible but I also like to get the most gun for the money. One other thing as long as I am asking, what round would be the best for starting out with the Tikka? I am planning on going with no scope but possibly an aperture sight.

Thanks,
Mike

HD Road King

Guess I should have been paying better attention to what I was doing. I think this was supposed to go under the guns forum.

Mike

TerryM

The .270 or .280 ( .270 ammo is much easier to find though ) will work perfectly for you in any type of cover thick or open country. As for the Tikka, its the best value right now in a bolt rifle. Buy it.

XTP

Either one will work just fine in the brush as well as reaching out for longer shots. Like already said, ammo for the 270 will probably be easier to find on the shelf of the local stores.

HD Road King

Thanks Terry,
I really like the bolt action rifles and I really liked some of the reviews on those Tikka's. What brand of ammo would be best to use with the Tikka as far as for chambering? I was first going to grab a Pro Hunter Encore and get the .270 or .280 barrel for it. I get a little worried as to the hinging barrel getting a little free play in the break breech design.. I ended up going with a Knight ML bolt action, so I figured might as well get a reguler firearm also to cover all of the bases.

Now I need to get into my local shop and check the prices on one of those. I am not sure if the Tikka is available in the .280 caliber,Thompson offers it on their Encore series though.

Thanks again,
Mike

ejpaul1

If you dont reload, dont get the 280. A pal of mine has one and and that is his only complaint. 270 oughtta do it. EJ

HD Road King

Thanks E.J,
That is what I have been hearing about the .280, hard to find ammo for it. Do you live in MN or WI by chance? I have been talking with a few guy's on the .270 and they are pretty firm on the .308 & 30-06 for our dense cover here. I have talked with a few guy's from Canada and they seem to really like their .270's. My Dad always liked the bigger calibers, so the .270 was a new caliber for myself that had really caught my interest.

Mike

Matt/TN

im gonna try fusions out of my 270 when i get it in a few weeks, ill let you know how it works out!!

HD Road King

Howdy Matt,
That would be great! I used to have a 30-06 years ago but I sold that gun, it was a semi auto and I really like the bolt action models. I was planning on either putting the Encore or Pro Hunter on lay-away this coming Friday. They only have 1 P.H. in stock and the Encore is marked down to $500.00. I have a Knight Master Hunter .50 on hold that I am picking up immediately after X-mas. I was kind of thinking that the Encore series would be nice for the optional barrels. I am now thinking that having two ML's will lead to one favorite and the other will sit idle. Those Tikka's have really caught my interest right now. They seem to have great reviews and I really like the price. Especially when considering that the barrels for the Encores are not the cheapest item. I would be able to get the entire Tikka rifle for only an additional 200-250.00.

If I decide to do the Tikka they will need to order the one that I want in, so I don't need to rush down and order one right now. I could hold off for a few weeks anyways, all though I am getting kind of itchy to put some money down on one, especially while my Wife is saying to just pick
one.

I will look forward to the review,
Mike

Brush hunter

If your going to hunt heavy brush, might I suggest handgun hunting. The one I use is a BFR 45/70 10" barrel.