I am down to using the 308 and 270 for everything. Both are more gun than needed for deer but with the right loads they can serve well for all NA big game. I quess mayby the perfect whitetail rifle in my mind would be the 6.5x55, 260 and 7MM-08 and 7x57 Mauser.

What James, no .243.... Sorry , I couldn’t resist...

I have been thinking about getting a .50 Beowulf and using it for an all-around gun. I was pleasantly surprised by the ballistics. The only thing about it is the ammo prices for it are kinda high.

I butchered a deer this year that was shot at fairly close range with a .300 Win Mag. It was a broadside shot, perfect bullet placement, 150 gr bullet, no exit wound. Let me tell you, what a mess. Blood and what-have-you was forced in between the layers of flesh and muscle on the off side, it was just amazing. What ordinarily would have been a "clean kill", really wasn't. It didn't help that the field dressing job was one of those stem-to-stern deals, I never did get that....

My cousin bought a Ruger 77 stainless/synthetic in .338 win mag for black bear hunting here in Minnesota about 7 years ago. It was his only rifle so he carried it for deer also(I know what you're thinking, I thought the same thing). One year we did a drive and a doe took off running straight across broadside of him roughly 35 yards. He shot twice, both times missing. After the first shot he startled that doe so bad she kinda did the splits with a nose plant into the snow while urinating everywhere. She got back up digging for life when he shot again, she did the same thing.She got up the last time, took off andnever saw her again! Apparently she didn't like the sound ofthose 210gr partitions were making going by her.

ditto here, i tote the wifes 260 more than any gun i own, but i am guilty, in the late 70's i bought my first "magnum" a ruger #1 in 7mm mag. and i have owned several since, my last "no brainer" was buying a model 700 in 7mm STW, i do hunt some big bean and corn fields (thus justifying my purchase), but the last time i shot over 250 yrds was long ago. now i enjoy shooting the 260 and like mentioned in another post most of my shots have been from 30yrds to a little over 200, and the 260 has proven more than capable for all of them. i dohave a 7mm-08 in an encore pistol, i have limited myself to 150'ish with it, but i no longer suffer from "magnumitis"...

but i'm not gonna hammer the guy that wants to hunt with a 300mag or one of the wsm's, the main reason, i don't want anybody telling me that my gun is too powerfull or my bow is not really a primitive weapon ( there are people that frown on people that even hunt with a rifle) . but as far as magnum purchases are considered, i think i have a gun for every situation i'll ever encounter, and don't anticipate ever buying any other magnum caliber, the only big game i hunt are whitetails anyway[&:]

Nope, No mouse gun.

I have a Browning Micro Hunter with a 20" barrel in 7mm-08 and a Micro Medalion in .308. I like them for the deer hunting I do in Pennsylvania. Yes, the barrels are a bit short but it does the job for me. Can't see the need for much more firepower than these calibers.

It's like this guy I know who bought one of those 50 BMG bolt action rifles. I asked him what he planned to do with it and he said he wanted to see what it would do on a deer!!! Plain ole stupid. He can't even afford a scope for it. Just plain nuts. My 270 and I will most cerainly be able to manuever the woods alot better.

Whatever blows your skirt up.