first off, Hello from Idaho

First hunting trip for "big game" complete:
borrowed 7 mag
1st shot at rock to test recoil, perty stiff (compared to 12 gauge auto w/ target loads on quail, chukar ect.)
2nd shot at 4 point w/ seven does, he was 100 yards broadside at trot. he took two steps, stopped, head down, feet up. Owner of gun 200 yards up on hill thought I was shooting at does (didn't see buck) or that I fell & shot myself (heard< BOOM..WWWAAAHHHH!!!) perfect shot thru H&L It was better than what I had fantasized BTW recoil imperceptible

I now must have a rifle, put this one on lay-away. 1/2 paid off but not too late to change, worried about availibility of cartridge on 10 yrs. ect

http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodin...d=940&cat=001C
winchester ultimate shadow ( camo/stainless) in 300 wsm if link dosen't work

IMHO, good rifle, good cartridge.
Work well for elk too!
EKM

Hello Idaho, and welcome.
I guess first thing comes to mind is given your success with the 7mm, why you didn't pick a rifle in that chambering?
In any case, I'd have probably gone with a plain old 300 Win. Mag., but the 300 WSM should prove ok. I suspect it will be around down the road, but then again if not, it's
always a good excuse to either get into handloading ammo (if your not there by then
anyway), or to buy a new rifle.

BTW, congrats on your first buck!

Great gun, but if you are just hunting deer you can save yourself a lot of recoil by looking at smaller cartridges which will still do a fine job. The .243, 7mm-08, and .260 are good light cartridge choices, if you want a little more range the .270 is a fine choice and has a lot of available ammo out there.

As others have pointed out above, this is not just a deer rifle, but an elk, moose & bear gun as well. Since you live where all these critters can be hunted, you've made an excellent all-round rifle selection! Good luck!

I think that the 300WSM is a great all around caliber. If the ammo stays available great, if not its a great excuse to start reloading. I think the 300WSM has the jump on the remington short mags, which may mean that it will survive while the other wont, even though they arent much different.