speedgator

I changed the title of the thread to reflect where it's headed.

pa_yote_hunter

i too am looking for a rifle, and am considering the T3 Lite, or the Ruger All Weather......sorry to throw another rifle into the fray, but if you ever have the time check it out......anyway...keep posting info guys cause this is a helpful thread to me

speedgator

From what I have read, a lot of people are satisfied with the Ruger, I dropped it from my list due to the fact that I'm now undecided as to caliber (either 270 Win or 7mm Rem Mag) and the Ruger in 270 would come with a 22" barrel. I'm looking for at least a 24", preferably 26" though it seems 26" is for tactical.
Hope this info helps you some.

speedgator

Looks like I'm dropping the Tikka as well. Recent recall on their barrels and no 24" on their .270 Win. I guess it'll be the Weatherby Vanguard Stainless, now to decide the caliber...anyone care to chime in? I've searched and read to the point where my eyes are almost bleeding. lol

C. Davis

Speedgator,
I have the walnut stocked Vangard in .270 caliber. I am very pleased with it. I like the combed buttstock. If I was getting a 7 mag, I think I would go with the Vangard for the extra pound, and the longer barrel.
I got it about 5 years ago for a hunting trip to the Hill Country in Texas. My prefered Marlin woods gun didn't have the range I needed for that kind of hunting. I killed two bucks with it, both at about 180 steps down in a little valley fence crossing. I am used to those 30 yard shots in the woods with the Marlin, and 180 steps seemed like a mile. I just put the crosshairs on the shoulder and pulled the trigger.

I think you will like the Weatherby Vangard.

C. Davis

speedgator

Thanks C. Davis, the barrel length and extra heft were indeed major considerations for me.
As for the caliber, would you say .270 Win or 7mm Rem Mag? What's the better all-around for the greatest variety of game? Your input is greatly appreciated.

C. Davis

Speedgator,
I'm not sure what the biggest thing you plan to hunt is, but many people use a .270 for elk. The 7mm. Rem Mag has a slight gain in velocity, and you can go up to about 175 gr. bullets where the .270 stops at about 150.

When I think of both calibers, the first thing that comes to my mind is whitetail deer. My favorite deer rifle is my Marlin 30-30, but if I had to choose one deer rifle to cover every scenerio, it would probably be a .270 Win.

C. Davis

speedgator

The 7mm Rem Mag was recommended to me due to the fact that this will be my first, and most likely only, rifle for a while. Hence the people telling me to go 7mm Mag was because they thought it covered more game.
In looking at the ballistic charts, trajectory and recoil though I'm not sure of their advice. Perhaps the .270 would cover all my needs and be easier for me to shoot, I'm not sure. I'll post up my research in the next few replies and perhaps you can help me read into the pure numbers a bit more.

speedgator

Rifle Ballistics
In the table below bullet weight is given in grains, velocity is given in feet per second (fps) and energy is given in foot pounds (ft lb). General abbreviations used below are: MV (muzzle velocity), ME (muzzle energy), V (velocity), E (energy), yds (yards), Wb (weight of bullet). Abbreviations of bullet types are: SP (spire point), Sp (spitzer), BT (boat tail), HP (hollow point), FP (flat point), RN (round nose).

Cartridge (Wb + type)-----------------MV (fps)----V @ 200 yds----ME (ft lb)----E @ 200 yds
.270 Win. (130 Sp)-----------------------3060---------2639------------2702----------2009
.270 Win. (150 Sp)-----------------------2850---------2183------------2705----------1587
7mm-08 Rem. (140 Sp)-----------------2860----------2402------------2542----------1793
7mm Rem. Mag. (150 SpBT)------------3110----------2751------------3221----------2520

speedgator

Rifle Recoil
Recoil of over 20 foot pounds will cause most shooters to flinch. Fifteen foot pounds is probably about the maximum recoil energy most shooters feel comfortable with. Recoil energy determines how hard the blow to the shoulder feels, recoil velocity determines how abrupt the blow to the shoulder feels. Recoil velocity above about 10 fps begins to feel like a sharp rap rather than an abrupt push. I estimate that 15 foot pounds of free recoil energy and 10 fps of recoil velocity represent the upper limit of the comfort level.

In the table below rifle weight is given in pounds, free recoil energy is given in foot pounds, and free recoil velocity is given in feet-per-second. All recoil values have been rounded off to one decimal place.

The formula is: E = 1/2 (Wr / 32) (Wb x MV + 4700 x Wp / 7000 x Wr)squared.

Where E = recoil Energy in ft. lbs., Wr = Weight of rifle in pounds, Wb = Weight of bullet in grains, MV = Muzzle Velocity of bullet in feet-per-second, Wp = Weight of powder in grains.

Cartridge (Wb@MV)-------------------Rifle Weight---Recoil energy---Recoil velocity
.270 Win. (130 at 3140)-------------------8.0--------------16.5--------------n/a
.270 Win. (150 at 2900)-------------------8.0--------------17.0--------------11.7
7mm-08 Rem. (140 at 2860)-------------8.0---------------12.6--------------10.1
7mm Rem. Mag. (140 at 3150)-----------8.0---------------19.1--------------12.4
7mm Rem. Mag. (150 at 3100)-----------8.5---------------19.2--------------12.1