looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I am looking at purchasing my first deer rifle. My friend told me to look at a savage 270 short mag. I didn't know what other people thought and if someone has something to sell that would be good let me know. Thanks.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Well you need to tell us where you will be doing you hunting. What type of terrain it is, what is the farthest shot you will have?

We will be inclined to reccomend two completely different rifles and cartridges to different types of hunting situations. IE...... long "bean field" type shots in the open Texas brush country VS. very short shots along the Eastern and Southern US.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

cousin of mine got a left handed browning .270wsm for christmas. its a salty little dude. should be a great deer gun but woudn't recommend on awful long shots. good luck.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I will be using it for deer hunting. I will be shooting no further than 200 yards mainly in pastures and woodlands in kansas and texas.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

With this being your first deer rifle and shototing deer out to 200 yards I would highly reccomend sticking with the regular .270 Win. It will do absolutely anything you would want it to do on deer size animals and do it for about 1/4th the cost of the 270WSM. The savings would allow you to thoot the rifle much more and get some good practice.

Other good suggestions would be any of the cartridges based on the 308. Such as the 308 itself, 7mm-08, & 243

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

What do you think of a Browning A-Bolt 270 winchester. I had a guy offer one to me for 500. I saw that there was a guy selling a winchester on this website for 400 but haven't been able to get a hold of him.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I agree with BB on this for sure. If you are talking deer from 0 to 400 yards, the regular 270 is all you need. However if the 270 WSM is in a rifle that you like better then there would be nothing wrong with that either. Graig Boddington recently wrote a good article in which he said the 270 was in his opinion, the best deer rifle going. He added that for that reason the 280 would be just as good. The browning A-Bolt in either caliber would be hard to beat. However on my retirement income, the Savage would get my vote. If it was just a money issue the NEF 270 Handi rifle for 200 bucks new would save some serious money.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I have a Savage model 110 in 270 winchester that I got new for about $320. It is extremely accurate and good quality for the money. It will kill deer from probably 400 yards easy. I think it is one of the best values for a rifle.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Go with a 270 Win.A couple of rifles I might suggest are a Remington 700 ADL or the Ruger M-77. I have a Remington mentioned and it's proved to lay them low.The Savage is a great rifle for the money.Being your first rifle I wouldn't go overboard buying a high dollar rifle until you decide what you really want. The Brownings are great rifles.I might suggest a 30-06. They are a good all around cartridge.Get a caliber where you'll be able to find most places.Some of the newer cartridges maybe harder to find.Example I went to Wally World the other day. I asked for 7mm08. The woman looked at me like I was crazy.She never heard of them.They carry all of the common calibers,not saying the 7mm08 isn't but that's one she didn't have a clue about.Yes she looked under the counter.

Ruger Redhawk

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

When you decide what you want, let me quote you a price on a new one.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I recently went through the same decision. I was thinking about buying a .270 rifle in preparation for moving to Montana (for school). However, in the end, I ended up getting a 30-06 Browning Medallion. I got a tremendous deal on it though - prior to me buying it, I was considering getting a Winchester Model 70.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Get an ole .270 or .30-06 and youll have a jam up hunting rifle.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I agree w/ Borty77

get a .270 or .30-06

As far as make, I like Browning & Remington.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

get a 30-06 it will do any thing the 270 will do and a little more. I personally like remington but for the money you cant beat a savage they are a real shooter!

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Just check out all the models and see which suits you best.

Can't go wrong with either the .270 or 30/06. Ammunition is cheap and available at every podunk outpost you can imagine. Good killing power to 300-400 yards, easy kills to within 200.

Practice, practice, practice, good reason to go with the traditional .270....or 30/06.

I have one of each, can't go wrong.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Even though you will have more ammo to choose from with the 270 Win., I would go with the 270 WSM. The ammo offered for the .270 WSM should cover all bases. The 130gr. and 150 gr. show a pretty good increase on velocity, but the 140 gr. is close to .270 Win. velocities with the same bullet. Good luck.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

For your scenario the regular .270 will fit the bill nicely. However, if in the future you want more thump to hunt larger game then you can get the .270WSM right off the bat and use that. I'm in the middle of getting one right now from beebecl, a Savage 12FVSS in .270WSM. I'll be sure to leave feedback on that and give a report on the rifle when I get it.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I believe a person would find if he used both that going from a 270 Win to a 270 WSM is not going to offer much as far as moving up to bigger game. There is not much difference in the two. You may or may not gain 150 fps. If you had a 24 inch 270 winchester the gain would be even less. Anything you should be hunting with the 270 WSM can be taken by the 270 Win. as well. The 270 WSM is a very good rifle and one I would like to have but I wouldn't buy it if having a more powerful rifle was the raeson for the purchase. In the field, the difference is not there.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

Have you shot both in the field? If ballistic tables are any indication and first hand accounts from other hunters/shooters the .270WSM packs much more of a punch than the regular .270Win
I keep seeing a few scattered statements like yours but nothing to corroborate them.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

I have shot both in the field. From the book the 270 WSM shoots a 130 gr bullet 3307 fps. The 270 Winchester shoots the same bullet at 3158. The 150 gr, WSM 3007 the 270 Win. 2905 the 160 gr. WSM 2975 the 270 Win. 2828. This is when both guns are using a 24 inch barrel. There is a little difference but not enough that any animal would ever know the difference. The difference is not enough to claim that the WSM is in a different class as far as what animals it will take. What one will take, so will the other. Both are fine rifles and if things work out, I will have one in the Savage rifle. I have been reloading for and using one belonging to a friend of mine. Right now I don,t have a 270 if I already had either, I wouldn't buy the other.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

James, doesn't the WSM have a marked advantage in Energy delivered though? I know the .270 is a great caliber, I'm just saying not to downplay the added (albeit small) benefits of a .270WSM. Granted, if I already had a .270 there is little argument to get the .270WSM unless you just wanted to play with a new caliber; you'd have to go to some 30 caliber bullet or larger to go a step up from the .270, but I'm not talking about that. I'm comparing the two on their own merits against each other, since the individual that started this thread doesn't seem to have either yet. The WSM does have slightly better trajectory as well especially with the heavier bullets, for the stat junkies in us.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

There is a little difference just not enough to make any difference to me. However my main point is that both calibers are suited to the same kind of hunting. The 280 and 25-06 and even the 7mm08 and 6.5x55 would be in the same group for me. To move up to bigger game for me would requre at least 30 caliber with 180 grain bullets. That said though I am one who believes that the 270 is gun enough for everything in NA except the Grizzly and Polar bear. Of course the 270 has taken them as well.

RE: looking for 270 for first deer gun
 

i would go for the .270, not the .270 short mag. the mag is loud , and you dont gain anything from it. as for a model, i would reccommend a savage model110 or any savage.

happy hunting