I am trying to decide what caliber rifle to purchase. I am not totally ignorant to shooting. I shoot shotguns, muzzleloaders and mostly small caliber rifles. I have shot but do not own .270, 30-30 and 30-06.

I know for certain that I want to buy a Ruger MKII as this is a family thing.

Brother has a .270
Dad has a .30-06

I need to get a different caliber. This may seem a bit silly but I dont expect this to be my last rifle so why not do something fun.

I hear all the talk about SA ultra mag's 7mm vs .300's.

I hopefully will be using the rifle for long range shooting open fields. I live in the Norhteast hunting whitetail. I would imagine the .270 is a flat shooting rifle perfect for this task but like I said I want a different caliber.

I would like to get a different caliber that would do this and maybe offer a little more "punch". However I dont want something that is totally unpleasant shoot. I dont want the gun to recoil with enough force that I dont enjoy shooting it.

This is the following calibers that Ruger lists for that model.

.223
.22-250
.220 Swift
6mm
Rem .243
Win 6.5 x 55
Swedish .257
Roberts .25-06
7x57 mm
.260Rem
.280Rem
7mm Rem Mag
7mm Rem. SA UltraMag
.308
.300 Rem. SA Ultra Mag
.300 WSM
.300 WinMag
.338 WinMag

I understand that some of this is personal preference but some advice would be great.

...go with the 280 Remington... it gives you really good ballistics with the 7mm bullets, but won't kick as bad as the 7mm Mag... It's a great cartridge...better than the 270, in my opinion.

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana

I prefer the 7mm magnum over the 270 or 30-06 as it shoots flatter and recoil is manageable for most people.

300 Win. Mag. Good luck

7 mm Rem Mag. It is a one up on the other family members and will do what you want it to!!!

If you are using the rifle strictly for long-range deer hunting (how long?), I think a .25-06 would be a nice and unusual number up there in the Northeast. For deer, it does the job just as well as a .270 and is more fun than a .30-06.

If you just want "more punch" go with a 7mm Rem Mag. The ammo is easy to find and the cheapest of all the magnums.

IMHO, a .260 Rem or a 6.5x55 Swedish are very different and are among the most effective deer rounds ever designed. You will be the coolest dude in the woods with either of these 6.5mm cartridges. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting

Edited by - seattlesetters on 11/06/2002 09:56:07

I would go with the 25-06. This is a great long range deer cartridge with low recoil. It's also a great woodchuck cartridge and hunting woodchucks is good practice for long range shooting.I use the 100gr hornady sp for both woodchucks and deer.

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First find someone with a mag rifle and beg them to let you put a box of ammo through it. Don’t just shoot it once or twice. Then you will know whether or not you a willing to live with the mag rounds. Even the short ones kick more than a 165grn 30-06. Personally I’m not really comfortable with a mag, with out a heavy rifle or a muzzle break. The 280REM is a good in-between of your family’s calibers; basically a 30-06 necked down to accept a 7mm bullet. It is a great compromise between flat shooting and significant weight at impact. Don’t dismiss the 260REM. The little bugger is loaded to 60000cpu which is a lot of pressure and fairly fast. My favorite is the 25-06REM, it puts them down quickly every time. If you really want to make them jealous, look at the varmint model in either 25-06 or 308. I have one in 25-06 and every one loves it but, it is mine and I won’t give it up.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/rfpages/km77vt.html

Mike



Edited by - mello_collins on 11/06/2002 13:52:47

3rd vote for the 280 rem