Jimmy S

I would definitely check out the .250 Savage....I have been using one for the last 40 years. Kinda heavy, very little recoil and enough "gun" to drop a whitetail on his tracks. Also with almost 3000 fps, this little gun can 'reach out' as well....

DannyD

blue ridge
I cannot personally vouch for the performance of the managed recoil 270 round. I have not shot it at a deer yet. I will tell you that I have talked to a few that have and all have said it performed very well. The longest shot anyone had at a deer was 155 yards and he dropped it quickly. The balistics given by Remmington have it slightly better that the 30-30 out to 200 yards. As far as having to re-zero your scope when switching from regular round to the MR rounds, the MR rounds shot 1/2 inch low and 1inch right at 100 yards from my gun

Carpmaster

260 Rem all the way....most impressivelight recoiling gun out there IMHO!!!

nchawkeye

ridge...I would also suggest a bolt action...because the trigger can be adjusted...I have a few pumps and autoloaders, in shotguns and rimfires, and I always end up stoning the triggers to help with letoff...I just hate a heavy, creepy trigger...for longer range shooting it really helps....If your shots are within 200 yards and you aren't that picky about the trigger...and you just want a pump...then get the pump...Forget about getting a quicker followup shot...one clean shot is all a hunter deserves....but...if you learn to work the bolt without taking the stock from your shoulder, you can get off good, accurate shots especially with an easy kicking round with a .243 plenty fast...The trick to "doubling up" in deer hunting is to let the deer come into the field and have a few minutes to get comfortable....then kill the lead deer...the rest won't know where the shot came from...and you can fill your freezer...Just make sure you drop them in their tracks...if they run, it seems that they get nervous...

I own one centerfire rifle...in .243...it was bought in 1980...its a Ruger M-77...so its wood stocked, blue barrel..I have free floated it, bedded it, have a 24 inch Shilen barrel installed and I adjusted the trigger at 2 1/2 pounds...for 20 years or so it had a Bushnell Scopechief 3x9x40...a $130 scope in 1980...I bought a Leupold VX-II 3x9x40 a few years back and sent it off to Leupold to have the heavy duplex reticle installed...I had a detached retna a few years back, and this reticle really helps in low light...With this gun I have killed foxes, coyotes, turkeys, groundhogs, beavers, crows, black bears and deer...at least 130 deer...I have never lost a deer hit with my .243, but...I have never gut shot one either...with a high shoulder shot or a high lung shot they drop where they stand....

I grew up in eastern NC...dad was a John Deere dealer..started hunting on my own when I was 10...Had a .22 with a Weaver1.5x4.5 scope. With that gun I have killed hundreds of squirrels...and dad gave you heck if you didn't shoot them in the head...We own 3 family farms...about 850 acres total...we plant cotton, soybeans, corn, wheat peanuts...etc...I have seen as many as 50 deer in one field...so we have to control them...we (brothers/nephews/friends ets) kill 45-50 deer a year....None of these are wasted...so I have skinned a ton of deer, killed with many different calibers from a 22-250 to a 300 Win Mag...to tell you the truth, it scares the he)) out of me when someone shows up with a big gun...I had a nephew show up with a .270 WSM last year...he has never killed a deer with a rifle (and he is probably 40)...Well...he still hasn't killed a deer with a rifle...but he has missed...twice with his new "deer slayer"...A good flinch has let many a deer get away...

Of the "regulars" that hunt our farms we have 3-.243s, 1-.260, 1-7mm-08,2-.270s and 1-.280...all are bolt guns, most are Remingtons, most have Leupold scopes...
They all kill deer, how quickly they drop depends on shot placement and bullet selection...broad side lung shot deer usually run 20-80 yards, whether hit with a .270 at 25 yards or a .243 at 250...gut shot deer are sometimes lost whether shot with a .50 caliber inline or a .260...in this case it depends more upon if the hunter can slip out of the stand quietly and come back in 3-4 hours to pick up the trail...

I used 100 gr CoreLokts until about 1995...since I have used every domestic loading except for the ballistic tips....my favorites are still CoreLokts, the 100gr Hornady loading, the Federal 100 gr loading in both Nosler Partition and the BTSP (I think its a Sierra bullet)...but...I found a surprise a few years back...the best long range factory loading is the Federal Premium 85gr BTHP...it penetrates as well as a CoreLokt, better than the Winchester PowerPoints and has more energy than any factory 100gr loading....at 300 yards its going faster than most 100 gr loading are at 200...sighted in 2 1/2 high at 100...I'm 2 1/2 low at 300...We have killed about 30 deer with this bullet...it gives a good exit hole on lung shots and will penetrate through both shoulder blades...I have alsokilled 2 bears that were eating our peanuts with...its a good load...Good Luck

Slamfire

.250 Savage or .257 Roberts are wonderful deer rifles. If you might someday hunt something bigger the .260 is plenty mild right up through the 140 grain elk killers. There were some Ruger compacts chambered for that last, and you couldn't find anything handier, but you might want to guard your ears with that 16.5" barrel.

Nicholal

Hey how about the ole.....25.06 nice flat shooting very little recoil. This round can reach out and touch something out to 400 yards easy. Nice light round 90-120 grSeen alot of deer around here taken with them. ( and we grow some big deer)

North Texan

I'll second the 25-06.

Alsatian

No, you won't have time to stick them in when the shot appears. Just put them in and leave them in. I don't use ear plugs, but I wonder if I ought to. I'm not concerned that I would be at a hunting disadvantage because of ear plugs -- I rarely hear my deer, I see them first -- but I would miss out on the pleasures of listening to the woods.

The electronic sound suppressors are expensive, but if they combine the best of both worlds -- listening to nature when there is no loud noise and protecting your ears when there is a loud noise -- that may be the right solution. Save money on a laser range finder and buy the electronic ear protection instead?

skeeter 7MM

If you want a 7600 pump their is nothing wrong with that, they are excellent rifles and while they maybe can't be tweaked like a bolt, the ones I have owned all shoot very well. However bare in mind the size and weight of a 7600 will enhance felt recoil/blast. I have owned 308, 3006 and still own 270 7600, the 270 & 3006 were pretty close in both aspects and IMO I felt the recoil more than similar chambered bolt rifles I owned. That would leave you with 243 and 308 to choose from, personally for my area the 308 win would be the choice hands down. However if you found the 3030 to cover all your needs than either may work fine and offer range improvement as well.

I now only use bolt myself,main reason is fit, second is accuracy obtained, third is simplicity of design & finally better shooting technique. I have found their is no reason to worry about the follow up shot b/c I make the first one count with my bolt & should theneed arise I can recycle the bolt fast enough for a more accurate follow up in any regard. If you consider a bolt the choice is much higher for what yourasking. I agree eitherthe 7mm 08 and 2506 would fit the bill grandly.

johnch

Find or build a 257 Roberts or 257 AI ,better than any 243 and not hard on either the shoulder or ears.

Johnch