Hey yall this is my first post on this website so i'm a newbie. I've been hunting for about 4 years now and i am wanting to move up to a new gun. I've just about got my heart set on a Browning A-Bolt, but my question is what caliber should i get? I have been considering the 7 mag, .280, .270. I hunt in northwest alabama and most of my shots ranges from 15- 450 yard shot. I have been hunting with a marlin 30-30 and i just don't trust it too much outside of 100 yard shot. I really like the 7 mag but i don't want it to be overkill. I've have also heard very good things about a .280. If you anyone has any input i'd appreciate it.

I do not think the 7mm is overkill. I hunt deer with one in FL, and elk in Montana. You can hunt all kinds of game with it, and if you are going to have only one gun, I would go with the 7mm. If you wanted a gun only to hunt in AL, I would think about a .270.

Have a good season!

7mm and the .280 have very comparable ballistics, with the 7 a little better at longer ranges. The range of ammo you can buy for a 7mm is broader as well. they both would make good deer/elk combos with the right bullets for each species but I would prefer the 7mm. welcome to the boards. good luck

The 7mmremmag is a great choice as it has a reasonably flat trajectory and is suitable for game from deer to moose.

Bama, I agree also with stubble and,

Alright thanks guys. Does any of you shoot or have a 7mm in a browning A-Bolt synthetic stock and stainless barrel? This is what i'm leaning toward right now.

I have owned a stainless stalker in 7mmremmag.My rifle had the boss which I would avoid due to the extreme noise and the shorter barrel on boss equipped guns.I also did not like the tang safety or the a-bolt magazine system.The rifle was reliable and accurate though.

Also, you might look at the ruger m77 in stainless. I just bought one last year in 7mm wsm and love it. Avoid those dam muzzle brakes. They suck. Everybody at the range will hate you and 1 shot in the field w/o protection can cause permanent damage.

I would highly recommend a 7mm mag, or 7mmRUM for those distances. It won't be overkill unless you make a bad shot. A 100-yard shot square into the pelvic girdle with a structurally weak bulletwill leave you with 1/2 of a deer.

I use 300 wby and it's fine. I'm comfortable at any range out to 400. 7mm offers similar ballistics.

If you get the A-bolt the BOSS is not purely evil, but it is real loud. If you want the "tunability" of the BOSS you can get the Conventional Recoil model.

I have a Winchester 70 with a BOSS in a 7mmRemMag. Last time I took it to the range I shot a 5 shot group that I could cover with a nickel, using factory ammo. So, needless to say I like the BOSS system.