Guns anyone?
 

I'm looking to buy a new hunting rifle. Deer and bear mainly. But maybe even moose or elk someday.

I like the .270 WSM. But I also like the Remington 300 Ultra Mag. 300 Weatherby magnum looks like a good gun as well.

Anyone own any of these? Or have a suggestions?

Thanks.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I like and owned magnums ,but the higher ammo and reloading component prices get, the more appealing standard, common calibers become to me.

270, 3006 & 308 kill all that stuff way out there ,all day long.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I'm not too worried about the price of ammo for something that will perform better. The way I look at it, right now I pay $1.75 a shot. one shot, one deer. my meat is dirt cheap compared to what people pay for other meat. And I get to do some fun shopping.

I'm willing to pay $2.72 a shot. Get more for your money if you do your research. I just wont take it to the range

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I say the 270 is a good bet its a good all around but if you like magnums and willing to pay like you say those won't hurt either it will definitely increase your chance of making the deer immobile by completely blowing off limbs lol

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I'd go .30-06.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

For the bigger animals I would bump up to a 30 caliber.
Either the one you mentioned or consider the .30-06,
as I believe this bullet is one of the most versatile loads.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

06 is hard to beat

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Mags aren't needed for elk or moose.I'm a 7 mil fan so my choice would be either a 7x57,7-08 or a .280.Any of these would work just as well with the proper bullet/shot placement out to 400yds which is plenty far enough.If you cant get within that range you don't deserve it anyway.Plain'n simple truth.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Win 7mm mag would be my choice. I love mine. Can bump down to 150 gr for deer and up to 180gr for elk ect....Great gun, smooth, flat shooting and accurate.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

The thing is, you may think ammo cost doesn't matter because it's just one shot a year...but I think you should probably fire a box or two at least before going out. Really, that seems an absolute minimum. Make sure the scope hasn't been adjusted. Remind yourself of how shouldering feels, and get into the habit of taking a knee, using a sling to pull the rifle in, or take a seat. Remind your body how to do a smooth reload with the bolt or lever to get off a second shot. I've heard stories of people who fired one specific round, from one specific manufacturer...and then found a new box shot wildly different (this, of course can be mitigated by handloading).

Buying a rifle and expecting to only take one, or two, or three shots a year seems like the wrong approach. Both the rifle, and caliber, need to be something you like to shoot and feel comfortable with. For me this was the first year hunting since I was young, but I had a friend who formerly owned a gun store and had an arsenal. I couldn't shoot her Springfield bored to .300 Win Mag, but a .308 Savage 99 fit right. The ammo was cheap to practice with (all handloads in military brass), and the 165 grain hunting loads she whipped up had enough power to enter, punch through the spine, and exit the other side with a minimal hole. If anything they were a bit too powerful for a whitetail.

I don't think you can go wrong with any caliber that has been mentioned (and some that haven't been mentioned). Find a rifle that you love, and don't worry if it's the perfect caliber. Then shoot it until you feel comfortable.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Thanks for all the feed back. It has helped me a lot.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

WEATHERBY 300 MAG all the way. i took a bear with it in saskatewan and a couple of deer in new york. doesn't kick very much and shoots like a dream with A luepold VXII on top

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I own a 270 weatherby vanguard synthetic & a 300 weatherby vanguard deluxe. The 270 is great for whitetails & OK for bear. The 300 weatherby is a little much for whitetails. Well, atleast it is in the 180 grain bullets that I used. However, if you will be taking longer shots, the 300 weatherby only drops 3-4" at 300 yds. I think that eather would be great. I am personally looking at the 270 wsm. It seems like the best of both worlds.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I use a .270 or .243 for deer, but I use my 300RUM for elk. I would trade or sale about any gun I have for the right deal, but someone would have to get real stupid to get my 300 RUMfrom me. It's the best big game rifle I've ever owned in my 40 years of hunting. Every now and then a guy just gets lucky and finds a real shooter that gets the job done. I just don't think I would ever part with it or quit using it.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I have a Browning A Bolt in the .270wsm and i just love it. I don't plan on getting rid of this one.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

shot placement is key

my browning X 270wsm is great for small and med size game
now the Remington 700 300 ultra is by far one of the funist guns to shoot u can put great long range numbers on the board with it as far a knock down power goes it is great for big game north america hunting

for elk i use my 30-06 everytime can punch it out easy at 400+

now for bear depending on where and what species it is grab a 300 Rem Ultra

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I prefer the 300 Remington Ultra Mag. Out preforms all 30 calibers except the 30-378, and delivers more kinetic energy than the 338 Win. Mag. Great all around Big Game rifle.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

i would say a 30.06 as well. But if Deer and Blk Bear are your main targets, the 7mm-08 would be my first pick.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Get a plain old .270 Win, and a .300 Wby. and you'll be set for just about everything!

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I agree with everything these guys are saying.... I'll just throw in my $.02 to say at least check out the 35 Whelen. I've been a hunterfor quite a number of years & if you're looking at deer/bear/elk/maybe moose it certainly does it all. Little less velocity/a little more mass. Shoots about as flat as a 30-06 and packs a lot more punch. Throw on a PAST recoil shield & recoil is no problem!

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Don't get me wrong ... but .... during a typical season I will hunt with probably 40-50 different folks. I know of none that use any of these 3 cartridges. Why ? Right off the bat I would think that some might be the expense of factory ammo. You shoot say 200-300 rounds at the range, which I would think would be a minimum each year to keep in tune with the rifle .... you are talking $400 - $500. The other is that you are going to have a problem finding a wide selection of any of these cartridges, if any at all, once you get off the beaten path. Nothing wrong with a 30.06 Spr. for a one gun selection.

Having said that ... of these, the 300 RUM seems to be the most versatile.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

This statement is hilarious. I just wish that the price of my ammo was all that I had in my venison. If so, I would be eating really cheap. I am reloading my hunting rounds for under 50 cents per shot.

Truth is, I could literally eat T-bones every day of the year for what I spend on hunting and still probably save money. I would bet that most if not all hunters could do the same, but it is not about the money or the meat for me. I just love to hunt.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

The most expensive part of hunting is the gun and scope. I just want something that will do all I want it it. I would reload my ammo myself but I don't have time to do that. I'm a student athlete and I work on my family's farm. I don't support a family. I don't pay taxes or anything like that. I don't pay to go on big hunting trip to a deer ranch to kill a deer with a big rack, I walk out in the back yard. I don't pay someone to butcher my deer for me. I drag the thing home to my shed and use the same knife that I sharpen myself whenever it needs it. I sure don't go to a shooting range to shoot up a box or two of ammo just to see what I can find out at my house. I understand shot placement is important. Once I sight in my gun so I can hit anything I aim at, I take it in the woods and shoot bottles at the ranges and places I'm expecting to be hunting at. Then it sits in the safe til hunting season starts. Then I take it to kill deer because that of of the few things I'm good at.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

Well in that case then get yourself a TC and you can get multiple barrels and use your magnums on your elk and moose even though you dont need it but it only will help in puttin them down. WCL

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I would have to dissagree. Where is the need to shoot alot if you know your going to be sitting in a stand taking restign shots at all of your game. Thats no different than shooting at a range. Go to the range take two shots if its on and you drilled your target why keep practicing. Some people cant afford to shoot alot nor need to shoot alot depending on their situation. I put a scope on the muzzeloader this year took 5 shots to sight it in and first shot at a doe she dropped. If you are comfortable with your equipment and know it shoots true and check it before the season great if you want to shoot alot and practice everythign thats great too. WCL

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I'd stick with either a 270 or a 30-06. Nothing you hunt in VA is going to requirea magnum caliber. If you want something a littledifferent than some of the "norm" calibers,split the difference and get a 280. I'dhave to agree about the cost of ammo. I've been shooting Barnes TSX.Pretty pricey, but when my wife freaked about an article about lead in pregnant women, I figured what the heck. So look at all the other hunting crap you buy, whats another few bucks on premium ammo?

RE: Guns anyone?
 

HUH????????? You hunt with 40-50 people and non of them shoot a 300 or .270. I dont buy it. There really isnt a cheaper deer round out there than the .270. Besides the 3006 those two calibers are some of the most common deer hunting rifles out there. Unless these 40-50 poepl are hunting shotgun only I dont beleive non of them hunt with eitehr of these two choices......... Now or the other big hh???????? What hunter shoots 200-300 rounds a year with their rifle. That is just rediculous unless you beleive that a deers vitals are the size of a quarter. I'm very confused by your logic here. WCL

RE: Guns anyone?
 

+1
maybe he's a guide.... but BS on that. And who the hell shoots 200-300 rounds of hunting ammo a year? What the heck for? Whats to be "in tune" with? Shotguns are another story, that is a "feel" shot. Rifles? Uh, put X here, squeeze trigger.
What is so hard about that? I'd bet that alot of hunting rifles havent had 200-300 rounds through them in their lifetime.

RE: Guns anyone?
 

I live in alberta canada.. every year i have a tag in my pocket for deer, elk, bear, and on occasion a moose. You dont need a magnum anything for what you want to hunt.. I use a 06 for everything, it shoots very well to 350 yards. Buddy has a 300 mag and his distance isa lil bitlonger.. but ill tell you he shoots a whitetail with that magnum and you are tossing away 30% of the available meat on that animal,, and he takes almost twice the kick with that gun! get an 06 with a good scope,, get some good shooting 165 grain bullets and you can kill any animal in north america with that round!

RE: Guns anyone?
 

300 Win. Mag. shoots the exact same bullets as the 06. A little more velocity is the only difference. I've shot several deer with the 300, and had minimal meat damage. The worst damage I have seen done to a deer, as far as meat , was done by a 22-250!

RE: Guns anyone?
 

For all you have mentioned,...30-06.....,but for bears other than Black Bears, minimum of .338

I used .270 for Dear, Hogs,Black Bear andElk for many years. In 1995 I switched to 6.5mmSwede and killed my first Moose and Black Bearwith it and has killed many Dear and Hogs...

RE: Guns anyone?
 

+1

Almost brings a tear to my eye....All you need in this world is a 22 long rifle, 12 gauge, and a 30-06.