Deciding on which rifle to buy

J

jpPGA83

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I am just getting into hunting with rifles, mainly for deer... I have hunted birds before with .12 and .20 gauge shotguns. But anyway, I am looking between the Browning X-bolt special hunter .270wsm or .300wsm and a Winchester that is not in their catalogs but is similar to the Model 70 Ultimate Shadow in .270wsm.

Any suggestions??

Thanks!
 
An X Bolt Special Hunter only comes in 325WSM according to Browning's site. The regular X Bolt Hunter has several more cartridge choices that are better for deer, like the 270, the 280, the 30-06, the 7mm-08, the 25-06, the 243, or the 308.
 
Browning X-bolt in .30-06. I can't get enough of this sweet piece of Japanese-American hardware. The craftsmanship is flawless, you will not be let down!
 
My advices is stay away from magnum cartridges for your first rifle. The cost of ammunition is more expensive, and most people usually acquire bad shooting habits right away even if they think they are used to recoil because they shoot shotguns. The main difference between shotguns and rifles is that shotguns are rarely shot from a bench, where recoil is magnified.

Do yourself a favor and look at cartridges starting at .243 Win and going no larger than .30-06 or .308 Win. There are a lot of cartridges in between the two that make great deer rifles. Plus the recoil from these cartridges are more manageable for the beginning rifle shooter.
 
I own both a 270 WSM and three standard 270 Winchesters.
I handload all my own ammo.
I can tell you this; The WSM is not very far in front of the regular 270 in equal barrel lengths. Not enough to justify the extra cost of the brass. My 2 custom Mausers have a 24 and a 25 inch barrels and my 270 WSM has a 24 inch barrel. The WSM is faster, but it’s never measured more then 90 FPS faster. In many loads it was only 35 FPS faster. I chronographed a box of factory Winchester ammo and it was 22 FPS slower then my regular handload in my 24” Mauser.
If I were you, I'd stay away from the short mags and look real hard at a standard 270, 280 or 30-06.
If you like a short action, look at the 7-08 260 Remington and the standard 308 Winchester.
Don't drink the cool-aid.
"New and improved" is usually not improved.
 
Plus 1 for what Taylorce1 states. There is nothing wrong with the short mags IMHO but for a first rifle better to stay with something that kicks less and is more affordable to shoot.
 
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Good ol .270, .308 or 30.06 would be real hard to beat and ammo is everywhere and at a decent price. :) For the first deer rifle don't go with a magnum whizbanger.
 
I own a Browning A Bolt in .30-06 that I have been using to hunt with. The last hunt I used it on was Feral Hogs. With a 180 gr bullet it was a one shot kill. The Hog fell right over where it was standing. If you are hunting just deer I don't know if a magnum is worth the cost and recoil unless you are making longer range shots in clear areas.
 
"Mainly deer."

I'd go with a far more abundant and less expensive round such as 30-06Springfield or 308Win.
Click to expand...

30/06, .270 WIN, .308, .243 and .30/30 are the top sellers for hunting ammo year in and year out ...... ammo easily available, and half the price of oddballs like the short magnums...... unless you handload, the short magnums are an expensive proposition .....even if you do handload, finding brass could be ..... problematic..... not to mention expensive.

My advice to a new shooter wanting to get good with a rifle is to find a used rifle in a common caliber in decent shape ...... check the consignment racks ...... put the best scope on it you can afford, and learn to handload, so you can afford to practice more.
 
If you want to go with the 300wsm, then by all means, go for it. The recoil on the wsm is just a little more than the 30/06. As you have stated, you have had experience with the 12 ga. and its recoil is about the same. I own 30/06 and 300WM. I have also fired the 300wsm while helping to develop reloads for it. It is a fine cartridge for both deer and elk. Its biggest downfall is the price of ammo, but if you reload, the cost will be considerably less.
 
.308 or 300 WSM; X-Bolt, Savage Weather Warrior, Ruger Laminate Compact

A .308 will do everything you need at 0-500 yards for deer. Although the 300 WM is more popular, I'm now getting a 300 WSM because I prefer modern and more efficiency (but I still love my M-14 & SKS!! :) Doing the research, I wouldn't go with a long action anymore, when the short action, WSM's are technically better (with very little loss of speed) [Unless I got a .338 Lapua Magnum :) Wonder when Lapua will develop a short version of that too ;) .338 LSM??] A short action rifle is can be a lighter weight design. Opening a can of worms? ;)

A 300 WSM will take down anything in North America (but anyone with great shot placement can probably say the same thing with any decent caliber). I'm most likely getting the X-Bolt Stainless Stalker (or the blued) and put a VAIS muzzle brake on later. VAIS is hands down the best, not because it reduces recoil 40%+ but due to the fact the NOISE level does not go up - like every other brake design. I put this brake on my previous Ruger Laminate Compact and couldn't believe the difference.

Reason for the WSM is that the ability to take large game down at 4-500 yards. From deer to elk to moose, longer ranges are not a problem with a 300 WSM. Reload using the new Hodgdon/Hornady Superformance powder and 165/168 grain bullets (the 165 match or exceed 180s, so really no need for 180s unless your going for dangerous animals or bison).

First time, my recommendation is any X-Bolt you like or a Savage Weather Warrior. If going to a magnum (or any lightweight rifle), get a VAIS muzzle brake. I prefer the X-Bolt's quality and 1" shorter barrel (23" vs 24" on the Savage).

I started with a Savage 10 FP (.308), got a Ruger Laminate Compact (.308, 16.5" barrel), then Remington SPS Tactical (.308), Norinco M-14S (.308), Norinco SKS (7.62x39mm). Reloaded .308, .223, 30-06, 300 WSM. Now my all around hunting rifle will be 300 WSM, just because hunting is only 3-4 months of the year here (really only 2 for me) and I don't want to own multiple rifles for hunting. A 300 WSM will do everything and take anything, at any distance that I can comfortably shoot. A VAIS MB will take care of the recoil (and MB noise issue).

I was a newbie to "real" guns (although shot since I was 10), slowly learning and maturing in shooting and reloading. Thanks to all the great research on the net, in forums like this and learning the hard way.

If you're only shooting deer at reasonable distances, a .308 (or 7mm-08) is probably you're best choice and recoil is minimal (don't want to develop a flinch and bad habits). In fact, I would recommend the Ruger Laminate Compact (great "truck gun" or carry rifle) with a VAIS muzzle brake - but reload with faster powders like Benchmark or I think XBR 8208 was good too. Slower powders like 4064 had too much flash or unburned powder with the short 16.5" barrel. I think this is the best carry rifle around though, due to it's size.

Hope you're happy with whatever choice you make. Either way, it's all a great learning experience, won't be your last rifle or caliber...probably ;) Let us know what you end up with and your experience!
 
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