Rifle advice...

T

tynimiller

New member
I'm looking a little more in the future than I probably should but the chances of me going to Tennessee this upcoming year for whitetails is looking pretty positive (friend's 200 acres).

The thing is though while I'll be primarily Bow hunting...he stated I should also bring a rifle depending on how deer movement is going because a couple set ups will require a 100 yard shot or more. Now I may just use my muzzleloader, but it got me thinking it wouldn't hurt to have a deer caliber rifle (I'm a pure bow hunter almost, and sadly don't use any firearm for deer cept ML occassionally).

So thinking of a deer rifle got me kinda excited...then I realized my father wants to start building points for sometime in the future Elk hunt out west...

If in my shoes and you want to have a caliber capable of taking down an Elk but also not destroying a deer of all it's meat what would it be?

My thoughts had me to .270 or 30-06.....but anyone have another or a reasoning to choose one over the other?
 
My thoughts had me to .270 or 30-06.....
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This is a good place to start, now go look at rifles and don't over think the chambering. The .270 Win, .308 Win, .30-06, and 7mm Rem Mag are all about equal when it comes to elk if you choose the proper bullet and the most common for ammunition. You can add the .260, 7mm-08 and .280 Rem/AI to the list if you want something a little different to look at as well.
 
Either of those and any number of others would be fine. I'd go 270 of those two. Neither will destroy meat if you don't shoot meat. Both will if you do.

If by "100 yards or more" you mean maybe 150-175, your ML would (should) be just fine if it's scoped.

My favorite deer cartridge is 7mm-08 but it's all honestly personal preference. Anything from roughly 243 on up will be just fine for deer.
 
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270 or 30-06. Those two choices are versatile enough to cover pretty much all the deer/elk hunting you would do in NA at reasonable distances.
Find a rifle that feels good and the manufacturer probably makes it in one of those two chamberings.
For the immediate trip to TN, the muzzle loader will do you fine at 100-150 yards.
 
I would choose the 30-06. The number of different loads for it make it a very good choice for any animal on the continent. Don't get me wrong, I have owned a .270 and loved it but, the 06 is just a little more versatile in my opinion.
 
If you can do your bit, everything down to .243 will work...

A friend only shoots .243 and has never had a problem. I like real big bad boomsticks because they're fun. But they're not really more effective on most game.
 
I've hunted (and taken) many whitetails with my .300 Win Mag over the years and if you hit them where you're supposed to (behind the shoulder lung shot) you won't ruin meat. And it's the ideal elk rifle. If you don't like that idea go with a .270 Win. My BIL has taken a number of elk with it but he borrowed my .300 for the last two and has since bought his own .300 WM.
 
+1 for what Taylorforce said, I think you are over-thinking the cartridge. You want an all around cartridge and those are 2 of the finest, either will do the job.
 
Great info guys! The only reason I say I may need a rifle instead of ML is because I'm unfamiliar with TN hunting seasons...I know some states wouldn't allow ML to be used during rifle season.

.270 and 30-06...and I think I'll add the .300 win mag now are the top of my list. Thanks guys!
 
Recoil factor

Just did some quick recoil calc's on JBM for the 3 calibers you are looking at.

Used 8 pounds for all 3 rifles. May be light, but many hunters have gone to light weight arms.

270 Win: 160 gr. Nos Partition at 2830 fps = 21 ft. lbs recoil

30-06: 165 gr. Sierra at 2900 fps = 23 ft. lbs recoil

300 WM: 165 gr Speer at 3100 fps = 31 ft. lbs recoil

For a "non-shooter" you may need to consider this factor. Some people claim to be made of steel, but my experience at the shooting range indicates most shooters with cannons don't shoot very well. Dead is dead. More elk killed with 30-06 than you can count. 300 WM is probably a great caliber, but consider all things when you select.
 
For a "non-shooter" you may need to consider this factor. Some people claim to be made of steel, but my experience at the shooting range indicates most shooters with cannons don't shoot very well. Dead is dead. More elk killed with 30-06 than you can count. 300 WM is probably a great caliber, but consider all things when you select.
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That's a point. Shooting magnum rifle calibers probably requires a bit of seasoning / punishment by firing 50+ rounds a few times at the range to appreciate that yes, it does hurt a bit and makes a huge noise.

Once you're over that and out hunting you won't care. You'll shoot one, maybe two rounds and are conditioned already.
 
ML is fine if you can afford a miss. I doubt you would want to do that on any trip away from home. ML is simply not accurate enough beyond 100 yards (yes I know it can be, but there is a reason they invented rifles).

I would go with the .270. It has the same versatility as a 30-06 of which I am fond and own one. It also shoots flatter.

The only game you would not be prudent to shoot on North America would be grizzly.

Its a bit much for deer, but not hugely. Its the perfect elk gun, its a fine sheep gun and you can shoot moose if you ever get the chance to venture to the far North (as well as Caribou). Alaska will not let you shoot buffalo with it sadly (has to be over 250 grains I think)

All those other calibers up and down the mentioning scale will work, but none of them do it any better than a 270 (and you can get that round anywhere you travel in a variety of offerings, and certainly what's appropriate in the area you are in for what's being hunted as it will be right there with a 30-06 for that)
 
You have missed the .308. They are the 1,000 yard match choice for accuracy, so they have the long distance thing down. The recoil is light and the ammo adequate to qualify as a big gun. I keep trying to talk myself into one.

My friends all shoot 270s and they kill plenty of game. It is all a personal preference kind of deal.

Last I knew, the 270, 30-06, and 243 all shoot essentially the same with a given bullet weight for each. I think is was 130 270, 150 30-06, and 100 243. If you want to shoot lighter bullets but still have them over 100 grains, the 270. If you might want to shoot 180-250 grain bullets, 30-06. 243 wasn't one of the options it was just a comparison point.

I'm stepping down from the 30-06, it is tried and true, shoots bullet holes at 100 yards but is big, noisy, and has high recoil due to the handloads we shoot 150's at 3,000 (our light generic deer load), 165 NPs at 3200-3300 (for big critters) - basically 300 mag performance.

I also have 210 or 220 Nosler Partitions (unknown velocities) that will fully penetrate a 24-inch white pine at 150 yards. Aint no moose or grizzly that can stand up to that. Just as well, I don't like moose meat much, and not many grizzlies around here.

Get what you feel you want. The deer doesn't care what the bullet comes out of - if it has enough energy and a tough enough bullet to destroy the lungs, it will die.

100 yards is handgun range for many guys.

Last note - do you reload? Ammo is kinda pricey for the big guns.
 
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Reloading is a great question, while I do not three of my hunting buddies do so as it wouldn't be as cheap as if I did, it'll still beat buying good ammo off the shelves.
 
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