which is a better whitetail mountain gun?
- Thread starter cody ross
- Start date
mxsailor803
New member
Personally, depends on the shooter. Do you like the recoil of a .300win? I don't. I'll take the 700 in .270 all day long. At the ranges you are talking about, a deer wouldn't know the difference either.
steveNChunter
New member
"If the hunter does his part, the .270 will not let him down." - Jack O' Connor
^ ^ Words of wisdom.
The .300 wm is over-kill even at 250 yards and the model 700 is a way better rifle than the 770.
A 150 gr .270 will cleanly take any animal on this continent with good shot placement.
^ ^ Words of wisdom.
The .300 wm is over-kill even at 250 yards and the model 700 is a way better rifle than the 770.
A 150 gr .270 will cleanly take any animal on this continent with good shot placement.
Boomer58cal
New member
Well I'm not a big fan of the 270 personally( nothing wrong with the cartridge it just doesn't like my fire ), I will be the first to admit that it is a fantastic dear cartridge and will easily dispatch a deer at 250 yards.
The 300 Win Mag is blatant overkill on dear.
Boomer
The 300 Win Mag is blatant overkill on dear.
Boomer
Nearly all of my centerfire rifle hunting (excluding varmints) has been with a Remington 700 left-hand .270 or a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker left-hand .300 Win Mag. The .270 is excellent for large whitetail deer or anything smaller and is fine for elk. I've used my .300 for elk but if I ever hunt elk again it will be with my .270. 
Both rifles will shoot better than MOA with my best hand loads. I took my biggest 5 X 5 mule deer at more than 400 yards in Wyoming with the .270 and a Nosler 130 gr. Ballistic Tip. The deer walked about five yards after being shot. I took my biggest elk, a 5 X 5, at roughly 20 yards or so in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana with my .300. He ran about 20 to 25 yards after being shot. On that same hunt I took a 130 lb. Black Bear at more than 400 yards with the .300. The bear dropped instantly. (Black Bear don't get very big in that area.) The bullet for both the elk and bear was a Nosler 180 gr. Partition Protected Point designed expressly for the long .300 Win Mag.
Both rifles will shoot better than MOA with my best hand loads. I took my biggest 5 X 5 mule deer at more than 400 yards in Wyoming with the .270 and a Nosler 130 gr. Ballistic Tip. The deer walked about five yards after being shot. I took my biggest elk, a 5 X 5, at roughly 20 yards or so in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana with my .300. He ran about 20 to 25 yards after being shot. On that same hunt I took a 130 lb. Black Bear at more than 400 yards with the .300. The bear dropped instantly. (Black Bear don't get very big in that area.) The bullet for both the elk and bear was a Nosler 180 gr. Partition Protected Point designed expressly for the long .300 Win Mag.
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I have a .300 win mag 770 and I'm one of the very few on this forum that will praise the gun. The .270 is a good cartridge and it has been around a longtime for a reason. Where I hunt there is a steep drop off so I hunt with my .300 mag over my model 700 .243 for a reason. The .300 win mag has the power to bust through both shoulders and drop the deer in its tracks. I've also dropped deer with a .270 ( neck shots). I don't mind tracking a blood trail as I actually find it fun, but when it comes to mountains and drop offs I want a cartridge that prevents a deer from running long distances. And I will admit that my .300 mag with good shots has let deer run, but no more than 25 yards. The big question is can you shoot a deer with the .300 mag without flinching and making a bad shot. I'm a big guy, so the recoil of the .300 mag doesn't phase me.
I would generally say the .300 is overkill for deer. But if you are hunting in mountain brush it might have an edge over the .270 because if you nip a leaf or twig it might not be deflected as much.
But in general I say shoot what you shoot best that will get the job done. For me that is almost always a S&W 7mm Rem. Mag.
EDIT: OK, you can not overkill something unless you keep shooting after it is dead. But what you use can be a factor in how much unnecessary damage is done to the parts you want to keep and eat.
But in general I say shoot what you shoot best that will get the job done. For me that is almost always a S&W 7mm Rem. Mag.
EDIT: OK, you can not overkill something unless you keep shooting after it is dead. But what you use can be a factor in how much unnecessary damage is done to the parts you want to keep and eat.
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Cody- there isn't a such thing as "overkill" for a deer.... Unless your shooting a. Cannon. Deer have a will to live when they are shot. The people that call a .300 win mag are people that shoot paper and don't have the shaking rush of adrenaline when pulling the trigger on a living animal. Now if you lit the fuse on a civil war cannon pointed at a deer I would call that overkill. Get the word overkill out of your vocabulary. It's a .300 win mag, not a cannon. Hunt with the big caliber that your comfortable with as long as the recoil doesn't mess up your shot placement..... If fear of recoil gets to you then you would be better off shooting a deer in the neck with a .22 ( been there, done that)
I have hunted many of years and 15 years of them with the 300 Win mag for whitetail and black bear. Killed many of both with excess damaged meat. I had to use 180grain to avoid massive meat trauma from shoulder shots. It was way over kill. Much like using a 10lbs hammer for pounding in finishing nails. Yea, it works but you look like a amateur using such a over size tool for the job instead of a skilled carpenter. 
I came from the bigger is better camp to a enlightened state. I now use a 270 and its still more than enough for any size deer at any distance. 150gr is too heavy for deer and is better for elk and moose. 130grain will drop most elk and any white tail clean. If damaged meat you are worried about, use a 130gr bonded bullet. 270 is actually a very popular elk caliber so deer are a non issue.
Go to 2:15 to see how fast a 270 130grain dumps a big elk at distance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQsRIfuLp7c&list=FL4Se-AcaSUHderIK7Ng0BZQ
I came from the bigger is better camp to a enlightened state. I now use a 270 and its still more than enough for any size deer at any distance. 150gr is too heavy for deer and is better for elk and moose. 130grain will drop most elk and any white tail clean. If damaged meat you are worried about, use a 130gr bonded bullet. 270 is actually a very popular elk caliber so deer are a non issue.Go to 2:15 to see how fast a 270 130grain dumps a big elk at distance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQsRIfuLp7c&list=FL4Se-AcaSUHderIK7Ng0BZQ
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steveNChunter
New member
All these comments from people who say there is no such thing as overkill must not process their own deer.
I'd rather have a .223 and know how to put the shot exactly where I want it than to have a .300 win mag and have the false belief that I could be "off a little" and still make a clean kill.
The biggest rifle I currently deer hunt with is a .25-06, and yes I've even used a .223. I haven't lost, missed, or had to track one more than 50 yards in years.
And the reason I missed or had to track back then was because I was a kid and didn't know how to shoot.
I'd rather have a .223 and know how to put the shot exactly where I want it than to have a .300 win mag and have the false belief that I could be "off a little" and still make a clean kill.
The biggest rifle I currently deer hunt with is a .25-06, and yes I've even used a .223. I haven't lost, missed, or had to track one more than 50 yards in years.
And the reason I missed or had to track back then was because I was a kid and didn't know how to shoot.
A true "Mountain Rifle" is one that weighs no more than 7.5 lbs all up and ready to hunt with and closer to 7lbs or less is better. This includes the scope, mounts, full magazine, and your sling. Caliber is not important, any flat shooting chambering from 6mm up to the 300 magnums is fine for most game. Since light weight is the primary goal of a mountain rifle most people tend to work with chamberings 30-06 and down. The 270 you have is as good as any and better than most. The question is, which model 700 do you have. Some can make the weight limit, most cannot. At least not without a stock replacement and other modifications.
You don't have to spend a fortune to get weight down. Simple things like choosing a short action chambering, lighter scopes, mounts, and slings can make a difference of 2-3 lbs with the same rifle.
270 vs 300 mag. Both have near identical trajectories. With premium bullets in the 270 it will give you virtually identical results when game is hit on all North American game short of a 1400 lb coastal brown bear. If deer are the largest animal hunted a 243 is more than enough. Nothing wrong with a 300 mag either if that is what you want to use.
Flat shooting rounds work just as well at 50 yards or less as they do at much longer ranges. This is where a variable powered scope comes in handy. Set at 3X or less is about perfect for close shots. 6X or greater will be all the magnification you need for 400+ yard shots.
You don't have to spend a fortune to get weight down. Simple things like choosing a short action chambering, lighter scopes, mounts, and slings can make a difference of 2-3 lbs with the same rifle.
270 vs 300 mag. Both have near identical trajectories. With premium bullets in the 270 it will give you virtually identical results when game is hit on all North American game short of a 1400 lb coastal brown bear. If deer are the largest animal hunted a 243 is more than enough. Nothing wrong with a 300 mag either if that is what you want to use.
Flat shooting rounds work just as well at 50 yards or less as they do at much longer ranges. This is where a variable powered scope comes in handy. Set at 3X or less is about perfect for close shots. 6X or greater will be all the magnification you need for 400+ yard shots.
The recoil does get to me even tho I'm 6,3 200lbs. I've missed 2 bucks since opening day with over the back shots. They were free hand from the .300 at about 75yrds. I think I'll use the 270 the rest of the season and practice with the gun a little more over the winter. But as for you people saying the .300s overkill. My dads hunting the same mountain, same deer with a 338 ultra mag. Guess he's getting to old to track the deer!
Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
No difference in performance whatsoever, except whatever error is introduced by the shooter. Most folks shoot lower recoiling guns better than higher recoiling guns.
tahunua001
New member
it depends what idiot you ask. I once knew a guy that claimed that 300 win mag was the best deer gun ever made. I shot my first elk this year with a 300 that was replicating win mag loads and the bullet went right between the eyes and travelled all the way down the neck before it exited through a front shoulder. about 2 feet of heavy bone and muscle penetration and a lot of ruined meat, not something that I would consider a good deer gun.
here's a few facts/observations.
1. both will kill a deer within 1000 yards, most shooters can't shoot far enough to hamper a 270 or 300 against deer.
2. the 270 is almost certainly lighter than the 300 unless the 300 is in a super light aftermarket stock and the 270 has a wood stock and leather sling/cheek pad with bullet cups. mountain hunting is not very fun when you are packing a heavy rifle but larger calibers are not fun to shoot if they are too light due to heavier recoil.
3. you are more likely to kill something with a gun you are more familiar/comfortable with. is that going to be your 300 or your dads 270?
4. the best memories often include your own gear. I found that when I borrow gear, I tend to forget what I borrowed and from whom. I can remember every animal that I've killed with my own gun and what I used to do it with.
that list is worth exactly what you paid for it but perhaps that can help you with your decision.
here's a few facts/observations.
1. both will kill a deer within 1000 yards, most shooters can't shoot far enough to hamper a 270 or 300 against deer.
2. the 270 is almost certainly lighter than the 300 unless the 300 is in a super light aftermarket stock and the 270 has a wood stock and leather sling/cheek pad with bullet cups. mountain hunting is not very fun when you are packing a heavy rifle but larger calibers are not fun to shoot if they are too light due to heavier recoil.
3. you are more likely to kill something with a gun you are more familiar/comfortable with. is that going to be your 300 or your dads 270?
4. the best memories often include your own gear. I found that when I borrow gear, I tend to forget what I borrowed and from whom. I can remember every animal that I've killed with my own gun and what I used to do it with.
that list is worth exactly what you paid for it but perhaps that can help you with your decision.
ChasingWhitetail91
New member
Might not cut it when it comes to the 250 yard shots, but I wouldn't look past the 30-30 for a nice mountain gun. You can find nice lightweight bolt models for those long stalking days too.