Devin asked:
i am in the market for a new deer rifle and i have narrowed my choices to .270 .243 and 7mm through talking to experienced hunters. i hunt in mostly open terrain so a shot of up to 300 yards would not be unheard of. also i have never shot any of these guns. what kind of recoil do they have in relation to a 12 guage shotgun? and what brand and model would be most dependable and long lasting? i would prefer this be my only deer rifle i need in a long long while. also i have a limited budget of about $350. thanks in advance!
i am in the market for a new deer rifle and i have narrowed my choices to .270 .243 and 7mm through talking to experienced hunters. i hunt in mostly open terrain so a shot of up to 300 yards would not be unheard of. also i have never shot any of these guns. what kind of recoil do they have in relation to a 12 guage shotgun? and what brand and model would be most dependable and long lasting? i would prefer this be my only deer rifle i need in a long long while. also i have a limited budget of about $350. thanks in advance!
All I can say is Savage 111 package .270.
The price on the website says $499.00 but I have seen it on sale for $329.99. Plus you dont need to buy a scope or even need to sight in the scope because it is bore sighted
All three cals. will take deer sized game at 300yds. Recoil relative to 12ga. 243. think .410 270. think 12ga. 7mag. most of them will rock you. With a $350 budget I’d check the gun shows. If I was buying new on that budget I’d go New England Arms in 270. You should be able to get rifle scope rings and base for around $400.
The 7MM will have a good amount of recoil. Any bolt action will be a good choice. Maybe consider a .25-06 caliber. You get the light recoil of a .243 and the flat shooting of the .270 caliber. I use all three, but my favorite choice is the -06. Savage makes an affordable bolt action in all of the above calibers. You can also find a Remington for a good price.
Also, disregard the advice of the guy who said you don’t need to sight in a bore sighted rifle. That is ridiculous! Bore sighting only gets you on paper, so you can have an easier time of sighting in your rifle.
The Savage is your best bet on your budget and it does come with a scope. Savage is dependable and suprisingly accurate for the price. Marlin has also came out with a relatively affordable bolt action this year. Like Ranger said always sight in your gun before hunting with it.
Well in history your traditional 30/30 has killed the most deer. If you plan on not exceeding 200 yards it’s a great gun.
If you’re a big hunter or plan to be get you a .270 plenty of power and it’s a great gun.
My personal preference is a rifle chambered in a real common caliber…. The .308…… The .270 is best but its what I call more of a connoisseurs cartridge…. In my opinion the .270 was and is designed for deer and not much else…. The .243 is a little to light for long shots… I’m sure its ok but its just on the lower edge for stopping power in my opinion…. 7MM??? haven’t a clue….. No experience with it…..
Consider the .308 cartridge… Its excellent for deer without being over powerful like a 30-06…. Another advantage to the .308 is this – during the off season if you want to target shoot, .308 is available cheap in bulk…. No sense going broke enjoying your rifle…..
Check out this .308 cartridge guide… Its geared more towards the target shooters but the info is still quite valuable for a hunter…..
And check out the ballistics… It still has way more than the 1000 foot pounds of energy at 500 yards required for white tail deer……….
$350 Budget?……. Hmmmmm….. Consider the Stevens (by Savage Arms) ……
As others have said,the Savage rifle packages with a scope are the way to go. As to caliber for lower recoil .243,25-06 or 270. In that order.
The 30-06 and 7mm magnum have a bit of recoil. Many can’t shoot them well but won’t admit it. The other option is a lever gun chambered in 30/30. If you use the new leverution ammo you can make up to 200 yard shots. Also 30-30 ammo is cheaper to practice with and a lever gun has a quicker follow up shot. There are plenty of good used 30-30′s with scopes in your price range.
243, recoil compared to a 12ga? A mere fraction.
For deer alone? I would have to say the .270. I love mine. It is light in recoil and powerful enough for deer. Google “rifle recoil chart” to get the pounds of recoil on the rifle, and “shotgun recoil chart” to get the poundage of the shotgun and then compare. I have heard good things about the 7mm too, but for 300 yds the .243 seems too small.