New Elk/Deer Rifle.
I have been wanting a new rifle for a while. I live in northern PA, and I want a rifle that would be able to handle deer and elk out to 300 yards. How are the T/C rifles price and accuracy wise? For deer I use a .270 Winchester. I also have a .303 sporter Enfield. What do you guys think?
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I think if you're like the rest of us, you can come up with excuses for buying five or six more, but if you want to be technical(God forbid,) ya already has all ya needs..
There are no bad guns, only bad people.0 -
Bill,
if you are looking to hunt elk out to 300 yards, and beyond, you need to up-grade to at least one of the 300 magnums. I hunt with a 300 Weatherby, on a pre64 Model 70 that I love, and have yet to find anything that it comes up short on in the accuracy, and kill department. Absolutely the flattest shooting 300 out there, unless you get into the really expensive exotics.
and the 7mm is always a good choice for those particular species. It does a good job, and the ammo won't kill your pocket book. The one thing you will find when searching for the "perfect" rifle/caliber for your situation, there are more opinions than there are choices, so pick the one that suits your needs, and go for it!
Before you buy, try and shoot it if you can, makes all the difference in the world!
Good luck!
BigBarn[:o)]
"Respect the land, and it will respect you"0 -
I bought a Remington Model 700 BDL chambered in the 7mm Ultra a couple of years ago for the exact purposes you stated in your thread. Check out the ballistics (especially the 140 gr Nosler Partition), look at the price of the rifle and ammo (of course you'll not want to cheat yourself on optics) and I think you'll agree, this gun will more than do the assigned job. IMHP the 7mm Ultra is worth considering! 0 -
Here IN Pennsylvania most of your shots are under 200 yards, I don't know if I need a magnum 7mm or .300. I am a small guy, 120 pounds, while I can handle my .270 with no problem, a gun like an Ultra Mag or a Weatherby will tear me apart. Anyone have an opinion on the Contender or Encore rifles? 0 -
Without a muzzle break the Ultras will hurt. The 7mm rem mag would be my suggestion. It is not bad felt recoil if you put on a aftermarket recoil pad (sims limsaver). The ballistics are fine for the range you listed and the variety of bullet choices/wieghts make it nice for both deer and elk.
Mad Dog0 -
You mentioned T/C rifles. If you are interested in a single shot, look at the NEF handi's. Great guns for the money. The ones I have shoot just as well as the more expensive T/C's. But I am a poor, working guy! My wife's 243 handi will group less than 1 inch at 100 yards, and with me pulling the trigger, that is saying something! Daughter took 2 does with it this past weekend, so it does the job that needs to be done! 0 -
Can anyone here suggest a hunting load for elk and bear for the .270 Win.? My friend Matt got a beer last year using the 140 Nosler Partition. How would this round hold up on elk? Any other bullets you think would perform as well? 0 -
The Nosler Partition's are excellent performance-wise and will tear that 'beer' up just fine!! (sorry...couldn't resist!) The 270 has likely accounted for many Elk over the years and with the right bullet (like the Noslers) will really get the job done. If I were to choose, I would go for a 7mm Mag or 300 Mag, but if it's going to rip your shoulder off, then stick with what you know. Stay as heavy as your twist will allow for Elk as they are big, tough animals.
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
According to me and Elmer Keith, the 270 is fit only for rabits and squerrials. Get a real elk gun, .338 WMag, or stay home!!
SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI0 -
PackRat I'm pretty sure Jack O'Connor would disagree with you. If you think I need a .338 so bad you can get me one for my birthday or Christmas. I Think I'll stick to something that doesn't turn me into a drooling idiot after 20 rounds. 0 -
PackRat I'm pretty sure Jack O'Connor would disagree with you. If you think I need a .338 so bad you can get me one for my birthday or Christmas. I Think I'll stick to something that doesn't turn me into a drooling idiot after 20 rounds. 0 -
The .270 is all you need for elk at 300yds. I don't know what the big fascination is with all the souped-up calibers. I guess some people just think it makes you a machoman if you shoot a cartridge that has the word magnum tacked onto it's name.If you were shooting at 500yds or more I would suggest a magnum but if 300 is your limit you don't need it,so why put up with the recoil? The more a gun recoils,the less you will want to practice with it. Practice will help you with the one thing that matters when taking game,shot placement. With the large number of excellant bullet choices we have today the .270 will take any game in the United States.If you are shooting at game farther than 300yds,you are either varmint shooting or you just can't hunt.OK,all you magnum guys can jump me now.[:)] 0 -
Had a great uncle who was an avid hunter. Hunted bear, boar, elk, deer, even took a moose in Alaska. All with a .45-70.
Chrome don't get you home.0 -
My experience with seeking the perfect elk rifle has resulted in quite a trip. First there was the .308 because my dad let the salesman talk him out of getting me the brand new 7 Rem Mag.; Then there was the 270, followed by a 30-06, then a 300 Wby, then a 375 H&H, then a 338/06 Ackley, then a 338 Mag, and finally a 375 RUM. I'm not sure any of them are perfect, and generally whichever one that I have, when the shot is presented, I'm wishing that I had one of the other ones. Truth be known, there isn't really all that much difference in what any of them can accomplish- but then it is nice to have a little variety. 0 -
Their is no perfect caliber.
To treat an elk with respect you need to be an expert shot, which requires an enormoue amount of practice. If you are willing to do that a 7x57 Mauser or 308 is fine.
If you do not want to become an expert shot, start looking for a powerful enough cartridge which will allow a quick kill however you hit the elk.
Most elk hunters, in my opinion use a large magnum cartridge because they do not shoot enough to guarantee a good hit.
Armcandy.0 -
3006 0 -
The .270 is maxed out by most all commercial manufacturers. Check out the Hornady light magnum loads in .270 Win if you think that will help make up your mind. https://www.hornady.com/shop/
I prefer the .280 Rem over the .270 Win only because of better bullet selection.
The T/C is a fine rifle.
BTW, I would not want to shoot 20 rounds of .270 either.
Boomer
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as it is by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed"
. and the antithesis to this philosophy was uttered by Bill Clinton "I smoked it, but I didn't inhale."[V]
NRA Life Member0 -
i lost an elk with my 270 after putting three well placed rounds into the chest at 265 paces. i blame the light constructed 130 grain bullet i was using more then the caliber or my marksmanship. requardless, i went to a bigger caliber after that experience and now use a 340...is it needed? probably not, but it sure cuts down on the tracking...as far as the 7mm mag with the 140 partitions go, i have 4 friends using that round and they havent had any losses in the past 15 years so i conclude it to be a good choice and the ammo cost and recoil is very reasonable in my opion 0 -
The 140 gr in the 7 is to light, especialy at longer ranges. Use the 160's. They shoot flatter and hit harder. The 160 NP are what I have used with VERY GOOD results and the 140 BX in the 270 works great too. Elk are TOUGH, you need to hit them HARD in the BOILER ROOM. I think the ideal LONG RANGE elk gun is the 338 RUM or 340 WBY with a 250 NP. But with either of them a muzzle brake is almost a nessessity, especialy in a light rifle (under 8 lbs).[:)]
Hope that helped.
Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska0 -
Well I think I have come to the conclusion nthat the .270 will work fine for me. I Have no problem shooting it accurately. Reciol is'nt a factor either, I shoot an average of 25-50 rounds a day out of my 8mm Mauser with no problem. If I use a well built bullet like the Partition what kind of performance can I expect? Complete pass-through? 0 -
With the Nosler Patitions (unbonded) they impact like a conventional bullet and the front portion will litterly come apart. The jacket will fold back aginst the rear portion and it will continue to penatrate. Most of the time it will exit, but not always depending on several variables. This is mistaken by some as bad preformance becasude the exit hole is usualy smaller than the entrance hole. BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DO and that is why they are such good game getters. If they hit the 'boiler room' they cause alot of tramua (which is what kills) and if they encounter obsticals enroute ie. bone, even large bone, they continue and do their job.
If you are hunting elk use the 150's. I am a one load person and recommend them for ALL big game animals. DEAD'S DEAD!
My favorite bullet in the 270 was a 140 Barnes -X, but only a few rifles would shoot them well so the Nosler 150's were used more often.[:)]
Hope this helped.
Jim
Self defence is an ablsolute and natural right. Keep your powder dry! J. Rau, Alaska0
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