Which brand 270, 308, or 7mm08?

[Bigeclipse]

Ok so I know you all are into custom shop rifles and such but I would sure like some advice geared towards my wants/needs. I dont have a lot of money for custom shop rifles so I want to stick with just your typical brands...remington, savage, browning etc. I am looking to get a new deer rifle with lower recoil. MAX distance shooting would be 250-300 yards (most shots being <150 yards). So which brand and what cailber rifle would you get? Things to consider:

1.) availability of name brand ammo. Here in New york, unless the law is overturned for next year, we will ONLY be able to buy ammo at a store. (no more online sales)
2.) Durability. This will be a woods rifle (might get nocked around) so I was thinking possibly synthetic and maybe stainless?
3.) Recoil...I believe the 270 has lowest recoil and 308 has most but all probably feel similar?

NOTE: I DO NOT intend on modifying the rifle so please dont say buy "this rifle" and then change "this" out and it will be great.

 

[jimbires]

Bigeclipse , here is my opinion . I'd sure give the Tikka rifles a look . very seldom , if ever , do I read of a Tikka not shooting well . I agree with stainless / synthetic , this is my choice too. any of these will work well on deer . the 7mm-08 will be the lowest recoil of the three cartridges you mention . I'd guess the 270 and 308 will have more ammo choices on the shelf . here is a recoil chart that might help you in your shopping .

Rifle Recoil Table

 

[Nimrod]

Within your parameters I would get a Savage 110 of some variation, Winchester M70 or a Remington 700 SPS in .270 Winchester. Put a Leupold VX2 2-7 or 3-9 on it in good, solid mounts and stuff it with Federal Premium ammo with the 150 grain Nosler Partition and call it good for anything up to and including bull elk.

Just my $.02

Bob

 

[cohunter14]

Within your parameters I would get a Savage 110 of some variation, Winchester M70 or a Remington 700 SPS in .270 Winchester. Put a Leupold VX2 2-7 or 3-9 on it in good, solid mounts and stuff it with Federal Premium ammo with the 150 grain Nosler Partition and call it good for anything up to and including bull elk.

Just my $.02

Bob

Exactly. Any rifle you get should be accurate enough to take deer at 300 yards, assuming you know how much drop to account for, etc. I think it is all a matter of personal preference for you. Go grab any off-the-shelf rifle, handle it, see where the safety is, etc. One will grab your attention over the others. As for caliber, I don't think you will be able to tell the difference in felt recoil, so again, personal preference. Good luck!

 

[idaho elk hunter]

If your concerned about recoil and the ability to shoot 300yds then the 7mm-08 loaded with 120 gr bullets would be a guaranteed winner in the field. It should have high sectional density and Ballistic coefficients compared to other offerings. Savages cheaper offering is called Stevens or if weight is the concern then a off the shelf Rem model 7 will do great. Remember the lighter the rifle the more felt recoil. In the end out of these choices I do not think the deer will really know the difference at 300yds if shot placement is good..Good luck and have fun with your now toy!lightbulb

 

[elkoholic72]

Definitely the tikka in 7mm08. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Bigeclipse]

what about variety of ammo between the 270 and 7mm08?

 

[angus-5024]

I would go for the 7-08 hands down for your application. Ammo availability will be good. I would say on par with the .270.
The only thing drastically more abundant than the .308 is the .223 or other mil-surp stuff so if ammo is the main concern the .308 will win..

As for rifles, If you don't want to do anything to the gun at all, go for a tikka. If your willing to glass bed it I would get a win model 70.

What's you budget without glass?

 

[Nimrod]

The only ammo harder to find in this area than .22 rimfire is .308, .223 is next in line. For every box of 7mm/08 (Federal blue box is the only one around here) there are at least 10 boxes of .270 and the big 3 manufacturers are usually all on the shelf. That is not to say that a well stocked sporting goods store won't have what you need but I'm in a rural area and the selection isn't great unless you shoot a .270, .30/06 .30-30 or .243 there is usually a good selection for those 4. That is why I would pick the .270 from the OP's list, nothing personal against the other 2.

Bob

 

[FEENIX]

Ok so I know you all are into custom shop rifles and such but I would sure like some advice geared towards my wants/needs. I dont have a lot of money for custom shop rifles so I want to stick with just your typical brands...remington, savage, browning etc. I am looking to get a new deer rifle with lower recoil. MAX distance shooting would be 250-300 yards (most shots being <150 yards). So which brand and what cailber rifle would you get? Things to consider:

1.) availability of name brand ammo. Here in New york, unless the law is overturned for next year, we will ONLY be able to buy ammo at a store. (no more online sales)
2.) Durability. This will be a woods rifle (might get nocked around) so I was thinking possibly synthetic and maybe stainless?
3.) Recoil...I believe the 270 has lowest recoil and 308 has most but all probably feel similar?

NOTE: I DO NOT intend on modifying the rifle so please dont say buy "this rifle" and then change "this" out and it will be great.

Unless you just want another rifle, but for under $250 you can have an effective muzzle brake installed on your Browning .300 WSM. I have a couple of .300 Win Mags with muzzle brakes (one with Holland's QD and the other with a custom made by my smith similar to the QD but with 4 side ports) with a felt recoil comparable to that of a .243. lightbulb

An effective muzzle brake reduces felt recoil and muzzle rise allowing you to see impact on your target ... priceless.

I know you mentioned on a different thread that where you're from they frown upon having muzzle brakes but let them frown all they want, it's your rifle, it's your shot, it's your hunt, etc ...

 

[Bigeclipse]

Unless you just want another rifle, but for under $250 you can have an effective muzzle brake installed on your Browning .300 WSM. I have a couple of .300 Win Mags with muzzle brakes (one with Holland's QD and the other with a custom made by my smith similar to the QD but with 4 side ports) with a felt recoil comparable to that of a .243. lightbulb

An effective muzzle brake reduces felt recoil and muzzle rise allowing you to see impact on your target ... priceless.

I know you mentioned on a different thread that where you're from they frown upon having muzzle brakes but let them frown all they want, it's your rifle, it's your shot, it's your hunt, etc ...

I'm actually planning on both the new rifle and muzzle brake. now I know state laws very but how exactly does one go about having a muzzle break installed

 

[17Fireball]

Just got a Tikka in the 7mm-08. I like the gun but my Savage Model 10 in .243 shoots a wee bit better. The Tikka action is buttery smooth and I like the trigger. I got the blued version as it was much cheaper in the T3-Lite.

A 30.06 is kinda hard to beat out to 2-300 yards for deer as well. However, I feel the 7mm-08 is the best of all the calibers you mentioned.

 

[cohunter14]

The only ammo harder to find in this area than .22 rimfire is .308, .223 is next in line. For every box of 7mm/08 (Federal blue box is the only one around here) there are at least 10 boxes of .270 and the big 3 manufacturers are usually all on the shelf. That is not to say that a well stocked sporting goods store won't have what you need but I'm in a rural area and the selection isn't great unless you shoot a .270, .30/06 .30-30 or .243 there is usually a good selection for those 4. That is why I would pick the .270 from the OP's list, nothing personal against the other 2.

Bob

That's the exact same thing here in the Denver area. 7mm-08 is non existant for the most part, but .270, .30/06, .30-.30 and .243 are abundant.

As to the question on the muzzle break, any gunsmith should be able to install one for you.

 

[FEENIX]

I'm actually planning on both the new rifle and muzzle brake. now I know state laws very but how exactly does one go about having a muzzle break installed

Simply pick a reputable gunsmith (you cannot go wrong with any of the sponsor smith and their muzzle brakes) and ask what kind of muzzle brake they have (or purchase the one you want) and have the smith install it.