New Deer Rifle - Suggestions

[Cascabel]

Hello everyone,
New to the forum today but have been reading quite a bit recently. I'll give you all a little bit of info about myself before we get into the meaty stuff (hah).

I'm in my mid-twenties and have been hunting since I was a little boy with my dad. Dove, quail, duck, pheasant, whitetail, boar, coyotes and sometimes squirrel and prairie dog. I consider myself a pretty good shot with shotguns and rifles and enjoy hunting and shooting a lot. I've currently been living out of the country for about five years now living in Scotland, but will be returning to my beloved Texas in the next several months. Haven't had as many opportunities to shoot abroad as I wanted, but as soon as I return I'll be gettin back into it.

Now, I'm on this forum to get a little help/knowledge from the rest of you very experienced long range hunters. When I move back I'll most likely be moving to central/West Texas and will be getting back into whitetail hunting. When I used to hunt out there I always relied on my .270 Winchester with a nice Leupold (no BDC or turrets just standard hunting scope). With some higher quality factory ammo I can easily shoot 1" sometimes sub 1' groups of 3 @100 yds. I've shot a couple of deer @300 when the conditions suited and I felt comfortable, both single shot kills. I've shot a bunch of does at 150-250 range as well and can only remember needing to take a second shot once (probably not necessary but she didn't go down immediately so I didn't want to risk it). I love the flat trajectory of the .270, its portability on all day hunts, and very manageable recoil. I'm also proficient with a 7-30 Waters lever action within 150 yards - great bush huntin rifle.

I'll never sell my .270 or 7-30 Waters and plan on hunting with them 'til they die or I do . However, I want to add a longer range whitetail (maybe Muley) rifle to the arsenal. I've been researching some calibers for this project and have a max range of 700 yards as a benchmark. In all likelihood I won't be trying to shoot any whitetail beyond 450 or 500 depending on conditions, but would like that extra couple hundred yards of power for some coyotes. I'm interested in the .270 WSM, 6.5-284 Norma, .308, .257 WBY Mag and maybe a couple others.

I've given myself a $4,000 budget for a complete package including high quality optics. I would love to hear some feedback from you all. Again just to recap: looking for 700 yard max range (coyotes) 450-500 range (whitetails), no ultra mags cause I definitely get the flinch with those. Looking for a semi-custom factory rifle, or possibly fully custom. Now since I'm a newbie to the LRH rifle scene please excuse any naivete on my part from my previous suggestions. Also, I will most likely get into handloading in the future, but for now let's assume I'm using higher-end factory ammo (price does not matter at this point). I'd love to hear your suggestions on calibers, models, barrel lengths/types/twists, ammo, etc. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give you as much information as possible! Also, if this is in the wrong place in the forums forgive me. Thanks and have a good one.

 

[J E Custom]

I would look into the 280 AI for what you want.

Set up correctly you can shoot factory 280 rem in it for hunting and fire form at the same time.

It is based on the 30/06 (Just like the 270) but with more velocity and range. When loaded up it
can match or beat the 7mm Rem Mag.

It has the same bolt face as the 270 and will work in a 270,280,and 30/06 based action.

They are extremely accurate and more than capable of 800 yard kills on deer and they also make a good Elk rifle for ranges of 4 to 500 yards.

Recoil is close to the same as the 270 and the bullet selection is second only to the .30 cal.

Just a thought.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Cascabel]

Thank you for your reply J E Custom.

Looks like you make some nice rifles! I hadn't previously considered the 280 AI, but after reading about it it seems like a great caliber. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[gillettehunter]

I'm a big fan of the 6.5's. I have a 6.5-06. I would have no problem shooting a deer out over 800 yards. Recoil is very manageable. No brake and its easy to go run 30 rounds through it. Several bullets in the 140 grain class plus the 160 matrix will allow you to stretch it out. The .28 calipers have a great range of bullets available. Bigger bullets, more powder and more recoil. As well as longer range capabilities. I'd keep my eye out for a good used rifle here and on a couple of other forums. God luck. Bruce

 

[Longrifle2506]

I was looking for a good rifle for my first DIY mule deer hunt out west. I had my heart set on 270 win but I loved the sako a7 tecomate and they only make it in 270 wsm and 300 wsm. So I got the 270 wsm. No regrets. I was initially concerned about the recoil but it is very tolerable. I can shoot 15 to 20 rounds in one day and not be sore at all. I think you would love the 270 wsm. I shoot 130 grain trophy bonded tipped. I still think a 270 win would be nice to own; but 270 wsm is the ultimate in my opinion. If you think you may take shots beyond 300 yards; I suggest 270 wsm.

 

[glewis]

A couple of years ago I purchased a winchester model 70 "Extreme Sporter" from Sportsmans Whse. It's a blued version of the extreme weather and offered only at SW. They listed at $650 at the time. They only come in magnum calibers, 270 wsm, 300 mag, 300 wsm. The rifle features a B&C medalist stock with full length aluminum bedding, fluted floated barrel(regular contour), hinged floor plate, creep-free and over travel-free MOA trigger thats user adjustable. My 300 wsm has a 24" barrel. The recoil isn't near what I expected in a magnum, excellent recoil pad. Sighting in may take a bit longer at the range cause the barrel will take longer to cool down with these magnums. I got MOA results during break-in.

An extreme weather lists for $950+, the Tecomate lists for $1250+. I can't bring myself to spend that much on one gun. I could be wrong but I can't think of anything either of these guns has over the $650 extreme sporter as far as features. I rolled the dice and am glad I did.

 

[Cascabel]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions I really appreciate. Still looking into a few options and once/if I do get a new rig I'll update y'all. Thanks again.

 

[Greg Duerr]

7mmWSM shooting the 168gr berger

 

[rwk]

You just can't beat a 30-06.

 

[taco270]

I would think 280AI, 7WSM or 6.5-06

 

[Greg Duerr]

ALL great choices .............................you have good taste

 

[Cascabel]

I was considering a 7mm Rem Mag as well although no one has suggested that caliber. I have never reloaded and like the idea of readily available commercial ammo if I am in a pinch. What are the main differences between a 7 WSM and a 7 RM? Recoil? Barrel life? Thanks.

 

[lancetkenyon]

For your criteria, and where you plan to live, I would look long and hard at a .300 mag of some sort. You seem like you really like to hunt, and while I own a .270 Win also and has dropped elk for me and my daughter, I would want a little more gun if I ever got drawn for elk somewhere in the west where shots across wide canyons are very possible.

Think about a .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby, or even a .300 RUM with a brake. I have a .300 RUM with a brake, and it honestly kicks less than a buddy's .308 without one. Just wear ear protection!

Maybe a 7mm Rem Mag, or even a 7mm STW would really fill the bill too.

Just not much difference between .277 and .284.

Unless you plan on owning one of each caliber in the future like many of us addicts do...

 

[Greyfox]

Lots of good calibers mentioned but I'll throw in for the 6.5x284. Once you shoot your deer and coyote at 700 yards, like most of us you may want to push to 1000. Whether you stick to 700 or increase your goal, this caliber loaded with 140 VLD's is superbly accurate, great ballistics, light recoil, and will flatten a whitetail out to 1000 yards, coyotes, much further. For your budget you can put a fine rifle together.IMO,