I am looking at a deer rifle for my son who has out grown his modified 243. I'm thinking of getting a Remington 270. What say the pack? Also, should I get an automatic, pump or bolt action.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
OT - Deer Rifle
- Thread starter Ridgeland Dog
- Start date
Look at a 7mm-08 it's a great round for deer hunting. My 9 yo son and my wife both shoot one. I would shoot one if I had a third one. I've killed deer Beyond 400 yards with it and have never lost an animal with it. You can also get reduced recoil loads for the younger kids. I would go with a bolt action.
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7-08 is good but , check out a .308. find a buddy with one to let him shoot. Lot's less recoil than a 270 and used as a sniper rifle by some of the Armed Forces. Very accurate
I used to have a bolt action 270 Savage. It was a good gun but really it is overpowered for hunting whitetail. Shooting it felt like driving a muscle car. A couple of years ago I got a bolt action 243 Savage with the accutrigger. It is smooth shooting gun. Shooting it feels like a Cadillac. 243 has more than enough power for killing north MS whitetail, especially if you are shooting them in the correct spot. As far as distance I can't speak for either. I hunt in the hills and have never shot a deer over 200 yards. Delta hunters will have to fill you in on the distance aspect.
For kids I would only recommend bolt action. It really makes you think about the shot you are going to take. It also helps you have less bad gut or leg shots from hammering the trigger after they miss the first shot.
For kids I would only recommend bolt action. It really makes you think about the shot you are going to take. It also helps you have less bad gut or leg shots from hammering the trigger after they miss the first shot.
I hate .270. I've just seen a more deer unrecovered with it than any other round, of course it's always the shooter's error. To me, the .270 is a weak round in a long action cartridge (30-06, .280Rem, etc).
In MS, I prefer short actions like 7mm-08. 7mm-08 gives you similar trajectory as .270 with a little more energy in a short action. .243, .260Rem, 7mm-08, .308, and .338 federal all use the same cartridge.
My kids shoot .243, and will probably go to .308 or 7mm-08 next. I'd also consider 30-06, but I really like the short actions and prefer .308.
7mag if you plan on hunting out West some or you're ever gonna shoot em 350 yards.
In MS, I prefer short actions like 7mm-08. 7mm-08 gives you similar trajectory as .270 with a little more energy in a short action. .243, .260Rem, 7mm-08, .308, and .338 federal all use the same cartridge.
My kids shoot .243, and will probably go to .308 or 7mm-08 next. I'd also consider 30-06, but I really like the short actions and prefer .308.
7mag if you plan on hunting out West some or you're ever gonna shoot em 350 yards.
No to Remington. They've had major recalls the last few years, their quality has really gone down. .308 is the perfect round. Savage makes some solid rifles, being as it's for a kid and you're probably not wanting to throw out a ton of money.
Lot of great options in that range. 7-08 is great youth gun and even for adults, it wasn't popular when I was a kid. I got a .270 at 13 and handled it fine. Still have it to this day and will be my son's in a few more years.
I wouldn't get a semi-auto for child. Bolt or pump. If he has a pump shotgun, a pump action rifle is a great fit. With a bolt action, I personally like a detachable clip. Just easier to keep up with than a pocket full of loose shells.
I wouldn't get a semi-auto for child. Bolt or pump. If he has a pump shotgun, a pump action rifle is a great fit. With a bolt action, I personally like a detachable clip. Just easier to keep up with than a pocket full of loose shells.
Wow to what has been said about the .270, been shooting bolt action Browning .270 for many years and never had any problems with accuracy, recoil and mostly never had any problems finding deer shot. It's my favorite but it's hard to beat a 7mm-08, 308 is good but it's all about who the shooter is and what they feel good about.
.270 is an awesome caliber for hunting for whitetails in the woods, in open bean fields, or across pipelines. It does have a fair amount of recoil. It may be more rifle than you truly need in Mississippi for whitetail deer, but it is a very versatile round for use out west against antelope, sheep, mule deer, etc.
I guess a lot would depend on the age of your son and his size. I myself graduated from a .243 auto to a bolt action .270 way back in the day. It worked for me, but my father never gave me a choice for something else. An uncle had a 6.5 Swede that he raved about but he wouldn't trade or sale it to my dad at the time.
Now, there is definitely something to be said for an incremental step up to a 7mm-08. Definitely less recoil than a .270 but not in any way underpowered for white tail hunting. In fact, if the rifle is only going to be used to hunt white tails, your son may never "outgrow" it. I'd take a moment to put a plug in for the 6.5x55 Swede as well. Another low recoil round that is absolute money against whitetail deer. The only issue is that ammunition in 6.5x55, while not difficult to find, is certainly not as common as 7mm-08.
So, decide what use the rifle will be used for first, then factor in recoil. A rifle that your son can shoot confidently without flinching may be superior to an excellent all around caliber such as the .270. Don't for a moment underestimate the 7mm-08. Oh, and definitely go with a bolt action.
Good luck!
I guess a lot would depend on the age of your son and his size. I myself graduated from a .243 auto to a bolt action .270 way back in the day. It worked for me, but my father never gave me a choice for something else. An uncle had a 6.5 Swede that he raved about but he wouldn't trade or sale it to my dad at the time.
Now, there is definitely something to be said for an incremental step up to a 7mm-08. Definitely less recoil than a .270 but not in any way underpowered for white tail hunting. In fact, if the rifle is only going to be used to hunt white tails, your son may never "outgrow" it. I'd take a moment to put a plug in for the 6.5x55 Swede as well. Another low recoil round that is absolute money against whitetail deer. The only issue is that ammunition in 6.5x55, while not difficult to find, is certainly not as common as 7mm-08.
So, decide what use the rifle will be used for first, then factor in recoil. A rifle that your son can shoot confidently without flinching may be superior to an excellent all around caliber such as the .270. Don't for a moment underestimate the 7mm-08. Oh, and definitely go with a bolt action.
Good luck!
Best gun for youngster
The 243 is a .243 bullet on a 308 casing. Same with the 260 and 7-08 - all on 308 casing. Unless you have shots over 350 yards, I would use something like the 7-08 or 308 with the lower recoil. As for the gun, just make sure you get an accurate one that will give you less than 1" groups at 100 yards. Accuracy is key because any gun will kill a deer if you hit it right and use the right type of bullet. I find the Fusion bullets to be great for whitetail.
i would also invest in a good scope, in fact I would spend more on scope than the gun.
The 243 is a .243 bullet on a 308 casing. Same with the 260 and 7-08 - all on 308 casing. Unless you have shots over 350 yards, I would use something like the 7-08 or 308 with the lower recoil. As for the gun, just make sure you get an accurate one that will give you less than 1" groups at 100 yards. Accuracy is key because any gun will kill a deer if you hit it right and use the right type of bullet. I find the Fusion bullets to be great for whitetail.
i would also invest in a good scope, in fact I would spend more on scope than the gun.
270 is just a hard recoiling gun. I have gotten scoped twice(partially my fault) with my old 270. I wouldn't let him shoot the 270 on his own until he takes a good amount of shots under supervision. Otherwise he might get a nice shiner.
Add another vote for the 7mm08. Shoulder problems forced me to park my 300wm in the safe a couple of years ago and I opted for a 7mm08. Couldn't be happier. There are plenty of factory loads available but if you handload, the sky is the limit. 140 gr bullets are the norm but a 120 Barnes TTSX at 3100 fps holds flatter and still has the velocity and energy for clean kills to 500yds. Plus the recoil is like my .243 varmint load.
Is your son going to be hunting open fields or in the woods/thick brush? A 270 is good for the open areas but not so great in brush. One little twig and the bullets going to move.
I have a Weatherby 270 that I use in open areas but if I'm hunting in the woods I use something with a bigger bullet.
I have a Weatherby 270 that I use in open areas but if I'm hunting in the woods I use something with a bigger bullet.
Also, any of these rounds will take out a mole cricket, although the short action 7mm-08 might be easier for this task.
I have a buddy that has a new 308 with synthetic stock and stainless steel barrel. It is fine. I've got a lot of guns with sentimental value. If I buy another one, it will be that one. It is either a winchester or browning and it is light as s feather.
I've got a Remington 25-06 that I inherited. I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise and ammunition is expensive but it's great for white tail in the woods and the recoil isn't bad at all.
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Yes to the Remington 700. No to the rest. The 700 is still the most used action for building off of. The only downside is the Accu-crap trigger. Get a 700 short action with a .308 bolt face and down the road changing from .243 to .260 to 7-08 to .308 to .338Fed is just a barrel swap. There are tons of aftermarket accessories to customize fit, look and performance. I picked up my stainless 700 in 7-08 for $425 online, swapped in a Timney 2# trigger and dropped it in a Mcmillan game scout stock. Topped it with a Vortex Viper in Talley rings and it is a light weight tack driver.
30-06, bolt action. Easy to maintain and will kill anything you wanna kill. I've never lost a deer I shot with a 30-06, had numerous friends lose deer with .270s
Agree with my 30-06 Bolt action. Has never let me down. Even a relatively poor shot is gonna take down a white tail quickly. It's nice not having to track em down every time.
P. S. Winchester Mode 70 Featherweight Classic in .308 is the perfectest, beautifulest rifle.
7mm08 is almost the same.
A Remington 700 is like a hammer. Not nice. You won't take pride in it, they're not cool, they're not pretty, but they function just fine. I have one. That lawsuit is a bunch of hooey. A billion of these things have been made since the 60's, every hunter in North America has a couple, and some trial lawyers took a few hundred accidents, blame "unexplained" misfires on faulty manufacture, and class action lawsuit. I bought my kids a youth 243 (a 700, the 710 is garbage).
7mm08 is almost the same.
A Remington 700 is like a hammer. Not nice. You won't take pride in it, they're not cool, they're not pretty, but they function just fine. I have one. That lawsuit is a bunch of hooey. A billion of these things have been made since the 60's, every hunter in North America has a couple, and some trial lawyers took a few hundred accidents, blame "unexplained" misfires on faulty manufacture, and class action lawsuit. I bought my kids a youth 243 (a 700, the 710 is garbage).
Perceived "kick" of a gun has more to do with breech pressure and mass of the projectile than it has to do with the length of the case. CUP pressure of the short action, 308, 7-08, 260, 243, and CUP pressure of the long action, 30-06, 270, 280, 25-06 are almost identical at max loads so a bigger bullet out of a 7-08 will kick harder than a lighter bullet out of a 270 with the same breech pressure. There is a reason that more deer have been killed with a 270 than every other caliber save one. That one is the venerable 30-30 and nobody will argue its ballistic superiority. The Remington 700/ model 7 is an excellent gun, I prefer the action and trigger on the Ruger 77 and the Winchester 70 but that's just personal preference. Tikka and Steyer are excellent guns also. The cheaper Reminton bolts are crap, if that's your budget go with the Savage or the Ruger American. They will never be family heirlooms but they won't let you down. I've never been a fan of the 25-06 or the 243, too small of a projectile and too fast for Ms white tails. Not enough margin for error on shot placement. You will have the largest selection of ammo in the 308,270,and 30-06 and almost endless availability. Buy a quality gun and a quality scope, if he is small framed go short action, if not, pick the gun caliber is secondary. There is NOTHING within the state of Ms that requires a magnum, unless you just want one to say you have one.
Everyone has different personal experiences with different guns. I hunt with a Ruger Mark II Black and stainless steel .270 and I absolutely love it. Never lost a deer that I actually hit. You'll get 50 different opinions with so many good weapon choices but I love my .270. Perfect all around good deer rifle. I've seen 2-3 lost by .243 that got hit and a few lost with a .308. It's all who hunts with it. They are good rifles but I think it's just personal experience and preference.
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I have a 7 mag and a 270; both in bolt action. Lost one deer and one hog with the 270 and none with the 7 mag. I found the deer a few weeks later and it was my fault it was not recovered the evening I shot it. The 270 in bolt action would serve him well.
As for the AR15 comment, how about we keep them all locked up in military armories where they belong.
As for the AR15 comment, how about we keep them all locked up in military armories where they belong.
If you can't recognize the usefulness of the AR-15 platform you are an uneducated idiot. The only rifles I own anymore are AR-15 platforms with the exception of a few of my dad's old guns, a SCAR-17 and a couple M1As. They all do a fine job of killing deer and pigs. It's 2017. Time to update your mindset.
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Bullet placement and type of bullet
The cal of the gun has little to do with how many deer get away. Shoot a bullet/load that will give you 1000 ft-lb of energy at whatever distance you care to shoot. Make sure you use a bullet that has controlled expansion and good penetration and most importantly - make an accurate kill shot and it won't matter if you shoot a 243, 25-06, 260, 7-08, 280, 7 mm, 308, 6.5 Cred, 270, 30-06, 7 mag, 300 mag or a 338.
The cal of the gun has little to do with how many deer get away. Shoot a bullet/load that will give you 1000 ft-lb of energy at whatever distance you care to shoot. Make sure you use a bullet that has controlled expansion and good penetration and most importantly - make an accurate kill shot and it won't matter if you shoot a 243, 25-06, 260, 7-08, 280, 7 mm, 308, 6.5 Cred, 270, 30-06, 7 mag, 300 mag or a 338.