"Do all" Ontario rifle

My all Ontario rifle is a .270 Winchester. While the 6.5x55 and the .260 Remington would do equally well the ammo isn't as widely available.
 
270 win would be the most economical and logical choice.If in the future you should take up handloading, it will become that much more versatile as you can load bullet weights from 90 grain varminters to 150 grain moose getters.
Truly an all round Ontario rifle.
I personally use a 270WSM and have a couple of 264 WinMags.Two more all rounders (if you relaod.)
 
.270 was a good choice but if it is too big I would go with the largest legal calibre possible. That would be the .264" (6.5mm) bores. I like the .24 and .25 calibre cartridges, but they really can't be considered an all-round game cartridge.

That leaves you with the 260 remington, .264 winchester mag, 6.5x55 Swede.

The .264 win mag is more than you need, and factory rifles chambered for it are kinda scarce. Ammo is a little harder to find, and it is more expensive. But if you wanted a long range cartridge, and you reload, this is worth consideration.

The 6.5x55 or the .260 would be excellent all-round cartridges for deer, moose, and black bear. I would choose the 6.5x55 swede myself but the .260 rem would be just as good.
 
OP: check to see if you fall into a county that is restricted by the 0.275" ruling.

Not that it really would matter. In my opinion, a 270 Win fits the bill for most hunting conditions in Ontario. Any game, any county. But.......

As this is your first and only rifle, its a good choice so long as you have a good set of shooting techniques and habits. Note that shooting a rifle requires different techniques than shooting a shotgun. If you don't happen to have a good shooting base (this is for you and those who actually know you to judge), then maybe something with a more friendly demeanor would be in order.

This forum has a great many with years of personal experiences and can only offer advice from experiences. Of mine that I can offer, a 270 for a new shooter "may" lead to the development of poor shooting. Symptoms like flinching, eye closing, trigger slapping, etc, are common for new shooters with big cartridges.

I am trying to correct a friends shooting techniques as he started with a 30-06 for his all round rifle. For most experienced shooters, not a hard rifle to handle but for new shooters it "can be" too much.

If you can, try out a couple of rifles with a friend, and shoot 10 or 20 rounds. You should be able to shoot this amount and shoot consistently and accurately in all positions. As this is a hunting rifle, shooting bench is not really representative of the field. But of most important is that you have to be comfortable throughout the shooting.

I started with a 6.5x55 and I introduced it to my friend I am trying to help.
My suggestion would be to get some range time with a variety of cartridges. A box or two of ammo is cheaper than buying the wrong rifle and having to sell it and start over again.

Hope this helps.
 
I second the try before you buy if at all possible. Go shoot with an experienced rifle guy - if you do have a flinch work it out before it becomes a habit that is ingrained.

I would stick with a bolt action if I were you. I have seen too many guys empty their rifles as soon as they see fur with a pump or semi. One other thing to consider is that if you ever want to set the rifle on a "rest" in the field such as a stump for a long shot where you have time to set up you cannot operate the action of the pump without raising it off of the rest. A buddy of mine is getting rid of his pump 30-06 for just this reason.

I agree with the calibre - .270 will do everything you will ever need to in ON.
 
It has to do with caliber. It specifies that a .275 caliber is the max, so a .270 calibre would be ok.

Thanks everyone for your replies!
I think a 270 will be the one for me because the ammo is more avaliable, rifles are easier to come by, and i don't see myself reloading.
 
It has to do with caliber. It specifies that a .275 caliber is the max, so a .270 calibre would be ok.

Thanks everyone for your replies!
I think a 270 will be the one for me because the ammo is more avaliable, rifles are easier to come by, and i don't see myself reloading.

A wise man.
 
"...does it rule out the .270 as a do all rifle for me?..." Nope. As daft as it sounds the stupid rule goes by the cartridge name and has nothing to do with the bullet diameter. Some municipality by-laws actually state nothing greater than .270 Win. Idiot civil servant's with no knowledge made the decision.
Rumour has it that it was done to discourage returning W.W. I vets from using surplus No. 1 Mk III Lee-Enfields for deer hunting in Southwestern Ontario. In any case, the Ontario Hunting regs only mention it for small game hunting.
 
A bolt action .270 for hunting back East? Isn't that a rifle for hunting "out West"? I was always led to believe Eastern purists needed firepower when encountering a herd of deer running through the bush? Isn't a semiautomatic .308/.30-06 a better choice? Especially when loaded with "brushbusting" 180gr RN soft point ammo? Or what about a lever action .32 Spl or .35 Rem with a high power variable scope mounted in see-through mounts? :nest: Flamesuit on :D
 
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