Search for the appropriate calibre

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canoetrpr

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Finally got my test result back and put in the form to get my PAL/RPAL!

While I wait, I'd like to figure out what firearm to get. I'm sure I'll get a 10/22 for plinking but I'd like to get a hunting rifle around the farm.

Main uses:
- Practice at a range so factory ammo has to be reasonably well priced.
- Rare: Use to kill a coyote if one starts getting close to my livestock. Just starting a chicken coop so I expect the coyote's will start showing up.
- Possible: Hunt a deer (more likely) or moose (less likely) with a friend. I've never hunted before but I have a nice property and lots of deer frequent it.

If you were to have one hunting rifle for these purposes, which would it be?

I was thinking .270, 30-06 or .308?

Any particular brand anyone can suggest? I was thinking of a Tikka with laminated stock?
 
All 3 of those choices will work and with good availability of ammunition.

Depending on budget , Savage has many offerings in many price ranges.

The only way I would sway is the .308 as you mention some range use, manageable recoil and abundance of many type of ammo for such.
 
I also would opt for 308Win but not if you are set on Tikka. Most popular rifle makers do have short actions, Tikka doesn't. In addition to 308Win my prefered rifles are Rugers 77s and Savages 10s.
 
Of those three calibres, I would choose .308 for deer or moose. The other two will do as well, and they are all more than enough for coyotes, but I would eventually get a coyote gun in .223 as well.
 
Throwing in moose changes the response considerably. If you were looking for everything up to deer, as you mentioned, then something more like .243 Winchester, .257 Roberts or .25-06 would better satisfy your needs and still do extremely well on deer.
 
Depending on your location and caliber restrictions for small game in some location in ON.
The 270 in a Tikka, you might as well use the whole action length. As far as practice goes, a 22 rimfire with the same action as your hunting caliber would be a good choice.
All three calibers you are looking at are very easy to find ammo for.
Congratulations and welcome to the never ending quest for the perfect rifle.
257 Roberts
 
I think a 270win in the Tikka t3 is a match made in heaven!

Get the T3 and add a limbsaver recoil pad. The 270 and 308 have very similar recoil, while the 308 shoots heavier bullets slower, the 270 shoots flatter, so in my opinion makes it nicer for coyotes and is still very capable for Moose and is as good as it gets for deer.

I really like the detachable mag of the T3, replacement ones are not cheap though.
 
canoetrpr said:
Finally got my test result back and put in the form to get my PAL/RPAL!

While I wait, I'd like to figure out what firearm to get. I'm sure I'll get a 10/22 for plinking but I'd like to get a hunting rifle around the farm.

Main uses:
- Practice at a range so factory ammo has to be reasonably well priced.
- Rare: Use to kill a coyote if one starts getting close to my livestock. Just starting a chicken coop so I expect the coyote's will start showing up.
- Possible: Hunt a deer (more likely) or moose (less likely) with a friend. I've never hunted before but I have a nice property and lots of deer frequent it.

If you were to have one hunting rifle for these purposes, which would it be?

I was thinking .270, 30-06 or .308?

Any particular brand anyone can suggest? I was thinking of a Tikka with laminated stock?
Click to expand...

I own a 270win T3 camo stainless and a 300wsm T3 laminated stainless...
Love them both, and I'm sure you will too!
Giving your 3 choices...If it were strictly hunting rifle 30-06, but sense you wanna shoot alot at range too 270win for sure!!!
(less recoil and basically as effective on game)
 
give him a chance

shortaction said:
I think a 270win in the Tikka t3 is a match made in heaven!

Get the T3 and add a limbsaver recoil pad. The 270 and 308 have very similar recoil, while the 308 shoots heavier bullets slower, the 270 shoots flatter, so in my opinion makes it nicer for coyotes and is still very capable for Moose and is as good as it gets for deer.

I really like the detachable mag of the T3, replacement ones are not cheap though.
Click to expand...
Probably could make a better choice,as would be better to start in the mid-range for quality,than at the bottom.
 
I used the .270 for everything for years, like Jack O'Connor, and I took some 45 deer and 20 moose with it. I used Federal Premium Nosler Partitions in 150 grain for everything, sighted in 3" high at 100 yards, and it was lethal and line of sight out to 400 yards. The Tikka is a good rifle, but if I were you I'd handle an assortment of them before making my final decision, the .270 has light recoil but put a Pachmayr or Limbsaver recoil pad on it, and a Bushnell Elite scope with Rainguard will give you great value and let you keep hunting even if it starts raining. Have fun!
 
I think I need to add a +1 for a .270

It is a nice caliber that has readily available ammo in a range of loads. Very good on deer, and I know of a few guys that have moose hunted successfully for years with them and never had a problem. It will also roll a coyote over right quickly.

The only thing I didn't see in your post was where you are ... there are caliber limits in some locations in Ontario which could remove the option of certain calibers for deer.

In my opinion ...
308 will do the job you want ... but you will suffer when you have it at the range.
30/06 is a good all round caliber - I love it, but it tends to hit hard. Not as much punch as a 30-8, but dead is dead.

Both the 30-06 & 308 are certainly "overkill" for predators, and more than enough for deer.

270 is a noticeably lighter recoil on average, making target shooting more enjoyable. Plenty of stopping power if you are carefull with distance and shot placement. I know more than a few Moose dropped with a single shot at 250 to 300 yards with them - but also are not horribly damaging to smaller deer sized game.
 
I fully agree with Imagius' opinion of the .270, but he has the .308 and 30.06 "punch" mixed up. The 30.06 has a bit more punch than the .308, not the other way around.
In Hornady 165 grain BTSP, the .308 has 2700 fps at muzzle, and 2670 ft-lbs of energy.
The 30.06 with the same bullet has 2800 fps at muzzle, and 2875 ft-lbs of energy.
The extra 200 ft-lbs of energy gives the 30.06 a bit of an advantage on longer shots on elk and moose.
 
tikka laminate in 270. low recoil and lots of cheap ammo if you don't reload. use talley one piece rings and a luep vx11 2x7 or 3x9. a package that will do anything you need to do.
 
canoetrpr said:
Finally got my test result back and put in the form to get my PAL/RPAL!

While I wait, I'd like to figure out what firearm to get. I'm sure I'll get a 10/22 for plinking but I'd like to get a hunting rifle around the farm.

Main uses:
- Practice at a range so factory ammo has to be reasonably well priced.
- Rare: Use to kill a coyote if one starts getting close to my livestock. Just starting a chicken coop so I expect the coyote's will start showing up.
- Possible: Hunt a deer (more likely) or moose (less likely) with a friend. I've never hunted before but I have a nice property and lots of deer frequent it.

If you were to have one hunting rifle for these purposes, which would it be?

I was thinking .270, 30-06 or .308?

Any particular brand anyone can suggest? I was thinking of a Tikka with laminated stock?
Click to expand...

Everyone has an opinion, and everyone has their reasons. What are your reasons? If you're just starting out, you're probably not exactly sure, and that's okay. If your intended purposes are limited to what you wrote here, I doubt that you would regret any of the chamberings you listed. They'll all do just fine. Just make sure it's a bolt action of reasonable quality (there are only a few models to stay away from, feel free to ask here), and don't be surprised if you spend more than you would have thought on a scope and mounts. Decide how much you want to spend on the whole package, and walk in to a store and try on a bunch of rifles. Fit and feel is a totally personal thing.

IF you live out on the prairie and imagine that you might want to take a poke at a coyote beyond say 300m, the 270 has a noticeably flatter trajectory when reaching out there (less adjustment to point of aim required). IF you want to shoot lots (thousands and thousands of rounds), the 308 has the best barrel life. IF you want to shoot big critters, the 30-06 is most capable with heavy bullets. Every cartridge is a compromise.
 
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