1000th "my first gun" thread...but more specific I hope!

Necroman99

Necroman99

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Location
Whitby Ontario
Hi guys.
Yup I want opinions on "my first hunting rifle"...but I'll try and be specific and take some votes. DISCLAIMER: I'm about to describe my choices and reasons why based on a lot of "I've heard"...and I'm sure some of it might be bunk...don't shoot the messenger, just set me straight.

Long story short I'm picking my first rifle, and like everyone, I want it to do it all forever. I'm a city boy and hunting is my 100th hobby...the wife is definitely not gonna let me buy 5 guns. I've already got a nice semi 12ga with 28 inch barrel and all the chokes. Now I want my "one" rifle.

I live it whitby and have friends a little west of peterborough who will let me hunt deer and coyotees, and some more friends out north of belleville and port hope too who will let me do the same. I also will have some chances to go a little further north for some moose and or deer. The relevance of that might be clear below.

Gagnon sports is having their big annual sale right now and I'm considering the following 3.

browning x-bolt 300 wsm ($900),
browning a-bolt 270 wsm ($900)
7mm-08 (don't remember make) for about $400

I've read other posts and I'm happy with the fit and feel of all of them...I only included make and model and price for the sake of completeness. Really I'd like opinions on caliber and my preconceptions on all of them.
The glass I'm putting on top of all of them will be the same...so lets forget that. I've handled all three and like them all...so here's why I'd choose (or not) each.

My target species will be deer, moose and yotes. I know they'll all hammer the yotes and be expensive to shoot. I don't care.

Based on where I live deer hunting down here is always with shotguns, but the yote hunting...in durham you must shoot less than .275...I think both of the places I'm shooting are outside of durham and I'd likely be fine to plug them with the 7mm or .300, but there are rumours aplenty.

I want to pick the 7mm-08 because of price and I've read enough to know it'll take all the target species.

I'm leaning toward the .270wsm because I think it's plenty of gun for all three and it's under .275 so that's one less worry in my mind based on that stupid rule no one can explain to me...

I'm keeping the 300 wsm in the mix because the guy who will take me moose hunting tells me I need it for taking shots through a little brush and stuff. He claims the lighter bullets will be much more likely to deflect off target. I guess the shooting through brush concern might also apply to deer. I feel like I probably shouldn't be shooting through brush...

I think the 270 is the prettiest and smoothest of them all, but do I need a 300 or 7mm?

Help the city boy!
 
A 270 Winchester Model 70 or a Remington would be a great choice for what you describe, it would do the job quite nicely.
 
You should look into the ammo selection for the calibers you have chosen, if your limited to one gun it would be best to make sure it is as versatile as possible. Have you considered .270 Win? Lots of new and use guns in .270 Win for great prices. Best of luck bud, I hope you end up with a good all around gun.
 
Thanks for the replies.
I have considered .270...and it's probably easier and more versatile in the ammo selection...
Is it agreed that a .270wsm or a .270 is fine for moose? And if so, what about all this talk i hear about needing a gun that will punch through brush...or a sapling...and still do the job? Seems to me any round would ricochet...and I shouldn't take that shot, but I admit that I think that most or all of my big game shots will be inside 100 yards in some bush as oposed to long shots in the open. The only time I'm going long is for yotes.
 
My uncle Gibb uses .270 win moose hunting, he dropped a cow and calf 2 years ago. I have used 30-06 my self but my better half is a gun nut as well so its fairly easy for me to buy rifles with out having to bunk with the dogs. I would say either .270 will work great for you, enough to drop a moose and at the same time will leave more than just leg meat when you shoot a deer. As far as bush guns go, they are a great tool but I think you will be fine without one just choose your hunting location accordingly. I have a bush gun I dont even use, I bought it because I convinced my self I needed to have one lol, That is how most of my guns have come about. Please note that what I have written is only my opinion
 
270wsm is my vote. Works in case of .275 cal restrictions. Shoots as flat or flatter than 300wsm and animal is not going to notice the difference. The 270wsm seems like the best wsm as it is the only to actually improve on its intended target the 270 win, call it a poor mans 270 weatherby. Do yourself a favor and do not try brush busting with any cartridge as anyone that tells you that nonsense about one cartridge being a brush buster is full of crap, you will wound or miss 98% of the time
 
270 wsm is definitely a ###y one, but for what you want, you won't be handicapped with the plain old 270. Also remember you can buy 270 ammo in almost any small town that has a store that sells ammo in case you ever find yourself in a pinch. The same is not true for the wsm.


IF I had to choose one of the three you mentioned though, it would be the seven oh eight.

PS. Brush bucking is a myth.
 
Just two rifles I'd look at; Rugers and Winchesters. More gun for the money than the competition, with a lot less shortcuts. Don't take that as meaning they'll shoot the tightest groups off a concrete bench with sandbags you'll never see in the field. They will however have features and actions you'll appreciate more in actual field use and both are more accurate than any shooter's field shooting I've known. Finally, stick with a common, "boring" chambering, you'll actually be able to find ammo when you need it and affordably. Skip all WSMs, .280's, .260's, 7mm-08's and so on and so forth, none offer any actual advantages over established, boring choices. :) But sometimes being different is part of the fun too I suppose...
 
Necroman99 said:
Thanks for the replies.
And if so, what about all this talk i hear about needing a gun that will punch through brush...or a sapling...and still do the job? Seems to me any round would ricochet...and I shouldn't take that shot, but I admit that I think that most or all of my big game shots will be inside 100 yards in some bush as oposed to long shots in the open. The only time I'm going long is for yotes.
Click to expand...

You're right. I remember an article Jim Carmichael wrote for Outdoor life. He tested a bunch of cartridges through brush and he said none were that great but the one that fared the best was the 6.5 x 55mm. He believed that the faster twist rate creating more stability and less tumbling after deflection was probably the reason.
 
Personally I would not buy the .270 WSM (or any WSM). For the extra ammo cost and a few ft. lbs of energy and a few feet faster, a .270 Win can and will do the same job. And does the same job and has been doing it for many many years. All these WSM cartridges are just another way for firearm and ammo manufacturers to make more money. It's all about revenue not performance.
 
Another one of those $.05 opinions here:

Don't waste your money on any caliber that has S or M in their abbreviation. Magnums and Short Magnums and Super Short Magnums are just a bunch of little $$ floating around at the end of your caliber. You're paying far more money for only incremental performance and arguable overkill. Personally I would buy myself a nice used rifle (save some money, or get a better gun for the same amount) and stick to the basic cartridges sizes in the .308 and 30-06 families (.7mm-08 and .270 are part of those families). A Zastava Mauser in those calibers puts you cleanly in the $700 ballpark.

Tradeex (site sponsor) has them in stock.
This one would work well for you:

http://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/zastava-commercial-m98-m70-270-win-0
 
jackrabbit000 said:
Personally I would not buy the .270 WSM (or any WSM). For the extra ammo cost and a few ft. lbs of energy and a few feet faster, a .270 Win can and will do the same job. And does the same job and has been doing it for many many years. All these WSM cartridges are just another way for firearm and ammo manufacturers to make more money. It's all about revenue not performance.
Click to expand...

This could be said about any cartridge, why buy a .270win when a .25-06 will do the same job? the wsm is a definate improvement over the .270win. Is it going to make a huge difference not likely, but why do I own a 300win when a 30-06 will do, because it does make enough difference to justify to cost imho. The 270wsm is not going anywhere anytime soon and if you reload never. Buy what you want 5-10 dollars a box wont make much difference
 
Personally I'd go with a .270 win instead of .270wsm.
Great calibre for what you describe with lots of off the shelf load choices. It's a great all-round cartridge, and sounds like it'd be best for your area/situation. Plus if you ever forget or lose some ammo (it happens lol) you can find it almost anywhere in a pinch.
Good luck, practice lots and have fun!
 
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