Rifles

[BadgerMan]

I am in the market for a new rifle to be used for hunting Whitetail deer in Michigan. I have pretty much decided on .270 as a caliber and bolt as an action. I would also like to have iron sights with the possibility of adding a scope later on. Does anyone have advice regarding brands (Remington, Ruger, Winchester, and Browning are all within my price range), blue vs. stainless, wood vs. synthetic, scope vs. sights, etc?

 

[IrishEKU]

I had a Remington M-700 Mountain Rifle, it didn't have the iron sights that you are looking for but I can give you my experiance with the rifle. It was blued with wood. The weapon was well balanced and I never had a malfunction with it. Weight was an issue for me and I could lug it all day long with out difficulty. As for breaking it down to clean it was simple(thank you Mauser) and mated with the stock well.

As for the .270, I haven't any experiance with the round.

Good Luck,

 

[jmics19067]

I dont know who makes them or what they are called but there are scope mounts that allow you to use the iron sights ./

 

[bsmith]

I have a Remington Mountain Rifle 270, great gun in the tighter woods. Brother has a Winchester 270 and likes it just as much, little bigger and heavier though, I like the fact that I'm more stable when holding it, but in the tight stuff a few inches of the barrel makes it nice.
If you want open sites try an inline muzzleloader, if they're legal

 

[geremacheks]

You going to climb trees and use treestands? Stainless and synthetic would be nice--but deer might see stainless barrels easier.

I've used a scoped 270 mauser-bolt action for decades in the Wis. woods, with 150 grain for bucks. Works, but not the best brush rifle, and often doesn't kill instantly. But if you take trips out West to hunt, this gun is a do everything model. Mine is an old J.C. Higgins made by Winchester. And the stock is beat up terribly from climbing trees and using it like it should be used----no pretty guns for me. Personally, I would buy used. Can't bear to mess up those pretty new guns. Same goes for dirt bikes. Good Luck.

 

[XRpredator]

My cuz has a blued stainless .300 Mag, so you don't have to stay with the shiny. My next rifle will be stainless/synthetic. Less problems when hunting in the damp weather. And I'd go for a scope. Might as well get it all out of the way at once.

The .270 is a good round. I've seen several elk taken with well placed shots. As far as brand, I don't think you'll be hurting with any of 'em. That new Remington Model 710 (click here) looks like a pretty good buy, since you get scope and all, even if it ain't stainless. $425 ain't bad for scope and all.

 

[Rodzilla]

I have the Remington 700 "Classic" model chambered in .270 and one in 30-.06. I agree with the "mountain" model. Very nice. But I've taken large muleys with the .270 and almost prefer it.

Rod

 

[tx246]

ive sold guns for the last 20 yrs and the .270 has become pretty popular. in texas, its probably the number one caliber. things to consider:

1. are you tree stand hunting or are you going to carry it around all day? the remington 700 mountain rifles are much lighter but that results in a little more recoil.

2. if you like ride em hard and put your equipment away wet, the synthetic/stainless combo is the way to go. stainless equipped guns usually run 80-100 more than blued. "nice wood" is expensive. the blued/synthetic rifles shoot the same as the more expensive ones in the same action usually. if price is the object look for the blued/synthetic.

3. scope/rings should cost roughly half as much as the gun if you want to avoid problems. i know that sounds like a bunch of money but consider that you are putting something as delicate as a camera on a rifle. it needs to be right. money makes it right. i dont recommend the elevated rings (so you can use iron sights). they move the scope way above the action and make for very compromised shooting positions. if you hunt tight stuff find a scope that starts out at 2x and goes to 7x. this will give you a large field of view and will out perform iron sights.

i work for wally world aka walmart and you should have one near you. check out these models.

1. winchester 70 combo w/scope (scope is junk) for $380
2. wetherby vangard $380 without scope
3. savage 110 combo w/scope (scope is junk) for $360
4. remington 700 adl synthetic/blue with iron sights for $380

stay away from the 710 remington. cut corners everywhere they could. it earned remington a recall.

i personally think a larger caliber would be in order considering the size of the critters you might encounter. if you are trying to avoid recoil, look for a rifle with a ported barrell. they are really loud but kick is substantially reduced.

one final thought, buying used can save you lots of money but it can also mean you getting a gun that performs poorly. if you buy from an individual, ask for a buy back if the gun wont group like he says it will. lots of poor shooting guns just keep getting passed along at gun shows.

 

[bsmith]

Remember, it's not the size of the round that counts :eek: , but where you put it. ;)

 

[BadgerMan]

1. are you tree stand hunting or are you going to carry it around all day?

I am primarily a ground blind sittin' type of guy.

the blued/synthetic rifles shoot the same as the more expensive ones in the same action usually.

I am not too hung up on looks. I want something that shoots well and is real durable.

3. scope/rings should cost roughly half as much as the gun if you want to avoid problems.

Ya know, I am not sure that I want a scope. The areas I hunt are pretty tight. Can't imagine taking more than a hundred yard shot. It's kinda hard to find a moving target in tight woods with a scope sometimes. What do you think?

Trouble is, I don't see too many nice rifles sold with sights anymore.

4. remington 700 adl synthetic/blue with iron sights for $380

I fondled one of these last night and I really liked the feel of it. Great price too.

i personally think a larger caliber would be in order considering the size of the critters you might encounter.

The 270 is real popular here in Michigan too. I shot one some time ago and really liked it. Real flat shooting and pleasant to shoot (lighter recoil...no flinching). I am thinking it is more that adequate for our average sized deer.

There is a gun show here this weekend so I should be able to check out a bunch of options.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[tx246]

i agree bsmith with the^^^ but i really hate looking for dead animals. ive seen well placed heart/lung shots turn into two day safaris. bullet killed em but they ran before they dropped. larger calibers make quick work out of the large feral hogs we have. im guessing michigan deer are substaintally larger than what we have got. i hope i didnt imply that a bigger caliber would make up for a poorly placed shot. i was also thinking that a magnum caliber would be preferable if a bear hunt was available.

 

[geremacheks]

A scope also helps you see legal antlers on that buck that's hard to see in the brush. Great for eyes that area getting old too. And for thick brush and trees, variables with low to higher power, like 1x to 4x, 3x to 9x, etc., put everything on one plane and easy to sight and see. Hard to beat a scope. Just keep it at low power, and zip it up if you need to. Much more accurate than bare sights.

 

[clutchcover]

My vote goes ford the model 700, or the Win. model 70. I have the winchester in 30.06 featherlight and love it to bits. We just bought my dad a .300 remington ultramag in the model 700 Rem. It is a smooth gun. Makes people who shoot the win mags think twice. I don't know about the synthetics, I don't like the feel or the way they shoot. My .22 is synthetic, but all my other guns are wood stock. It's all about personal opinion I guess.
The .270 is a good choice. Many people I know hunt everything under the sun with them. And you don't have to worry about overkill on those little whitetail.

 

[jjcobra99]

For what it's worth, I don't think you can go wrong with a Remington. IMO, they're great guns for the money. I also hunt whitetail, and right now I use a Remington 30-06 model 7600. Yeah, it's a pump, and I love it. I am right handed, but shoot left handed, so it works perfectly for me. Using Winchester shells, at 100 yards, I can hold a group about the size of a quarter. You won't hear me complain about that.

As far as a .270 being large enough, it is plenty. That's what my brother-in-law uses. Both of us actually think both guns are too powerful unless you're making longer shots with them. Where I hunt in WV, I will very rarely get a shot over 100 yards. The problem I have is with the deer running so far after I shoot them. I've killed a lot of deer (with a heart shot) with that 30-06, and have only dropped one deer in it's tracks. Usually they will run 50-100 yards or more after they're shot. I can't really explain this, but before I got my 30-06, I used a Marlin 30-30. It was so good, that I have thought about going back to that. I just don't care for the lever action. Of all the deer I killed with that gun though, not one of them made it any more than 20-30 yards away, and most of them went down almost immediately. So I don't think that more power is always a good thing when it comes to deer hunting. That's my $.02. Hope it helps.

 

[Yamahauler]

If you don't get a shot over a 100 yards, then why a 270? Like you said the 270 shots flat and is a good choice for those shots 200 yards and more. I like the 7mm-08 round in a Winchester Featherweight. The 7mm-08 is a short cartrige with a wide range of bullet weights. The ballistics are good for white tail. The short barrel on the featherweight rifle combined with the short throw cartrige makes for a good gun to use in close quarters like a tree stand or blind. IMHO.

 

[BadgerMan]

Originally posted by Yamahauler
If you don't get a shot over a 100 yards, then why a 270? Like you said the 270 shots flat and is a good choice for those shots 200 yards and more.

That’s a good point.

I was considering the 270 because it is a good all around cartridge and is low cost and readily available. I also like the reduced recoil over the 30.06. However, maybe there are better choices such as the 30-30 or the 7.62x39?

The only other rifle I own is a 7.62x39 since lower Michigan is shotguns only by law. Usually I hunt with an 870 12ga w/rifled slug barrel. However, more and more I find myself hunting in the northern part of the state where you can use a rifle.

 

[jjcobra99]

Originally posted by Yamahauler
If you don't get a shot over a 100 yards, then why a 270? Like you said the 270 shots flat and is a good choice for those shots 200 yards and more. I like the 7mm-08 round in a Winchester Featherweight. The 7mm-08 is a short cartrige with a wide range of bullet weights. The ballistics are good for white tail. The short barrel on the featherweight rifle combined with the short throw cartrige makes for a good gun to use in close quarters like a tree stand or blind. IMHO.

That sounds interesting. I am going to check into that for myself.

 

[Neil Wig]

BadgerMan, I really like the .308 cartridge. The US military did a lot of research before they chose it. It has good ballistic charactoristics, with nearly the same reach as a 30-06. When properly sighted, it has a 5" trajectory over 240 yards. Shooting at deer, that's flat enough. My favorite round is the 168 gr Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip. They shoot very well out of my Browning BLR 308.

If/when purchasing a scope, don't be cheep. You are better off buying a good quality used scope (lifetime warantee), than a low quality new scope. I use a Leoupold Vari-X II 3x9-40. Very good low light charactoristics, crystal clear, and wide field of view. There are better scopes out there, but for the money, the Vari-X scopes are hard to beat.

If you shoot varmit with your rifle, a .308 is a bit much. You can get factory loaded 150 gr FMJ rounds, and if you load for yourself, you can get down to 110 gr.

We're going shooting coyotes this weekend. We both run .308 box magazine levers, spitting 150 gr, FMJ. :yeehaw:

Comence Shelling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p

 

[bscottr]

Originally posted by Neil Wig
If you shoot varmit with your rifle, a .308 is a bit much. .....We're going shooting coyotes this weekend.

There's nothing too much for a Coyote is there Neil? LOL ;)

Lot’s of good stuff here. I agree with Neil on the .308, it would be a very good choice for the yardages you mentioned. If you plan to hunt or want to be prepared to hunt areas where shots typically range 250 plus, the .270 is an excellent choice as it offers a slightly flatter trajectory. I have both and either one will do the job just fine with a properly placed shot.

The down side of the .270 is that you can only load it up to 170 grain bullets. So for Elk, Moose, Bear, etc. it’s not the best choice. If you only hunt deer size game and smaller, it’s no problem.

I also agree with the scope suggestions for several reasons. Better low light hunting, but most importantly…..the likelihood of a clean kill is increased for most (as opposed to open sights). Invest in a good one, you will not be sorry. Leopold Vari-X II is a great choice for the $$. My short range rifle has a 3X9X50mm ($300 +/-) and has very good light gathering capabilities.

Good Luck,
Scott

BTW: The Remington Mountain Rifle is SWEET for tight quarters!

 

[swingarm]

http://www.barrettrifles.com/
I think you should get one of these. You could pick off moose from over a mile away.

 

[Lost]

What about a dragunov? The 7.62 x 54r is a great round but it is abit messy. http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=7172692 check this out.. iron sights and a russian scope with rangefinder and a reticle light for near dark situations..

 

[weimedog]

I put in my time playing the hunting game both in Colorado and in New York over the last 40 years..(Shot gun hell here in NYS!). Here's my ten cents..(my wife dropped an edict where I can hunt all I want as long as I don't bring home anything dead anymore!...)

I owned a few Rugers, even a Stainless M77 in 30-06. The only one that ever shot straight for five shots is the one I still have, an old M77 V in .308. The rest would string the group after 3-4 shots. Had to releive the stocks (float the barrel) and that helped some.

Every Remington 700 series I ever had shot well. Stock.

I went the stainless route because they looked cool...and now I'm back to my old Rem 700 BDL and Ruger M77v in wood and steel. They feel better and I don't have any of the problems Stainless will solve.

I used to shoot a lot...and those light weight "mountain" rifles hurt...another reason I reto'ed back. Never got tired lugging around the 700 BDL.

I have a .270. Nice round. My only complaint was it seemed to not expand as fast as my .30-06 and .308. Could be coincidence or it could be the better penetration because of the cross sectional density of those 150 grain Noslers. So I settled back on old tried and true 30 caliber stuff and never lost an animal since. (Of course now its a moot point.) And its cheaper to shoot surplus stuff when the mood strikes.

As far as scopes are concerned, I settled on Leopold scopes many years ago and don't know if there is any thing better for the price. I like what I have. Rugged and excellent optics. One reason I changes was eye relieve. I like long eye relief scopes and Leupold's have exactly that.

 

[XRpredator]

I gotta agree on that long relief thought, Weimedog. The longer the relief, the less chance you end up with the half-moon scar over your right eye like I have . . . :ugg:

 

[Neil Wig]

Hey Pred, I just cringe when I see someone snuggle up to the scope on a high power. Sure bleeds a lot, don't it.

What bit you?

 

[geremacheks]

The gun experts call these wounds "idiot marks", and I think most of us shooters have had the experience. They usually happen only once, though. I hate learning by mistakes. :whiner: