270, 308, or a 300wsm ?

[moody22]

I am going to buy a gun her shortly and was in a split decisions over a 270, 308 and a 300WSM. I know it is hard to find 300WSM ammo but other than that what is the best. I hunt in arkansas, mostly in a wide-open shooting lane. I heard that the 300WSM has a lot of recoil but did some research and it is about the same as the 300win. I have also found out that my freinds 12 gauge shotgun has almost 2 times the amount of recoil that the 300WSM has. The shotgun kicked but not bad enough for me not to be able to handle. Any rifle that i get will be a bolt action. If u need more info i will put it on here for you.

 

[Lonestar.45]

To me, there is no point in getting a 300wsm if you are not going to hunt anything larger than deer. Ammo is harder to find, more expensive, and recoil is greater than either the .270 or the .308. Plus your gun will probably hold 1 less shell in that caliber than either of the other two because of the fat cartridge design.

If it were me, I would go with the .270 no question. I've had one over 20 years I have never regretted choosing it over a .308 or 30-06, etc. They will all kill deer, and you'd probably be happy with any of them, but to me the .270 Win is the ideal deer cartridge.

 

[grizz]

Toss a coin: Heads = .270, Tails = .308.

The .300 WSM is overkill for deer, ammo is more expensive and harder to find.

If you want something bigger, get a 30-06.

 

[critter]

Not a 'bad' choice in your list, but the old .270 is a perfect fit for your application it seems to me. Good, flat trajectory, good results on the receiving end, low enough recoil to enduce LOTS of practice to get really good with it, ammo found almost everywhere, etc.

 

[carterbeauford]

WSMs are a fad. I'd go with .270

 

[Mr White]

.270 - Flatter shooting, good long range energy, recoil not bad, good caliber for deer, elk and bears, ammo is very common.

.308 - Cheap surplus ammo for pratice, short action, heavier .30 cal bullets bullets will make a bigger hole and carry more energy for longer range shots. Will kill anything a .270 can kill.

.300 WSM - recoil might not be more than you cna handle, but it will be uncomfortable and yo might not want to shoot it as much. Ammo is less common and more expensive. Overkill for deer. bette for moose, bears, elk and longer range hunting.

 

[one-shot-one]

don't know about there in ark. but the sporting goods stores here have plenty of 300wsm ammo on the shelves.
i have an 18" bbl rem. mod. 600 in .308 love it, small light (for a bolt gun) handy.
my 300wsm is a win. mod. 70 w/22" bbl. the recoil is not much more than the .308 in the lighter gun.
my .270 was a ruger #1 that i let go because of redundancy with my 30-06.
you really can't go wrong with these three or an -06. get what makes you happy.
my .308 gets the most play mostly because of its size/weight and it gets the job done.

 

[Hogfan1911]

I'd stick with the .308 or .270. The WSM is just overkill on any deer we have around here, and either of the other two will pack plenty of punch as far out as you'll reasonably be shooting (unless you're very, VERY good at 500+ yd shots. Few in this world truly are.). If you decide you just gotta have the WSM, Fort Thompson, Don's Weaponry, Gander, & Academy in NLR or the Academy in west LR all have the ammo in stock. Ain't cheap, tho.

 

[Outlaws]

.300wsm is a useless cartridge IMO. Sure it works, but its just another odd ball with no real reason to have ever been introduced other than companies needed something else to give the buying public because of the "short magnum" fad.

Its hard enough to find .300WIN at the last minute. Don't screw yourself with the .300WSM.

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

I'd go 270.

There was a time in America where .30-06 was enough to hunt anything on the continent. All of sudden, magnums are a necessity for deer. Bambi is getting tougher and tougher I guess Smells more like gun industry marketing looking to sell new rifles.

.270 can do just about everything the .30-06 can, but it shoots flatter, which might be useful to you since you say that you're hunting in areas with a lot of open space.

 

[bowfin]

I think the .270 is a hard cartridge to beat for deer hunting. Heck, put all three in a sack, shake them up, and pull one out.

Okay, now my token defense of magnums: You don't need magnum power or speed for a deer, true. However, having a heavier bullet with a high B.C. starting out at 2900 fps for the wind and distance that is between you and said deer is comforting.

I am not sure where and how everybody else here hunts, but I don't hunt out of a deer stand in the woods. Most of Nebraska (the Sandhills) doesn't really have trees, and your first glimpse at the deer might be when he is studying you across the cornfield. So I get more shots over 200 yards than under 100 yards, which is not such a big problem in judging distance. A deer at 200 or 300 yards almost always looks the same at that particular range, year in and year out, so once you have that figured out, most any modern cartridge offered with a deer sized bullet will do.

However, I have always had trouble telling a 15 mph wind from a 23 mph wind, and it tends to gust or die down from second to second and change directions imperceptibly. It may be at slightly different velocities and directions at different distances at the same time between me and the deer. It definitely can be a factor when shooting over 200 yards. For those of you who can dope the wind and range at 200+ yard ranges, (or shoot most of your deer at under 200 yards) then magnums are an unecessary extravagance that can't be justified. But for we poor saps who might start the early morning with our tents flattened by the self same wind that we will be trying to bag an antelope or deer in later that day, forgive us for noticing and embracing the difference between a 180 grain Sierra Game King from a .300 belted magnum and a 150 grain from the more reasonable and efficient .308 Winchester that will call for a less critcal call on the wind and range.

I can't say a magnum is right for you, but I don't think you can say a magnum is always uncalled for unless you have hunted in all weather and all places.

 

[270Win]

I like grizz's method... heads, .270, tails, .308.

Both are great, great calibers. Can't go wrong.

 

[rangerruck]

id go 308, then 270 , then the rest. 308 for commonality, and rounds everywhere, the 270 , fast flat shooter, and rounds are almost as universal as 308.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

.270 30-06 .308 all the same in a riflemans hand. I would pass on the wsm for deer

 

[IV Troop]

Out of those choices, I would shoot a 270. I have used mine with success on deer and elk for 25 years.

 

[Essex County]

.270 would probably be as versitile and recoil pretty manageable ...Essex

 

[sefus]

.270!!!

I'll have to find it but I recently saw the stats on it compared to a 308 and 7mm I think and it was hands down the best performing. Easy to reload too.

 

[Silent Sam]

270 or 308. If you want to go with a WSM look at the 270WSM. It's about the only one that offers a real ballistic advantage over pre-existing cartridges of the same caliber.

 

[ArmedBear]

.270 if you don't want to worry about range (can be set up to +/- 3" out to almost 300 yards, which means you just put the crosshairs on the target and shoot, out to that distance.)

.308 only if you want a compact rifle, and then consider 7mm-08 Rem, which is sort of the "short action .270 Win". Otherwise get a .30-06, which is the same cartridge in a longer case, with more versatility and better velocity in factory loadings. No reason to get a short action then put a 24" barrel on it.

.300 WSM if you plan to hunt in the mountains, backpack in, and hunt for elk, and therefore want a compact rifle with extra oomph. Same applies: no reason to get a short action and put a 24" barrel on it.

Out to 300 yards, the performance of a .300 WSM and a .30-06 with standard factory loadings will be indistinguishable on deer, both in terms of trajectory or energy. A chronograph can tell the difference, but a hunter can't, except that his shoulder will hurt more with a magnum round.

Past 300 yards, you'll want to choose very carefully. A light, compact rifle may be a poor choice for very-long-range accuracy, regardless, though it's more pleasant to lug around.

A .300 WSM is more expensive, slams you harder, and burns up barrels faster. There's a reason that .30-06 is still the most popular hunting round in North America, and .270 is (I believe) the most popular deer-specific variant. It's a necked-down .30-06, in case you didn't realize that.

 

[Leanwolf]

My brother and his two sons live in Little Rock. They use a .30-06 and two .308 Winchesters for deer hunting there. No problems. Lots of meat in the freezer. 150 grains factory cartridges in both. They don't reload.

I've killed a fair number of deer with my .280 Rem. and my .308 Win. Can't tell too much difference. Both are outstanding. .280 is not much different than the .270.

As suggested above: flip a coin.

L.W.

 

[Va Shooter]

+100 on the .270win,can't go wrong for bambi buster.Now make sure the RIFLE you get is a Savage 110 with accu-trigger! If that buck/doe steps out and you do your part.....= supper! Va Shooter p.s. .308win is great also JUST LEAVE THE MIL-SURP AMMO ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mljdeckard]

I've done lots of shooting with .308, I've owned an M1A, and several Remington 700s in .308. When I'm not a starving student anymore, I plan on getting another one. I don't have any problem at all woth mil-surp ammo, just clean like you should anyway. Hand loads are the most accurate, but I have not yet maximized the accuracy potential of ANY ammo. When I have done that, I'll start tweaking loads and sizing chambers.

Through a bizarre turn of events, my father would up with two identical S&W model 1500 .270s, so he gave me one. I have watched him kill several deer with it over the years.

I have debated whether or not to get a mag of some flavor. If my focus moves from deer to elk, I might get a heavier hitter, but not necessarily a 300, I think any of the smaller WSSM calibers would be perfectly fine for elk as well.

 

[Trip20]

There's no reason any self-respecting man or woman shouldn't own a rifle in both .270 and .308

That said, typically use my .270 for deer, and my .308 for, well, fun I suppose. I could switch their roles and it'd make no difference to the deer & paper targets.

 

[theCZ]

Another vote for the .270, what a great cartridge!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you're hunting deer buy a .270 since it's a fast flat shooting round. If you are going to hunt for larger game buy a .308 and shoot the lighter rounds when hunting deer and the 180 gr Ballistic Silvertip stuff when hunting game slightly larger than deer.

If you are going to hunt some really BIG game buy a .270 for deer and a .338 Winchester Magnum for Elk and other large stuff.