270WSM or 7mm Mag for Deer

[Karbon]

270wsm vs. 7mm mag

Ballistic similar but are there any advantages to either for mostly deer?
I like the idea of a short action, but does that come with some other disadvantages elsewhere?

I’m not a re-loader, and factory ammo will be my only choice for now.
I’m set on a gun (Tikka T3) and most of my shots are 150 or less, but I want the longer range options for eventual hunting opportunities.

Any opinions? Any insight from this talented and experienced group?

Thanks in advance! THR has helped me greatly learn about how and what I should use and narrow my options down to these two cartridges.

Some day I’ll make up my mind, buy one and stop bugging everyone with these questions.
I have been fussing about this to no end for the better part of 2 months. Being the type of person I am, I like to do as much research as possible. I’ve been studying ballistic charts, ballistic coefficients, sectional densities, various relative stopping power formulas, OGW, killing power formulas, bullet (types, diameters, weights, terminal performance etc), kinetic energy, momentum, high velocity benefits, shock, and BULLET PLACEMENT.

From all this I learned three things…

1. There is no answer to my search.
2. Many may possibly work.
3. Everyone has their own opinion.I just want the opinions now of the 270wsm and 7mm mag. AND if there is a real good candidate that I’m missing, the justification for that one.

I'd rather have too much gun than too little, but then again I want to stay in my tree.


Help me end this frustration, and buy my TIKKA!!!

 

[Brian Williams]

If you like the short action, look at the 7mm-08, for around 150 yards, it will do all that the other 2 do with less flash and bang. Also it has considerably less kick.
Ammo is cheaper also.

Go short action.

 

[goalie]

Why not the regular old .270?

 

[jerkface11]

If 7mm rem mag and 270wsm are the choices i'd go with the 7mm rem mag. Since you said you'll be limited to factory ammo. I honestly don't think i'd trust the WSM's to stick around. 7mm mag has a good selection of ammo and isn't likely to go anywhere.

 

[mete]

No need for a magnum at that distance ,even a 30-30 with work. I'll also recommend the 7mm-08 , accurate ,effective . The magnums at short range tend to damage lots of meat .

 

[Roadwild17]

150 yards is short, I aggre, no need for a mag.
In Louisiana 150 yards is a long shot for deer and my reg old .270 has done the job. For those non-sniper up close shots the mags are gona waste atleast a quarter.

 

[Karbon]

I guess I'm just worried I'm not going to have enough with the other cartridges...

The faster speeds, more energy, just aid to plenty of killing power. Most of my gun hunting is for trophy animals, but don't get me wrong, I love the meat as well. (my wife and I burn through 2-3 deer easy per year).

I just want enough knock down/killing power, using the right bullet design, energy and velocity to stop them dead. All for the one shot, humane quick kills...

Yes I know that bullet placement is the main factor, but I want every edge possible, with out going overboard.

Why do you guys like the 7mm08 so much? It just seems a bit light, and quite a bit slower. I know deer are not difficult to kill, but I've seen just a 200lb Buffalo County buck run 100 plus yards with the first (30-06) 165 NBT in the chest cavity and one in his front shoulder. Thanks again.

 

[Karbon]

I also want the ability to go out west and hunt pretty much everything, but it will be 95% for whitetails...Most importantly I want the versatility. I don't feel it's asking too much, I just need the advice and with the practice I'll put in (and have put in) to make the setup perfect for my hunting needs.

Should I just get a second gun then for longer range/bigger game?

I'd rather have too much gun than too little, but then again I want to stay in my tree.
I guess I'm another newbie wanting an all around rifle.

 

[kennyboy]

The 7mm offers more of a punch. However, it will really punch your shoulder as well. The .270WSM is not as powerful as the 7mm, but has comprable accuracy and far less recoil. For deer, either will work. I think the .270WSM is more of a deer and light-skinned game round and the 7mm is geared more towards bear, elk, and other heavier game. By the way the WSM and WSSM cartriges are here to stay. People are buying rifles chambered in WSM and WSSM calibers like made. Winchester is expanding their selection of the cartriges as well.

 

[Freddymac]

I know what you are saying.

You have a particular gun/cartridge combo in mind. You asked a specific question as to which caliber to choose, and while those suggesting other gun/cartridge ideas are just trying to be helpful, you wanted an answer to your question. In my humble opinion, I would go with the 7MM. You don’t reload, so you will have more options with the 7mm.

 

[Karbon]

edit

 

[Otherguy Overby]

Join the 7mm-08 crowd, You won't get a sore shoulder, even if you do it a lot

Sheesh, for less than 150 yards, my 44 mag lever gun is enough, with good ammo, of course. 30-30 is good for further.

Wanna go out west, why settle for 7mm mag? Get a 7mm STW...

 

[Karbon]

More Questions...

How about recoil between the two?

My main experience has been with my 30-06 150 and 165 NBT's.

How much less or more would the 7mm mag/270wsm recoil in the same wt. rifle?

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Get the 7mm Mag and use Remington Managed Recoil ammunition. Very little recoil, and if you ever decide you need full-power mag loads, you can get them. It's like having two rifles in one.

I took four deer (three whitetail and a fallow buck) with four shots from a .30-06 using Managed Recoil stuff. I used the same rifle to take two feral hogs with full-power 185-grain soft points.

 

[Eat Beef]

I like the 7mm for ammo availability and a wider array of factory loads. I don't think there's a great difference between the two as far as ballistics or recoil goes, but then I've never fired a 270WSM.

A 7 mag won't tear up too much meat, much less a quarter, if you place it right, plus you have the ability to reach out quite a bit farther if you do go out west somewhere.

I don't find a noticeable difference in recoil between a 7mm, a 270 Win, a 30-06, or a 308, unless you're sitting at a bench shooting paper.

 

[Charles S]

To answer the question, of the two you selected, if I had no aspirations to shoot anything larger than deer I would choose the 270 WSM. It shoots so flat that with a gun in that caliber your maximum point blank range is further than I feel comfortable shooting in most field conditions. If has enormous energy, more than enough for deer. There is adequate ammo selection.

If I aspired to hunt elk, I would choose the 7 mag over the WSM any day of the week.

That being written, there is a lot of good advice. If you want a magnum fine, there is no need for a magnum on any deer that ever walked or will walk this continent.

Charles

 

[pete f]

My kids hunt using a .257 or a 250 savage. Both have shot deer at over 200 yards, both have had said deer run a little ways and then fall over. Both started shooting when they weighed under 75 pounds, both stayed in the tree stand. Going to a way bigger round would not have killed the deer any faster.


Have you gotten most of your hunting information from gun magazines? it would seem to sound that way. Probably the best all around WHITETAIL round out here is the 6.5 swede. 7-08 is very nearly a twin of it. 308's are a tad bigger bullet, tad more recoil. Benefits of a lighter round are a lighter gun. Lighter guns mean your arms do not get so tired holding the gun at ready. Less tired arms mean you are ready to shoot when the deer shows up. 7 mag and 270 WSSM are great rounds, but more than you need for whitetail, UNLESS you are hunting in a place where 3 and 400 yard shots are the norm. Very rare but someplaces it does happen, bean fields, rice patties and some western ranch land. If you are hunting the average whitetail woods, then a much lighter caliber is better. A 6.5 or a 7-08 has plenty of gas to take the 300 yard shot, without so much to turn the whole far quarter bloodshot if you have to shoot a little closer than that.

Believe me, a 140 grain bullet out of a 6.5 or 7mm at 2800 or so will KILL deer as good as anything made. 120 grainers will work too, even less recoil and a bit more speed.

For most american deerhunting, the 7 mag and the 270 wssm are simply overkill

 

[Matt-man]

I like the idea of a short action, but does that come with some other disadvantages elsewhere? ... I’m set on a gun (Tikka T3)

There are no short action T3s. They are all long actions regardless of chambering, so don't make that a factor in your decision.

 

[Karbon]

Keep it coming...

Most of my info is off of the internet via sites like THR, other boards as well as mgf pages, and sites like Chuck Hawks. THis was again added to the info I've heard from local hunters, family members, gun ranges, gunsmiths, and various tidbits I've picked up in my breif 18 years of hunting and 23 years of shooting.

Do most agree these are overkill?

 

[ArmedBear]

There IS no answer. That's the point. There are so many rounds out there that the overlap is excessive. That's probably one reason why the 100-year-old .30-06 is still the most popular round in the US AFAIK.

Stop fussing over all the sales pitches (oops, I mean ballistics charts) and just buy a rifle. Realize that you don't actually want the rifle to hunt deer. You just want to buy the rifle. When you actually own the rifle, ANY rifle, it will be a let-down, and you'll want to get another rifle, just because right now, when it's not hunting season you're more focused on buying the rifle than hunting the deer.

So buy a Tikka in some caliber designed for, well, whatever it's designed for. If you really wanted knock-down power for a humane kill at under 150 yards, you'd get a .45-70 lever gun and shoot Buffalo Bore ammo. You could probably hit the deer's tail or ear or something and bring it down.

Seriously, though, a shorter, lighter 7mm-08, say 20" barrel, 40" OAL, and 7 lb. with a scope, would make you smile rather than cuss whenever you climbed your tree stand. For those Western hunts where you're shooting 1000 lb. deer at 875 yards, get a Mark V in .300 Wby Mag or somesuch, and hire a sherpa to carry the beast.

Or buy whatever you want. .270 WSM is one of the 2 WSM's (.270 and .300) that have a good shot at being around in a few years. There's a critical mass of gunmakers supporting them (Remington, CZ, Ruger, etc., not just Browning which probably has a contractural obligation to make them). 7mm isn't going anywhere, and the Managed Recoil rounds give you a good option for your hunts. The price you will pay is a looong barrel and a heavy gun, when you wish you had a short barrel and a light gun.

 

[Charles S]

Do most agree these are overkill?

There is no doubt that the 270 WSM and 7 Rem Mag are overkill.

There are no short action T3s. They are all long actions regardless of chambering, so don't make that a factor in your decision.

That is correct.

For deer consider the 260 Remington, 7-08, 308 in a short action. 6.5X55 (One of my favorites), 270 Winchester, and the 7X57 in a long action. There are plenty of other great calibers available, these are just what I really like.

BTW, I love my Tikka T3 and it is available in 6.5X55. If I did not reload I would probably get a 7-08 or a 270 Winchester.

Charles

 

[newman]

I bought a Browning A-bolt 270WSM based mainly on the ballistics and short action. It recoils pretty hard, but less than a 7mm. The problem is the ammo is $35 a box and you cant buy it everywhere. On top of that the Winchester 130grain Ballistic Tips that shoot perfectly through it are having some sort of quality control issues so I stopped buying them and am I'm testing other ammo.

Its a great gun and if I wanted to get into reloading I would not have an issue with it.

If I had it to do over I would buy a .308 since I prefer the short action. As a matter of fact I am researching a couple .308 cals right now.

 

[rangerruck]

being the chart studying freak that i am , like yourself, i am very impressed with what comes from the 270 wsm. that and the fact that i personally think that wsm's and wssm's are the wave of the future, even though most of us have our favorite dinosaur rounds, and will hang on to them for another 100yrs. I mean heck, lots of guys shoot the 30/40, 25.35's , and I my self love a good Mosin.
that being said, if the Lord tarries, the future in case design, for the long lasting throat, bbl life is the wsm.
It will do more , with less wear, than the 7mm mag.

 

[Mannlicher]

Karbon, I am sure someone has already pointed this out, but either of those is way too much gun for whitetails. Deer don't take a lot of killing, and at the range you say you will be hunting its almost like shooting fish in a barrel. The expense, and recoil are both excessive.
A "Real good candidate you are missing' might be the Marlin 30-30. Inexpensive, accurate, more than adequate power, and certainly fun.
Good hunting!

 

[Karbon]

THR, thanks again all.

I really feel the need to have some "extra" rather than possibly too little.

Why do so many like the 7mm08?