new rifle

[swampgunner]

hi fellas, new to the forum,i currently have a .308 win and a modern 6.5 swede and was looking to buy a new rifle.i only hunt hogs whitetails and black bear, i have narrowed my search to 7mm mag,30-06,270win, or 257 weatherby mag. i know they are all powerful enough and ballisticaly close enough. just want another rifle in my safe any suggestions and why?

 

[Coyote3855]

I am never one to question another shooter's rationale for purchasing another firearm. But there is nothing the calibers you mention will do that the rifles you already own will not. If you just want another rifle "for the safe," how about an AR? Or a .22-250? Something that will not duplicate the ballistics of the rifles you already own? Or go classic with a Winchester 94 or Marlin 336? I'm not a hog hunter (they haven't made it to Wyoming yet), but a lever gun in .44 magnum seems popular with pig shooters.

On the other hand, no one should be without a decent .30-06. My choice if you stick with your list.

 

[Reloadron]

The rifles you have are plenty adequate for their intended use. If I were you and really wanted another rifle I might consider any of the spawn of the 308 Winchester, like the 7mm-08 Remington, 260 Remington or the 243 Winchester. The 7mm is a nice choice which I like. I also own a nice 7mm Remington Mag (Ruger Model 77 MK II) but in all seriousness I no longer enjoy shooting it like I once did, the same is true of the 257 Weatherby which I sold. The 30-06 is a nice choice but really won't give you much over the 308 you have. Overall for hog and whitetail the 308 is a great round. I am also assuming hunting rifle as in a nice bolt gun or pump so have omitted rifles like an AR.

Ron

 

[Frostbite]

A nice bolt gun in .270 Winchester. Because you don't have one. I like the caliber. 30-06 Springfield is a close second, but you already have a 30 caliber.

As for which rifle, well, you have many to choose from, but if it was me, I would most likely go with a Browning X-Bolt. I like their look, especially the classic ones in wood and blued steel. They are reportedly good shooters. I do not own one yet though.

 

[swampgunner]

thanks for the input guys. i was thinking of a 22-250 but for some reason the 257 caught my eye,ammo seems way over priced as i dont reload yet.might just end up with a 270 because there are so many factory choices.

 

[Gtscotty]

I'll throw my vote in for .270 as well. I'm a relative late-comer to the cartridge, having only reloaded for it for the past two years or so. I find the .270 to be easy on recoil, but capable of flattening deer sized game with aplomb at pretty much any reasonable range. 130gr .277 hunting bullets usually have BC's and SD's equivalent to 165gr .308 hunting bullets, but leave the barrel much faster than 165's out of non-magnum .30's.

30-06 is also a favorite of mine, but as others have remarked, you already have a .308, and given that you don't plan on using the rifle on bigger game than deer, the extra power of the 30-06 is not really going to net much improvement.

 

[Geno]

swamgunner:

Welcome to THR! It's a great place to hangout.

As to your new rifle selection, I have owned a Weatherby Mark V, in .257 Wea. Mag., as well as other Wea Mags: 270 and .300. They are awesome rifles, and awesome cartridges. However, as you observed, they too are over-priced. Point of rationality, meaning to get the most performance for the least money, Weatherby Magnum fails the balance of performance to cost.

As to other cartridges you mention, the .270 Winchester and the .30-06 Sprg are awesome, especially given modern propellants. The .30-06 Sprg seems frequently to be under-loaded in factory rounds, due to the chambering being offered in some many autoloader firearms. The .270 Win doesn't seen to experience this ballistic anemia to the same extent.

I reference specifically, Hornady's "SuperFormance, 130 grain, SST, with a muzzle velocity of 3,200 FPS. They drop deer dead-right-there. If you desire greater penetration, Hornady offers this same cartridge in the 130 grain GMX. The GMXs are guaranteed to fully penetrate any game animal in North America. And they do! I have used them in my Weatherby Mark V, .300 Win Mag.

Since you already have excellent rifle choices, this rifle can be a "just-because" rifle. But, one still wants maximum performance, excellent ammunition availability, and reasonable cost. To that end, I would suggest either a .270 Win or a .30-06 Sprg. Too, I would suggest that you save even more money, and get at handloads as soon as you can.

Let us know what you purchase, and as we say here: "No picture? It didn't happen!" We like photos.

Geno

 

[swampgunner]

thanks Geno i do enjoy the sight and have used info i found on here to make my other rifle choices. im sure the 270 will be at the top of my list,and i will be reloading within the next few months as soon as i get alittle extra cash. rewally appreciate all the good info and the fact everyone so far has been polite