# What caliber?



## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

OK so I am tired of waiting for my oldest brother to take the dirt nap so I can lay claim to his pre '64 Model 70 .270. 

I am looking to get a rifle other than .308 or .30-06 (already have em) for nothing bigger than deer. Primarily going to use it for Mule and Whitetail. I am leaning towards a .270 but am interested in the collective wisdom of the group. The criteria are it has to be capable of downing a good sized deer, must be a fairly common caliber that will not cause me to look high and low for reloading components ( I will reload for it), must be fairly flat shooting and capable of a 500 yard kill. Personally I want to keep all shots under 300 yards but I want it to have 500 yard capabilities. It will mainly be used by the grandson and perhaps the daughter. Would like something that fits all these criteria with as light of recoil as possible. The grandson is only 13 but he's 5'10" and closing in on 190...solid muscle too. The daughter is in her late 30's so that gives you an idea of who the shooters would be.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

6.5 Creedmoor 

or

6.5-284 Norma

These are on my wish list.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Heck, you seem to like the .270 so why not just go after that? Its a great caliber and will serve you well.

I love the 6.5/.264 calibers as well, but they are a little less common to find in small towns if you forget your ammo and realize it just before hitting deer camp.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

7mm-08


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

280 Rem........duh.------SS


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I just did the same thing last year but I purchased a .25-06. Now I am just debating on weather or not I want to get it reamed out to a Ackley Improved


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

^^^^Been there^^^^^. 100 grain bullets at 3450 fps, light recoil, varmint rifle accuracy, long case life.....all very tempting. I took the jump and have never regretted it for a minute. -----SS


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Bax* said:


> Heck, you seem to like the .270 so why not just go after that? Its a great caliber and will serve you well.
> 
> I love the 6.5/.264 calibers as well, but they are a little less common to find in small towns if you forget your ammo and realize it just before hitting deer camp.


Yeah, 270.

I would just buy meat at the store until yer brother dies.

.


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## Mr.CheddarNut (Jan 16, 2013)

25-06, 260remington, 270win is probably the most economical.

Cheddar


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Huh, thought I replied to this earlier, guess the computer hiccuped. I wrote: 6.5x55 sweed, 25-06, 280, 270WSM


-DallanC


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I've got a pre 64 custom in 257 Improved that I'll trade you for a modest biweekly paycheck.------SS


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

.270 or maybe 7mm-08.

There are a lot of other good choices as well, but I'm thinking that these two fit the bill best.

Another possibility, 7mm Rem. magnum on the high end or .243 Winchester on the low end.

... probably no need to look any further than one of these four.

On the other hand, if it were me, I would probably go with .308, but as you mentioned, you are ruling that one out.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

Look at it this way. The choice between .270 and 7mm-08 is kinda like a choice between Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. Either one is great, and it's more a matter of choice than anything else.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

LA vs SA too. Lots of appeal to SA's

-DallanC


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

The only criteria about readily available reloading components is tricky. The 6.5's are perfect for the bill and most are short action other than the 6.5x284, which I personally prefer. I think the bigger limiting factor may be which model you choose and what is normally stocked by the retailer. Certainly a 270 would work, but it is not nearly as sexy as so many other options. The 7mm-08 is the most mainstream of the sexier smaller calibers, lots of folks really like that and is becoming pretty common. NIce thing being a 284 bullet you much a really wide variety of bullets compared to the 6.5s and even the 270. I really like the 270WSM too, but depending on the rifle gives a lot more recoil vs the 7mm-08 in my experience of the rifles I own in these two.
Best of luck.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Springville Shooter said:


> 280 Rem........duh.------SS


What's that?


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Its a rebranding of a caliber for people who have a phobia of the metric system.
:mrgreen:

Plus, "Express" seems mighty wimpy and "girl'ish" for a hunting caliber doesn't it?










-DallanC


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

I also think any of the 6.5s would be good if you want something different or any of the standard 7mms. 7x57, 7-08 or .280.


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

How about a 280 AI? 

You're already planning on loading for it, cases are easily formed from 280 Rem ammo (or you can purchase brass), the brass will last a long time, you could load 140's for deer or the 160's for elk, and it just plain looks cool.


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## massmanute (Apr 23, 2012)

Some of the suggestions are interesting, but maybe don't match up with the requirements listed in the original post. (One of my suggestions, 7mm Remington mag probably match up too well either.)


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Another vote for the 6.5x284 - they are really nice! With their popularity, reloading components are becoming easier to find, along with factory loads. My second vote would have to be the 270 WSM - you could shoot 110 grain Barnes at 3400+ for deer sized animals and then get some 150 grain loads for bigger game if needed.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Uhhhh-- 280 of course. That is the answer no matter what the question is. If you feel it is too close to the 06 then go with a 25-06 or a 257 Roberts. But the 280 is a mighty fine cartridge. I'm glad my brother bought a 270 and I wanted to be different so I went with a 280. Best decision a teenager could have made.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Loke said:


> What's that?


Well, it's only the absolute best all around big game hunting cartridge based on the 06 case. Here is a short list of reasons why:

A wide variety of Bullets are readily available.
Factory offerings are very good.
Cartridge shines with 140-160 grain bullet weights.(perfect for big game)
Recoil is modest and tolerable for most shooters.
Very high BC's for bullets designed for hunting.
140's in the 280 mimic performance of 130's in a 270 with +10 grains of weight.
160's in a 280 mimic performance of 165's in an 06 with +.060 gain in BC. 
150 grain bullets at 3k fps with a .500 BC. Perfect all around big game medicine?

Is the difference enough to discern in the field between a 270, 280, and 30-06? Probably not but make no mistake, the differences are measurable and the 280 holds the edge with hunting bullets between 130-180 grains. Why not shoot the best?-----SS


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Springville Shooter said:


> Well, it's only the absolute best all around big game hunting cartridge based on the 06 case. Here is a short list of reasons why:
> 
> A wide variety of Bullets are readily available.
> Factory offerings are very good.
> ...


Hmmmmm.....(as I sit here and rub my chin and think) I want one of these.


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