Quick ? for you fellas.

[grout-scout]

If you were hunting whitetail between 200 to 300 yards which of the following calibers would you choose? Please don't expand the list because these are the only calibers I have and these are Texas deer that don't grow as large as the deer up north. So here's my choices: .300wsm, .270 or 7-08.
Obviously the bullet drop is one of my factors, so I like the .300wsm but it does give me a little more thump in the shoulder than the other two do. What do you guys think?

[guzzijohn]

I would think any of those would do fine at that range. Use which ever one you are the most comfortable with and most accurate. Yea, most of thoseTexas deer kind of look 2/3 scale  .
GuzziJohn

[Huffmanite]

I haven't deer hunted here in Texas for a very long time, so my opinion has little weight.   But of your selection of cartridges, I'd prefer using the 7mm-08 first, 270 next and the 300 wsm I'd probably never take Texas whitetail deer hunting.

[Graybeard]

I'm one of those who think the 7-08 is the perfect round for deer hunting. So from your list I'd choose it first. I've also used the .270 Win extensively and also love it for deer hunting so it would be a real close second.

Personally I see no need for .300 magnums for deer hunting so I'd not even consider it.

[grout-scout]

So the 7-08 has enough umpphhh to get it done at 200 plus? I was just thinking that ballistically it seemed kinda low and the way it drops down. I have to stick with factory ammo, you guys think a Winchester power point 140gr is good enough, I also have some ballistic tips but not too many hunters seem to care for them.  Or should I go with a little more premium ammo or just use whats accurate. Thank you for your opinions by the way!

[BBF]

Without any hesitation on my part, I'd take the 270 Win with a 140-150 gr bullet.

[Freezer]

If your looking at a standard weight gun 7 1/2+ I'd go with the 270 in a standard action. If weight is a consideration a short action 7-08. Rem model 7, Tika t3 or BLR. I see no need for a 300wsm for deer at the ranges your shooting. The wsm's were developed to give magnum performance in a short action to reduce the weight of the gun. This adds to felt recoil and muzzle blast. That leads to more of a tendency to flinch.

[LanceR]

Well, you don't say what the rifles actually are but for me I'd leave the WSM in the back of the safe.  With a standard 150 grain load you'll generally see about 3300 FPS out of a 24" barrel which will get you out to 320 yards or so with the bullet never getting more than 3 inches above or below the line of sight ( a 6" mean point blank range or 6" MPBR)  However it will do it with 25 or more pounds of recoil energy which is a lot more than most folks tolerate well while still shooting accurately.

The 270 with a 130 grain bullet at around 3150 FPS will get you out to around 305 yards with the same 6" MPBR and about 16 pounds of recoil in most rifles.

The 7mm-08 with a 140 grain bullet at 2860 FPS will give you a 6" MPBR of about 250 yards but without holding over a bit it will get to 300 yards about 4.4" below your line of sight.  That's still in the heart/ling area of all but the very smallest of deer but it doesn't allow much forgiveness for any firing point errors.  On the plus side it will have a much more comfortable 13 or so pounds of recoil from most rifles.

Since recoil is generally the single most  predicable determinant of whether the average person is going to shoot a particular file well I'm all for less recoil.  Deer don't need a 300 WSM or 270 to be cleanly harvested.  I'd pick the 7mm-08 for myself but both it and the 270 would be fine choices.  Again, the 300 WSM is a lot more horsepower and recoil than deer need.  I'd leave it at home.

Hope this helps.

Lance

[Graybeard]

I use Hornady Light Mag ammo in our 7-08s. It has now been replaced by their Super Performance line. It adds another 150 fps or so to the velocity of the round. But yes the Winchester ammo should do fine at 200 yards. The heaviest deer I've ever shot was shot with an 18.5" barrel 7-08 using factory Remington 140s. One shot kill as have all other animals we've shot with the round.

[Lloyd Smale]

out of the 3 id choose the 708. I dont care for the 270 but thats just a personal thing, not that it doesnt do well. The 300wsm would defineatly get er done but its a bit more then whats needed at those ranges. My buddy has shot a truck load of deer with his when we do crop damage deer culling and ive been known to favor even bigger but when your shooting that many deer a little meat damage isnt even a consern.

[dks7895]

Everybody has their own opinion....

My vote goes to the .270 Win.

Ballistically it's better than the 7mm08 at 300 yards, and the 300WSM is overkill.

[grout-scout]

I use Hornady Light Mag ammo in our 7-08s. It has now been replaced by their Super Performance line. It adds another 150 fps or so to the velocity of the round. But yes the Winchester ammo should do fine at 200 yards. The heaviest deer I've ever shot was shot with an 18.5" barrel 7-08 using factory Remington 140s. One shot kill as have all other animals we've shot with the round.

Mr. Graybeard, are you using the SST or GMX? I thought about trying the Superformance but I have heard so many complaints about Ballistic tips I just wasn't sure about them.

Heck I'll just use all three of calibers I guess . Nah, I really like my .270 but I want to try the 7-08 but just wasn't too sure about it's mid range rainbow trajectory. Some might wonder why I have 2 smiliar calibers it's because the price was just too good to pass them up. Plus I like the thought of having one caliber zeroed at 200 and the rest at 100.  At what distance does the 300wsm become a better candidate? Or is it more about animal type? Thanks again guys

[charles p]

I have all three of these and have taken deer with each.  The 300WSM is my least favorite.  It's a toss up between the 270 and 7-08. 

I often hunt with the same rifle the entire year.  Last year was 308 year.  Before that it was the 270 year and before that the 7mm-08 year.  Never used my 300 for an entire year.

[LanceR]

grout-scout, I misread the 6" MPBR for  the 7mm-08 when I posted yesterday.  The MPBR for the 7mm-08 is 284 yards (not the 250 yards I wrote yesterday) but the bullet is falling fast out there and it drops another 1.4" by the 300 yard line. 

Using Hornady Interbond bullets for all three calibers I looked for the "midrange rainbow trajectory" and it really doesn't exist.  The trajectories of all three calibers are within 0.6" of each other out to 200 yards and still are of no real significance in hunting at 250 yards.

For the .300 WSM I used a 150 grain Interbond at 3300 FPS, for the .270 I used a 130 grain Interbond at 3150 FPS and for the 7mm-08 I used a 139 grain Interbond at 2860 FPS.    I used a scope center line of +1.5" from the bore and a 6" MPBR to keep the bullet no more than 3" above or below the line of sight.  That was intended to allow a center hold on the heart/lung area and to not need to apply any hold over.

At 250 yards the .300 is +1.1" of the line of sight, the .270 is +0.7" and the 7mm-08 is -0.5".  I know some folks might make a big deal of the 1.6" difference from the .300 to the 7mm but it really does not matter.  No big game animal will know the difference between a bullet hitting an inch above or a half an inch below the middle of his lungs.  Use a center hold on the heart/lung area and you'll put your game on the meat pole.

Only at 300 yards is there any difference and it is likely still smaller than most folks would guess.  At 300 yards the .300 is at -1.6", the .270 is at -2.3" and the 7mm-08 is at -4.4".

With a 10 MPH wind directly from the side of the gun-target line there is less than a half inch difference in the 300 yard wind drift-so much for the often claimed wind bucking ability of faster cartridges....  All three loads fall in the 6.2" to 6.7" windage with a 10 MPH crosswind.  Clearly, for most hunts reading and reacting to the wind is more important than how flat your bullet flies.

You're the only one who can make an educated guess as to how often you'll need the difference between the 284 yard 6" MPBR of the 7mm and the other two cartridges.  The 300 WSM has only a 33 yard MPBR advantage over the 7mm-08 and 14 yards on the 270 Winchester.  How often do you soot at deer 300 yards away?  Do you feel comfortable favoring a little high with the 7mm-08 at ranges over 250 yards?  If so, there is no practical difference that a deer will ever notice between the three cartridges.

All have the power to cleanly take deer at 300 (even 400 yards) provided we as hunters do the most important part-put the bullet where it belongs.  As I wrote yesterday, I'd leave the .300 in the safe for deer since it is a lot more recoil and muzzle blast than you need to put up with for deer.  Of the other two I'd personally reach for the 7mm-08 but you may be more comfortable and more accurate with one of the three over the others and that may be the best way to choose.

Lance

[grout-scout]

Thanks for the info Lance! I'll probably use the 7-08 this year, mostly because it's new. Last year it was the .270's turn. I most likely will never shoot past 200 to be honest, but the country I hunt in is the type where you can see 1/2 a mile no problem. Heck, I probably won't even shoot the 200 to be really honest. The hunting seems to be getting worse every year, but one of these days a biggun's bound to walk out. Is the new Hornady Superformance interbond a good choice?

[chutesnreloads]

Grout,earlier you asked if the Win.140 grain power point had enough umph.Haven't shot a deer with them but they were plenty umph enough for couple sizable hogs.Still,in your shoes,I'd pick whichever rifle/load combo gave me the tightest groups.

[grout-scout]

Grout,earlier you asked if the Win.140 grain power point had enough umph.Haven't shot a deer with them but they were plenty umph enough for couple sizable hogs.Still,in your shoes,I'd pick whichever rifle/load combo gave me the tightest groups.

Yeah I have had good luck with the p.points in 130 gr .270 so far. They are kinda hard to find in the stores around here though for the 7-08, I know I could find them on the net but I like buying stuff in person. But I bought 3 dang boxes of the Win. Ballistic tips not knowing about all the horror stories that I have now heard. I guess in the end it's better to be accurate with a mediocre bullet than to be slinging premo bullets all over the place.

It's funny that nobody recommended the .300wsm because on some of the forums here in Texas I read about guys using 300 Weatherbys, ultra mags, mags. Kinda funny but I guess they feel more macho. I bought mine because I got it at half price and hope to go on a big game hunt someday, doubt it will ever happen though!

[Lloyd Smale]

Why is it that everytime someone talks about using a mag rifle for deer hunting he called macho. I use them as much as the standard rounds. I also have been know to hunt deer and pigs with a 500 linebaugh. Why? certainly its not being macho. Mostly its that i love guns and it would get pretty boring using the same old 06 for everything. We also do alot of crop damage shooting where the ranges are out to 400 yards and beyond. Sure standard rifles can be made to work at those ranges but I guess a guy could run the daytona 500 with 300 hp engine too if he wanted. Hed propably finish but theres better equiptment for the job. Ive watched women who could easily handle a mag rifle and ive watched a few that even did well with my linebaughs. If you can handle the recoil and in  my opinion anyone who puts in a little range time can surely shoot a 300 mag well, then why not. Ive put alot of meat in the freezer using mag rifles and probably will continue to.

[dks7895]

It all boils down to using the right tool for the right job.  I could drive a nail with a 3lbs sledge too.  I am strong enough to swing it accurately, and it sure will drive that nail home.  But I prefer to use a 16oz hammer.  That's just me.

[grout-scout]

Why is it that everytime someone talks about using a mag rifle for deer hunting he called macho. I use them as much as the standard rounds. I also have been know to hunt deer and pigs with a 500 linebaugh. Why? certainly its not being macho. Mostly its that i love guns and it would get pretty boring using the same old 06 for everything. We also do alot of crop damage shooting where the ranges are out to 400 yards and beyond. Sure standard rifles can be made to work at those ranges but I guess a guy could run the daytona 500 with 300 hp engine too if he wanted. Hed propably finish but theres better equiptment for the job. Ive watched women who could easily handle a mag rifle and ive watched a few that even did well with my linebaughs. If you can handle the recoil and in  my opinion anyone who puts in a little range time can surely shoot a 300 mag well, then why not. Ive put alot of meat in the freezer using mag rifles and probably will continue to.

Hey Mr. Smale I can see the use at long distances but my reference was to some of the fellas on a Texas hunting forum. I don't know if you are from Texas or have ever hunted here but our deer are puny little things and most shots are around 100 yards. There are places that are more open terrain but on average 100 is it. Surely you can see the irony in a guy using a .300 rem ultra mag for a 150lb deer at 100 yards. But you are right in your opinion, these are our toys and we want to use all of them. DKS has a good point too though.

[bulletstuffer]

The decision would be a hard one if you were only going to kill one deer   If you own all three...shoot all three as they will all take deer.  There is no such thing as to much gun as long as you can shoot it accurately.

Good luck,

Bulletstuffer