what caliber of gun should I buy?

Question

I am going out today to buy a Savage 111 bolt-action rifle today for deer hunting, and I'm not sure what I should get. I can either get a .270, 30-06, or a 7mm. I'm not sure which one is better.
Also, what is the difference between a short action and a long action? Is one better than the other?

Answer 1

For deer, there isn't a dime's worth of difference among 270 Winchester, 30-06, and 7mm Remington Magnum, all of which require a standard-length action. I like "mountain rifles" with shorter cartridges, shorter actions, and shorter barrels, since I spend a good deal of time walking or still-hunting rather than stand-hunting, and 7mm08 is one of my favorites, but you'll do fine starting out with one of the standards. Once you gain more experience, and have a better budget, you'll probably add one or more of the shorter, more efficient cartridges and rifles to your battery.

Answer 2

Excellent choice of riflles, I'm sure you won't be let down(unless, of course, you traded in your Weatherby for it.)

Like what's been said already, they're all about equivalent as far as the deer is concerned. However, .30-06 is an old time favorite, and will be easier and cheaper to get ammo for. I'd go with that.

The difference between a long action and short action is just the lenght of the receiver, front to back travel of the bolt, and magazine well. Shorter cartridges like the WSMs, .223, .308, to name a few, are short enough that they can use a short action. .30-06 is long enough to need a long action, as a short action won't be able to fit the longer cartridge. There is a debatable increase in accuracy from using a short action over a long action, due to the flex in the receiver from the larger ejection port, but in the real world it's not going to be a noticeable amount of difference, maybe a few hundredths of an inch at 500 meters. I wouldn't worry about it, especially owning a Savage. The big recoil lug in front, directly on the barrel, should keep the receiver flex from mattering at all.

Answer 3

if you 'll be shooting long distance regularly, get the 7mm. otherwise, get the .270 or 30-06. You'll be happy with either one of them. Keep in mind that the .270 and 30-06 ammo will be a little cheaper for practice.

Answer 4

Any of the three would be an excellent choice, but they are all very similar as far as range goes. Are you always in a hunting situation where you need a rifle that will drop a deer at 300 yards?? If so, flip a coin, they will all do it if you know what your gun will do from that range.

Answer 5

EVERYONE SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WHAT IS YOUR SIZE, I'M 5'5" 150LBS AND A 7MM WILL GIVE YOU A GOOD KICK, IF YOU ARE NOT READY FOR IT, I OWNED A 30 06 AND I HUNTED MOOSE (180 GRAIN) AND DEER (120 GRAIN) AND IT WORKED FOR ME, RIGHT NOW I'M THINKING OF GOING TO A 308, LOOKING THREW ALL MY BOOK'S, I WOULD USE THE 30 06. YOU JUST HAVE TO USE DIFFERENT GRAINS, FOR DISTANCE AND DIFFERENT CRITTERS

Answer 6

All good calibers. I own all three. I have to say that I usually find myself taking the 7mm mag. when hunting deer. I love the flatter shooting 140gr loads for whitetail, and you can bump up the grain if you want to hunt larger game. All in all, these three calibers can take any North American game with the right load.

Answer 7

for deer - buffalo size game i always say the .308 but out of what you listed the .30-06 its like the .308 but not as good

Answer 8

It depends on what distance you will be shooting from and how large the game is. I would favor the 30-06 because it has the stopping power in case your shot is not a clean one, why chase game when you dont have to.

Answer 9

Your best choice is the 30-06.*

Answer 10

quoting the late jack o'connor speed kills so that would be ur 7mm. the length of the action for the catridges u picked are all long action, the short action are like your .308 and .243 etc. shorter shells.