Your Opinions on what new gun i should get

[505Panther]

Ok, I think I've narrowed it down to getting a Browning Bar. I want this gun because Im right handed and shoot lefty making it easier then reloading a bolt action like I've been doing. My problem is what should I get it in. 270 WSM. It mainly for deer hunting but would like to take it bear hunting. whats you take on it?

[SongDoghunter]

.270 or 30.06 hands down. The 270WSM is virtually the same bullet and powder quantity as the standard .270. The 30.06 speaks for itself! As far as bear hunting and depending on how you will be hunting them, the .270 or 30.06 once again is more than ample. If you plan to hunt with dogs for bear, a rifle with a scope is a "no no"! Most bear hunters who actually hunt with dogs and go to bayed or treed bears etc. use .35, 30.30, .444 etc.lever type guns with iron sights. Most also carry their side arms to the tune of 44 mag, .454 Casull etc. My opinion is biased towards traditional hunting calibers as they have just proven themselves again and again. The new "Short Mag" cartridges just do not show me enough redeeming qualities over their parent cartridges to make it worthwhile to equip myself with one of them. They are also more expensive to feed!

[buckhunter]

i agree with doghunter on this one,i would stay with the 270 or 30-06,but lets not forget the 308 either.i'm not to sure about all this short magnum hype but one thing i do know is the price of the ammo is about double and the ammo is somewhat harder to find.just my $.02 worth.

[buckhunter]

one more thing,i do not know if i would want an auto shooting it left handed.the brass and residue flying back.have you thought about buying a left handed bolt or a single shot rifle?i seen a real nice browning x bolt the other day which was a left handed gun

[505Panther]

I thought about a lh bolt gun but I have always shot right handed guns and its really weird working the bolt left handed. Thanks for everyones reply so far, as far as the bear hunting goes its running dogs. I understand not using a scope I just wondered if the .270 had enough knockdown power.

[alien319]

.30-06 hands down. Absolutely one of the greatest rounds, America has ever produced. I wish we still used them in the military. It is plenty. .270 will work as well but I am partial to .30-06. Get the BAR or SXR in that. If hunting with dogs like Doghunter said, buy a lever gun in .30-30 or .45-70.

[bub82hd]

i have a 7rem mag in the bar. has all the power you would ever need for anything you hunt. i have kill cats to bear one shot one kill. i luv mine but you can't use them i pa. so i ha ve to take my savage 110 7 mag when i go up there. i know they cost more in the mag but they are worth it. people say that is over kill but when they are losing deer i just walk over and get mine. shot a bear last year hit him in the neck and down he went didn't know what hit him.

[DV8]

Hi guys,

first time poster.

Ill tell you all being from Maine your deer do not require a large caliber hehe. I have taken many deer here in wake county with my savage 7mm-08 the longest shot at 380 yards (over bean filed in Stantonsburg) and killed him dead in his tracks. Now when i am in the woods i like to use my .308 as it will punch through bushes and still do the deed. so if your hunting open fields the .270 is the biggest you will need here. but the 7mm has one of the best ballistics for flat shooting and is more then enough for any deer in NC.

just my 2cents

DV8

[buckhunter]

i love the 7mm rem mag!but the places i'm hunting now=no distance,100yds or less[more like 50yds or less] and not using the 7mm.killed 2 this year[9 pointer and a cow horn]and my buddy killed one[cow horn] with my h&r 20ga ultra slug gun,i LOVE this gun!the other gun i've been using[seeings how my friend isn't letting me have my slug gun back lol]is my h&r handy rifle in .308win.i'm shooting a 180gr federal classic bullet[thats what this rifle loves to shoot,tried 150gr and 165gr hornady bullets and she threw them all over] i'm not worried about shooting through the brush if i have to and if something happens a bear should show up[personally never seen while i've been deer hunting] i am very confident with my 308 in making a clean and ethical kill.as for the 7mm/08=i have heard only good things about this caliber.i know 3 or 4 people shooting one of them and they love it.and it should be a phenonamal round,they necked a 308 down and put a 7mm bullet in it to shoot a lighter bullet.the middle man so to speak=.243win 100gr bullet,7mm/08 140gr bullet,.308win 165gr bullet you get the idea.if you want to compare different calibers and bullets check out the hornady web page,they show the ballistics on there bullets and you can compare one to the other.personally i like to look and compare the energy each one has,check it out if you get a chance.

[RenegadeRN]

Oh heck....am gonna stir this pot to boiling! LOL! First and foremost my opinion is my opinion and no one elses. Second...you need to sit down and determine what you are or might use it for. In the US we are an emotional crowd and will buy whatever the newest and greatest is just because they mention it in the local magazines or stores or best bud has one. My question is what will you being using this for, what ALL will you hunt and where in this world will you hunt it? If you are hunting elephant in South Africa I promise you this...while I am sure a 7MM, 30-06 etc. has been used? This is not ethical nor right and down right dangerous! .416Rigby, .458Win Mag, etc. are the norm. But if you are out in the west dinging jackrabbits a 7mm or whatever is too much...while I am sure it has been done.

Now...again my opinion and my opinion only. We as a nation are basically wanting everyone else to take care of the issues. If I get the lastest and greatest .338Edge or Lapua I do not really have to know how to learn to range my game unless it is in excess of like 600yards. They are lazers and shoot straight. Todays bows are faster and harder to draw because they shoot in excess of 360fps which means we do not have to range the animal. I dunno if it is a lazy issue or not. I don't necessarily think so. I think it an issue of wanting to be like Harry, Joe, Jim or Mike. I wanna have the latest and greatest .400KZBzBee that will shoot gnats off a bottle cap at 3 feet! So what if I can't shoot the darned thing I look good doing it. (No, not trying to rufffle feathers in the least. I am trying to get you to think about what, why, how, and where before you spend your well, hard earned money.) Keep in mind that the .300WinMag only came out in the 60's and the .308 in the late 50's. A .3" and 3.5" in 12 guage is more recent than this! So what the heck did Dad and Granddad use before this? Yep, a 300Savage took plenty of game, 30-06, .270, .35Rem, etc. was ALL there long before the 300SAUM or 7mmRUM. A 2.75" 12 gauge took all the ducks and geese you ever wanted. So the new gun and caliber are mute points. If they did it then then we can do it now! I can get to the store in my truck or get to the store in my Camaro or get to the store on my bicycle. BUT I have to know how to drive the darned thing. My father could wear any pool player out with a broomstick and watched him do it many times....he knew how to shoot pool. So the answer is you bring to the table what you want...but know the rifle, the caliber, it's advantages and limitations inside and out. All type of calibers take long distant shooting championships all the time...but it is the guy behind the scope that wins that. He shoots day in and day out and knows his rifle. So go buy what you want and spend as much time behind that trigger as possible.

What do you want? Why do you want it? Then go buy it! But spend valuable trigger time!

As for me? I am with Doghunter. There is nothing in the US that I cannot take (ceptin maybe Grizzlies) if I am using a .270Win or .30-06 with the right bullet, plus those two are the top two selling rifles/ammo in the US for many years which means all stores will carry them. So my question to this is...Why is this the case?

[Mustang]

270 Winchester.

[505Panther]

RenegadeRN- Im not sure where you were going with you reply, I know you were trying to stir the pot. My trigger time is not the question I was asking. Trust me I have enough real world "trigger" time. I had multiple deyployments with the 82nd and was a rifleman and 240 machine gunner. The reason I asked the question was I will have to save money for the next year to get a new gun and wanted to make the right choice with what I buy. The local shops give me completly different answers on rounds and guns which just makes the choice harder. The reason I picked the BAR was because I liked the feel of the gun especially with me being right handed and shooting lefty. I was worried that the brass ejecting would be a problem but never once did I have an issues shooting any semi-auto left handed in the military. The gun doesnt make a good shot the shooter does, I just wanted to do as much research as I could do to make sure the $1000 I spend will last me a long time. I only hunt in NC and its mainly for white tail and in thicker places, I do not hunt anywhere that I make a 300yard shot, but thats not to say I wont. I want the best gun for all situations that I would be hunting in NC. Thanks for the ideas so far.

[RenegadeRN]

Yes, I typically have longer winded posts than most. No..not trying to stir the pot per se', but to get you to think about the WHAT, WHY, and WHERE you will be shooting. This will aid you well when you do go to the store to purchase and some unscrupulous salesman/saleswoman tries to get you to change your mind to buy the 6.4586WhizBangBZBee. Why? Because the manager just told them to move them because they bought too many this year and they aren't selling them. BUT truly sorry if you didn't understand where I was going with my reply. I do that sometimes. LOL!

I applaud your efforts in researching what you want and getting opinions. I do think you are going about things the right way. You are 100% right. Most gunstores are out to make a sale. They will sell you anything you want just to make the sale. There is so much info online it is very difficult to sort through it all. $1000 to spend on a rifle or rifle and a scope is ALOT of money for most all of us. I have my opinions and likes and dislikes... But before you decide check out the CZ and Tikka lines. When it comes to glass there are alot of thoughts. The .30-06 is the most sold round/rifle caliber in the US and has been for decades. The .270Win is the second most sold round/rifle in the US. There is a reason why. They just do their job and do it well.

I spent over 6 months researching the last rifle I purchased. You cannot go wrong if you pick a rifle that shoots 270Win. Factory loads are typically from a 130 grain round to 160grain round. If I reload I shoot more accurately. The .270Win has almost negligible recoil compared to some of the big boys. Except for maybe a grizzly/polar bear.... there is nothing on the North American continent you cannot take down and ethically and cleanly do it.....including animals taken out west like the elk or mule deer...and to longer distances. Most of the deer I have taken with it has been in deeper woods here in the east. There is no doubt it will take animals out past 300-400yards. All except this years buck...they just dropped right there. (This year was weird, the buck ran over 100yds on adrenaline alone and had a softball sized exit wound on the other side). The round is small enuff to take predators if you only have one rifle. Because the 270Win sales are second compared to the .30-06 in the US...all stores will carry ammo for it. This means if for some reason you are west of here and forget your reloads or factory ammo you can go into any store in the US and get what you are looking for. And because of sheer volume of sales compared to other cals it should be less expensive. I personally like Nosler and Nosler Ballistic Tips because for me they have been more consistent over the course of shooting. That doesn't mean other makers don't make comparable ammo.

My point in all of this was to advise you to choose what you want and that there wasn't a specific right or wrong caliber/round unless you are heading out to the opposite ends of the caliber spectrum. I too have spent many years behind a trigger and many rounds down range. My point was that each caliber/round is something unto itself. A .270Win will drop differently and to a different point than a .300WinMag. To continue on with my point...each rifle has enuff difference in construction, barrel harmonics, etc. that one needs to spend time behind that specific trigger. So, IMHO it doesn't matter what caliber one chooses, but what matters is trigger time.

[manxxcatt]

no long speech here. 7mm-08, .270 Win. , .30-06, or .308

[alien319]

You should just go ahead and get a .45-70 Marlin SBL Guide Gun!!! :D

[RenegadeRN]

Damn Alien...you just go big or go home don't you? LOL!

[manxxcatt]

.700 Nitro Express. nononono.......

[alien319]

HAHA, no, I've always wanted on though! I use a .30-30 mostly so, actually I use quite an old fart as a cartridge! I like it though. It gets the job done and it's easy to shoot. My shoulder stays intact. I now have a .308 and a .243 though!

[manxxcatt]

Nothing wrong with a 30-30, marlin or winny either one. Good shooter out to about 200yds, hard hitting .30 bullet.

[buckhunter]

if you are going to stick with the browning bar these are my 3 choices 308win,270win or 30-06.all great calibers,all common easy to find ammo and there isn't a nickels worth of difference in trajectory at 400yds.they all drop!

[505Panther]

ok, I think im getting the BAR in .270 WSM. Now I just need the money. Looks like I have some saving to do till the next season. Thanks for everyones help.

[buckhunter]

why have you decided on the short magnum?if you do not mind me asking

[DKA]

I agree that the 30 06 is the standard to which other calibers are compared, but hunting conditions, shot distance, dense or open fields etc, can make a difference. My favorite for all around is the 7mm Rem Mag. Shoots great with different weight bullets and is very flat shooting. Enough gun for any type of animal in the US.

[alien319]

Nothing against the round but, I've never really seen the need for one. It does have great ballistics. Not necessarily the drop in inches, but more like the sectional density and BC. I've also seen that a lot of people down south use it. I don't know it just kinda strikes me as different. To each his own. I'd rather have the .30-06 and if I needed a bean field rifle for whitetail, i would opt for a .270 winchester or .25-06 Remington.