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Help me pick a new deer rifle

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    Help me pick a new deer rifle

    Let me break it down.

    I hunt east Texas. I can say I would never have a shot past 150-200yrds.

    I’ve hunted with a .270win since the beginning. I’ve had decent performance out of it except for short range. I shot a buck 4 years ago at 25yrds and the entrance an exit holes were smaller than a pinky. Horrible tracking experience. The deer ran about 60yrds. But it was into a thicket and finding him without a blood trail was a nightmare. I can only assume the bullet was traveling so fast that it zipped thru him without expanding.

    After that experience I bought a 12ga slug gun with a rifled barrel. Shooting 12ga sabot slugs. I shot a buck at 30yrds and the gun absolutely hammered him. Literally knocked off his feet. The two things I absolutely hated about this gun was the weight and the kick. This particular deer came out behind me and I shot out of my tree climber with my chest facing the tree and my back to the front of stand. Thank the lord for my harness because I’m not sure I would be here today without it. The gun kicked so hard that I would have fallen from the tree. The tether on my harness caught me.

    Fast forward to this weekend. My father in law gifted me a .357 lever action. I loved the gun. The kick was non existent, super short, super light. I shot a buck at 30yrds on Sunday. Entrance hole was about 3/4” and no exit. The bullet fully expanded and released all its energy in the deer but didn’t exit. Blood trail was very minimal but I saw him go down. Two issues with this gun. First off I have 0 confidence in this gun out to 100yrds. Muzzle velocity is 1450. Drops off relatively quick. The other issue is the fact that the gun has a nice walnut stock and blued barrel and receiver. After using it this weekend there are scratches from thorns in the stock and spots on the receiver were something scratched it.

    So to sum it up this is what I’m looking for:

    1. Gotta get entrance and exit holes on deer sized game.

    2. Light weight

    3. Tough finish. Synthetic stock

    4. Prefer lower recoil but not a must.




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    #2
    .243 shooting 100 grain bullets. The heaviest bodied mulie I've ever seen had a hole in one side and out the other after my buddy shot him in the shoulder. He's dropped a bunch of other deer with the same setup.

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      #3
      I’d just swap you bullet you’re shooting out of the 270. What are you currently shooting? I shoot hornady 145 eld-x out of my 270 and my dad shoots the same out of his 270 short mag. We’ve never had to track a deer while shooting these rounds.


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        #4
        Originally posted by okrattler View Post
        .243 shooting 100 grain bullets. The heaviest bodied mulie I've ever seen had a hole in one side and out the other after my buddy shot him in the shoulder. He's dropped a bunch of other deer with the same setup.
        I second this but I shoot a 95 grain hand load and have dropped deer out to 300+ yards with mine.

        IMO the 243 is way under rated by people thinking they've got to shoot the largest shoulder canon they can buy.

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          #5
          357 LOVES longer barrels. A 16” carbine can gain some massive energy and speed with the right load. 1450 is a very light load regardless of projectile weight. I’d either try handloadomg for it, or order up some Underwood, Corbin, or Buffalo Bore.

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            #6
            Originally posted by TX03RUBI View Post
            357 LOVES longer barrels. A 16” carbine can gain some massive energy and speed with the right load. 1450 is a very light load regardless of projectile weight. I’d either try handloadomg for it, or order up some Underwood, Corbin, or Buffalo Bore.


            I was shooting the Hornady leverevalution. Specially designed for .357 lever action.


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              #7
              Originally posted by Jmsck12 View Post
              I’d just swap you bullet you’re shooting out of the 270. What are you currently shooting? I shoot hornady 145 eld-x out of my 270 and my dad shoots the same out of his 270 short mag. We’ve never had to track a deer while shooting these rounds.


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              Are you getting exit holes?


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                #8
                first i would try a different load in the 270, because it is a proven performer

                although the 243 does kill a lot of deer it looses a lot also, it does not matter if it is poor placement or poor blood trails and no exit holes,, lost is lost..

                the 357 mag bullets are not a great choice,,, period!

                you want reasonable weight low recoil, penetration and blood trail,,, the 44 mag can do that at 100 yards and a bit farther,, still not the best overall choice.....


                get yourself a 7mm08, low recoil short action and light weight, far superior penetration to a 243, but your still likely to have to find the load you like the best ... which is the same thing you need to do with the 270, get a bonded bullet and you will like it plenty

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by FLASH_OUTDOORS View Post
                  I was shooting the Hornady leverevalution. Specially designed for .357 lever action.


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                  That doesn’t change the fact that it’s a very light load coming from a rifle. My moderate handloads will push 1450 out of 6” barrel S&W with 135 gr. Most factory loads are running over 1400 out of the same gun. BB, Cor Bon, and Underwood will each out run it, and seeing upwards of 2000 FPS out of a carbine length barrel.

                  Here’s a velocity sheet to show how much a 357 gains just from barrel length alone. This is a 180 gr cast load as well. Pretty much ever other 357 load is going to be considerably faster due to most being 120-158 gr. All 3 of the names I mentioned make excellent hunting loads for these rifles.

                  If you still don’t want to use it that’s fine, but you’ve got an excellent tool for the job already if you don’t fall for Hornadys gimmicks.
                  Attached Files

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                    #10
                    That 270 with good bullets is about as good as it gets.

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                      #11
                      Unless you just have a new gun itch then I would go with the suggestions above and try a different bullet. I have had great luck with the Hornady SSTs as they expand very rapidly, but do stay together fairly well. The ELDx line of bullets would also be one I would look at.

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                        #12
                        truth is there's really not that much difference between most of the deer calibers couple hundred foot pounds couple inches difference in trajectories, especially when shooting a 100 to max 250 whitetail.
                        I'd stay with the .270 and like some said try some different loads.

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                          #13

                          My wife shot this deer last year at 324 yards. She didn’t go very far. Lol.


                          Blood trail this year on a buck she shot at 100ish.


                          Entrance hard quartering away (deer made it 40 yards)


                          Where the bullet stopped. (First deer out of many with this gun to not get a pass through)



                          Bullet expansion.

                          My wife has killed 7 deer with my .270 in the last 3 years shooting the 130 grain hornady sst at ranges from 65 to 324. None of them have run further than 50 yards and all of them have left massive blood trails. A buddy of mine shot 7 plains game including kudu and zebra with his 270 and 140 grain Accubonds. Found every one of them and had pass through on everything but the kudu or zebra. Don’t remember which one.

                          But if you feel like you just need another gun and not shooting past 200, buy a tikka in 6.5 creedmoor. Shoot hornady 143 grain eld-x bullets and you’re set. And you will have a gun that will shoot between half-3/4 inch groups and be capable of killing anything you want out to 700 easy.






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                            #14
                            Originally posted by FLASH_OUTDOORS View Post
                            Are you getting exit holes?


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                            It depends from time to time, some will get an exit and others are just under the offside skin. No matter what happens all the deer have been DRT. Last year I shot a cull and he fell so hard I heard his jaw slap the floor from the blind. We also shoot a 25-06 with 117 grain hornady sst and get the same results. Nothing ever walks away, all shots are behind the shoulder or center shoulder. Shots range anywhere from 100-200 on average.


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                              #15
                              Keep the 270 buy some 130 grain Remington core-lokt ammo and shoot them in the upper shoulder and you will not have to trail them any more. I have killed well over 100 deer from 25-400 yards with this combo and could count on one hand how many I have had to trail. The only reason I had to trail those were because I didnt hit where I was aiming.

                              If you just want a new gun for east texas hunting then I would look at a Savage in 338 federal or a Ruger in 338 Ruger compact magnum and pick up some 200 grain soft points but they will likely kick like you slug gun. That will definately leave a blood trail if you hit it.
                              Last edited by Capt.Bryan; 11-12-2018, 09:14 AM.

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