Too big

[jiggs]

Im trying too rig a rifle for my brother I figured I get him a 270 .He is 14 and I am worryied about the recoil .never shot a 270 before , he will be shooting moose, mule deer and whitetail and black bears. I dont also plan on breaking the bank on this gun so I thought of buying a savage package ,any in put would be great

 

[kenscot]

While the 270 win is does not have excessive recoil. I would have suggested a 7mm-08 for a 14 year old , either would be on the light side for moose in my opinion.

 

[moreloader]

If you are intent on covering moose and whitetail with the same caliber, I believe you would be better served in a 30 caliber. There are a lot of 7mm fans on this board that might disagree, but the 30 definitely has more bullet option.

As far as what specific 30 it would depend on your ability to reload. If you can reload I would recomend the 300 WSM. It shoots reduced loads really well and you can tame the recoil with reduced loads behind light bullets. 150gr for whitetails. You can step up to a higher velocity and bullet weight as your brother grows.

If you don't reload, I would suggest the old .308win. With 150 grain factories percieved recoil is actually less than a 270 and you can get factory rounds in the 180 and 200 grain range as well as premium 165g failsafe loads for elk and moose

Your call, and there are those that would say your 270 will work for elk, just not the perfect elk caliber. You would definately want a premium bullet.

 

[moreloader]

As far as price, you can get a Winchester super shadow at Wal-Mart if one is still in possession of an original for $398 with a scope. I have one I bought at Bass Pro when they first come out and it shoots sub MOA. The scope on the Wal-Mart is cheap but it will serve a young hunter well and he can upgrade the scope later, as well as starting to up the velocity in his loads. I might mention that with that recoil pad on the particular rifle I consider the recoil less than a 30/06.

Good Luck to you and your Brother

 

[700 bdl]

I'd go with the 270. there are all kinds of factory loads and ammo is available everywhere. And it will work on all kinds of game.

 

[Blaine]

The 270 is an excellent choice for all round caliber. Anyone who doesn't think it is big enough for moose has never been around much moose hunting. Although I don't recommend it, I've seen a lot of moose killed with a 243. The 270 has modest recoil and should be very managable for a 14 year old. The 7mm-08 is also a nice cartridge, but for all round, I would still go with a 270. If you ever get into a situation where you need ammo in a hurry, and the store only has 3 or 4 calibers.....I can almost guarentee the 270 will be one of them.....it is that popular. JMHO

Blaine

 

[roysclockgun]

When I was hunting in Canada, it seemed that all anyone used on moose up htere was the .270Win! Great cartridge and very versatile. In terms of a 14 year old shooter: start him out on light loads at the range. Allow him time to familiarize himself with the rifle and the caliber and the recoil. The recoil of a .270Win is very manageable, especially after the novice shooter gets over fearing recoil in general. Once he's fired the .270Win at the range, he will have no problems with recoil in the hunting fields, as recoil is never felt when one is bringing game under fire. One last hint: have him fire standing first, as recoil seems heavier from the prone position, because we are less able to roll with the punch.

 

[moreloader]

Did I just see it? The same person who says a 243 is too light for deer, just recommended a 270 for moose. I aggree that the recoil is managable, and it can do the job, but make sure that if that is the choice, make sure that you are using premium bullets at moose. I would recommend Fail Saif for this. I might add winchester is releasing a new bullet in the spring that may help you with this, Looks like a combination of the fail safe and ballistic tip. Not sure if it is nosler or not.

 

[roysclockgun]

:grin: What makes .270Win very different from .243Win, is case capacity. One has nearly endless choices in loading, in order to achieve the energy, penetration and knock-down power neccessary to cleanly take Moose. Besides, I never argue with our northern neighbors. Moose and elk are, after all, just bigger deer. No?
I have never understood why the belief is widespread, that elk are tougher then moose. Never had the opportunity to shoot a moose.

 

[147 Grain]

A 270 Win will be fine.

For my two boys of similar age, I bought them a 30-06 and had them practice with Reduced Recoil Loads from Remington at the range.

When in the field, they switched to regular ammo and never new or felt the difference.

 

[Tom1911]

jiggs,

I would go the .308 Win route because ammo manufacturers offer reduced loads that resemble the venerable .30-30 Win. As he matures, he'll have an offering of loads that will cover every hunting situation except for coastal grizzlies. Make no mistake, the .308 Win is a damn powerful round, and out to ranges where bullet meets game, there ain't no difference between it and the '06.

I have both a .270 Win & and a .308 Win. Truth be told, the .308 is more versitile. I would sell my .270 before I sold my .308 Win. With 165 to 180 grain Noslers, it is every bit a 350 yard elk gun! With 150-165 grain Noslers, ain't no deer safe!

BTW, when my son turns 14, I am going to get him a Featherweight in .308 Win. I was going to get him a nostalgic .270 Win, but the practical side of me keeps me oriented as I should. :wink:


Happy New Year,

Tom

 

[jbdre]

I think a .270 Winchester is an excellent caliber for a young or beginning hunter or a seasoned pro for that matter. With a 130gr bullet recoil is minimal and the 130 Partition is a killer out of all proportion to its size. If the youth in question ever gets to the point in his hunting career where a .270 Win can't get the job done he will be able to afford another rifle. I don't use one much myself anymore but the caliber never gave me any reason to question its effectiveness ane I shot Antelope to Elk with one at one time.

 

[jhunter1010]

While the 270 win is does not have excessive recoil. I would have suggested a 7mm-08 for a 14 year old , either would be on the light side for moose in my opinion.

recoil should not be an issue, i could shoot my dads 300wthby when i was 11, recoil is not bad at all with proper gun weight(8.25lbs) maybe try the 338 federal if you want a light kicking moose gun 185tsx should work great

 

[hardpan]

My 14 year old shoots a 7mm wby mag and and .300 wby mag with muzzle breaks. It is hard to beat the .300... there are a lot of good rifles in .300. I like my WBY, but recently been converted to a 300 Rem Ultra Mag. loaded with 180 gr accubonds, and a muzzle break, my 14 year old is shooting 1/2 inch groups with one of my best friends rifles.

Another thing, there are a lot of non-lead choices in 30 cal, and it looks slowly we are inching towards outlawing lead bullets for hunting. Lots of CA is like that already, So you may want to consider that possibility as well.
Hardpan

 

[roysclockgun]

I very recently, had an opportunity to break in a youngster on rifle shooting. The secret, in my opinion, is to give them a "Win" right off the bat. I had him shoot a US M1 Carbine at 25 yards. He was frightened of everything that he'd heard. Recoil or "kick" and being fearful of not producing "hits" while shooting in front of "experts", had him spooked. With the Carbine at 25 yards, he quickly relaxed. I had him putting rounds in the "10" ring and he felt no recoil, although I had him concentrating on snugging the Carbine into his shoulder. He fired 50 rounds that first day and loved every minute of it. After 20 rounds, we moved the target back to 50 yards and he realized that he could still print decent groups.
On the next outing, I had him shoot a US M1 Rifle, using issue M2 Ball ammo. I simply reiterated that he needed to hold the rifle just had he'd held the Carbine. I did not caution him about any additional recoil, but only told him to hold the butt solid against his shoulder. He never complained about "kick" and I am convinced he did not notice any.
Any young person of large enough stature to properly shoulder a rifle, can handle the recoil, provided that they learn the proper way to mount the rifle.
Probably more damage is done by giving a young hunter a rifle with which he may be under-gunned for the game, than by breaking them in on shooting "enough gun"!
Of course, the 270Win will get the job done. A hand loader could produce light rounds to start out the youngster on the range, and work up to full power rounds for hunting, after the novice is conditioned by practice to handle the slight additional recoil.

 

[JD338]

The 270 Win would make for a great all around rifle but I think a 280 Rem, if hand loaded would make for a better choice. There is a plethora of 7mm bullets.
Good stock design and fit with a good recoil pad like the Pachmyer Decelerator or Limb Saver will really tame recoil.

JD338

 

[roysclockgun]

JD338 wrote : "280 Rem, if hand loaded would make for a better choice"

On many levels, I cannot disagree. The 280Rem. is a superior cartridge when measured ballistically against the 270Win. EXCEPT in the area of availablility of Rifle Models and loaded factory ammo.
A cruise around any town that has multiple outlets for factory ammo, will show that most all of them will have 270Win cartridges in stock, but will not have 280Rem. factory cartridges on the shelf.
Same goes for selecting the model of rifle that you may want. The 270Win is chambered in nearly every new hunting rifle that can handle the chamber pressure of that round. Like the 30-06, everybody offers rifles made in that caliber. Look for a new 280Rem.! Scarce to find in the lines of rifles made today and even scarcer to find in stock and available today.
If these issues are important, than the 270Win. wins over the 280Rem. If one is a handloader and interested in the cartridge with superior ballistics, then the 280Rem. wins.
For these reasons and more, very few owners of rifles chambered for 270Win. have sold those rifles in order to run out and buy a rifle in 280Rem. The ballistics gains are simply not great enough.

 

[JD338]

Yup, but thats why I said hand loaded 280 Remington.

JD338

 

[.405]

If the kid is not use to recoil, I would suggest the 7mm/08. That is the perfect round for a young person.I bought my son one years ago ,and it is still his favorite deer rifle.
I would go with a standard weight rifle and not the lightweight Model 7.
The 7mm/08 is the ballistic twin of the 7X57mm.It doesn't get much better than that for a medium caliber rifle.

 

[FOTIS]

My 13 year old shoots a 270 and he took his first antelope with it...