After having significant problems w/accuracy with my M700 in .270 I have decided to trade it in for a M700 in .300 WM.  I would like having the power and accuracy in a long range weapon, plus my dad has been talking about a trip to Montana.  While I will be using it mostly on whitetails that range in pounds from 80-190 is this a good buy or should I get something smaller say 7mm?  Most of my shots with my rifle on deer are 200 yard range.

Any ideas?

what do you think is the cause of your accuracy problems with the 270?  do you think it was equipment related?  i ask because in a light weight rifle, even the 270 can kick like a mule.  not to offend, but a rifle that has a sharp recoil can cause a slight flinch to develop and this can be a cause of inaccuracy.  like the great line goes...don't feel bad it happens to every man at some point in their life.

seriously, i had a lightweight ruger 77 .30-06 when i was 16 (my first deer rifle).  the thing was a dream to carry around in the woods, but kicked like an angry old mule.  that stupid gun gave me a flinch.  it took a while shooing .22's to get me bqack squeezing the trigger again.  something to think about.  good luck, sloth

[left]heck no i want a 300 WM i shoot my brother-in-laws 7mm rem mag if i had to choose these two caliburs are it. my brother-in-law's
cousin just got back from canada he shot a big cinnamum bear with a 300 WM rifle. id tell you the 7 is powerfull we split a 3-4" dia tree in half with this gun. one more thing 7mm rem mags do not kick like a 300 or a 30-06 really these rifles are a dream to shoot. this is from first
hand experience.[/left]

I'd have to agree with Sloth.  I have two different 700s in .270, and have shot or own about 15 700s.  Not one, NOT ONE, ever had a problem with accuracy.  

As for your question.  The .300WM is a bit over kill in my opinion for just deer.  If you intend to hunt larger game someday then the 300 will work well for you.  Just remember the 300 is going to kick a heck of a lot more than that .270.  I have killed many, many elk with a .270 and never felt under gunned.  I have several students in class that shoot the .300WM.  Many, have problems with accuracy because of the flinch they develop.  They make fun of each other.

As long as you are considering a larger caliber why not try the .338WM.  It has more energy, shoots as flat with a heavier bullet, is accurate, and kicks about the same.  If you reload, you can do some great things with this cartridge.  You can load it down with even 180gr bullets and shoot just as fast as a .300 or go to the .250gr(my favorite) and drop large bulls right now!  In my humble opinion, the .338wm is more versatile than the .300wm, especially if you already have a .270 for lighter game.
guns762

I hunt deer with a browning a bolt 300 win. good gun in the brush and also good long range.

Go for a Remington 700 BDL (one variation or another) in 7mm Rem.Mag.
Barnes makes 195-gr. "Original" bullets if you want to go heavy for caliber.  I did.
It's plenty of power without the attendant extra recoil of the .300 Win.Mag.
You will like the way it recoils.  I love shooting mine (a Remington 700 BDL, 1989 model AS).  I'm serious.  It's got a "feel" to it that makes it my favorite rifle.
When you want more power, move up to the .338 Win.Mag.  I did.
The .300 Win.Mag. is the usually stated "one rifle", but it always comes up as too much or not enough.
If you want a .300 AND your ass kicked, get the .300 Remington Ultra Mag.  It's recoil can best be described as ABRUPT!
Besides, you want to buy more rifles later, anyway, right?

7mm Remington Magnum; The Big 7; The 7 MAG; The 7-M-M; whatever you want to call it...it's "bitchin'"!

No way!  I have a Savage 300 win mag tactical & you should see what happens when I shoot .223 AP sabot ammo out of it [:)]

The problems w/accuracy are equipment based.  I made an earlier post about it.  I have a first shot flyer that is 2 inches left of my next two shots that I can cover with a penny.   I have changed scopes, free floated the barrel and changed the bedding.  The gun is just shot out.  My dad bought it in 1982.  It has had a lot of bullets shout out of it.  The rifling near the muzzle is damaged from this or through careless neglect on my part.

While I have never experienced .300 WM recoil, I have successfully used my dads .350 RM without any flinching problems.  The ballistics are about the same as a .35 Whelen or a .338WM. The recoil is more of a "thud" while I feel the .270 is more of a "snap".  Well something to think about....right now I need to concentrate on getting my first AR (hopefully this month if I can get some major bills payed off)
Thanks all for the input.

The 270 is a very fine flat shooing cartridge.  If you look at the ammo catalogs, the standard loads for 7mm mag and 300 WM do not shoot any flatter.  The 270 has more than enough power for your purposes (over 1200 ft-lbs at 400 yards).  It has a light kick and ammo is cheap.  Have your thought about getting a new barrel?

The 7mag and 300mag might be overkill for your purposes.  If your shots are usually at about 200 yards, maybe think about an '06 or 308.

If the damage is near the muzzle, try having the barrel cut back and recrowned.  Hell of a lot cheaper than a new hunting rifle.  

hokie--well since it seems like you might be in the market for a new rifle, might i suggest a 6.5x55mm swed or the 260 remington?

i don't know why but i have definately been bitten by the 6.5mm bug.  i've been looking at the ballistics, coef. numbers and other things, i'm really sold on these rounds as a light recoiling, all around multi-purpose cartridges.

winchester makes a lightweight rifle in the 6.5x55mm, remington made the classic in 1994 in 6.5x55mm.  remington currently makes both the 7 and 700 in 260 and ruger has both chamberings in their model 77.

just an idea.  good luck, sloth

My deer rifle is an A-Bolt II in 7mm rem mag.  I think the 7mm mag is a bit overkill for deer so I shoot 140gr noslers @ 2950 fps to save as much meat as possible.  You can hunt just about anything in North America with a 7mag.  I don'd see the need to handle the extra recoil of a .300 mag.  Good luck on whatever you choose.

I hunt deer here in Oklahoma with my 300. I love it.  I hunt winter wheat fields mostly so I need to be able to reach out there. I also hunt elk once a year. I like to just shoot one rifle so I can feel more comfortable with my shots. I have one for sale in .300 if you are interested.

Hey VTHOKIESHOOTER,  as someone who hunts whitetails every year in your neck of the woods, I beg you- DO NOT use the .300 win mag for those whitetails!  
I remember a shot that I made in Pennsylvania about 4 years ago.  I was using my old man's .300 win mag, and made a slightly quartering away shot on a very nice 8 pointer.  The bullet was slightly high on the deer, and blew right through him without expanding.  The deer was wounded, but never recovered.  Ever since then, I have advised against using this moose gun against deer-sized game.  Don't use a sledgehammer to swat a fly-- just my .02.

Well......I would really like to get a new rifle anyhow.  Until then I plan on using my .270 this fall.  Hell 2in left at 100 isn't that big of a deal because I can rely on it.  I think I will get 7mm next year though.  I am in to handloading so I will try to match a good bullet that won't destroy meat if I put a bad shot on the deer.  I think I will put the .300 idea away because my thoughts seem to have been validated here.  

As for 6.5mm or .260 Remington....they are good rounds for deer, however I usually have midrange shots.....half of the good bucks I have shot have not had complete penetration with the .270 and if I am in the mountains hunting I have a good chance of coming up on a bear.  I think when I have kids that turn hunting age I will get a M7 in .260 though.

My dad uses his .350 Remington mag on deer and every time he shoots one we have a hard time finding it.  Damn 225 grainers go right through. He just bought a brand new .270 in the m700 mountain rifle, I think I have seen the last of the .350 until we go on the "big" hunting trip whenever that will be.

I agree with the other members in that the 270 is more than adequate for what you want, I have a Winchester SS 270 myself. That being said, why not keep the 270 and save up and buy a 300 also. Who on this board has to have a real reason to buy another firearm? A guy could probably get away with 3 or 4 if he had to, but we are in the material age, so wht even try? Help the economy and but a new one.

Whitetail in Montana don't require a 300WM unless you're shooting in the 300-500yd range(VERY rare). 200 yds. on whitetail out here is the outside average - usually 75-125yds and a 243 or 30-30 would be sufficient. I shoot 7mag and love it and my elk gun is 338WM but you'd lose ALOT of meat on a whitetail with something that big. I hunt alot with a buddy who shoots a BAR in 300WM and he ruins his deer. (he hasn't gotten his dream elk yet and wants to be prepared!)

I shoot a PSS-DM in 300 WM, it's been worked on a little and sports high quality glass, rings and a single piece base with a slope. I feed it handloads that I worked up myself.

This works for me.

No complaints with my Model 7 in 6mm REM. Its fast, flat shooting and kills like LIGHTNING out to 300yds. Recoil is nonexistent in a 6lb rifle. 1/2 to 3/4 3 shot groups are no big deal at 100 yds with a spaghetti barrel. 100gr Hornadys will get the job done. Never found one on a broadside shot.

Don't buy into the BS that 6mm's are marginal.
Its usually the magazine writers exclaiming why the 280 is better than the 270.[rolleyes]

Good luck

 Semi amazed that you couldn't get a Rem 700 to shot well! Easiest bolt rifle I have ever seen to make shoot.

 Anyway you aparently want a new rifle. If your just doing local whitetails then a .25-06,  .270 Win, .280 Rem, even the short actioned rounds like 7mm-08 or .260 Rem are FINE. Absolutely ALL you need. 95% of the hunting equation is PLACEMENT not caliber.

 If you do decide to do a Montana hunt you may see longer ranges depending on where you hunt. But on elk its still placement and I have killed them with the .280 and my wife uses a 7mm-08. They are big, can be tough, but are NOT bulletproof.  Then again.... we live here, I hunt 20-30 days a season. If the shot isn't perfect I CAN pass it up with no grief. So a smaller caliber is fine for us. (now the confusing part) BUT in the thick stuff when one seldom gets that perfect broadside I have used ,my .375 H&H and 300 grain bullets, and they work great when one needs four feet of penetration. In the thick stuff one can't seem to have too much gun, especially on big bulls.

 As far as the .300 mags really any flavor from the new short Win  to the .300 Weatherby....all of them throw a 180 at 3000 fps or a bit more. ALL you need for deer or elk at any reasonable range that one can HIT them at. 400 yds isn't out of the ordinary and any of them with a 165 or 180 gr slug will do the job.  Personally I would go the lighter ctg route for home and then pick up either a .300 or .338 mag for an out west elk trip.

  FN

If you really want 300wm, Go with it. Load your own or get a buddy to load up for u. Load up or down to get the performance YOU want.
Don't have to shoot factory loads.
I shoot a Ruger 77 300wm and a Rem PSS300wm w/anything from 165gr ballistic tip to 190gr match. sweet!