I'm buying a new gun for my nephew, 14, it's one he'll keep for a long time. Any pro's or con's on either caliber? Or prefences???..............thanks..wapiti7

I would go with the .270 WSM. It kicks enough to get your attention and will kill anything except maybe brown bear.

quote:

Originally posted by wapiti7:
.....Any pro's or con's on either caliber?.....

Either of them are good and I agreee the 270 recoils less. But I would have to say neither one if he has to depend on factory ammo. A typical 14 year old is not that well endowed with cash. I don't know about NM but around here the WSM's can be pricey. I would say go with the 270 Win if he is not handloading. He can get ammo for it anywhere & a 270 Win will cleanly take anything in the lower 48. But it wouldn't be my first choice for something that would shred my hide.

If you can teach him to handload, all the more the better.

WyoJoe makes a good point. However I would go with the 30-06.

Use standard ammo for deer/antelope sized game, and if ya'll feel it is necessary go to the Federal High Energy loads that almost duplicate the 300 Mags for elk and up.

You can NEVER go wrong with the 30-06.

If your going just between the two, I would go with the .300 WSM. Finding .270WSM ammo is a pain in a big city let alone in a small town. I really don't think there will be much demand for it in a few years. I started shooting a 30-06 when I was 12, and even though it doesn't have the glitz and glamour it still worked well. Finding ammo for it is also a cinch. I also like the .30 cals overall since there is a large choice of bullet selection. If he is recoil sensitive put a brake on it. When he gets bigger, take it off and put a thread protector on. You won't have any problems.

Good luck with the search

Of the 2, I would choose the .270 WSM. The .300 WSM kicks like any other .300 magnum of it's class (i.e. .300 Win Mag), which may be too much for a 14 yr old. I would actually recommend the regular old .270 Win for a 14 yr old. The .270 Win does not kick much to most seasoned shooters, but a youngster may still find it unpleasant (I know grown men who do). There is reduced recoil ammo available for the .270 Win loaded by factories that may help with practice/getting used to the gun.

-Lou

-Lou

In with NE 450 No 2 -- just get him a 30 - 06 and be done with it. Can't ask for a more versatile cartridge.......

I like the WSM's as they are a good replacement for the old design belted magnums. They kick pretty hard however in particular for a new shooter.

Don't get a 300 magnum. Those are for hardened experts.

When I was 14 I got a new rifle, scope and complete handloading outfit. Get him into handloading too and then the 270 WSM would be good for everything from pests to big game.

It depends...

...on the kid and his recoil tolerance
...is he a reloader

On #1, when I was 14 and playing sports in school you could hit me with a baseball bat in the shoulder and not hurt me. I probably handled the kick better than I do now...the mental part of recoil and blast is a differnet story and may take a bit of practice to get accustomed to.

On #2, get him started reloading and the 300WSM is immediately your best bet. Loads from 30-30 to full house levels are easy to create.

I would lean to the 300WSM for variety (more bullet options), longetivty (it'll be around), and all around usefulness reasons.

I agree with the 30.06 crowd. It is a perfect gun that he will grow into in a few years. I see the same as I wouldn't buy a 16 yo a Corvette. Let them get used to it first.

Besides, there is not enough difference between the Hornady light Mag 30.06 ammo and a .300 wsm to worry about if the magnum velocity and power was nescessary. The big .300's are a different story(Weatherby,Ultra, etc)

I remember cutting lawns, picking up tin cans, and any other odd job I could get to save the $135 for a Savage 116E back in the 80's. My dad said I didn't need anymore gun than his old 30.30. In retrospect, in Tennessee, he was right. Of course, I have an arsenal of guns now.

Instead of offering a different caliber choice, I will answer the question that you asked. I have a 270 WSM and absolutely love it. If you go to the Federal Premium website and look at ballistics you will notice that even the 270 WSM has a little more pop than a 7MM Rem Mag in the same weight and type of bullet.

The 270 WSM will take care of anything in the lower 48 and the ammo choices are good, although not as good as some of the calibers that have been around for years. The 270 WSM is one of the WSM's here to stay as long as the lawsuit with Jamison doesn't turn real ugly.

Lots of good advice above...plus more info @ shortmags.org.

Unless someone will handload, ammo is pretty pricey so factor this in and a '06 still is a perfect choice...with the premium bullets available today in factory loaded and premium components (for the reloader) he can tackle just about any situation with an '06.

Plus the cost of practice etc an '06 is still more affordable....so we can shoot more to prep for that big moment.


hth

Of the 2 I have had a 300 and would recommend it...would also recommend reloading due to price of the ammo and ability to start low and work up with handloaded rounds.

Away from the 2 I would recommend either the 270 or 30-06.

On this board, I am surprised nobody has recommended a 416 or larger!

Whatever you get, I hope your son appreciates it! I would have loved to have had a big game rifle at 14!

personally not a fan of magnums. nothing on the north american continent requires one inside 300yrds.

I'd be looking at a .308 win or a .270win. these calibers take lots of moose & Elk, even big black bears in canada, and do just fine. if he wants to go on a bison or Grizz hunt you can get a .45-70 or .338-06 down the road

if he really must have a shortmag, my vote gets the .270.

Between the two WSM calibers for your nephew for his first rifle, I would reccomend the 270WSM with 140 gr. Accubonds. After he learns to shoot properly and has confidence in the rifle & caliber size, and gets older, a 300WSM would be great. The 270WSM is still good, but he may want just a bigger rifle.

As to ammo for the 270WSM, I prefer the Winchester Supreme Accubonds in 140gr or the new Supreme Elite XP3 in 150gr. For a second choice Federal Vital Shoks in the Accubonds or TSX.

My wife-then fiance took over my first 270WSM (Tikka T3 LS with Leupold VX3 3.5x10x40 BC reticle) in the fall of 2004( so I bought another for me that I load for), and she loves it. She spent time with me at the range, getting to know the rifle. That season she took her first mulie buck @ 440yrds (160BC) and her cow elk at about 200yrds. Both one shot kills, dropped in their tracks. Bullet placement is more crucial with the smaller caliber especialy on elk. In the 2005 season, I dropped my cow elk with the 270WSM.

As said in other posts, the 30-06 would also be a great rifle with more bullet size selection, and possibly easier ammo to find if you are away on a hunt. A 270 or 308 would be a fine rifle also. I use to shoot a 30-06 when I was younger (my uncle's) using 150gr. for deer. The Federal High Energy ammo is good for the 30-06. I originally started with my grand father's 30-30.

Anyhow, which ever caliber you choose, as long as your nephew takes the time to learn good shooting skills from your tutoring, he will do fine!

You didn't say what he is hunting . If it's an antelope/deer rig, maybe elk once & awhile, the .270WSM would work well. If it's elk every year, then the .300wsm would be my pick, if he can handle recoil.
I do get tired of all the whining about factory ammo. I never hunt w/ factory stuff, infact most of my rifles are wildcat or semi exotic rounds. If you are not a handloader, then start or stick to off the shelf .270s & .30-06s.

I'd pick a 260 Rem, 270 Win, 7mm08, 308 Win, or 30'06 before I'd buy any of the 404-based wide short bottles, especially for a new shooter. If the boy must have a magnum I'd get him a 7mm Rem Mag.

Buy him a 7-08 or a .308 they are great for a 14 year old or a 30 something like me. By the way I have a .270 Win and a .270 WSM I favor the older of the two for ease of shooting but don't dislike my WSM I think it's great to. I use my 7-08 more and more each year as it keeps killin deer with a shootability thats hard to compare with any magnum.

When Winchester brought out the .300 Short, Ross Seyfried looked at the round and wondered what it would do if the case were necked down to fire a .277" projectile. So he had a custom reamer made and built one... IIRC from the Rifle Magazine article, he took 140-grain Nosler Fail Safes and drove them to 3300 fps (with incredible accuracy) then took the prototype on an Aoudad hunt in West Texas, where he literally flattened a big aoudad ram. His statement in the article was that the .270 WSM with the right bullet will take anything on the NA continent.

Ross has shot more animals than I will ever see. If he was that impressed with the .270 Short, who am I to disagree?

Please allow me to shed some light from a young fellers point of view. Im 17 years old, been shooting scince i was 5. Starting with air rifles working my way up the food chain of calibers. My first centerfire i got when i was 15. Its a .270WSM i cant find anything wrong with the caliber. Except teh fact that its $27 a box of bullets (i dont reload) and some time hard to find. But i now also have a 30-06 cause i heard that your supposed to. And a .308 just for spits and giggles. Out of those rifles that .270wsm recoils more with its 130grns than that '06 with 180grns. That being said the .308 recoils a little less than the 30-06. Im no small guy either take that in ming (6'5'' 265lbs). So if i were to buy my nephew a rifle it would be a something chamber of the .308 case. But still cant go wrong with a 30-06, besides your supposed to have on of those anyway its the law or somthin.

[Forget the WSMs as they took the company under. Get a 270 or a 300 or evena 30-06 for that matter. Ammo is difficult to find and expensive in cities and near impossbble in the country side except for the old standards mentioned above. Blessings. Think I'g go with the 270 as starter.

I'd not call it a starter centerfire, I would however recommend the .270WSM over the .300 flavor based solely on recoil. The ammo complaint is just a strawman, that the .270 isn't popular is complete and total BS, I see more .270WSMs around than 300's- I've yet to run accross a 7mm anywhere other than in a store. Ammo is available with awesome bullets just a mouse click away. Barnes has X, TSX, XLC and MRX bullets, Hornady SST's, Interbond, Interlock and conventional, Nosler has BT, SBBT, Accubond and Partition, Winchester/CT all of the Noslers and the XP3, no shortage of fine bullets from way light to way heavy. Every .270WSM I know of- 6 or 7 shoots wonderfully. If you "need" more than a .270WSM you need more than a .30 cal too IMHO.

Given the call for a "starter" rifle, 7x57, .308 even .260 or .257 roberts or .25-06 would get my vote for ease of shooting and flexibility. I know I practice more with my .257 than I do with my .270WSM, I know for a fact I'd shoot the .270 more than a .300 or a .325.

14 years old= 270 WSM, all around rifle lots of energy and flat shooting or 270 win. almost as good. He'll shoot it better with less recoil most people do although they won't admit it.

I agree with the general consensus: get him either a .270 or .30-06.

Although WSMs are very attractive, in the long run the .270 and .30-06 are better bets.

270WSM.

The only comment I found way off base in this thread was the comment about the WSM taking Winchester under. Talk about an airball.

I have the 300wsm, and like it. However for a 14 year old, I think it is a bit much. I just checked, and sighted in at 220 yards a 180 grains Sirocco at 2460 f/s from a 308 will be 8.5 inches below on 295 yards, at 2952f/s from my wsm it will be 8.5 inches below at 328 yards. That is, the "flat shooting ability" is a lot of hype. With the way modern bullets, like the Barnes TSX performs, he will be covered penetration wise with a standard 308 or 30-06. Less reoil and cheaper ammo.

I just wanted to share my experience, since I am probably the youngest one to respond so far. I actually just turned 18 today (May 21) but I bought a .300 WSM Browning A-Bolt Composite Stalker with garage sale money when I was 14. I've never been sensitive to kick, but I really don't think it will be a problem for him if you put a Limbsaver Recoil Pad on it. That's what I have and it is truly amazing how much it reduces the felt recoil! I think it is better than putting a brake on it because of the noise a brake makes. I was very small at 14 (about 5' 1" and 100 lbs.) and it wasn't bad at all. Now, I have taken everything from a 20 lb. hog to a 2,000 lb. bull Eland with that rifle and have nothing but praise for it. I absolutely LOVE it! The ammo is a little pricey, but in my opinion it's worth it. Hope this helps.