westsloper
WKR
I've been shooting a Weatherby Vanguard in .270 Win for a couple of years now since I first started getting into shooting. Still haven't shot anything with it, but I have lugged it up and down through the mountains for a lot of miles. I chose the .270 because I figured it was a mild-recoiling rifle that had plenty of punch for elk inside 300 yards, which I figured would probably be my limit (as an impressionable young shooter I read a lot on the Chuck Hawks website about stuff like MPBR and it convinced me).
I like the Vanguard but would like a lighter weight rifle. I recently saw a Howa 20 inch thin barrel model on sale for $400 including cerakote. It seems a bit lighter and more handy than my Vanguard, but it only comes in short action (probably why its lighter, in addition to the shorter, thinner barrel). I'm considering picking one up in 7mm-08 or 308. I like the Howa because it shares a lot in common with my Vanguard and I can still use my DNZ scope mounts on it (silly reason I know). Also it seems like a killer deal and it will hopefully have a lot of weather resistance.
I realize that in addition to the power lost by stepping down from .270, I'd also be losing 4 inches of barrel. Will the change have any practical effect on elk hunting in the 300-yards-or-closer range?
I'm also considering saving weight by switching to something like a Savage, but even then I'd still be wondering about short action vs the 270.
EDIT: On second thought this is a topic that I can read about all over the internet in just about every shooting forum, so please feel free to ignore!
I like the Vanguard but would like a lighter weight rifle. I recently saw a Howa 20 inch thin barrel model on sale for $400 including cerakote. It seems a bit lighter and more handy than my Vanguard, but it only comes in short action (probably why its lighter, in addition to the shorter, thinner barrel). I'm considering picking one up in 7mm-08 or 308. I like the Howa because it shares a lot in common with my Vanguard and I can still use my DNZ scope mounts on it (silly reason I know). Also it seems like a killer deal and it will hopefully have a lot of weather resistance.
I realize that in addition to the power lost by stepping down from .270, I'd also be losing 4 inches of barrel. Will the change have any practical effect on elk hunting in the 300-yards-or-closer range?
I'm also considering saving weight by switching to something like a Savage, but even then I'd still be wondering about short action vs the 270.
EDIT: On second thought this is a topic that I can read about all over the internet in just about every shooting forum, so please feel free to ignore!