Great choice in calibers MM ! I too have a .300 WSM but it’s in a Browning A-Bolt. I’ve taken several deer with it and one elk. Before that my favorite was a Ruger 77 in .280 Rem that I have since given to my oldest son.
I'm going to guess that your favorite cartridge is the .280 Remington!
You talking about your .280's jogs my memory back 40 years to when Remington changed the name from 7mm Express back to .280 in 1981 and the rebranded caliber caught my eye as an impressionable young man with a lever-action .32 special and a hankering for a "real" deer rifle with a scope, and so I purchased a new .280 Remington in 7600 pump with an engraved wood stock and forearm, going all out with a 3x9 Leupold scope and Millett mounts and bases, and I'm guessing that I was probably grinning from ear to ear as I left the gun shop with the new box.
The 760 pump was always a favorite of Pennsylvania hunters, but my purchase was a major mistake, the gun shot inconsistently, putting multiple shots right on bullseye, then randomly changing point of impact, shooting 10" wide with no explanation. I took it to a gunsmith for a total examination, he hammered on it with a boresight installed and it was solid, and he was puzzled as well. Nobody ever did figure out what was the issue, although I did eliminate the scope as being a part of the problem by removing it and using it on another rifle, and I still us that scope today. Maybe the barrel wasn't seated tightly in the receiver as the 7600 didn't have a very heavy receiver, or maybe the bore was compromised, but whatever it was, it seemed to be a bad rifle from day one, although no fault of the .280 caliber. Eventually, after fighting through it for several seasons and missing a very nice buck I sold it to a friend who ridiculed my analysis of the gun, and the friend also missed the first buck he shot at, and quickly sold it again.
That rifle floated the neighborhood with a bad reputation until it finally disappeared into oblivion, but the .280 caliber had left a bad taste in my mouth and I switched reloading dies and everything to .284 Winchester. However, the .284, once known as one of the best deer calibers ever, one of the few cartridges with a rebated rim making it a big favorite with reloaders, has since faded off the shelves as well, now it's now left to reloaders only.
In the meantime I started hunting in Saskatchewan, and the First Nations guides there disliked all things 7mm, claiming that 7mm's resulted in many lost animals, and so to keep the peace in the gang that I was with I turned to a .300wsm in Model 70, and, while it's a bit overkill for the average shortrange whitetail, a .300 magnum can handle a long shot on a bigger bodied buck with ease, plus the occasional bear or moose, plus, the WSM doesn't have a belted case to contend with. I have a Browning, Winchester and Sako right now, but the Sako is definitely one step above the others. Anyway,
@Drycreek thanks for bringing back so many memories.
) We need something to take our collective minds off the heat and drought so I thought it might be a good idea for everyone who wants to participate to tell us about your favorite deer hunting tool, whether bow, rifle, shotgun, or handgun. Post a pic if you have one handy.
