srg81

I would personally recommend the .270. Much more accurate and deadly than even the 7.62 round in the mini-30. Definitely not the .223 for deer in my opinion. 270 win is a sweet round. Put a good scope on that M77 and you've got a top notch deer rifle capable of at least 300 yard shot humane kills. I love the mini-14 and mini-30, but not so much for deer hunting. Or at least for still hunting like we do in MS. I have a ruger 77 hawkeye that is pretty lightweight and I bet your kid could shoot one of those in 270 pretty easily in a couple years. My wife loves mine...

lafflin rand

For a general purpose rifle the 223 is okay. It is not ahunting cartridge. The mini 30 is. I would get amini 30 then amodel 77. However in Pa no hunting with semi autos for game animals so I would get a remingtom pump.

429421Cowboy

Have you considered the Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle? In .308 it is a serious hunting arm yet still has dirt cheap mil-surp ammo for fun as well, and has plenty of potential in other areas, a true riflemans tool and all around weapon. Plus almost certainly better accuracy than the Mini... One or two where it counts in any sitation, hunting or otherwise, often beats supperior firepower.

Marine Division Two

I have the Ruger Model 77 in 270 thats a must for the choice,you can hunt any state with it,super accurate where the Auto rifle will limit you where to hunt,the 270 has better knockdown power and a beautiful rifle,good luck

countrygun

I can understand the worry but, besides being concerned about adding negative connotations to any gun, I hunted with an M-1 Garand for ten years in my early days. I never had a problem even though I saw people do a version of "spray and pray" with 94 Winchesters. It;s the individual, not the gun, that is responsible.

reverendg

Mini 30 for an all around multi-purpose gun. Hunt, plink, defense, it will do pretty much anything you need out to 200 meters. If you regularly plan to push the 150 meter limit, choose the 270.

WhiteBreadLife

I'm going Mini 30 first because I'm more of a Handgun Guy. It may be the only Rifle I ever buy. I want something other than a Single Shot. IF I do get more into Hunting it will be the M7 in 270. Thanks for all the input, without it I would have got the Mini 14 and be SOL. Off now to pickup my new SR40C from the Dealer. Pics to come.

NVcaster

I would go 270, The mini 30 would work fine for most cases but The ammo choices for HUNTING rounds is limited. If you reload its not much of a problem. Just about any 130 grain or 150 grain 270 round you can find is suitable for hunting and its everywhere. All the 7.62x39 stuff seems to be FMJ.

countrygun

Winchester makes a terrific little sp round for the 7.62x39. I keep a bpx of it and a couple of 5 rd mags to use in my AK when the weather is too terrible for my "pretty" rifles. around here that means a limited rage as well.

Besides this OP stated it would be an "only" rifle and while I admire the folks who think one "hunting" bolt action is all the rifle they need, I think a lot of folks think otherwise.

James6591

The .270 is such a versatile calibre and such a great rifle in Ruger.
In Australia, the .270 is the minimum legal for deer.

kiwihunter

Here in NZ we can use any caliber we choose but .22lr or shotguns are not supposed to be used in national parks because people use them on native birds .But on deer ,pigs or wild cattle anything goes as far as .223 goes i have lost count of the ammount of deer i have taken with it ...i will say from experience you do your job and it will do its.... especially on smaller species of deer such as fallow or even Sika....but i also use 7mm08 for the larger guys as in Reds ,Wapati etc.....for you starting out i would say go for the .270 all day long.....while your mini in 7.62x39 willl do the trick your .270 will run rings round it accuracy wise and in my opinion a good bolt gun will out perform an auto for hunting in the" boonies" all day long....good luck and happy hunting...Merry Christmas.
KIWI

WhiteBreadLife

What variation of the M77 is still being produced in 270 Win? The shop said they cant get it?

Durangogun

Might be your shop buys rifles from a distributor whose range of firearms is limited.

The M77 Hawkeye Standard, All Weather and Sporter are all still listed in .270 at the Ruger website.

I have had an M77 Hawkeye Standard .270 scoped with a 3-9 Leupold VXII for three years now, and I am very pleased with the combination. It's a rugged, reliable rifle.

Accuracy varies somewhat from rifle to rifle, and you'd want to test factory rounds or handloads in yours, but mine averages around MOA with several factory loads.

For an all-around hunting rifle, I'd choose the M77 in .270 in a heartbeat.

West Texan

I have a m77 hawkeye and a Ruger no. 1 both of which are .270 caliber and I am very happy. I did have the m77 mark II in .270. Unfortunatelly, I had to sell it. The m77 in .270 is a great deer combo that I recommend.

WhiteBreadLife

From what I'm hearing talking to family and buddys the 270 rounds really knocks down these NC WhiteTails. Ive found one on Armslist. Gonna check it out next week.