Coleman County - Having hunted along the north side of Jim Ned Creek, and south of the Santa Anna High School overlooking the big creek bottom that cross's Hwy 67 in years past, you could have some fun with a bull barreled Vt shooter and big glass. Perfect country for a heavier than normal VT bullet looking down that creek bottom. Me Myself I'd be looking at a 243 or 260 in a 24-26" barreled beaver tailed stock in a 10lb rifle putting 100gr'ers down range out to 500+ yards. 25'06, 257Wby & 264WMg also fit this scenario. But I think I'd do a this... Kimber makes a 308 Stainless fluted 24" barreled wood stock gun just like I described, called a M84 LongMaster that would be perfect in almost every way....only I'd get bored and have it rechamberd for a 300WSM and shoot 125BT's & 130gr TTSX's @ 3600fps at everything over 500 yards away...or you could look at a couple new FN BACO South Carolina made M70 VT's the same way.

OBTW The 5'8" WITHOUT his head 21 lb rattler skin on my wall came from that creek bottom. It took 19 CCI Stingers in the head to get him calmed down enough for me to saw off his head with my pocket knife...while he knawed on the tree branch I was pinning him with. Then the REALLY scary stuff started when I was walking a half mile out to the truck thru the mesquite flats after dark with him coiled around my upper arm and shoulder rattling away, and NO Compass or flashlight on a previously sight unseen 1000 acre pasture. I saved one last bullet ...until I got to the truck, since no one knew where I was and was not due home for 4 days. Weighed him on a meat scale that night in Abilene. I can still smell the snakes stink, and hear the rattles of the other snakes all around me in my bad dreams after smelling a snake anywhere around me even to this day.
Cheers
Ron

25-06 26" barrel

Howa .308

7MM 08 this will be my next gun

270wsm

Mine too but thats because I already have a North American lazer...aka 257wby and its little brother that still whoops all its class mates the 25-06....although the 257 hot tamale/stw is kind of calling my name

I got a 30-30 to go with my 30.06. Lots more fun to spot/stalk with, makes a good truck gun, and brush shots don't tend to be so far. 243 and .270 knocks em dead too but something about the old 06 I like makes it my go to gun most the time.

I have several "deer rifles" the only two I use are a Savage .270 and a Win 70 in 7mm mag.

Boring and mediocre but your right alot of people have them.

My favorite is CZ .204 - in spite of what everyone says, it's not to small. My son (8yrs) dropped a great 10 point at 250 yards.

It will completely change the way you hunt - new challenge, different adventure, ... whole new game. Much more like bow hunting where shot placement really matters.

I love hunting again.

I like a 243 cal its light in several positive way but drops game quick.

love the 243

257 Wby, 25-06, 264 Win Mag.

Any one of these would fill the gap. Anything from varmints to deer. From up close to way out there.

It seems that your gap might be between the 243 and the 30-30. I think a 270 is too similar in performance to a 30-06, so I would suggest a 7mm-08. Not much recoil for as flat shooting and far reaching as it is.

As is, though, you really seem to have covered most scenarios. You have light and far-reaching for varmints, big dog 30 cal in both long range and brush country, and a nice lil 243 for, say, hill country 100-200 yard ranges. I think a 7-08 would fit in there nicely.

7mm-08

You will not go wrong with the .270. I love mine and shoot it over my 300wsm abolt everyday. Just a great little round with plenty of pop. 25-06 is a good round as well but the .270 just gona be a little beefed up version of the 25-06

.270 and 7m-08 are more similar than a .270 and 30-06

Borrowed from Chuck Hawk's website:
"To save space, the following abbreviations are used in the table below: Wb = Weight of bullet (in grains); MV = Muzzle Velocity (in feet per second); BC = Ballistic Coefficient; MRT = Mid-Range Trajectory; yards = yds.; inches = "; MPBR = Maximum Point Blank Range; BT = Ballistic Tip; FP = Flat Point, HP = Hollow Point; RN = Round Nose; Sp = Spitzer; SP = Spire Point; SSp = Semi-Spitzer.

Cartridge(Wb@MV) Bullet BC 100yds 200 yds.MRT@yds.MPBR(yds.)


.30-06 (150 BT at 2910) .435 +2.6" +2.0" 3"@145 287
.30-06 (165 Sp at 2800) .410 +2.7" +1.7" 3"@135 273
.30-06 (180 Sp at 2700) .483 +2.7" +1.5" 3"@125 269

.270 Win. (130 Sp at 3140).416 +2.5" +2.4" 3"@150 305
.270 Win. (140 AB at 2950).496 +2.6" +2.1" 3"@140 293
.270 Win. (150 Sp at 2900).481 +2.6" +2.0" 3"@138 287

7mm-08 Rem.(120 Sp at 3000).343+2.6" +2.0" 3"@140 287
7mm-08 Rem.(140 BT at 2860).485+2.6" +1.9" 3"@140 285"


It may just be me, but they all seem like kissing cousins, too close in performance to really get any panties in a wad about. Maybe I'm just basing my suggestion off of factors like never hearing anyone complaining about a sore shoulder after a bench session with a 7mm-08, and the scads of folks who can't say a single thing bad about the round. Of course, depending on the crowd, the exact same thing can be said about .270 most days of the week.

I guess it all depends on what you want out of your second deer rifle, original poster. Personally, I don't see a whole lot of difference in the whole range between 243 through 30-06 for practical Texas deer hunting. Good glass, a gun that can hit an area the size of a sandwich plate out to 300 yds MAX, and a good bullet that expands and punches a good hole, and you're pretty much set. But I guess I'm not too hard to please. Good luck with your selection.

you could always go with a .280

6.5x55, 257Bob, 250-3000, 7x57....can be endless.

Start reloading and really open your horizons!

My 6.5-06AI just sings then again so does my 6mmAI!

+1

You mean you are looking for a 5th deer rifle.

All the ones you already have are plenty capable of cleaning killing deer.

Although the 223 and 22 250 are often considered too small you still have the 243 and 3030 which occupy the hands of a larger number of texas hunters and are historic deer getters.

You just want to buy a new gun... admit it.

If you have a 30-06 I wouldnt buy a 270, 280, 308 or 7mm08, you just wouldnt be getting anythign different than what you already have.