Someone needs to talk me out if getting a 7mm Backcountry for this exact purpose
That will be my next deer rifle. Deciding now whether to do 16", 18", or 20". Leaning toward the Weatherby 307 Alpine with a 16" barrel, just not 100% yet.
If velocity is an important factor in your definition of "best" then this is really the answer, if not then think 338 Federal or 358 winchester would be top candidates.
My reasoning is that I want the same performance out to 450-500 yards that I currently get from my 26" 280 Ackley. The Backcountry does that plus some with a 20" barrel, and the 7mm Backcountry is much better with heavier bullets.
A 20” barreled 7-08 with 140 grain Accubonds will kill elk out to 450 yards. Switch to 162 grain eld-m bullets and that distance increases. That 7-08 would be much more pleasant to shoot than that 7 Backcountry and would kill deer easily.
