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Unless you're a dedicated bowhunter, muzzleloader season is the first crack you get at the local whitetail populations in Virginia. NRA Publications' Tom Rickwalder was itching for the chance to get after the herd that called his hunting club's property home, and wasted no time when the season opened last month. You can get a closer look at his hunt—and see the wild looking buck he harvested—in the gallery embedded above.
What is it about the .270 Winchester that remains so appealing to hunters? Sometimes the designers get things right the first time, and if you wanted to develop a cartridge to rival the venerated .30-06, the .270 comes about as close as is practically possible.