What's your go-to medium game hunting cartridge?

[Bill Poole]

6.5x55

[A65453]

Since you mentioned hand loading I'd want to toss the 358 Winchester into consideration. It's happy inside 300 yards, can use pistol bullets for coyote, and heavy 220-250gr for elk.

I put one together because I wanted a lower velocity bullet that would bruise less meat while still making it through large game.

Ballisticstudies website has a good discussion of the cartridge.

[mike400]

I absolutely love the 6.5 Grendel. Might even be cheaper than you think. Just buy or assemble a upper and a magazine and you are set with an existing AR15 lower. Extremely accurate and would easily take all the game you are talking about. I built an 18” and immediately am getting.5 MOA groups.

[Hammer 35]

I've got a 243Win barrel on its way. A buddy pulled it off a rifle and cerakoted it FDE. Fingers crossed it headspaces OK on my rifle. If I've got to ream it a little, no big deal. I just hope I don't need it set back first. If it needs set back, I'll probably just order a pre-fit Remage barrel for about the same cost and set it aside for some future project.

I'll probably take a bunch of pictures and post it up when I do the install.

[Racewin]

Depends on how far you want to shoot the deer and barrel length, but generally I'd say 6.5...
Grendel 200 yards
Creedmoor 400 yards
PRC 600 yards

and add about 400 yards to each for Coyote assuming you have the accuracy.

[stomp442]

You're original thought of a .270 Win is a fantastic choice. They are accurate, and plenty powerful for even elk if you wanted to. Ammo is always available and seems to be easier to find even during all the panic buying. That being said I like to be different, my do all coyotes to deer rifle is a custom 6mmXC. I am pushing a 105gr Berger Hybrid at 3080fps and have taken multiple deer out to almost 800 yards with it no problem. Its fast, efficient, has awesome ballistics and extremely deadly with very litte recoil.