duck911
Member
Hey folks,
A have some general questions and thoughts and I am looking for some feedback.
I live in Colorado and my big game hunting consists mostly of deer, antelope, and elk.
I currently own a .270 and that is my "big game" rifle. I use it primarily for deer although I wouldn't hesitate to use it for antelope. I really haven't hunted much for elk, as I bow hunt for elk while saving up "preference points" for better tags.
But I have some money burning a hole in my pocket and I have it in my mind I want a new big game gun. I figure my .270 will be reserved for deer and smaller game, and a new rifle will be used for elk.
However, I have been curious about different calibers and while looking at ballistics and numbers, I find some interesting facts.
-Most .270's has more downrange energy than most 7mm-08's
-.270's are in general, equal to the downrange energy of the .308. (give or take. Some .270's actually are better, some .308's beat the .270. But in general, it's a "wash")
-the .30-06 only edges out the .270 in downrange performance slightly in many cases. I would have figured "the most storied caliber in North America" would have better numbers, at least on paper.
-the 7MM Mag and .300 Win Mag are no contest for any of the above in terms of pure energy downrange.
So I am left wondering.....What does this all mean, and what do I need to buy?
After my research, I am convinced that my .270 will kill an elk every bit as fast as a .308 or 7mm-08, both considered fine elk rounds. And, they are so ballistically close, that it's not worth it to me to duplicate calibers that are so alike.
Next is the 7MM Mag and the .300 Win Mag. Much more energy than the .270/.30-06/7mm-08.
But can you kill an elk TOO dead? If a .270 is a good elk caliber, and a 7MM Mag is a great elk caliber, should I just use my familiar .270 for elk? Is there a real REASON to buy a 7MM Mag or .300 WIn Mag? Seems to me just one more caliber to buy ammo for, and big game ammo is not cheap. I like shooting my .270, and I am CONFIDENT where the bullet will fly when I pull the trigger. I have a lot of rounds through that gun. Is that familiarity worth the decrease in downrange energy when compared to the "magnums?"
I want to avoid the pitfall of having 1 caliber for every game animal. I do not get the range time nor the cash to be able to perfect shooting every caliber, and I am not a reloader so factory ammo availability is important to me.
I'd like to limit my big game firearms to 1 or 2 guns. As I have mentioned, the choices would be one or two of the following:
.270
7MM-08
.308
.30-06
7MM Mag
.300 Win Mag
What would you do?
--Duck911
A have some general questions and thoughts and I am looking for some feedback.
I live in Colorado and my big game hunting consists mostly of deer, antelope, and elk.
I currently own a .270 and that is my "big game" rifle. I use it primarily for deer although I wouldn't hesitate to use it for antelope. I really haven't hunted much for elk, as I bow hunt for elk while saving up "preference points" for better tags.
But I have some money burning a hole in my pocket and I have it in my mind I want a new big game gun. I figure my .270 will be reserved for deer and smaller game, and a new rifle will be used for elk.
However, I have been curious about different calibers and while looking at ballistics and numbers, I find some interesting facts.
-Most .270's has more downrange energy than most 7mm-08's
-.270's are in general, equal to the downrange energy of the .308. (give or take. Some .270's actually are better, some .308's beat the .270. But in general, it's a "wash")
-the .30-06 only edges out the .270 in downrange performance slightly in many cases. I would have figured "the most storied caliber in North America" would have better numbers, at least on paper.
-the 7MM Mag and .300 Win Mag are no contest for any of the above in terms of pure energy downrange.
So I am left wondering.....What does this all mean, and what do I need to buy?
After my research, I am convinced that my .270 will kill an elk every bit as fast as a .308 or 7mm-08, both considered fine elk rounds. And, they are so ballistically close, that it's not worth it to me to duplicate calibers that are so alike.
Next is the 7MM Mag and the .300 Win Mag. Much more energy than the .270/.30-06/7mm-08.
But can you kill an elk TOO dead? If a .270 is a good elk caliber, and a 7MM Mag is a great elk caliber, should I just use my familiar .270 for elk? Is there a real REASON to buy a 7MM Mag or .300 WIn Mag? Seems to me just one more caliber to buy ammo for, and big game ammo is not cheap. I like shooting my .270, and I am CONFIDENT where the bullet will fly when I pull the trigger. I have a lot of rounds through that gun. Is that familiarity worth the decrease in downrange energy when compared to the "magnums?"
I want to avoid the pitfall of having 1 caliber for every game animal. I do not get the range time nor the cash to be able to perfect shooting every caliber, and I am not a reloader so factory ammo availability is important to me.
I'd like to limit my big game firearms to 1 or 2 guns. As I have mentioned, the choices would be one or two of the following:
.270
7MM-08
.308
.30-06
7MM Mag
.300 Win Mag
What would you do?
--Duck911