270 vs 308

Both excellent cartridges at 200 yards! Either would suite your use perfectly. I think it would be very hard to pick one over the other based on ballistics alone.

At one time the 308 held just about every long range accuracy record. At 200 yards DRT with just about any 150-grain bullet. A bonus is the 308 lives in the "short" action! 's

Enjoy your new 308
You will love it. It is every bit as capable as the 270.....

Both cartridges capable of filling the freezer at 200 yds and farther. I'd likely go 308, not a real big fan of 270, but wouldn't refuse to use one. My choice is mostly based on availability of components yo reload, the 408 has a much wider range of good quality bullets and for other purposes than hunting. There are however one available for 270 now but still not as many as 308.

Ballistically, 270 has no real advantage. An inch or two difference in drop is not gonna matter on deer at 200yds.
As you probably already know , ammo availability and bullet selection if you reload is far better with .308.

A 308 is capable of taking deer, even elk, beyond 400 yards. So will a 270. The 270's primary advantage is that it shoots flatter, and it is easier to make hits out to around 300 yards with little or no hold over. The 308 drops a little more at 300 yards, but it doesn't require any special skills to make hits. Beyond 300 you need an accurate range finder and a scope that allows you to compensate for drop with either cartridge. At 200 yards neither drop enough to matter.

270 Win is long action 308 Win is short action of that matters to you.

Honestly IF my limit was 200 yards, which probably implies most shots under, possibly well under, I'd opt for the .308.

While I love the .270 for it's trajectory it's not needed out to 200. As a matter of fact, the velocity can be a determent "close in" unless you choose your shots wisely. I've used a .270 for a little over 30 years in multiple states and a couple countries. It's still my favorite deer cartridge for those areas where I may need some reach. But, I load my .270s up past 3100 FPS with the 130s, for double lung shots it's not an issue up close, but any other presentation gets messy at close range. Now there's only one degree of dead, but I'm not a fan of bloodshot meat. I could load the .270 down, but that complicates things as far as zeros etc. so I'd rather just use a different rifle.

Also, because I've viewed my .270s as my open country rifles, they've been set up that way; 24" barrels and higher magnification scopes. This translates into additional weight and makes the rifle a little more cumbersome in blinds and stands. For 200 (or 300 and under) I use a little 20" barreled .260rem with a 2.5-8x36 on it.

The one on the ground was shot with a 270 and the two in my PU where shot with a 30-30. Can anyone see the difference ?

For me, 308- I like short action rifles.

As much as I like the 270. Your needs would be better filled with a 308.
At 300 yards you start to notice a difference. At 200 I don't care what I use.

My Pre-64 ('56) Winchester 70 in 270 WCF and a book from the man that made it famous/infamous. I have killed one deer, my only coyote, and a pile of groundhogs with that old rifle.

I don't own a rifle in 308 Winchester. That said even the 270 Win does not get use much for me now a days. I do most of my hunting at shorter ranges due to the property I hunt (120yds is a long shot due to terrain and tree/brush) so for the past few years I have been using 450 Bushmaster and 30 Remington AR.

are there any serious drawbacks at this yardage for 308?

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No.

mcb said:

My Pre-64 ('56) Winchester 70 in 270 WCF and a book from the man that made it famous/infamous. I have killed one deer, my only coyote, and a pile of groundhogs with that old rifle.

I don't own a rifle in 308 Winchester. That said even the 270 Win does not get use much for me now a days. I do most of my hunting at shorter ranges due to the property I hunt (120yds is a long shot due to terrain and tree/brush) so for the past few years I have been using 450 Bushmaster and 30 Remington AR.

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Nice rifle. Age makes a person appreciate using the correct tool for the job.

WisBorn said:

Enjoy your new 308
You will love it. It is every bit as capable as the 270.....

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Jack would like to have a word with you.

Can't go wrong with either of those 2 choices for your intended purpose.

Choctaw said:

Jack would like to have a word with you.

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If Winchester sent me free rifles in 270 I would promote them also

I've hunted whitetail with both and I would take the 270 hands down any day

A 308 is going to be fine out to 200yds for deer. Using 180gr bullets my .308 sighted in at 100yds drops about 2.5in at 200yds. That's using my short 16in barrel. If I were using 165 or 150gr it would drop less. Definitely a good 200yd hunting caliber.

Wham Bham said:

When I set out to buy an inexpensive Bolt Action rifle last year, I was going to get a 270 for something different. I wound up with another .308.

To me, its about cost really. Most 308 ammo will be cheaper than the 270 variety and I like to only keep a few types of ammo at home.

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If you start reloading then cost difference between the two becomes negligible. Variety (and reloading) also increases your likelihood of weathering another shortage more easily. And variety is the spice of life, obscure and odd-ball cartridges have an attraction in and of themselves.

I have both and either will work but I like my .308 PA10 for ranges out to 200 yards.

More bullet selection with the .308.

OFFGRID said:

speaking of bullet selection, what are the intended purposes for all the grain selections?

308 can go from 120 grain to 200.

what works best for medium game like whitetail and hogs? and what would work well for larger game if the opportunity were to ever arrise?

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Way back (mid 60s thru mid 70s) when Dad and I were both carrying 308 Winchesters, we both used factory 150gr Reminton CoreLokts for mule deer, and factory 180gr Remington CoreLokts for elk. Nowadays, if I was still using a 308 Winchester, I think I'd probably use a well-constructed 165gr bullet for both species - just like I was when I switched to a 30-06 for mule deer and elk hunting, and just like I do now that I'm using a 308 Norma Mag for deer and elk hunting. Although, the truth is I have not killed an elk with my 308 Norma Mag - YET.