.270 vs .30-06 (POLL)

[792mauser]

I voted 30-06. The jack of all trades. From a 12 grain red dot 110 cast bullet bunny puncher to a 220 grain elk gun.


But I do lust after a co-workers pre mod 70 in 270.

 

[Poper]

I have both, like both and voted for the .270.
Not a lick of difference between the two, but if you are buying factory ammo, chances are it's 130 grain and the 130's seem to shoot well in everything chambered for .270 Winchester.

The Ott-6, well, it's real Americana, that it is!. You can't go wrong with it and I have yet to see one that wouldn't shoot 150 grain to 180 grain pills really well.

If'n I was you, I would buy the one that makes my heart go pitter-patt! Buy the one you really want. You won't regret it.

 

[Bushpilot]

I voted .270 because I just read "primary use will be WI whitetail" and I think a 130 gr .270 is about the closest thing there is to a perfect deer load. In practice though I'm actually more of a 30/06 guy and think it is a little better all-round cartridge, especially when it comes to bigger game, longer barrel life, better bullet selection...

 

[loose noose]

I own both the 06, and the .270, I voted for the .270 for the simple reason I know the .270 shoots a much flatter trajectory over a much longer plain than the 06. I've shot whitetail, muleys, elk, as well as antelope, with the 270, and incidentally one of the antelope I shot was at close to 400 yards according to the range finder. Now I'm sure the 06 is quite capable of doing the same, however I feel much more comfortable using the .270, rather than the 06. BTW I've shot deer and black bear with the 06, back in N/E Wisconsin, but having lived in the western part of the U.S. I just believe good ole Jack O'Connor knew what he was thinking when he developed the .270. Thus I voted for the .270.

 

[mshootnit]

Seriously, 30-06 for Wisconsin whitetail? Does one usually need to shoot through the tree first?

 

[Demi-human]

Not the trunk specifically, but in a pinch...

 

[1MoreFord]

For the stated purpose of white tail deer hunting I voted .270W. However the .30-06 is the best all around choice IMO.

 

[EIB0879]

I actually pulled my .270 out of the safe this afternoon. I may hunt with it some this year. I have never had much luck with 150 gr out of this rifle but it does real well with 130 TTSX bullets, accuracy wise.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

For times when you don't need a heavy bullet, I'd always go with the 270. Same energy as the '06 but with noticeably less recoil.

Now there are some critters where you would definitely want a heavy bullet for, and the 30-06's ability to load heavy 180gr - 220gr pills definitely makes it more versatile, but for northern deer a 130gr bullet is plenty.

"If all 270 loads but the 130 grain and all 30-06 loads but the 180 grain were to be discontinued, we would not be terribly inconvenienced" - Jack O'Conner.

 

[joneb]

Surely we all agree when it comes to Muscle Cars. Right? Actually, seeing guys like Big Daddy and Roger Gustafson screaming down the track is my idea of Muscle Car.


View attachment 793435

I think the real muscle of the 06 lies in the 338-06 and 35 Whelen.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

I chose .270 simply because my .270 is lighter than my 06--------Browning X-bolt vs Ruger Hawkeye

 

[RugerOldArmy]

It is a win-win choice, but I'll take the .270 Win.

Yes there are more bullets in .308, but the .270 Win has some excellent options with 90 Gr Sierra Varminters, 130 Gr Sierra Gamekings, 140 Gr Partitions, 140 Gr Berger VLDs...all of which shoot well in my .270. I've never seen a light bullet load in .308/.30-06 that is as accurate as the 90 Gr Varminters over a stiff load of Varget/RL-15.

To me, the .270 is just flatter shooting, and more flexible.... if I need more gun hunting, I'll bring a 9.3x62mm Mauser at this point.

 

[someguy2800]

I am a 30 cal fan, I own 9 30 caliber rifles. People always toute the 30 calibers due to how great the bullet selection is, but I just don’t really get why that’s a big deal. I have a wide variety of bullets from 110-200 grain on hand for my different 30 cal cartridges, but it’s not like I’m going to load all of them in any given rifle. If I’m going to load a 7.62x39 is going to be a 110-125 grain bullet. For the 06 it’s going to be 165-180. If I need a 110 grain bullet then I don’t need a 30-06. People also say 270 has a limited bullet selection but if you can’t find a bullet that does what you need in a 270 your not looking very hard. I’ve only found need for 150’s. I’m sure the varmint bullets work fine but I have other rifles for varmints.

 

[ksalmi72]

That is where the fun lies! As long as we can smile at the end, sit down, open a nice single malt and argue over which Muscle Car is best, it's great!
(Dodge Hellcat, again, obviously.)

Love the single malt. Tried to con my wife into getting me a bottle of Tallisker 10 for father's day. Fingers crossed

 

[Charlie98]

Either or. Given the OP's purpose the .270 would be fine, I'm sure, but, again, the .30-06's versatility is hard to deny. If this is the OP's one and only hunting rifle, and he's thinking of heading west... or north... he would be better served with the .30 cal.

 

[Charliefrank]

I'm a 270 guy. Given your option of going out west I voted 06. Simply for the ability for 220 grain bullets.

 

[Garandimal]

Long time ago I used a 12" chop-saw to cut an inch off the butt of my M700 BDL .270 WIN.

Then I added a 1" Pachmayr F325 Deluxe "grind-to-fit" recoil pad I picked up at a gun show for $5.

Shoots 150 gr. like a .243.






GR

 

[Don Dayacetah]

Bullet diameter matters. More than most realize, I expect. That extra size in the 30 cal round puts them down.

 

[Skylerbone]

Bullet diameter matters. More than most realize, I expect. That extra size in the 30 cal round puts them down.

We’re talking about less than a thin human hair’s (literally) difference. Bullet construction and weight are what matter and for Midwest deer there ain’t a hair’s worth of difference.

 

[Demi-human]

Love the single malt. Tried to con my wife into getting me a bottle of Tallisker 10 for father's day. Fingers crossed

The day is still young, but sometimes a man needs to take matters into his own hands.
Glenfiddich all around!

And a Happy Fathers day to Dads everywhere!

(I'd better get down off the table now...)

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Both are great, so I have one of each. hdbiker

Well, technically since I re-stocked the 270 that was my wife's rifle I guess now I have one of each as well...

 

[Goosey]

I think the .30-06 is ultimately more versatile but I would still pick the .270 for myself, you can push a 150 Partition (SD = 0.279) at over 3,000 fps. If you really need more you might want to move up past the '06, too.

 

[Catpop]

I own both calibers. My 270 is a 03A3 custom I built back in the 70s with a 26” Douglas barrel.
My special 30 cal is a Rem 721 300 HH

 

[CoalTrain49]

Just get a .308 and enjoy the lower recoil, more bullet selection and cheaper brass. You'll thank me later when you decide to start reloading.

For hunting in N. America there isn't enough difference to choose one over the other.

The reason the military dropped the 30-06 is because the 308 has practically the same performance in a smaller package. There isn't any reason to have a long action in a bolt rifle anymore, especially if you want a lighter rifle for hunting.

But if you have to have one or the other, get the 06 for the bullet selection.

 

[old heeler]

I like 270/30-06 and I have few other hunting rifles. I always take back up and last year took 30-06 and 270 and both have same McMillan stock, 270 has Lilja barrel,30-06 has Shilen. 2nd season here in Co is only 9 days long so switch rifles every couple days.

Coaltrain49, what year did military drop 308 for the. https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/9/20/us-m16-a-half-century-of-america-s-combat-rifle/