.270 vs .30-06 (POLL)

.270 vs .30-06 if primary use will be WI whitetail

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I'e got 4 3006 rifles and one .270 win. 90% of my deer over the past 25 years have been killed with that .270. Either are a fine choice but the .270 gets my vote.
 
I was always a fan of gun writer Jack O'Connor so I kind of picked up the .270 bug from him. IMO either one will do for anything in the lower 48 so its just a matter of personal preference.
 
Well, here was my dilemma as covered in this thread: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/classic-heirloom-hunting-rifle-1000-budget.837762/
Ended up going with a BAR Mark II Safari in good ole .30-06. As I ran my card on GunBroker last night to complete this purchase, two bald eagles swooped by my window and nodded at me and winked as if to give their approval of my caliber selection. All jokes aside I'm sure either would be just fine but it is fun having these conversations and variety is the spice of life.
 
old heeler said:
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/
Click to expand...

Technically the 308 never replaced the 06 in military service, but I'm going to say the 7.62 NATO replaced the 06 in 1954. The military never dropped the 7.62 from service though it might pretty soon. Here's 5000 lbs of once fired 7.62 military brass up for auction.

http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=13067082
 
When I hunted varmints with my '06, the bullet was almost always a 125 grain Sierra spitzer. I hardly hunted varmints with the .270, because there were so few woodchucks in fields by that time. In between the two, I got a .22-250 that was used for varmints and even a few deer. I never used the .270 for varmints, but had the .22-250 and that was great, though I missed being able to "bounce a bullet" into woodchucks with the old '06 if we didn't know the range (before rangefinders were the vogue). The .22-250 was very unforgiving...it was either a hit or miss. One day my buddy and I fired about 6 shots each at a woodchuck on a heavily-grassed hillside. We thought it was about 200 yards, but turned out to be over 300! Poor estimating and no visible impacts meant no critter hits that time.
 
Since it's deer in Wisconsin, I voted .30-06. (even though I use a .223) Ya gotta have a "Turdy ott six ta get da Turdy point buck", ya know. ;)

Pick either one, learn to shoot that particular rifle and load you choose well, and all will be fine.
 
Six of one. Half dozen of the other. Given your use, either is great, but I gave the nod to the 270 Winchester. As you age, your shoulder begins to appreciate it more and more. Besides, if it was good enough for Jack O'Conner, it should work for you.
 
Either is great. Find a rifle you love first, then look at the barrel and see if it’s a caliber you can live with. My first rifle was a 270 so I have a natural leaning that way, but I realize there’s little practical difference.
 
If you reload, .280 Rem or one of the "standard" 7mags. If not, my vote is still 30-06. Of the two in the OP, I voted 30-06. My reasoning... if Elk may be on your menu, it will do all things elk better than the .270. The advances in modern bullets have not left the old .30 behind. Some new sleek offerings in that diameter also.
 
Either will do the job, I have a 270 and have killed several elk with it at over 500 yards using 140 gr. Berger vld's. I do feel that the 06 is a better option for Elk than the 270 is. Really, choose the rifle that you prefer first, caliber second, 'cause there isn't really enough difference between the two to matter.
 
WestKentucky said:
Virtually a tossup. One shoots flatter, the other delivers a bigger bullet. I bought a .270 nearly 20 years ago and have never regretted it. If I were buying today though, it would probably be a 7-08.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure why that one hasn't become more popular. Actually the best of both worlds. A 308 case and a 7mm bullet. Ballistics are assume and the recoil ain't half bad.
 
CoalTrain49 said:
I'm not sure why that one hasn't become more popular. Actually the best of both worlds. A 308 case and a 7mm bullet.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm not sure either. My wife has (had) two 7mm-08s. Our oldest daughter kind of laid claim to one of my wife's 7mm-08s, and her oldest son, our grandson did the same to the other. Those 3 hunters, my wife, our oldest daughter, and now our grandson have taken more mule deer with those rifles than I can remember.
Ten or twelve years back my wife stepped up to a customized Model 70, 7mm Rem Mag. Not that she needs a 7mm Rem Mag; she only shoots what are like "hot" 7mm-08 handloads for mule deer and antelope anyway.
But getting back on track - I voted for the 30-06 over the 270 because I like 30 caliber rifles better.:D
 
Picher said:
Seems like a Ford vs. Chevy discussion. Both will get you there, but the .270 Win gets Chevy-like style points and the '06 is more like an old Ford V8 pickup. Yes, either one will get you there, but I like getting there in style!
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Great analogy!:)
I prefer both the 30-06 and Ford pickups myself. However, I've had my Ruger 30-06 (which I bought used) since the early '80s, and it's still going strong. While a couple of years ago I had to give up on my '85 Ford pickup (which I bought new in 1985) because it wouldn't always "get me there" anymore.
It broke my heart to give up my "little red truck" (BTW, it had a 300 "straight six" engine, not a "V8") but I need a dependable truck for deer hunting, which I still do with my trusty, ol', 30-06.:)
Edited to say: If my old Ruger rifle was a 270, I'm sure it would be just as dependable. I just wouldn't love it as much.:D
 
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I have ALWAYS been anti-.270 since my teen years in the early 70's.
1. Jack O'Connor and nearly every other gun writer tried to convince us then, that the deer might as well jump onto your hood and tie themselves. You couldn't miss and didn't have to aim within 400 yards, and anybody who owned one could shoot lightning bolts out of their backsides to start the campfire!
2. I would rather pay well over MSRP for a .280 Remington, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, .264 Win, or .284 Win than accept a free .270 bolt gun.........
I know ultimately it's a good cartridge, but I'll be damned if it will EVER be more versatile or widely accepted as the 30-06. It's certainly not the round that all the hyperbole would have you think.
 
When we got selected for a moose permit last season, I was a bit concerned that the .270 bullet choices might not be as good as the heavier bullets in .30-06, but no need to worry. I handloaded some 140 grain Nosler Accubonds and they dropped our 860 lb bull at 270 yards with a quick shot as the beast walked across a narrow old haul road and died less than 15 yards from where it was hit in the lungs. The 25 or so deer shot out to 400 yards didn't go more than a few feet either. Most dropped in their tracks.
John's Moose.jpg
 
I guess you guys don't skin/quarter or debone your swamp donkeys on site???

I always do, it get's rid of a lot of heat FAST! Plus, then you don't even have to gut them...

DM
 
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