.270 win. compared to 300 win. mag

[handle02]

I would like to know the biggest differances between the two cartridges.First,I already know the 300 is a bigger bullet and a mag.That is not the kind of differances i'm talking about.I'm talking about knockdown power,effective killing power out to longer distances,and overall cost,reliability,and practicality of these cartridges for deer and larger sized game hunting.The reason I'm wanting to know is because I have found the rifle I want,but it's in .300 win. mag and I think it's a little too much gun for what I need.The gun shop I found this rifle at said they could order the .270,but it would be about a month before it got here(and I want it NOW).I live in TN and 300 to 400 yard shots are probably the longest shots I will encounter in the areas that I hunt.I have hunted out west a few times and I do plan on going back,but for the most part I will only be hunting in TN.Thanks in advance for everyones input!!

 

[NCsmitty]

Your not really making a honest comparison, because the 300 Win Mag holds about 20 gr more powder than the 270 Win. Of course it has more "knock-down" power.
Is the 300 WM more than you need for what you plan to hunt, maybe? Will it do the job? Certainly!
The 270 is no slouch though, as it too shoots flat with plenty of performance to take most game in the lower 48. It also recoils less, and usually costs less if buy your ammo.
It's your choice at this point.
What brand rifle are we talking about?


NCsmitty

 

[handle02]

The new Savage weather warrior with the accutrigger and accustock.Also,as of now I don't reload,but I would like to in the near future.With that being said the 300 might be a better choice because I have several other 30 cal rifles.I'm just afraid of ruining alot of meat with something like the 300, I always eat what I kill.I've already ruined one deer I shot last year with my old .270 using balistic tip ammo it just tears up everything in it's path.

 

[NCsmitty]

The Savage is a nice rifle to consider. If you already have 270, then the choice of the 300 WM makes more sense.
The ballistic tip bullets work better at long range, but inside of 200yds, the high velocity rounds tend to make the ballistic tips fragment more than necessary.
It will be a problem with the 300 WM too, so a bonded bullet or a Partition would be a better choice for all around use, if they shoot well enough in your rifle. A lot less blood-shot meat.


NCsmitty

 

[handle02]

Well smitty thats the problem I'm running into I have a .270 that I absolutely hate a S&W i-bolt and thats going to get traded toward the new savage.Thats why I started this thread to maybe help me decide.

 

[52grain]

It looks like .300 Win mag is about $6 per box more expensive than .270 Win. These are two fairly different cartridges, what do you plan to hunt with it?

 

[.38 Special]

For my money, the .270 is a better cartridge for almost all American hunting. I would not use it for large bears, but I would rather not use the .300 for that purpose either. For just about anything else, the .270 will kill as effectively as the .300, and will be much more pleasant to use.

 

[NCsmitty]

Why do you hate the I-bolt that you have? Are you having problems with it, not accurate?
They seem to be a fairly good rifle based on what other owners say about them on THR.

I too have a 270 and a 308 Norma Mag which is nearly a ballistic twin to the 300 WM. I haven't shot either in a couple years, been mostly shooting my 6.5x55.


NCsmitty

 

[jmr40]

Other than kicking a lot harder the differences are a lot less than many realize. According to Hornady's website the best 130 grain 270 loading has an identical drop at 500 yards as the 150 grain 300 win mag and the 270 has only 150 less foot lbs of energy. Going to heavier bullets will give the 300 more energy at longer range, but more drop. With todays premium bullets most animals you hit with either will never know the difference.

Neither would be my first choice for large bears but with 200+ grain bullets at shorter ranges I would give an edge to the 300

 

[nathan]

Magnums are a waste of energy unless necesssary. It was all hype and bs back and people were buying every magnum caliber I remember back in the 90s. Then they sell them off once they realized they can t handle the recoil no more. Ammo cost more too.

In fact 270 and the 3006 is more than enough in any game in CONUS.

 

[handle02]

Thanks to all and especially you jmr40 those are the kinda hard facts I was looking for.NCsmitty the resons I hate the i-bolt is 1.I sold a darn good ruger to buy this i-bolt that I thought I would like better.2.It likes to try to load 2 rounds into the chamber at once jamming everything up.3.The bolt is not very smooth it's kinda rough and I've lubed the piss out of it.4.The spring in the mag is weak towards the barrel so when you load it the bullets do some kinda weird nosedive thing that causes problems trying to load other rounds on top of them.:banghead:

 

[bpl]

I'd get the .270

 

[BENELLIMONTE]

Normally my rule of thumb for hunting big game in Idaho; 270 Win with 150 grain Nosler Partition for buck mule deer & cow elk, 300 Win mag with 200gr Nosler Partitions for bull elk, and in areas with trophy size bull elk I would use my 338 Win mag with 250gr Nosler Partitions.

 

[Arkel23]

Go with the .300 win mag, it's just a better overall caliber, like you said bigger bullet, more knock down power. It's more effective out to longer ranges and IS NOT TOO MUCH FOR DEER. Where I live in SC .300 win mag ammo is only $1 more than .270. It's the same also around my house in Metro ATL.

 

[rangerruck]

the recoil diff, if you have not shot a 300 winmag, will startle you. I suggest you go to a range, ask about; if anyone is shooting one, or something similar, and try it. make sure you take more than 1 shot, take 5 shots, and tell the dud e you will give them 5 bucks for the rounds. Shoot at least 5 rounds, then see if you will like that recoil. Me? the advantages of the 300 are just not enough over a nice 140 or if handloading , a 160 grain 270, with some nice bonded bullets, or even plain jane softpoints, will seriously drop them fast, and all the way out to 500 yds, if need be.

 

[bang_bang]

I own both calibers...favor the 300 Win Mag (just a personal preference).

The .270 with 130 grain bullets has around the same ballistics as the 300 Win Mag with 180 grain bullets at ranges around 400 yards I do believe. That is due to the 20+ grains of powder in the case, thus resulting in one hell of a beating upon pulling the trigger.

Both calibers are quite versatile, but I would have to give the 300 Win Mag the win for being most flexible. If you reload, you'll find that both of these cartridges show their full potential on the reloading bench. I've got some mild loads for my 300 Win Mag with some 110 grain HP's setting on top...nasty little rounds for groundhogs, but more than enough for deer. I've also got a load for 165 grain GameKing SP's for some serious deer hunting in the Christmas trees around here.

 

[handle02]

To answer klineia deer,pigs,and maybe coyote will be game mostly hunted.I have shot 300's before and OH YEAH they have more recoil than any 270 I have shot,but it doesn't bother me too much as of right now,though in a few years of shooting the 300 might change the way I feel about it.Like I said in an earlier post I don't reload now,but I would like to start within the next year or so.Keep it coming guys everyone is bringing some good opinions/facts to the table it seems about 50/50 right now.

 

[surjimmy]

Get a Tikka, made by Sako but for under $500. I have one in the 300wsm and it will put 3 shots inside a penny at 100 yards using Winchester Power Points.

 

[SuperMidget]

First off, neither the .270 WCF nor the .300 Win Mag have anything resembling knockdown power. You may get lucky more often than not and bust up enough on a calm, relaxed deer to cause it to give up, but knockdown power it ain't.

Unless you're planning a hunt for the big bears on Kodiak, I wouldn't bother looking at a magnum anything. There are plenty of cartridges that do the same work and are far less obnoxious to shoot. Make no mistake, the .300 WM is going to be obnoxious and a half to shoot, but it doesn't hurt regardless of the fear-mongering you hear about it.

If your heart is set on a .300 WM though, by all means get it. I'm the last one to try and talk you out of a cartridge that makes no sense for its intended use. But if you're purely looking for something to get the job done, anything from .243 WCF or 6mm Rem on up will do what you want.

 

[bang_bang]

Keep it coming guys everyone is bringing some good opinions/facts to the table it seems about 50/50 right now.

I think that you can't go wrong with either caliber. It might come down to your personal preference deciding on what caliber your next rifle will be.

 

[Bigfoot]

It's a tough call because the 270 will kill Elk just fine with today's premium bullets. For a do-it-all caliber I do prefer .30 cal though because the Roosevelt Elk around here get pretty big.

Since you will reload buy a pound of Accurate-5744 powder from Midway. It'll give that 300 WM 30-30 to 30-06 recoil. Use the 125 gr Ballistic Tip at around 2800 for even less recoil, at that velocity the BT will penetrate shoulders. Check out the load data almost halfway down this link.

http://www.homegunsmith.com/cgi-bin...st-71-26082-2001_comp_guide_combined_file.pdf

Compare those velocities and grains of powder used to 30-30 and 30-06 load data. With the thick recoil pad that 300 could have less felt recoil than a 30-30.

http://www.intlmidway.com/intl/eproductpage.exe/ShowProduct?saleitemid=932501

Some here don't like the idea of downloading, that's fine. Just pick you powder carefully and double check your powder height before seating.

 

[MCMXI]

First off, neither the .270 WCF nor the .300 Win Mag have anything resembling knockdown power.

Unless you're planning a hunt for the big bears on Kodiak, I wouldn't bother looking at a magnum anything.

These statements seem contradictory to me. If a .300 Win Mag doesn't have "knock down" power, what does in your opinion, and since you claim it doesn't, why would you want it for bear on Kodiak? What do you consider to be the entry level cartridge that has "knock down" power? The .270 may be on the anemic side, but the .300 Win Mag sure isn't with at least a 60% higher knock out factor (using John Taylor's KO formula**). That extra energy comes at a price of course but the recoil of a .300 Win Mag is very manageable for many shooters.

**KO = [bullet diam.(in.) x bullet weight (gr) x velocity (fps)]/7000

 

[Bigfoot]

If a cartridge had "knockdown power" how could you shoot it without being knocked down yourself?

A bullet kills by disrupting tissues, bones, organs and causing bleeding.

 

[MCMXI]

If a cartridge had "knockdown power" how could you shoot it without being knocked down yourself?

A bullet kills by disrupting tissues, bones, organs and causing bleeding.

First off, we all know what is meant by "knock down" power ... the ability of a bullet to drop an animal where it stands ... so there's no need for the facetious explanation of what a bullet does in literal terms. Jim Taylor used the term "knock out" factor but essentially they're the same thing. "Knock down" or "knock out" are both valid criteria for cartridge selection. If you're going to shoot a dangerous animal, you want it to stop moving in your direction ASAP ... right? If you're shooting a deer, you don't want to have to track it all over hell's creation either.

 

[handle02]

I should have mentioned earlier that the 300 I have avalible to me has a muzzle brake on it so recoil with that particular 300 mag isn't going to be a factor.The whole ''Knock down power" thing was just one of those things I threw out there to see everyone's opinion.I have dropped deer dead in their tracks with everything from my old .243 to my .50 cal muzzleloader.I wasn't real worried which cartridge would make a deer do backflips when I shot it,although that would be pretty cool to see!I think most every centerfire cartridge has ''knock down power'' as long as you put the bullet in the right place.