30.06 VS 270 WITH a 150 grain bullet

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depends on what you are shooting at. 150 grn 30-06 good for deer on down, fast flat shooting. 150 grn 270 good for deer and possibly moose/elk. you have to consider sectional density when choosing bullet weight for hunting.
 
150 gr .277 has better sectional density than 150 gr .308.
Given the equal case capacity, that's an easy call.
 
Trajectory is very similar. The 30-06 has a more stable bullet at a more optimum speed according to Chuckhawks. The 30-06 has a long proven edge in accuracy and killing power. But so many people believe the old Winchester salesman that the .270 is a wonder cartridge that it is hard to get a factual discussion.
The .270 has a slightly flatter trajectory beyond 500 yards which is beyond it's effective range due to bullet instability. Under 300-400 yards there is no big difference in the 150 grain bullet. Either one is effective beyond normal hunting range and in that grain bullet it is a toss-up. Recoil should be the same. I have a
Couple 30-06 rifles, I would not buy a .270 because at my age I might not notice
The small difference in bullets and try to load the wrong ones. When you are absent minded and vision isn't the best, you need caution.
Also as bench rest shooters know, skinny and fast isn't optimum in bullets, the mythical flatter shooting .270 is mostly that. It is somewhat flatter , barely in same weight bullets, but at the cost of stability.
 
You can shoot them to the same speed, roughly 3000 fps. The 270 will have a better BC for flatter trajectory, better penetration and more energy at longer ranges.

You really have to compare the 180 gr 30-06 to get a fair comparison. With 180's in a 30-06 you will get slightly better penetration and energy at longer ranges than a 150 from a 270. The 30-06/180 will have slightly more drop, about 2" more at 300 yards, around 5" at 500 yards.

Truth is, when loaded to their full potential there is very little difference between the 2.
 
Sectional density is only important if you need to shoot large thick skinned game, for deer the larger frontal area is more important. Does shooting a .270 automatically lower I.Q's. either that or you are taken in by a Winchester snake oil salesman.
 
Thanks for that link. Absolutely correct. Due to the lesser frontal area of the .270
I would give a slight edge to the 06 but true, in 150 grain the trajectory is identical to 500 yards. the difference would be barrel length or another factor.
 
Same same,there isn't a beast on the planet that will react differently to being hit by either one.Assuming same point of impact and bullet construction.

For deer hunting go with the .270 and 130 grain,for moose or elk go big .338 mag.
 
The 30-06 will push a 150 about 125+ FPS faster then a .270, with less pressure.

With optimal handloads:
.270 = around 2,800 at 51,200 CUP. (Rem factory load = 2,705)
30-06 = around 3,000 at 49,600 CUP. (Rem factory load = 2,820)


It's true the .270 150 bullet beats the 30-06 in ballistic coefficient & sectional density.

But the 30-06 150 beats the .270 150 in energy at normal hunting ranges.

And it drops 6" less at 400 yards because it starts out faster.
Even the 30-06 180 grain PSP drops 2.4" less at 400.

Not a lot of 150 grain .270 loads are available over the counter, because that heavy a bullet is reaching a point of diminishing returns in that caliber.

The 30-06 reaches that point at about 180 grain bullet weight.

A .270 vis 30-06 with 125-130 grain bullets is another story, for another reason.
Thats where your improved BC & SD numbers and flat trajectory of the .270 come into play.

The 130 .270 drops 2" less then the 30-06 130 at 400 yards, and drifts a little less in the wind.

For my money, with heavy bullets, the 30-06 beats the .270 every which away from Sunday.

rc
 
Sectional density is only important if you need to shoot large thick skinned game, for deer the larger frontal area is more important. Does shooting a .270 automatically lower I.Q's. either that or you are taken in by a Winchester snake oil salesman.
Click to expand...

I assume this is directed at me. For the record, I don't own a 270, never have for the same reasons as you. I've been using a 30-06 for too long and at my age ain't gonna change. But you cannot argue with the numbers.

SD may not be that big, but BC is huge. A good 30-06/150 is a short stubby bullet with poor aerodynamics with a BC of around .420 with good bullets. A 270/150 is much more aerodyamic with a BC of around .525 or slightly better.

Start both at 3000 fps and at 500 yards the 270 has a 200 ft lbs edge in energy, shoots flatter and will out penetrate, even if not needed.

To equal things out you need to move up to a 180 gr 30-06 bullet where the BC is now about equal. Now the 30-06 is the better performer,but only by a slight margin. Yes it will have very slightly more drop, but not enough to matter. At 300 yards 2" is nothing.

A bullet diameter difference of .031" is completely insignificant for any animal. Especially with modern bullets. That is about the thickness of a fingernail. Choose your bullets wisely and there isn't enough difference between the 2 in 2012 to matter. In 1925, with powder and bullet technology at the time and the 2 were very different.
 
Start both at 3000 fps and at 500 yards the 270 has a 200 ft lbs edge in energy,
Click to expand...
But, you can't start a .270 Winchester 150 at 3,000.

You can start a 30-06 150 at 3,000 though.
See post #12.

With a 200 yard zero, the 150 06 shoots flatter at 400 by 16" less drop .

At 500 yards using Remington factory load figures?
.270 150 = 61.2" drop - 639 ft/lb energy.
30-06 150 = 46.6" drop - 1,047 ft/lb energy.
30-06 180 = 54.0 drop - 1,189 ft/lb energy.

rc
 
According to Remington factory charts, the 30-06 has higher BC bullets. You are confused if you think the .270 has across the board higher BC. in those weights the .270 has higher S.C but not B.C. In any case the 30-06 has higher energy to 500 yards, equal trajectory and more frontal area.
I am sure you could find some 150 grain in either caliber that reverse that but in the factory loads I see, the 30-06 has higher B.C. Long and skinny doesn't mean higher BC. Or better trajectory or more retained energy. You see those myths posted in every discussion but they are not facts. Just snake oil spread by a great salesman.
 
Truce jmr40. Happy New Years I apologize for getting a little hot. Cheers. I toast all who post here and consider you all comrades in arm.
 
If you compare two bullets like a 150 nos partition there isnt spit differnce in the even on larger game. On larger game then deer id take an o6 with 180s hands down
 
I can push a 150 to a higher velocity than a 150 in my 270 Win's.

I only did a little load development but my 150's in my 270 were clocking at 2700 fps.

I remember shooting 150's in a 270 at iron rams at 500 yards. The impact was not impressive though it would topple the rams.

One brand of factory 270 Win gave me 3000 fps with 130's. I was fussed at for pitting the 200 yard chickens with a 130 grain load.

I think the 270 Win is at its best with 130's. I don't know why you would want to shoot 150's, unless your rifle groups poorly with 130's.
 
d2wing said:
Sectional density is only important if you need to shoot large thick skinned game, for deer the larger frontal area is more important. Does shooting a .270 automatically lower I.Q's. either that or you are taken in by a Winchester snake oil salesman.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I shot a deer at 250 yards with a 150 gr. .30-06 Remington Core-lockt...bullet passed right through. How much more penetration does one need than that?
 
JIMR40

I really agree your post #13! I have been diggin thru Ballistic charts and was surprised to see that the 270 had the edge in speed and Foot pounds. I am new to rifles (former bowhunting elitist) and recently acquired a remington 270. which I have simply fallen inlove with. I thru this thread up after reading up on the 150 grain performance for both bullets to see if anyone agreed that for the 30.06 to outperform a 270. it needed to be at 180 grains. I feel the diffrence is at a min between the two and to reach each cartridges full potintial one would need to shoot 130 with the 270 and 180 for the 30.06.

I own both cartridges BTW
 
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