i thought i wanted a .308.

[NEW TO THE GAME]

I'm making a move into a little bit longer range category. Will still be hunting white tails and higs for the most part maybe some cayotes or other big varmints, and hears a lot of good news about the the new Ruger American line of rifle. I shot a buddies 308, and it's a very accurate tack driver out of the box, but reading some reviews on the cartridge itself im getting mixed emotio s about it. I've been reading that .270 shoots faster, further, straighter, and harder than the 308. Dont get me wrong i have no buisness shooting at thi gs over 300 yards yet but i still want a rifle that does what it should do with in its perameters. I guess when it comes to a medium long range rifle used to hunt a i animals like deer or hogs or something thick skinned lime a hog i should say, whats my better choice, 308 or 270? Im almost certain i domt want a 30-06. Make my mind up for me pls!!!

 

[Robert]

There is nothing wrong with .308. There is nothing wrong with .270. Both are fine rounds for both hogs and deer. You can not go wrong with either one.

 

[rcmodel]

Well, at 1,000 yard target competition over the last 100 years, the 30-06 and later .308 have taken home more trophies then you could fit in Donald Trumps biggest building.

Not so much the .270.

The .270 does shoot a little flatter at normal hunting range out to 400 yards.

But truly outstanding long range match bullets or ammo in that caliber are fewer and further between on the shelves.

BTW: Whoever wrote that a .270 shoots 'straighter or harder' then a 30-06 or .308 had his hat on too tight, for too long, and it cut off the blood supply to his brain.

rc

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, the 270 is a good round but does not out shoot the 30-06 or .308 either.

If you don't want a 30-06 you might not want a 270 either since the action is the same length. If you don't like the 30-06 (and I can't guess why) I would go with the .308 over the .270. (IMO of course)

 

[sixgunner455]

.308 and .270 both recoil a bit less than .30'06. You probably won't notice a difference in recoil between .270 and .308. .30'06 can handle a bit heavier bullets. Any of the three can handle any deer, hog, or anything else you might decide to shoot with a rifle in North America. .270 might shoot a bit flatter than the other two, but at 300 yards, on big game? An inch or two either way won't make a bit of difference. You're shooting at a football, not a golfball.

.270 doesn't get seen at matches very often, not because it's not capable, but because customers see it as a hunting caliber, so they demand hunting bullets instead of match bullets. There are more .277 match bullets out there today than in the past, if one was inclined to make a .270 Win or 6.8x43 match rifle.

 

[jbj]

The .270 might shoot flatter, and with a bit less recoil (lighter projectile), but you can get all of that and match grade ammo off the shelf with almost any of the .308-based rounds, i.e. 243, 260 or even 6.5CM. And those rounds, especially when hand loaded, will make 1000 yards a lot easier.
Personally, for hunting I'd take the 6.5x55 Swede over the .270, and I hunt with a .308

 

[rich e]

I like my 270

My 30-06 is my medium / long range deer and bear gun.
I buy heavier weight bullets, either 180gr or 220gr and feel confident out to maybe 200 yards on any bear or deer in PA

My 270 with the lighter loads is a great long range varmint / deer round.
I buy the lighter rounds in 130 grain. The largest coyote isn't safe out to maybe 300-350 yards. It can also cleanly take down deer if needed.

I've read articles about hunters taking Elk with the 270 using the correct ammo.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

A 7mm/08 wouldn't be a bad choice, either. The .308 is great in that there's a ton of surplus 7.62 NATO ammo and brass out there. If you're looking for long range performance it's a good choice but probably not the best choice.

 

[Capstick1]

I tend to prefer the .308 Winchester or the 30-06. They're both efficient cartridges and with anything up to 168gr bullets they both run neck and neck. When you start shooting the 180gr or heavier bullets that's where the 30-06 tends to show a velocity advantage over the .308. This shouldn't be an issue if you're just wanting a gun to use on whitetail deer and hogs. These two cartridges are also easy on gun barrels and usually can go around 8-9000 rds or so before barrels need replaced. Usually the more powder a cartridge burns in relation to it's bore size, the shorter the barrel life. For example a .300 Remington Ultra Magnum burns over 104 grs of powder inside the case and shoots .30 caliber bullets. As a result barrel life is only good for about 2000 rds. The .308 case burns around 48 grs of powder and the 30-06 case burns around 55-59 grs of powder. This is something you should consider before you think about buying a .300 magnum along with the cost and availability of ammo.

 

[Legionnaire]

I've had .308s for years, and one is still my go-to hunting rifle. But I've been reading a lot about the .260 Rem (or the 6.5 Creedmoor) for long-range hunting, and I'm moving that direction with my next rifle. If you're thinking .270 over a .308, take a look at the .260.

 

[HexHead]

7mm-08 will give you the improvements over .308 you're looking for without going to a
.30-06 based round.

 

[jehu]

Either one would be fine for higs and cayotes! Hope you can find the Advil this morning!

 

[jmr40]

The 308 shoots the same bullet weights as 270 at the same speeds with significantly less powder. That means noticeably less recoil. In the same bullet weights the 270 bullets will be more aerodynamic and shoot a little flatter and maintain a little more energy at longer ranges. Splitting hairs either way, there is nothing one will kill and the other won't. If someone misses with either, it won't be the cartridges fault.

Both are good, well proven rounds, but I believe the 308 opens many more doors for possibilities.

 

[Offfhand]

Get the best of both worlds with .260 Rem

 

[J_McLeod]

I bought my first hunting rifle a year ago and considered .308, .270 and 30.06. In the end I chose the .308 because it is just as capable as the other for all practical purposes and seemed to me to be the most widely available because it's a military caliber. I've since bought a .243 for my wife and decided what I really wanted was a 7mm08, but I'm not going to buy another rifle and will stick with .308 for the ammo availability.

 

[jmorris]

whats my better choice, 308 or 270? Im almost certain i domt want a 30-06.

Knowing why you don't want a 30-06 might help picking between the other two.

If its caliber that would eliminate the .308. If its because it requires a long action that would eliminate the 270.

 

[Art Eatman]

Inside of 300 yards it doesn't much matter about comparisons of velocity or trajectory for almost all of the usual "deer cartridges". The performance is very close to equal for them.

 

[rodregier]

Look at hunting ammunition stocks at a couple of local retailers.

That may shape your opinion on cartridge selection if you aren't in the "buy a bunch of ammunition in advance" category...

 

[Legionnaire]

... or a reloader.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

If you don't yet reload, you should consider it seriously. It will open up a whole new world. It won't be "help me decide which" it will be "which one do I want to try next?"

Either caliber 270 or 308 will work. Don't discount the 30-06 too quickly, mine hammers with 175gr Bergers.

 

[Geno]

A nice way to compare cartridges against each other, and for their individual performance, is to use the http://www.handloads.com/calc/index.html website. As Art stated, among deer hunting cartridges, and inside 300 yards, there is little difference in trajectory. What varies most across the .308-based cartridges, the .30-06-based cartridges and the small caliber magnums is terminal energy. If you are looking at target shooting in addition to hunting, the .308 has a wide variety of match grade components available. One cannot say the same for the .270 Win.

Before I come across as a .270-basher, it is my all-time hunting favorite. I own an M70 Super Grade chambered in .270 Win, and really like the way it performs. But, for hunting power, and long range accuracy, that .308 Win is going to be difficult to beat. So too would a 7-08, a .260 or even a .243. For terminal energy and accuracy...yeah, the .308 Win is durned good.

Geno

 

[CB900F]

New To The Game;

I'm not new to the game, been using the .30-06 for over 50 years. Just wondering what tends to turn you off about it.

I'm also amused by the suggestions to look to the .260 Remington. Being literally Old School, I'll stick with the original, the 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser. I hunt elk with mine and don't feel under-gunned in the least. Mind you, I live in the middle of elk country here in Montana.

900F

 

[Panzerschwein]

My vote is for the .308.

Plenty o' thumb. Plenty o' 'vailability. Plenty o' range n' accuracy... lots of loads... lots of fun, good medicine for Bambis and Oink Oinks. Also one can find cheaper surplus ammo for .308 and that= more range time which= more accuracy/experience and that= more meat on the table!

.308 FTW! !

 

[Savage99]

The 308, 270 and 30-06 are all excellent cartridges. They will all do the job and are popular which is good for ammo availability and resale.

The 308 is a military cartridge which has an appeal to some, so was the 30-06.

Folks starting out seem so concerned about a choice. As life goes on we can have other guns and sell the ones we don't like.

My favorite cartridge is a 30-06 because that's what my favorite rifle is chambered for!

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

Ford or Chevys....Pepsi or Coke....several of those calibers around the .308 do the job....it will be your rifle...I love the .308 but also have rifles in about 10 other calibers....to each his own.. you make the choice.