308 Winchester or 270?

it is not what 270 does it is what you can make it do
308 you can love it (as I do ) but it is like an old man ...you can give him a blue pill...but is still an old man
 
MartyT said:
What's the BC and SD of those "comparable" grains of bullets you post there....a bit of misinformation also
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I didn’t think that would take long. Set the bait and wait a few minutes...

I know what your getting at but again it’s irrelevant. Most guys actually “hunt” and their shots are under 300 yards, at those distances the BC doesn’t make enough difference to matter. Sight either rifle in 3” high at a hundred and hold on hair, you’ll be fine. If your playing the long range game you probably won’t start with either cartridge but the .308 has the ability to shoot some long, high BC bullets.

SD, really? That’s your next move to discredit the .308? From my experience the few points SD difference (.279 vs .226) in say a 150 grain (of the exact same bullet) for either cal won’t make enough difference in the animals your actually going to shoot with it to notice. I can’t imagine anyone ever lost an animal with their .308 that they knew their .270 would of knocked down with the same (weight,construction,brand) bullet. They’re similar enough, one will perform so close to the other they’re the same. Get off the computer and go kill a couple dozen animals with both and you’ll probably figure that out.

Penetration and terminal performance are more a biproduct of choosing the correct bullet (construction) to do the job your asking it to do and matching bullet design, velocity and weight to the animal your hunting. Your hypothetical SD means very little once it starts expanding. For example, a 150 Barnes from a .308 might start with less SD then a 150 ballistic tip from a .270 but which one is going through an elks shoulder and out the offside? Shooting the animals commonly hunted with either cartridge will result in a freezer full of meat if the shooter does his part and chose the correct bullet.

Mass will also help penetration and increasing frontal diameter helps primary and secondary wound channels that also helps kill animals. I’m intentionally leaving out the fact the .308 outclasses anything the .270 offers once we start shooting 165-220 grain bullets.
 
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I'm buying another 308 Win that is the same make and stock as my 300 Win Mag so that it feels the same to shoot, other than the horsepower. It's good to have a matching rifle in a little plinking cartridge like a 308 or 270. Makes for more enjoyable range practice. Maybe I should even get a 6x47 Lapua barrel for it? Hmmm... Or 22-250 AI!
 
I don't understand what the fuss is about.

Right now I only have one rifle in .270 ... it is a Win M70 Deluxe (Grade V walnut) SS Fwt, FN Baco of 2011 vintage [see photo]
I sold my Sako M85 Greywolf in .270 ... nice rifle, one hole shooter, just a tad heavy for carrying afield.

I don't own a .308 at the moment, but in the past I've had a Kimber Montana and a Sako M85 Finnlight in .308, and liked shooting them.
In that case size though, I do prefer 7mm-08 ... I have 4 of those, lol.

One of my friends is very big on .308 because he can buy inexpensive military surplus ammo for range work.

It is all good.

-Dennis

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Buckmastr said:
I see a trend in trendy...
Not in increasing effectiveness.
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Back in the 1960s, we hunted the mountains of B.C. with 8-9 lb. rifles chambered in .303, .308, .30-06, .270 ... more often than not with iron sights.
No trendiness. And no one went hungry.

Now I'm pushing 70 years old, and my fav is 7mm-08. I like it because it doesn't bother my bad shoulder (torn rotator cuff).
Still not hungry. And hey if it is trendy, so much the better (I always wanted to be trendy, lol).

-Dennis
 
.270 always gets compared to 6.5 and 7mm, and the BCs of longer, slippier bullets launched at sub-3000fps velocities. That’s not, and never has been what a .270 is designed for, and it’s not designed for 150gr bullets either. Load it that way and you really do have a .308 competitor.

.270s excel at pushing light, rapidly expanding bullets fast, with a functional BC that trumps .30 cal bullets of the same weight. You also don’t need to special order 110-130gr fast .270 loads, you’re not finding 125gr Nosler .308 ammo at the home hardware in any small town in Canada. You will find fast, flat shooting .270 on all those shelves.

Both are all time greats, I’ve used and guided many of both, the .270 has the edge in the field. At least the BC mountains field that is. But I’ll never tell the client who knows and can shoot his .308 he should have brought a .270 either.
 
270 just begs for a 130gr Core Lokt rated at 3060 fps. Likely chrony's @ 2950 and has more in common with a 243 at 400 yards than it does with a 7mm Mag
 
I'm all about getting the minimum recoil from a gun, having developed then recovering from a flinch many years ago. So, if I were to look for one center hunting gun, I would look for a lightweight, light recoiling, well made gun that has a 300 yard range or so, then put a light, low powered 2-7 scope on it, like a leupold.

In my opinion, I would go looking for something like a browning xbolt micro in 7-08, which is about as good as it gets with my criteria. A gun like this weighs about 7 lbs loaded and scoped. A package like this is all you need, there is lots of marketing and hype out there saying you need "more"; which will get you a heavier, louder, and longer gun. Second choice is the same gun in .308. The .270 will give more kick then either, and result in a longer action gun which makes it a little longer, plus they don't make the xbolt micro in it, so heavier too. Unfortunately, not easy to find right now, everyone appears to be sold out. However, if you were interested, you could ask at P& D for example and their supplier may have something in the warehouse that could be brought in for you.

Btw, I hope you aren't simply jumping into high power rifles, and that you have some significant experience shooting rimfires bolt action rifles, because that is strongly recommended for any new shooters. There is a learning curve in getting used to breathing, trigger control and lots of other fine motor control topics so that you can make a successful shot on a game animal.
 
Ardent said:
Inside 400, or all reasonable hunting ranges, in general speed trumps ballistic coefficient for trajectory. A .270 will compete for flattest shooting off the hardware store shelf loads.
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I agree... too much is made of BC and SD, when it comes to shooting game at "reasonable" hunting ranges.
 
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