Both are great cartridges and both will kill any game in North America with the proper bullets and shot placement...and both are a whole lot closer to each other ballistic wise than most realize. The .270 Winchester, as loaded from the factory, will very seldom reach its published velocity and energy figures from the 22" barrels they are most often chambered in. Choose the rifle you like best and flip a coin for the chambering!
The caliber debate .270 vs 6.5
- Thread starter tg07lq
- Start date
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The nature of reloading is that almost any cartridge can become more versatile. I like the 6.5 Swede, but why do you consider it better than the .270? The .270 can be had in bullet weights from 90 to 180 grs, provided yours has a twist fast enough to stabilize the long 180 that is. My son's 1:10 Ruger put oblong holes in the target with the 180s though. So if the 160 gr Nosler is the longest bullet your .270 will handle, then yes, the 6.5 is the better cartridge for you because your rifle likely has a 1:8 twist to stabilize the 156-160 gr soft points that are traditional in the various 6.5s. A .270 with a 1:8 twist would be my choice between the two, if the rifle was to be used as a general purpose big game rifle. Of course a 1:8 .270 at this point in time probably means a custom barrel, and once you start down that road . . .
Unless each rifle was built for a specific purpose, say a .243 varmint/match rifle, a 6.5 Mannlicher carbine, and a .270 big game rifle with a 26" fast twist barrel that can use every .277 bullet available up to and including the 180 gr Woodleigh. Conversely if a fellow can only afford one rifle, the versatility of the .270 trumps its smaller brothers.
I don't know why I'm defending the .270 so enthusiastically, I'm a .30/06 guy and never cared much for the .270. But once I got one and shot it a bit, my position softened. I have a .280 Ackley in the works right now, so maybe that will become my darling in the years to come, and who knows, the '06 might gather dust.
My point was... That all as being (relatively) equal... Both the 6.5 AND the .270 (and for that matter all medium bore bottle-neck cartridges), are basically equal in versatility and lethality on light-medium game... Rendering them from a state of living to a state of "not living." Sure you can dress the 6.5 down and the .270 up, but the opposite is true also.
... Because you enjoy arguing the semantics... I'm cool with that, it helps people sift through the various "thought-pools" and draw their own conclusions... Data in, data out...
My Win 70 FWT in 6.5x55 puts 156gr Sako bullets [handloads] in the same hole but 160gr Hornadys are tipping. 1-8 twist I think? Never noticed any difference in killing power between the .270 and 6.5 with the exception you never recover the 6.5 bullets as they always shoot right through both sides of BG moose included..............Harold
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
I sure do like my 270. It works extremely well with plain old 130g ammo bought at the local store for coyotes and deer. You would be hard pressed to find something that works better.
The .260 is not a modern version of the 6.5 swede any more then the .308 is a modern version of 30-06.
They are two very different cartridges that just happen to come close ballistic numbers wise. They don't even share a parent case.
They are two very different cartridges that just happen to come close ballistic numbers wise. They don't even share a parent case.
No debate. Exactly. Toss a coin. Both will kill whatever you care to hunt with no fuss. Neither will cause you grief in those daft places with the calibre restriction either. The only downside to the 6.5 might, I say again, might, be is finding ammo in small places if you leave your's at home in error. .270 is everywhere.
Best post in this thread....
samsplacci71
Regular
- Location
- Toronto area
Long story short the more I research this the muddier it gets!
Im looking at bolt action or maaaybe a semi if I find something I like. Initially this started out as deciding between .243 and .270 but has now become a matter of choosing between .270 and 6.5 sweede on the advice of a friend.
Living and primarily hunting in SW Bantario, mostly the Niagara area. Im looking for something that I can use to coyote hunt as well as hunt deer when season permits, however that may be done in more northern Ontario. I'll be using it at the range as well. Looking for versatility, do a little distance shooting as well as be able to predator hunt and take medium game like deer. I know that there is no one gun to do it all but with a couple large purchases in my near future I need to keep control of my gun budget and do my best to adhere to it haha
Looking to hear what people have to say about both the ammunition, its availability, its ballistics and the rifles in the available caliber.
Ive been looking at some older Rem 700's , a weatherby vanguard s2 and a Swedish mauser as well as a couple savages. Looking to spend $500-600, ideally on a used gun, get more gun for the same buck as I see it. As it stands I don't reload so that also factors in. I may down the line but for the time being I would be relying on factory ammunition.
Any and all input is appreciated, as well as anything ive overlooked or not considered.
Cheers!
Get a used Swede M96 sporter in 6.5x55 for $250-300 range from Trade Ex. It's already been drilled / tapped and comes with a bent bolt, sporter stock. I have a M96 sporter from Trade Ex and easily get 2 MOA with Remington soft point Factory ammo (140gr). Things tighten up with the use of hand loads. The weak point is availability and cost of ammo as Sunray pointed out...IE, 30$+ for 20 rounds. Though, for the money you save on buying a used M96 sporter, you can then easily afford factory ammo.
As someone else who is on a budget but also doesn't reload, I will say that I had a 6.5 Swede, liked it, but did not like that ammo was less common and more expensive than the .30-06 I have now (I think .270 is similar in price), especially when you want good 6.5, like Norma.
So my advice is get the .270- more versatile (bullet weights from 90 to 180 grains someone said), you'll get better ammo for less money and be able to pick it right off the shelf just about everywhere.
There, now with all the money you are going to save you can buy a nicer rifle
So my advice is get the .270- more versatile (bullet weights from 90 to 180 grains someone said), you'll get better ammo for less money and be able to pick it right off the shelf just about everywhere.
There, now with all the money you are going to save you can buy a nicer rifle
In Ontario you don't really need the little bit extra power or range of the .270 Win as we don't have that many wide open spaces to hunt. A 6.5x55mm is very hard to beat as it fills nearly all your hunting needs in Ontario.
I have both but still find myself choosing my 6.5x55 over my .270 every time. It is so much nicer to shoot, less noise, less recoil, almost as much power, ammo is still easy to find, seems more accurate than your average 270 and is still flat shooting and is about the largest high power rifle you can legally use to shoot small game in Ontario on a small game license (the cut off is .275 and a .270 Win is .277).
I have both but still find myself choosing my 6.5x55 over my .270 every time. It is so much nicer to shoot, less noise, less recoil, almost as much power, ammo is still easy to find, seems more accurate than your average 270 and is still flat shooting and is about the largest high power rifle you can legally use to shoot small game in Ontario on a small game license (the cut off is .275 and a .270 Win is .277).
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
I have a Browning .270 and Gustav 6.5x55. so comparible to shoot. only shortcoming is ammo. homeloads for 6.5 is the only way to get the best from the gun. Store bought seem so underloaded. if it came to pick or choose...i would take the 6.5x55.
This is incorrect. The 270 is legal, I have personally emailed the ministry just to double check on this. They state that the 270 is fine as it is the nominal calibre dimension. I haven't questioned them about the 275 rigby yet
Bigfoot 870
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
I'm guessing the OP doesn't hand load, so .270 Win, without question.
tou·ché
I don't find either the PMC, Norma, Hornady Light Mag, Sellior & Bellot or Privi Partisan brands of 6.5x55mm under loaded. Maybe the Winchester, Remington and Federal ammo is, but I don't buy that American ammo.
