Caliber

270 will take anything down here in Canada.
Shoots flat hits hard.
Now the question is what do you want to “step up” too? 270 is a do all middle of the road.

Not sure I would go to a 30 cal. Not much of a jump.

338 or 358 would be a decent gain.

338-06 , 35 Whalen , 8mm rem mag ……. Etc

Are you looking for close range horse power or are you wanting to reach out?
 
I have used a 270Win with the inexpensive Federal Powershock 130 grain soft-points to take coyotes, whitetails, mulies, elk, moose, and black bear, all with clean, efficient kills.
 
Hey everyone. I got into hunting about 4 years ago and have been shooting a 270 since the beginning. I am thinking of upping the caliber for increased stopping power as I have moved on from hunting just deer to hunting elk and moose. Obviously everyone has preferences, but what has been your ideal caliber on your hunts?

As others have said your 270 will look after anything in North America. It really is about using a good bullet and placing it well.

I have....a number of rifles now. If I was to do it all again I would just shoot a very good 3006 with excellent glass and call it good.

Having said all that the .338wm, the 9.3x62, the 375H&H are all good next steps. Nothing wrong with the various "fast" 300's except from my experience they tend to blood shot meat more.
 
You already have everything you need. If you shoot it well why get into something bigger that could potentially start you to flinch.
Shoot within reasonable distance and you will be fine.

You pretty much nailed it - I would keep shooting the 270 and if he still has the itch to spend money - build a 270 using a custom action/stock
 
270 will take anything down here in Canada.
Shoots flat hits hard.
Now the question is what do you want to “step up” too? 270 is a do all middle of the road.

Not sure I would go to a 30 cal. Not much of a jump.

338 or 358 would be a decent gain.

338-06 , 35 Whalen , 8mm rem mag ……. Etc

Are you looking for close range horse power or are you wanting to reach out?

The problem with going bigger than a 300mag is availability - you can get 300 win mag pretty much anywhere that sells ammo. Not a big deal if the OP reloads, but if he doesn't then feeding something in 338winmag, 35 Whelen, etc is going to be expensive and might be hard to even find in stock.
 
I used a 25-06 for everything for many years, always killed everything it was aimed at. Ended up shooting out the barrel after many thousand rounds thro it. Now I shoot a 270W and it does the same thing, only with a bit more authority. Basically the same cartridge, just a bigger caliber.

My advice: get really good at shooting your 270. Practice with it as much as you can. As was said above, shot placement is everything. Plus, a 270 is one of the cheapest big game guns to shoot and buy ammo for. (My buddy shot his moose this year with a 243, he’s an excellent shot, he tucked one in right behind the ear at 50 yds, moose went down like a rock.)
 
.270 with heavier bullets will do just fine on bigger animals such as moose and elk. Shot placement is key, as is reasonable distance. I had a .270 many years ago, nothing wrong with it at all, I just went with .308 because I could find ammo more easily at Can.Tire and Walmart.
 
OP, you need to ask why you chose the 270Win as a first rifle.

If it was given to you or was cheap at the time or???????

There is one thing you haven't mentioned. RECOIL TOLERANCE.

I've seen a LOT of good shooters whose abilities to get their shots on the intended target by stepping down from MAGNUMS to the 270Win improved dramatically.

Magnumitis has a decent base in reality as far as power goes.

A poorly place shot with a magnum round is just as innefective as a poorly place shot with a 270Win.

If your rifle is accurate and you're cleaning it properly/maintaining it properly to keep it that way, it's perfectly adequate and then some for any big game animal in North America.

If you can afford another rifle or just want another, go for it. However, if your present rifle is accurate and you can shoot it well, don't sell it to purchase your new endeavor. This is just a bit of hindsight on my personal experiences.

All this is dead-on.

If you want to buy another rifle, OP, go ahead, but it's very hard to beat .270; I'd just buy another one! Practically as fast as a 7MM MAG without anywhere near the recoil or ammo expense. Less recoil equals better accuracy for most people. Cheaper ammo means more practice, which should also equal better accuracy.

Nothing in Canada can escape a .270 with proper shot placement and bullet construction. Without proper shot placement, it doesn't matter what you're shooting.
 
Everyone needs more than one rifle! That being said the 270 with 150 gr bullets of the interlock, accubond, partition variety will kill anything you want within reasonable hunting ranges. To me the ultimate big game caliber is the .30cal. The 30-06 wont give you much over your .270 but is a fine round with modern bullets and powders, the 300win mag really starts to get into a different world. Heavier bullets, more energy etc.
 
Tikka 3x Laminate in 300 wsm topped with a 3x9 Swarovski and a limb saver ..problem solved. Shoot 180 partitions factory at 2940
 
The 270 is plenty for most deer hunting situations. I've found success and a happy medium with a 140 grain bullet. But accuracy trumps everything else. If your looking for a step up the 300WSM is tough to beat. And another consideration is the 35 Whelen or the 9.3x62. All three of these calibers provide plenty of thump on the larger critters.
 
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Hey everyone. I got into hunting about 4 years ago and have been shooting a 270 since the beginning. I am thinking of upping the caliber for increased stopping power as I have moved on from hunting just deer to hunting elk and moose. Obviously everyone has preferences, but what has been your ideal caliber on your hunts?

300 Winmag and your done till you decide something else is better.
Rob
 
Stick with the 270 and with the money you save get yourself set up for reloading. What you would learn about ballistics and accuracy, along with more range time will trump any new rifle. Of coarse, if you want an excuse for a new rifle there's nothing wrong with that either. Good luck with your decision.
 
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