270 Winchester vs. 30-06 Springfield

[Fishing Doug]

Question for the gun guys:

I am going to get a new rifle for Whitetail Deer and am trying to decide between the 270 and 30-06. Anyone have a strong opinion of one over the other? They seem to be very comparable in velocity and ammunition for both calibers is readily available and relatively inexpensive.

Seems like a coin toss. Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks in advance,

FD

[Hookemdown.]

I shoot a .270 Win, my dad shoots a .30-06.  The .270 shoots flatter, which is a plus if you're shooting at longer distances. .30-06  usually has a larger bullet, which can give you more knockdown power.

Both get the job done.  The deer don't seem to mind what hits them.

While we're on the subject of cartridges, does anyone have any opinions on the 7mm Rem Mag?

[burleytog]

Both are fine choices and you can't go wrong with either.

[Catt]

For whitetail deer .270 Winchester; Hornady 130 GR SST ammo  

[daviscw]

I like the .270.

[Hookemdown.]

Hornady 130 GR SST

Nosler Partition 140 GR

[frogtog]

I have a 270 Winchester and I went out and bought a Weathersby 270 mag. I like it also but I don't enjoy buying the high dollar ammo. Speaking of ammo, I hear they are going to let us keep our 2nd Amendment Rights but they are coming after our ammo wich is not mentioned in the 2nd Amendment. :

[Wayne P.]

Hookemdown, I know several hunters that use the 7mm Rem Mag. for whitetails. They mostly hunt open fields and feel that they need the extra speed of the mag. and better ballistics than the .277 caliber. I have the (.284) 7mm Weatherby Mag and it is way overkill for whitetails for timber hunting which I mostly do.

For whitetail only hunting, the 270 Win would be a better choice over the .30-06 since a heavier bullet is not necessary for clean kills. The lighter recoil of the 270 (due to a lighter bullet) promotes more accurate shots also.

edited: I reload for the 270 Win. , .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm Weatherby Mag, .30-30, 7-30, .308 Win., .243 Win., 300 Win. Mag., and 44 Mag. Some of those for rifle and pistol.

[flechero]

I also prefer the .270 for deer.  Now, if you were going to probably hunt other, bigger animals, I would go with the .30-06 as it can be loaded up for several bigger animals.  The flip side to that is the .270 can be light loaded for coyotes, varmints, etc..

If you enjoy range time, the .270 is a little easier on your shoulder.

[Fishing Doug]

All,

Thanks for the input so far.

I also prefer the .270 for deer. Now, if you were going to probably hunt other, bigger animals, I would go with the .30-06 as it can be loaded up for several bigger animals. The flip side to that is the .270 can be light loaded for coyotes, varmints, etc..

If you enjoy range time, the .270 is a little easier on your shoulder.

Flechero,

You bring up a good point. Very slim chance that this gun will ever be used for bigger game, however, it may be used for varmits. 270 certainly has the advantage there.

[Wayne P.]

Fishing Doug, do a web search for Jack O'Conner. He was probably the most adamant proponent of the 270 Win. and may have taken the most game animals with it.

[skunked_again]

Both are fine choices and you can't go wrong with either.

co-sign

id probably go with the 30-06 though, never know when an elk hunting trip bites you in the rear.

i myself use a .243 for deer hunting.

[preach4bass]

Hookem,

I use a 7mm Rem Mag. for whitetail.  I typically hunt open fields, and this is definately the area where it shines.  However, it does just fine hunting in the woods.  Overkill is certainly not a problem.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

i prefer a 308   and i had a 7mm rem mag way to much gun unless ur goin 300 plus yrds  with the 308 u can get a lot of cheap miliatry loads for playin with that actually are accurate enough for crow or ground hog BUT your question id take the 06 a lot more size bullets they even make a 55 grain varmit bullet

[SDoolittle]

I am a big fan of the .270 win. My second choice would be .30-06. It would be hard to go wrong with either one. I did have a 7mm rem mag at one time and I really liked it, but that thing didn't killl a deer any deader that a .270 at 300 yards.

[skunked_again]

i prefer a 308 and i had a 7mm rem mag way to much gun unless ur goin 300 plus yrds with the 308 u can get a lot of cheap miliatry loads for playin with that actually are accurate enough for crow or ground hog BUT your question id take the 06 a lot more size bullets they even make a 55 grain varmit bullet

the .308 IMO is the best "all around" round there is. to me the short action is icing on the cake. a lot of ppl are limited to what the local gun store sells though and the .308 seems to never make that list.

[Micro]

I live in Virginia and own several rifles.  The caliber I don't own currently and wish I did is the 7mm-08.   I've always found this to be a wonderfully accurate, easy-recoiling round that has plenty of power for anything in my state.  I've pretty much given up hunting and don't have any current plans to ever buy another hunting gun.  But if I was in the market for a whitetail rifle, I'd consider one in that caliber.  

I'd also like to have a 6.5x55mm custom Swedish Mauser.   :'(

[burleytog]

I live in Virginia and own several rifles. The caliber I don't own currently and wish I did is the 7mm-08. I've always found this to be a wonderfully accurate, easy-recoiling round that has plenty of power for anything in my state. I've pretty much given up hunting and don't have any current plans to ever buy another hunting gun. But if I was in the market for a whitetail rifle, I'd consider one in that caliber.

If you want easy recoil, don't buy the Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08.

Other than that, it kills deer quite dead.  Remington 120 gr. hollow point has dropped 14 deer for me over the last 8 seasons.

[IDbasser]

I have both, and the .270 has a much lighter recoil.  You do not need that bigger bullet from the 30-06 for the whitetail.  The .270 does shoot flatter which I like for the shooting here in Idaho.  But started using a 7mm WSM a couple of years ago, and I really like it too.

[Micro]

If you want easy recoil, don't buy the Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08.

Other than that, it kills deer quite dead. Remington 120 gr. hollow point has dropped 14 deer for me over the last 8 seasons.

Here in eastern VA we don't have a whole lot of places where rifles are legal, and those places that are are usually dense, unless you are hunting over a field or power/gas lines.

I think the Ruger M77 Frontier rifle, their scout rifle, is a neat gun. And as my eyes get older, that forward mounted scope seems awefully attractive.

[Siebert Outdoors]

6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other.  Pick the one you like.  They are so close it really doesnt matter.  They both kill whitetail effectively.

[Aaron]

I recently had this exact same decision to make.  I was wanting to get a new deer rifle so I wouldn't have to lug my 870 around the woods during deer season.  I was deciding between the 270, 30-06 and 308.  I really wanted the .308 but had trouble finding a rifle in my price range that I liked.  

I ended up going with the 30-06 because there are more choices of guns in that caliber in my area.  Also, where I do my hunting most shots are less than 200 yards so the flat shooting of the .270 wasn't much of an issue.

If you are still looking for a gun, may I recommend the new Marlin XL7?  For a hunter on a budget i don't know if it gets any better especially for a new gun, it can be had for less than $300.  The rifle only weighs about 6# and doesn't kick too bad with 150-165 grain 30-06 loads.

[justfishin]

I have used my Winchester Model 70 .270 for a long time now. It works. It is fantastic shooting gun. When I first got it I had problems getting the right load for those tight groups though. I now use the same load as Catt. Hornady 130 SST. Believe it or not, another load that gun likes is the old reliable Rem Core Loks in 130g. I use a 3x9x50 Pentax scope and that gun is RELIABLE to say the least.

[luger306]

I hunt with 30-06 because I like the round.If you reload you can load it to shoot just as flat as a 270.the 30-06 can take any big game on this continent and most on the Africa.the gun makers know if you want a model to succeed make it in 30-06.But it comes down to one thing what you want.when you buy the gun go to the range and learn the gun don't put three rounds through it and pack it up

[fourbizz]

While we're on the subject of cartridges, does anyone have any opinions on the 7mm Rem Mag?

Hook, My 7Mag is the only rifle I will use anymore for deer, elk, bear, whatever, lol. I love it. I own a 30-06 as well and have done a bunch of shooting with the 270.

For western hunting I dont think it gets better than the 7mm.

As a dedicated whitetail rifle that you probably wont take out past 250, its overkill. But for me, I'd way rather have the power and not need it, than need it and not have it . I have only shot one deer with it, a muley doe, and I snap shot her at 75. Hit high. A smaller round may have had me tracking through really dense willows. The 7mag put her down in her tracks with even a poor shot.

I prefer speed and flat shooting in my elk rifles. Some people like a slow, heavy .338 round. Its preference.

To maintain a semblance of on topic discussion, in answer to the OP, I would shoot the '06.  I've just never shot a .270, with any ammunition, that I really liked. Of course there are many out there that perform exceptionally well. Just none of the ones I have fired.