.270 v3 .30-06 vs .300 win mag

[mattri]

There will prob never be a consensus on this subject- but here's what I'm looking for:

Sub MOA accuracy out to 800-1k yards.

Lethality for med size game out to 500 yards.

I reload.

.270- excellent velocity and very flat shooting. Acceptable lethality, limited bullet selection but 150's available in the high .5 bc's.

.30-06- Timeless performance and excellent bullet selection. Not as fast as the .270 or as powerful as the .300 but great versatility.

.300 win- great bullet selection, lethality above question, astronomical powder charges.

Does the improvement in performance between the .30-06and the .300 win justify the greater cost/powder charge? If the .30-06 is acceptable why not the .270?

 

[TonyR]

Any reason you don't have a 7mm like a 280 Remington or 280 AI on your list? The wide selection of high BC 7mm bullets suitable for hunting would certainly make one of the 7mms worth a look.

 

[zorak]

my personal opinion I would go with the 270 or 300mag or even the 270wby mag. I never really have cared for the 30-06 and thats just my opinion.

 

[Kenny474]

30-06 hands down. It has ten times the bullet selection of the .270, you can light load it very effectively, you can heavy load it far more effectively then the .270, and unless you really feel you need the extra FPS and recoil of the .300 there is no real advantage there.

The 30-06 will do anything the 270 can, but the same cannot be said for the .270. The .270 will never throw a 220gr bullet if you need it to, but the 06 will. But the 30-06 will throw a 110gr bullet if you need it just the same as a .270. Maybe a little more drop, but that's when practice comes in handy. If you want versatility, you can't touch the 30-06. It's been killing nearly everything that walks the planet for over 100 years, and doing it very effectively. Not many other rounds can claim that. It's one of the only non-magnum rounds that will effectively kill anything that walks on the North American continent without question. Basically anything the .270 can do, the 30-06 can do and then some.

And belts belong on your waist not on your cartridge, another blow against the .300.

 

[Kenny474]

But if you were to go far a smaller round, the .280 has it all over the .270. Better bullet selection is one main advantage. And the 280AI will have nearly the same power as the 7mmMag without the belt.

If I were to build anything in the 06 class other than a 30-06, it would be a .280 or .280AI. Nothing wrong with the .270, it just hasn't seen the advancements in bullet selection the others have as there are only 4 rounds that use .270 bullets; the .270, 6.8SPC, .270WSM, and the .270 Weatherby. Bullet makers aren't going to go crazy with bullet options when there are so few rounds that use the bullet. The .30 and 7mm will always have better selection and will always be first to see new technology.

 

[oldroper]

As to your question "If the .30-06 is acceptable why not the .270?" I think some guys don't like the limited bullet selection of the 270 others like me like the 270's. For what I hunt deer/elk/antelope I've never felt undergunned using a 270 and Berger making some VLD bullets now. 15 more years the 270 be around 100yrs so I think it been time tested.

If your build something I'd look at some of the 7mm as mentioned.

 

[mattri]

Got to shoot a .300 win mag and my .270 at 1k today.

I really like my .270 but the 300 is head and shoulders above it at longer ranges.

I watched a guy shoot a 6-7" group with a bare bones Savage 3 for three, then I shot and didn't do as well but kept them within about 9-10".

Obviously not a precise experiment but pretty impressive none the less.

My .270 was really reaching at 1k, 5 shots inside 16" was the best I could do.

We were shooting at a steel plate and the difference in energy was very evident.

Really re-thinking the .300 win mag.

 

[bheadboy]

I have had Hart build both a 300wm and 280AI on 700actions

The 300m is great, bullet selection out of sight, sub .400 groups, etc. a little hard to down load and keep accurcy if you hunt less demanding game at <500

the 280AI is great, bullet selection out of sight, hi bc, etc. my is sub .400 and reaches 1k with ease. can be down loaded easily and with 150s 0160s is a major elk taker. i get 3140fps from a 26" 1/9 twist with 140bt which is one shot mulie

either is great, however i sold my 300m kept 280AI as i came to conclusion the 280AI had all i needed and the 300m too much powder, and too much recoil under most circumstances.


Bob

 

[2644ever]

I would use the ought six anytime over the other 2 calibers, loading 155 grainers from lapua or sierra and Vihta's N550, if a 1 in 12" twist was a production standard on the 30-06.

 

[mattri]

Good information.

I have a .270 that I'll be using for deer etc.

The 300 does have a pretty good kick, what is it like with a break installed?

 

[wapiti25]

For long range hunting I'm building a new 7mm Rem mag using the Berger 168 VLD. I pulled the factory 300 win mag barrel out. Will use a Krieger 1:9. I'm still getting the parts together, mostly tooling that I want to try as recommended on Gordy Gritter's DVD. Just got the throater and a new dial indicater. I have a hunting buddy that bought a long range rifle system from the Best of the West and I'm really impressed by shooting it at 600yds, less than MOA out of the box. I won't have the Huskema scope for mine at this time. He killed a moose, bang-flop at 503yds. First hunt and using the Berger 168. I drew an Arizona elk hunt so I don't want to not be ready as this is a once in a life time hunt. I installed a BOSS suppresser on my 338 mag and it really took the bite out of that rifle and I may do it to this 7mm mag. I have two other 7mm mags but they just don't give me the warm fuzzies beyond 400 as they are a little over MOA at that range. I have not tried the 168's in them yet as I just recieved 4 boxes a few weeks ago. I did build another hunting buddy's rifle in 270 win a month ago using a pre-chambered and threaded Shilen barrel. It will be going to Wyoming for antelope then Idaho for deer and elk this yr. He is just under MOA at 200yds so far with hand loads, about 30 to 40 rnds.

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the replies. How about a .300 or 7mm wsm?

 

[M700]

mattri - what kind of game animal are you looking at, and where do you intend to hunt?

An 800 pound bull elk in the rut, at 10,000' ASL in nasty terrain in Wyoming might be considered "medium game" but is NOT an easy thing to bring down cleanly.

Failure to drop the bull in place, or nearly so, can turn a few hours of work into a couple of days of work if the bull makes it into thick timber or over the edge of a deep, steep canyon. I'd vote for a .300 mag or a 7mm mag throwing heavy for caliber bullets of stout construction. I'd be looking for accuracy, expansion enough to cause great destruction inside the chest cavity, and penetration enough to reach the vitals and exit. Bullets that exit tend to create a much, much better blood trail. Should that be necessary.

In 7mm I'd look hard at the 175 grain Nosler Partition - which is what I used to take a big Wyoming bull several years ago. There are other options, and I'd stay above 160 grains and above 2900 fps...

In .30 cal I'd be looking at the 180 - 210 grain bullets with high BC's and good construction... Launched at 2800+ fps.

Recently I moved from the 7mm Rem mag to the .300 WSM for my longish range "medium game" rifle. Tried the .300 Rem Ultra mag too. A bit much in the light rifle I was using.

Regards, Guy

 

[mattri]

Thanks again to all who replied.

Just picked up an older Savage 116 SS 300 Win Mag.

Going to rebarrel with a 26-28" heavy contour and break.

Will prob replace the stock along the way.

Have a Nikon 6-24 that will be fitted onto it.

Going to start a new thread with all of my new questions.

 

[M700]

Seems you're putting together a mighty fine long-range hunting rifle. The weight and the brake will help reduce the recoil of the .300 mag tremendously. I suspect you'll be slamming the target, and game, very well with such a setup!

 

[mattri]

Thanks for the reply. Going to hang on to the .270 for the med game at closer ranges and for carrying around. This rifle will be for target shooting at 1k and elk.

 

[zorak]

mattri, if you still plan on getting a gun other then the .270. I was looking at CDNN sports catalog and they have a weatherbey vangaurd .300win mag with a walnut stock for $599.

 

[Clark]

I have hunted with the 270, 30-06, 300WM, and lots of other rifles.
I have shot 8 mule deer in the last 2 years between 329 and 510 yards with a 270.
They were all standing broadside shots with a bi pod.
That works great for that.

But I am done shooting at walking elk at 500 yards with a 270 with a bi-pod, it just makes that elk walk faster for 50 feet, and then they slow back down to herd speed.

This year for elk I will be shooting a 7mmRemMag with 26" barrel and 162 gr boat tailed bullets.

 

[15Tango]

At the risk of a thread jack, is there such thing as a .30-284, .30-284 AI or even a .30-06AI? Seems like it'd be an interesting alternative. Same as or nearly same as .300 WM performance with less powder, recoil, more barrel life, maybe more accurate?

Wayne

 

[WyleWD]

Kinda late in the game as you've already bought the rifle.

But if you have access to a ballistics program here is a research exercise for ya.

Take a 140 gr Sierra Gameking 6.5 bullet and give it a muzzle velocity of 3150fps. Now give the 180, 200, & 220gr 30cal bullets a reasonable muzzle velocity for the '06 and the 300winny and take a look what happens to each of them after 300, 400, and 500 yds. I think you'll find that the 6.5 will have a flatter trajectory and more retained energy. WD