.270 or 30-06?
- Thread starter FredFreakoutski
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These posts have convinced me I need a .280 Rem. 
I have an excellent Rem 700 BDL left hand .270 with a Brown Precision stock and a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5 x 8 scope. I've never shot any factory load - not even at paper targets. I've taken pronghorns, whitetail and mule deer from point blank to more than 400 yards with my .270. My best was a mule deer scoring over 163 B&C at well over 400 yards. I have absolutely no doubt a .30-06 or .280 would have been just as good. 
I'd pick the rifle brand and model first & the cartridge second.
I have an excellent Rem 700 BDL left hand .270 with a Brown Precision stock and a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5 x 8 scope. I've never shot any factory load - not even at paper targets. I've taken pronghorns, whitetail and mule deer from point blank to more than 400 yards with my .270. My best was a mule deer scoring over 163 B&C at well over 400 yards. I have absolutely no doubt a .30-06 or .280 would have been just as good. I'd pick the rifle brand and model first & the cartridge second.wooly booger
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I like and respect both cartridges. For your usage, especially if Antelope are on the menu, I would go with the .270. They both work great on deer and are good for elk if the distance doesn't get too crazy.
alaskabushman
New member
I have been to the Jack O'connor museum in Lewiston Idaho. All the head mounts on the wall with critters ranging from Alaska to the Africa is proof the .270 works just fine. If it were any other cartridge I could say the 30-06 is a classic, but then so is the .270. I would normally say ammo is easier to find for the 30-06...but .270 boxes are everywhere. I dont think you can go wrong either way. I use a 30-06, my buddy uses a .270...we bring home the same amount of meat.
I shoot a .270 Win because many of my shots at deer are 350 yards or so and the trajectory is a bit better.
However, I recommend the .30-06 as a better round inside of 350 yards and because the 150-165-180 grain bullets are usually better for bigger animals than deer.
When a teenager, I bought my first centerfire; a Savage 110, 30-06 because that was the best Maine deer/bear hunting round. For practice, we hunted woodchucks and crows and the '06 worked with 125 grain bullets, but the .270 Win probably would have been a better round for the longer shots because trajectory is a bit flatter.
However, I recommend the .30-06 as a better round inside of 350 yards and because the 150-165-180 grain bullets are usually better for bigger animals than deer.
When a teenager, I bought my first centerfire; a Savage 110, 30-06 because that was the best Maine deer/bear hunting round. For practice, we hunted woodchucks and crows and the '06 worked with 125 grain bullets, but the .270 Win probably would have been a better round for the longer shots because trajectory is a bit flatter.
"-06 can be had 100 to 220gr. ...... though what exactly a 220 gr bullet would be good for out of an -06, I don't know. Probably at least as useful as the 160 gr RN .277 bullets ......"
You might want to ask Phil Shoemaker, Alaskan guide who sometimes used the 30-30 with 220 gr. bullets to back up his clients and even used it to go into the thick stuff to finish off a wounded Alaskan Brown Bear.
They'll do the job. Just put them in the right place.
As to the original question, I too would go with the 30-06. I've probably taken more gaime whit that round than anything else. I also use the .270 and .280 Rem. so any one of the tree rounds will work.
Everyone says how Jack O'Connor used the .270 for everything, yet when asked by Jim Carmichel which cartridge he would use for North American hunting, he immediattely responded with, "The 30-06." That is a direct quote from Mr. .270 himself.
My personal preference for elk is my .35 Whelen pushing a 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS bit if push came to shove, I wouldn't turn down the .270, .280 or 30-06.
I like 150 gr. bullets in the .270. I use the 150 gr. Sierra Game King in that round for deer and antelope and the 150 gr. Nosler partition for larger game like Black Bear and elk.
I haven't decided on exactly what I'll use in the .280 as the rifle is still very new to me so I'm still playing with it. One bullet it seems to like is the 140 gr. Barnes TSX.
In the 30-06 I use the 180 gr. Siera Pro-hunter for deer sized game and the Nosler partion 180 gr. for the larger animals although I'll never hunt any of the great bears. Just never had that desire. That's what has worked for my for over 50 years.
Paul B.
You might want to ask Phil Shoemaker, Alaskan guide who sometimes used the 30-30 with 220 gr. bullets to back up his clients and even used it to go into the thick stuff to finish off a wounded Alaskan Brown Bear.
They'll do the job. Just put them in the right place.As to the original question, I too would go with the 30-06. I've probably taken more gaime whit that round than anything else. I also use the .270 and .280 Rem. so any one of the tree rounds will work.
Everyone says how Jack O'Connor used the .270 for everything, yet when asked by Jim Carmichel which cartridge he would use for North American hunting, he immediattely responded with, "The 30-06." That is a direct quote from Mr. .270 himself.
My personal preference for elk is my .35 Whelen pushing a 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS bit if push came to shove, I wouldn't turn down the .270, .280 or 30-06.
I like 150 gr. bullets in the .270. I use the 150 gr. Sierra Game King in that round for deer and antelope and the 150 gr. Nosler partition for larger game like Black Bear and elk.
I haven't decided on exactly what I'll use in the .280 as the rifle is still very new to me so I'm still playing with it. One bullet it seems to like is the 140 gr. Barnes TSX.
In the 30-06 I use the 180 gr. Siera Pro-hunter for deer sized game and the Nosler partion 180 gr. for the larger animals although I'll never hunt any of the great bears. Just never had that desire. That's what has worked for my for over 50 years.
Paul B.
Paul B. said:
"Everyone says how Jack O'Connor used the .270 for everything, yet when asked by Jim Carmichel which cartridge he would use for North American hunting, he immediattely responded with, "The 30-06." That is a direct quote from Mr. .270 himself. My personal preference for elk is my .35 Whelen pushing a 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS bit if push came to shove, I wouldn't turn down the .270, .280 or 30-06.I like 150 gr. bullets in the .270. I use the 150 gr. Sierra Game King in that round for deer and antelope and the 150 gr. Nosler partition for larger game like Black Bear and elk.I haven't decided on exactly what I'll use in the .280 as the rifle is still very new to me so I'm still playing with it. One bullet it seems to like is the 140 gr. Barnes TSX.In the 30-06 I use the 180 gr. Siera Pro-hunter for deer sized game and the Nosler partion 180 gr. for the larger animals although I'll never hunt any of the great bears. Just never had that desire. That's what has worked for my for over 50 years."
Good post. I've.been a .270 fan for 40+ years, thanks in part or at least originally to my father who passed his .270 down to me and was a follower of Jack O'Connor's writings, inspiring him to have a custom Mauser .270 made when stationed in Europe ca 1950/51. However, it is a common misperception that Mr. O'Connor was strictly a .270 fan boy. It's true he was probably it's chief adherent certainly for his day, and had a particular affection for and wrote a lot about it. But he was expert in and enjoyed and recognized the merits of just about all the popular as well as not-so-well-known cartridges...nd ws pretty objective about them all. If he was able to stick around, he might've coined the phrase "it's all good" or would say it a lot these days, but would add it all depends on a combination of your quarry, the environment and conditions of the day, and what you shoot well.
I--and O'Connor would probably--also agree with the comments that--between the two (and a few others hanging around the 6.5-7.5mm territory) the animal--but especially medium game--won't know what hit him 90% of the time.
I don't recall but, back "in the day," I wouldn't be surprised if, between the two, he also preferred the '06 for a dedicated elk gun/hunt given the available bullet technology of the time,... but would now also agree that today's bullets puts the .270 "back in the hunt."
I don't have but have always been interested in the .35 Whelen as perhaps the ultimate elk'er--certainly of the non-magnums, which makes it the ultimte elk'er in my book... especially if you have the luxury to specifically purchase an "elk" rifle. I also like that the Whelen has continued to hang in there all these years with all the magnum bad boys getting all the press.
"Everyone says how Jack O'Connor used the .270 for everything, yet when asked by Jim Carmichel which cartridge he would use for North American hunting, he immediattely responded with, "The 30-06." That is a direct quote from Mr. .270 himself. My personal preference for elk is my .35 Whelen pushing a 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2710 FPS bit if push came to shove, I wouldn't turn down the .270, .280 or 30-06.I like 150 gr. bullets in the .270. I use the 150 gr. Sierra Game King in that round for deer and antelope and the 150 gr. Nosler partition for larger game like Black Bear and elk.I haven't decided on exactly what I'll use in the .280 as the rifle is still very new to me so I'm still playing with it. One bullet it seems to like is the 140 gr. Barnes TSX.In the 30-06 I use the 180 gr. Siera Pro-hunter for deer sized game and the Nosler partion 180 gr. for the larger animals although I'll never hunt any of the great bears. Just never had that desire. That's what has worked for my for over 50 years."
Good post. I've.been a .270 fan for 40+ years, thanks in part or at least originally to my father who passed his .270 down to me and was a follower of Jack O'Connor's writings, inspiring him to have a custom Mauser .270 made when stationed in Europe ca 1950/51. However, it is a common misperception that Mr. O'Connor was strictly a .270 fan boy. It's true he was probably it's chief adherent certainly for his day, and had a particular affection for and wrote a lot about it. But he was expert in and enjoyed and recognized the merits of just about all the popular as well as not-so-well-known cartridges...nd ws pretty objective about them all. If he was able to stick around, he might've coined the phrase "it's all good" or would say it a lot these days, but would add it all depends on a combination of your quarry, the environment and conditions of the day, and what you shoot well.
I--and O'Connor would probably--also agree with the comments that--between the two (and a few others hanging around the 6.5-7.5mm territory) the animal--but especially medium game--won't know what hit him 90% of the time.
I don't recall but, back "in the day," I wouldn't be surprised if, between the two, he also preferred the '06 for a dedicated elk gun/hunt given the available bullet technology of the time,... but would now also agree that today's bullets puts the .270 "back in the hunt."
I don't have but have always been interested in the .35 Whelen as perhaps the ultimate elk'er--certainly of the non-magnums, which makes it the ultimte elk'er in my book
... especially if you have the luxury to specifically purchase an "elk" rifle. I also like that the Whelen has continued to hang in there all these years with all the magnum bad boys getting all the press.I have had both, currently have neither. Do have a couple of Model 70 Winchesters in .270WSM, though. If I had to choose between the 30-06 and the .270 Win, I would go for the .270 Win. I believe it is adequate for elk at reasonable ranges, especially with a premium bullet like the 150 or 160 gr Nosler Partitions, and it is a perfect deer and antelope cartridge. It is better than the '06 for varmints when loaded with 90 gr hollow points from Speer or Sierra. The '06 could be better for Elk and Moose with 180 and 200 gr bullets, but I like the recoil of the .270 Win better. I think you made a great choice, and if you desire, you can always pick up an '06 later, or maybe something even more interesting, like a .338 Federal.
The primary advantage of the .270 Win over the .30-06 is velocity and trajectory, but only comparing the 130 grain bullets with the lightest real deer bullet in factory '06, the 150 grain.
If one chooses to use 150 grain bullets in the .270 Win, there is almost no difference in trajectory; recoil is also nearly the same. That's not to mean that 150 grain bullets aren't good, but I wouldn't use them in the .270 Win unless I didn't have an '06 for somewhat closer-range hunting.
The only two bullet weights I've used in my .270 are: 130 grain, and for light target loads, the fabulous 90 grain Sierra HP. BTW: The Barnes and Hornady non-lead 130 grain bullets are fantastic killers that penetrate deeply, but expand fairly quickly, retaining close to 100% of original weight!!!
If one chooses to use 150 grain bullets in the .270 Win, there is almost no difference in trajectory; recoil is also nearly the same. That's not to mean that 150 grain bullets aren't good, but I wouldn't use them in the .270 Win unless I didn't have an '06 for somewhat closer-range hunting.
The only two bullet weights I've used in my .270 are: 130 grain, and for light target loads, the fabulous 90 grain Sierra HP. BTW: The Barnes and Hornady non-lead 130 grain bullets are fantastic killers that penetrate deeply, but expand fairly quickly, retaining close to 100% of original weight!!!
DarcyPotter1
New member
30-06 or 270
I am new to the world of cumputers but at 51 pushing 52 am a old time hunter guid and reloader. i have guided for the big bears on the Pelly river in Yukon near Faro and Sheep Dall and Bighorn. Elk moose and black bear in Alberta were I now reside.I just purcased a new rifle myself and i had a choise to make and it was easey. Nartons had 2 Model 70 Super Grades great wood on them and great looking and felling rifle they were in270 and 30-06 I bought the 30-06. Why well the 308 dia bullet has a larger fruntal diamiter has better weight solection and it does not give up very much to the 270 in
real life bullit drop at resonable hunting ranges . neither would be my first pick for big bears that would fall to my 375H&H but if i was hunting moose or elk and had a incounter i would much rather have the 30-06 .Love the new Model 70 Super Grade I have a pre 64 in 30-06 and consider the new 2012 Super Grade to be a step up and im sure Jack would to . and yes i hunted with the pre 64 and will hunt with this one to it was time to give it to my 22 year old son and he has put it in the safe it will no longer hunt but he had it apraised and it came in at over 2 grand with no glass on it so i cant blaim him it is still a beut of a rifle hope you get what you want but remember rifles are like a good coat just keep trying one on and eventualy you will find one you cant stand the idea of parting with then keep it come hell or high water my pre 64 was that rifle till i piced up the new Super Grade now I have a new best rifle for life LOL LOL
I am new to the world of cumputers but at 51 pushing 52 am a old time hunter guid and reloader. i have guided for the big bears on the Pelly river in Yukon near Faro and Sheep Dall and Bighorn. Elk moose and black bear in Alberta were I now reside.I just purcased a new rifle myself and i had a choise to make and it was easey. Nartons had 2 Model 70 Super Grades great wood on them and great looking and felling rifle they were in270 and 30-06 I bought the 30-06. Why well the 308 dia bullet has a larger fruntal diamiter has better weight solection and it does not give up very much to the 270 in
real life bullit drop at resonable hunting ranges . neither would be my first pick for big bears that would fall to my 375H&H but if i was hunting moose or elk and had a incounter i would much rather have the 30-06 .Love the new Model 70 Super Grade I have a pre 64 in 30-06 and consider the new 2012 Super Grade to be a step up and im sure Jack would to . and yes i hunted with the pre 64 and will hunt with this one to it was time to give it to my 22 year old son and he has put it in the safe it will no longer hunt but he had it apraised and it came in at over 2 grand with no glass on it so i cant blaim him it is still a beut of a rifle hope you get what you want but remember rifles are like a good coat just keep trying one on and eventualy you will find one you cant stand the idea of parting with then keep it come hell or high water my pre 64 was that rifle till i piced up the new Super Grade now I have a new best rifle for life LOL LOLWith bullet and powder technology available in the 1920's when the 270 was developed the 2 were loaded very differently and to accomplish different tasks. In 2013, there ain't enough difference to matter.
The 30-06 came first and has always been loaded conservatively. You can load 150 gr 30-06 bullets to 3100 fps and be so close to a 130 gr 270 at long range that trajectroy differences are a non-issue.
Even if you want to argue over 2-3" at 500 yards we now have scopes and range fnders that will compensate for holdover that weren't available in 1925. A bullets trajecory is no longer much of a handicap.
Who cares what Jack O'Connor said in the 1920's or 30's. O'Connor was a forward thinking man who was quick to use new technology. I'm sure he'd say if alive today that it is no longer the 1920's and what he said 80's years ago no longer applies.
So what if the 30-06 will shoot heavier bullets, they are not needed today. In the 1920's small bullets moving fast would not hold together and penetrate. Going to heavier, slower bullets was the only way to guarantee penetration on larger game. That was why heavier 180 gr+ bullets used to be common in the 30-06. That problem has was solved in the 1940's but some guys still haven't gotten the memo. Today you can shoot a 130 gr 270 bullet @ 3100-3200 fps that will outpenetrate, and do more damage than an old school 180 gr 30-06 bullet.
Same with the frontal area argument. A difference of .031" in diameter is about the same as the thickness of a fingernail. No animal will ever notice that tiny difference, especially after a bullet expands.
There isn't an animal on the planet that will ever know the difference between the 2, at any range you care to shoot them. If one is up to the task, so is the other. If one won't get the job done, neither will the other.
The 30-06 came first and has always been loaded conservatively. You can load 150 gr 30-06 bullets to 3100 fps and be so close to a 130 gr 270 at long range that trajectroy differences are a non-issue.
Even if you want to argue over 2-3" at 500 yards we now have scopes and range fnders that will compensate for holdover that weren't available in 1925. A bullets trajecory is no longer much of a handicap.
Who cares what Jack O'Connor said in the 1920's or 30's. O'Connor was a forward thinking man who was quick to use new technology. I'm sure he'd say if alive today that it is no longer the 1920's and what he said 80's years ago no longer applies.
So what if the 30-06 will shoot heavier bullets, they are not needed today. In the 1920's small bullets moving fast would not hold together and penetrate. Going to heavier, slower bullets was the only way to guarantee penetration on larger game. That was why heavier 180 gr+ bullets used to be common in the 30-06. That problem has was solved in the 1940's but some guys still haven't gotten the memo. Today you can shoot a 130 gr 270 bullet @ 3100-3200 fps that will outpenetrate, and do more damage than an old school 180 gr 30-06 bullet.
Same with the frontal area argument. A difference of .031" in diameter is about the same as the thickness of a fingernail. No animal will ever notice that tiny difference, especially after a bullet expands.
There isn't an animal on the planet that will ever know the difference between the 2, at any range you care to shoot them. If one is up to the task, so is the other. If one won't get the job done, neither will the other.
DarcyPotter1
New member
30-06 cant go wrong
i was just out at the local range Grande Prairie Alberta and i told a few of the boys about joining The Firing Line and they were all shocked up till a few weeks ago i had never touched a cumputer . The point of your 30-06 vs 270 came up and as a 51-52 year old i am a bit hard headed but when it came to this everyone agreed the drop of the two calibers is so close out to 350 yards that the advantage at normall hunting ranges has to go to the 30-06 you can find factory ammo frome 110gr to 220gr everywere in the world it is the most versitile cal around i was out at the range with my new Super Grade 30-06 becouse you got me thinking of spring bear . If i was to be a one rifle man and lord i hope that is never the case it would be my Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in 30-06 i dont know what she would wear for glass . I mounted a Zeiss 3-9x40 Conquest on it but this is the first Zeiss scope iv ever had i am a Leupold man . if you go to Winchesters site you can use the ballistic calculitor to see the two cal shot side by side federal has a site to good luck they are great calibers and i love any rifle never had a new Savage have a old 99E in 308 and it is a great rifle has a lot of sadel time
i was just out at the local range Grande Prairie Alberta and i told a few of the boys about joining The Firing Line and they were all shocked up till a few weeks ago i had never touched a cumputer . The point of your 30-06 vs 270 came up and as a 51-52 year old i am a bit hard headed but when it came to this everyone agreed the drop of the two calibers is so close out to 350 yards that the advantage at normall hunting ranges has to go to the 30-06 you can find factory ammo frome 110gr to 220gr everywere in the world it is the most versitile cal around i was out at the range with my new Super Grade 30-06 becouse you got me thinking of spring bear . If i was to be a one rifle man and lord i hope that is never the case it would be my Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in 30-06 i dont know what she would wear for glass . I mounted a Zeiss 3-9x40 Conquest on it but this is the first Zeiss scope iv ever had i am a Leupold man . if you go to Winchesters site you can use the ballistic calculitor to see the two cal shot side by side federal has a site to good luck they are great calibers and i love any rifle never had a new Savage have a old 99E in 308 and it is a great rifle has a lot of sadel time
Quote: 30-06 has a better bullet selection, especially weightwise.
Like what?
.270 winchester is a fine cartridge to take elk with. You and me both could never count the elk taken yearly by .270 win.
I love both cartridges for what they are and they both are useful to me, but getting caught in speculation of ones worth over the other is where I'm at.
Like what?
.270 winchester is a fine cartridge to take elk with. You and me both could never count the elk taken yearly by .270 win.
I love both cartridges for what they are and they both are useful to me, but getting caught in speculation of ones worth over the other is where I'm at.
Hold it, you've never been elk hunting? Then how do you know which is the best cartridge?
200 grainers from the 06, would be more abusive to ones shoulder than 150's from the .270.
I'm not wimpy by any means, but I wouldn't spend "enough" range time shooting 200 grain bullets from my 06, as I would from my .270, I do like to shoot 150's from my 30-06, and if I got to go elk hunting I'd take the lightest rifle that I have practiced with the most, because even with a bazooka bad hits suck. And I shoot three hundred or so rounds from my 30-06, and maybe twice that from my .270 win during the year.
200 grainers from the 06, would be more abusive to ones shoulder than 150's from the .270.
I'm not wimpy by any means, but I wouldn't spend "enough" range time shooting 200 grain bullets from my 06, as I would from my .270, I do like to shoot 150's from my 30-06, and if I got to go elk hunting I'd take the lightest rifle that I have practiced with the most, because even with a bazooka bad hits suck. And I shoot three hundred or so rounds from my 30-06, and maybe twice that from my .270 win during the year.
DarcyPotter1
New member
real world??
Ok Jmr40 you make some good points why dont you come up north and i will let you decide on what you want on a grizz hunt a 30-06 or a 338wim mag we can load them with 200gr. and see what diff .031 fruntal diam makes . at the same vellosity it makes a huge diff been there done that have the t-shirt on small game such as deer it may not make much diff to you but give it teeth and claws and lets see what happens my point was that if you have only x amount of $ and you are going to have one rifle the 30-06 is a better round some ppl cant go by a rifle to hunt every critter out there myself i have the luck of owneing 64 rifles in cal from 22lrr to 458 and i load for all but the rimfires i spend most of my time hunting and fishing and a bit of trapping and a lot of guideing bet you have a great bench and some good iron dont be so sure of yourself 4000+ post does not make you right all the time
Ok Jmr40 you make some good points why dont you come up north and i will let you decide on what you want on a grizz hunt a 30-06 or a 338wim mag we can load them with 200gr. and see what diff .031 fruntal diam makes . at the same vellosity it makes a huge diff been there done that have the t-shirt on small game such as deer it may not make much diff to you but give it teeth and claws and lets see what happens my point was that if you have only x amount of $ and you are going to have one rifle the 30-06 is a better round some ppl cant go by a rifle to hunt every critter out there myself i have the luck of owneing 64 rifles in cal from 22lrr to 458 and i load for all but the rimfires i spend most of my time hunting and fishing and a bit of trapping and a lot of guideing bet you have a great bench and some good iron dont be so sure of yourself 4000+ post does not make you right all the time
DarcyPotter1
New member
165gr drop elk fine
i use the 165gr Brnes in my 30-06 for elk and you are right lots of elk have died under the 270 its not the sound of thunder but were the lightning strikes that kills for a one rifle man i will allways say 30-06 over 270. Try to get 270 rounds inOld Crow Yukon becouse the aireline lost yours on the flight to Whitehorse out of Vancover I had a client in that boat 7 years ago. they had cases of 303, 22mag and 30-06 at the tradeing post but no 270 rounds. why would you stock them no one in the vilagge owned one the client used my 30-06 with 165gr and took a great caribou
i use the 165gr Brnes in my 30-06 for elk and you are right lots of elk have died under the 270 its not the sound of thunder but were the lightning strikes that kills for a one rifle man i will allways say 30-06 over 270. Try to get 270 rounds inOld Crow Yukon becouse the aireline lost yours on the flight to Whitehorse out of Vancover I had a client in that boat 7 years ago. they had cases of 303, 22mag and 30-06 at the tradeing post but no 270 rounds. why would you stock them no one in the vilagge owned one the client used my 30-06 with 165gr and took a great caribou
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