30-06 vs. .308 vs. 270 win.

I know far too little about rifle cartridges to offer any useful advice as to which one is best for your needs. That said, there's an article in the latest American Rifleman about the Thompson Center Dimension. Apparently, there's one model that will allow both .270 and .30-06, and a different model that will allow .308, .243 and .22-250, of a total of 4 different models. (Don't ask me to explain the engineering. Swapping calibers within a model allegedly involves only a barrel swap, but beyond that, it's beyond the precipice of my knowledge.) As I recall from the article it will soon be available in left-handed versions, too.
 
Left-handed bolt action, or a single shot? Nah...

My wife shoots right-handed bolt actions rifles left-handed just fine, and can crank in a follow-up shot just about as fast as a righty. As long as it has a symmetrical stock, I don't see the need for a left-handed bolt action rifle. Just makes it harder to buy and sell, and limits your choice.

My first centerfire varmint rifle was a Thompson Contender with a custom rifle stock and 20-inch bull barrel in .223 from Bullberry Barrel Works. Very accurate gun, but I found it to be a pain in the butt cocking it and pulling that hammer back. Wish I'd had bought a bolt-action instead.
 
Regarding the 30 caliber rounds, both the .308 and .30-06 can shoot bullets up to 250 grains (heaviest made as far as I know); it's been done before. Both those really heavy bullets have been used in competition at 1000 yards from both cartridges with stellar performance accuracy wise. And a 250-gr. hunting bullet would do well on very big game from either case.

Accuracy wise, the .308's king of the hill. For hunting game up to big deer, the .270's a good king of that hill. For larger game up to moose and elk, the .30-06 is the best of the three.

That aside, the older, weaker .30-30 WCF and .30-40 Krag's been used on everything from Kodiak bear down to mice; kill's 'em all dead with the first, well placed, shot.

Note that game's killed with bullets, not cartridges; nor rifles, either, for that matter. Pick the bullet caliber, weight and type you want to use, then pick the case you want to shoot it out of. How fast that bullet leaves determines the maximum range you should use it on game. There's no way one can tell what cartridge nor rifle fired a given bullet entering the vitals of a game animal at 1947 fps doing all the right stuff to put it down instantly from just an autopsy of the animal.

I suppose a 50 caliber BMG round could be held in ones hand and stabbed into the brain of a deer, but that's a rather risky way to kill a deer with a cartridge. It would be feasable to stand back a couple of feet and hold your rifle by its barrel then swing it such to smack the deer up side its head with the buttstock; a good way to kill one with a rifle.
 
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I am disappointed Cajun 47 has not responded.

I think my point is valid in that you can load a 30-06 to handle anything a 308 or 270 will do and up past that to even big Africa game.

How versatile you want or need to be should be the ultimate driver. If never going to do a moose or bear hunt, then 270 or 308 is great (though I wold go with 270 if Elk was on the table)

As noted Savage makes lefties and has a very good rep accuracy wise. Not as pretty but then 300 doesn't buy you pretty and pretty does not get you success (give me a good barrel any day of the week over pretty).

AP has no purpose in modern hunt though it might interest the posters to know that AP was the round used 70% of the time for combat issue in WWII in M1 and 1903 models (it was determined they wanted that capability of penetration and humane kills was not their first requirement!). Its documented so not in disputer.

AP also was quite accurate in the M1 and 1903s as it was the better round design wise over the 150 M1 Ball (it also went a long way in machine gun use for area saturation as distance).

So, under 300 yards its a toss up for the game choice for 308 or 270, and if you want to be widely capable its 30-06

A good shot can take down anything up to including grizzly (Leis and Clark shot more than one with black powder guns shooting round ball), but as the game gets bigger (Moose and big bears) then the better choice is 30-06 as it gives you more latitude for success.
 
There's a great deal of "all of the above" in your options. Most of the difference depends on WHERE you're going to hunt, moreso than WHAT you're going to hunt.

I live in the densely wooded eastern mountains where the .308 is superior to the others because it's more efficient with a 22in barrel, it's lighter because of reduced length allowed by shorter action/barrel, and controlled-expansion bullets are more reliable due to lower velocities (than the other two options) at our typical ranges. That said, I tend to only use my .308 for Moose up here. My 30-30 is obnoxiously superior for hunting these ridge-runners.

However, if you live in more open plains...I'd pick the .270 for the flatter trajectories and reduction in recoil over the 30-06.

If you lived in a mixed environment, or want a rifle that is not as niche as the other two... go with the 30-06.
 
I use a 308, but a 270 or 30'06 would be just as useful. I find the 308 recoil to be very user friendly. For me, deer and black bear with a chance at a Moose tag, the 308 if fine. If I hunted mostly bear then maybe, maybe I would opt for the 30'06 because of a slight increase in power. If I lived out West and hunted antelope at extended ranges then a 270 would be my choice.
 
The Lewis and Clark soldiers fired 10 shots into a 500-600 pound grizzly and remarked that the Grizzly was extremely hard to kill. In their journals, they said: "we Shot ten Balls into him before we killed him, & 5 of those Balls through his lights.”

After the bear was shot 10 times, Lewis wrote: “he swam more than half the distance across the river to a sandbar & it was at least twenty minutes before he died; he did not attempt to attack, but fled and made the most tremendous roaring from the moment he was shot.”

I read a fairly scientific study that queried Alaskan bear guides about the rifle calibers used and the effects of the hits. The data gathered indicated that the 300 magnums resulted in a larger percentage of clean kills than the .338 magnum.

I'm sure a 30-06 is a fine Grizzly cartridge, but I would use those Hornady Light Magnum loads if I were using that gun on a Grizzly hunt.
 
Like everyone else has previously said, it's really a horse apiece. If I was never going to shoot anything bigger than a Whitetail, I'd go with the .308, as from a reloader's standpoint, it's a bit more efficient (loaded with less powder that will obtain velocities that will kill something just as dead as with a .30/06). I'm a Savage Arms fan as well, but if this is your first centerfire rifle, I would advise against going with the Savage Arms long action. Their short actions feel just right to me, but their long actions are definitely LONG! I went from shooting a Stevens .223 to a Stevens .30/06 and it leads to some cursing on my end when I short stroke the bolt, when in a hurry. Just some more thoughts...
 
However, if you live in more open plains...I'd pick the .270 for the flatter trajectories and reduction in recoil over the 30-06.
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I do like the 270. However, its recoil is not much less than a 30-06.

Load a 30-06 down to the 270 bullets and you will have a similar trajectory (so close as not to matter as once past 300 yards the drop gets to be so much its a mute).

On the ohter hand you can load 270 up to 180 grains and have a good short range match for the 06.

And not a 30-06 is not my first choice for a grissly, but far more have been taken with that than all those magnums.

And comparing black powder balls into a bear vs a modern bullet is invalid.

I know of one case (Elmer Keith) where the bear came after his party. Upshot was that they saw it and 5 experience hungers hit it with anything from 35 whalen up to 338 mangum. It finally died at their feet (fortunately an uphill charge by the bear). You never know about a Grizzly. I would guess only 5 rounds from a 50 caliber would drop one for sure.
 
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