Why choose a .25-06 Rem over a .270 Win?

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never had much use for a 270. Ive got 3 2506s and 2 280s and 3 o6s though. To me the 2506 is a bit flatter shooting and is better at the low end for varmits ect and the 280 and the o6 are a bit more versitile in bullet selection. Plus i detested Jack Oconnor and his dribble!!
 
I love the .270 Win, and don't care for .280 Rem. No real reason for my dislike of the .280 except it realisticly doesn't do anything better or worse than the .270. That and the fact I was already familar with the .270 for several years before I bought my first .280. The .270 and .280 are really hunting rounds that shine with bullets in the same weight range 130-150. Sure the .280 has better bullets that are heavier but your better off using the 7mm RM if your going to go heavier than 150 in a .280 Rem.

The .25-06 is like stated above a little better on the varmint end of the spectrum. My fastes kills on deer have all happened with the .25-06 using 120 grain bullets. It flat works and in a pinch can be used on game up to elk with proper bullet selection. I have better suited rifles for elk but I wouldn't tell anyone wanting to hunt elk they needed a new rifle if they owned a .25-06
 
First you need the bullets then comes the calibers. Matrix is making .277 bullets 165gr BC .7381,175gr BC.7828 and their making 7mm 190gr BC .8071 and these are hunting bullets.

I know some may not be interest but it's a good sign for the interest in the 270 calibers. I have no interest in the 25 cal but it's a shame they have done more on LR for the 25cal.
 
I have a .25-06, and consider it a fine cartridge, right on the ragged edge of overbore, until recently that slower powders have come on the handloaders market.

never had any interest in the .270. Mostly because of (again, until recently) meager bullet selection. 130 & 150gr (and the 150 was a RN) were all the factories put out. Today, thats not the case, but all my needs and wants are already met without the .277 bore size.

My rifle collection covers .22, .24, .25, & .26calibers and then goes to .30 and up. I'm sure I'm missing a number of good shooting rounds between .26 & .30 but I only have so much time in life, and I don't even get to play with what I already have as much as I would like.

One thing to remember, don't take the published ballistics as gospel. Your rifle can be differnt. One good friend of mine had a .270 Weatherby. Used it well for a few seasons, happy with the speed and power he had over the .270 Win, (and many other rounds). Then he got a chance to chronograph his rifle an ammo (factory). He was getting less than 100fps more (avg) than the same bullet wt in a .270 Win. Quite a bit less than published ballistics.

He later sold the Weatherby, and went on to other calibers.
 
Not really much of a need for 25-06, but you can say that about many round. What kind of world would we live in if we didn't have choices? Different is good. :D
 
The 25-06 is a great deer and large varmint cartidge. Sierra 117 Game Kings and 115 NBT's are deer hammers. 87 grain TNT's will turn a coyote inside out.
 
Scorch said:
Seriously, though, the 25-06 and 270 have so many points in common that they are really more alike than different.
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The .270 Winchester and .25-06 Remington are two of my fathers favorite cartridges and over the last 40+ years I've seen a lot of the deer, hogs, javelina, etc he has shot with them. I've killed quite a few animals myself with the two cartridges.

I can't tell the difference in the results between a deer shot with a 115-117 grain .257 caliber projectile and a 130 grain .277 one.
 
I'm brand spankin new to this forum, and glad to be here! I have a couple of comments that I hope folks won't be upset by.

About the 270 Winchester, it was originally designed for military use, but lost out for one reason or another. While it and the 25-06 are both exceptional cartridges, there are other, 'obsolete' cartridges which may well out-perform both. Take the 256 Newton, designed by Charles Newton in 1912-13, boasted the same velocity at 1500 yards as the 30-06 did at 1000. And was not prone to riccochet as it too turned to dust upon impact.

I would suggest reading he article "Charles Newton: Father of the 25-06" in the May 1971 issue of the American Rifleman, or chapter 22 of the book The Rifle in America(can't remember the author), for excellent write-ups of the Newton cartridges. Some of these are available, you just gotta find them.
 
hellbent said:
About the 270 Winchester, it was originally designed for military use, but lost out for one reason or another
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.270 Winchester designed as a military cartridge?

Never heard of that before.

Are you sure you aren't thinking of the .276 Pedersen?
 
25-06 Rem or 270 Win. Go with what you like. if it makes you happy then that is the one you should get. My brother wanted a varmint rifle and my father kept trying to talk him in to a 223 because the ammo is cheep. I told him to get what he wants. He now has a 17 Remington. He got the reloading and re sizing stuff for it and it is a fun gun to shoot and has nearly no bullet drop.

would I have picked that gun? No, but its not my gun so why should I care. In Rifles he like light fast bullets and I like slow heavy bullets. He all so likes bottle necked because they typically perform better but I like straight walls because they reload much easier.

In the end don't worry about what others think! Buy what you like! My brother shoots his 17 Remington more than his 9mm carbine because he likes it more even though the ammo not nearly as available and much harder to reload for.
 
Allways been a 25cal fan. Don't know why but I am.

When I started building my Varmit Antelope rifle in 1975 I chose a 722 Remington, Had List rebarrell it with a 27 inch semi bull barrel in 257 Roberts and topped it with a K12 Weaver. After thirty years it is the only rifle in my battery with which I can produce consistent sub MOA groups.

The 25-06 is an excellent choice for game up to deer.

I have never cared for the 270. I have allways felt that it did not perform as well as other calibers. To heavy for varmits and a tad light for bigger game like Elk and the larger deer. For these animals I chose my Model 70 in 338 Win Mag. Not so much for the caliber but because it fits me.
 
I dont want to start something, but i cant see a reason for a 25-06 over a 270 unless you will end up paying a lot less for it.
 
Earlier I said there would be more to talk about if the OP hasd been comparing the .270 to the .280.

Here is my reason.It is purely about the twist commonly provided with the rifle,and,actually,I probably messed up a little.The .280 may have had the typical Rem slow twist,but they re-introduced it as the 7mm Express.I think a typical twist would be 1 in 9.

A similat situation exists with the 6.5 bores,they are typically quicker twisted.

This is what makes a difference .

You can stabilize and use with good results 160-175 gr bullets in a 7mm Express.Ditto with the 6.5-06,good hunting bullets as heavy as a 160 gr can be used(yes,I know,that one is a round nose)

FWIW,one of my favorite rifles is my .257 AI.I use 115 gr Ballistic Tips at about 3050 and it works real good.

I respect the .270 as a great game cartridge.It will take elk just fine.Its OK if I would prefer a 160 gr 7mm bullet.Thats not a put down on the 270.

Being able to use a 175 gr bullet makes the 7 mm Express a different league of cartridge.I did not say "better".

Just different.
 
Because I have a .270 and have yet to get a 25-06. I've wanted one for some years now for long range varmint hunting, but have never gotten around to getting one.
 
Sorry about the blank post.....yes, Roy Dunlap claims to have seen original 270 military cartridges made by Winchester on an experimental basis in his 1950 book Gunsmithing - see page 373. He also states that it was withdrawn and reintroduced as a sporting cartridge a few years later. I have yet to verify this, but as soon as I can get to the book I'm looking for, I'll follow up.

Another nice feature of Dunlap's book is the random cartridge specs with brief histories of their development, etc.....I'd really like to have a rifle chambered in .270 Titus.....
 
So in 1920 Winchester submitted the .270 Winchester as an experimental military cartridge? For what rifle?

Why doesn't Cartridges of the World are any other reference I have mention this?

Is it the type of information thats so obscure that no one knows about it?
 
Since the 6.5-06 was mentioned, I have often thought about taking my heavy barrel 25-06 and having it rebarreled to 6.5-06. But even though I don't shoot it much, i'll probably leave it alone. Shoots too nice as is to mess with. That might not make sense to some but I don't like to fix what isn't broken.
 
I knew a guy that was a firearms importer to Australia & held the Sako & Marlin agencies for 20 odd years. He owned over 30 rifles in calibers from .17 to .375, & frequently hunted internationally with executives of the major gun manufacturers. Normans favorite hunting rifle was a 25-06 & he had plenty of others to choose from(including .270 & the european calibers). He also told me he had taken several european moose with the 25-06.
Why choose a 25-06 over a .270 ?- about 30% less recoil.
 
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