.270 for deer

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sharper

sharper

Active Member
Evening all

Following from my post about the .25-06 (which I’v since been told Sako apparently do NOT offer in left hand on the 85 🙄😩) I am looking back to the .270 and the .308

The .308 seems to be the logical option with the ever looming threat of a lead ban...but...what are your opinions of the .270 !? It seems to be a some what love it or hate it Caliber...I’v read reviews and articles praising the .270 no end...and like the .25-06 it ticks a lot of boxes for me, but I’v also heard/read it can be a brute to shoot and not the nicest rifle to use regularly...is it that fierce !?

Someone I greatly respect (a deer stalker) told me the .270 is an amazing caliber, but a ba****d to shoot !? Is that true ? I only plan on buying and owning one “deer rifle” which is why I want to make the right choice. Again...this will be for muntjac, roe primarily and reds/fallow/sika on occasion.

Please give me your honest opinions ! Thank you, Benny
 
Really not a brute to shoot, especially with the lower weight of non lead projectiles such as 110TTSX offerings in factory ammo. But it still has to fit you, in an I'll fitting rifle in either 270 or 308 can be unpleasant, so it's as much about fit as chambering, as either will serve you handsomely.
 
Have an 85 finnlight, superbly accurate and pleasant to shoot with a moderator. It’ll also do anything you want to shoot in any type.

I wasn’t too keen on the calibre before a friend wanted to sell all his guns including a near as new .270, and how wrong could I have been. Have to say I probably wouldn’t feel the same without the mod.
 
Straight away from these reply’s I’m thinking .270 is the one 😬 I researched it time after time but heard a few horror stories that put me off...I guess everyone’s idea of recoil is different...I’m not exactly huge but I’m not small and don’t/never have struggled shooting larger caliber rifles...I shot a .303 Enfield (no mod, standing unsupported) and that went with a boom and deffo some recoil but manageable...I’m guessing the .270 is a walk in the park compared to that !
 
sharper said:
Evening all

Following from my post about the .25-06 (which I’v since been told Sako apparently do NOT offer in left hand on the 85 🙄😩) I am looking back to the .270 and the .308

The .308 seems to be the logical option with the ever looming threat of a lead ban...but...what are your opinions of the .270 !? It seems to be a some what love it or hate it Caliber...I’v read reviews and articles praising the .270 no end...and like the .25-06 it ticks a lot of boxes for me, but I’v also heard/read it can be a brute to shoot and not the nicest rifle to use regularly...is it that fierce !?

Someone I greatly respect (a deer stalker) told me the .270 is an amazing caliber, but a ba****d to shoot !? Is that true ? I only plan on buying and owning one “deer rifle” which is why I want to make the right choice. Again...this will be for muntjac, roe primarily and reds/fallow/sika on occasion.

Please give me your honest opinions ! Thank you, Benny
Click to expand...
I shoot all but sika with mine. a150 head doing 2750 ish
You will never notice any recoil as your focus will be on the quarry....under10 shots max to get a zero depending on if you start letting you head wander blaming recoil the weather lol...

All deer will run if you are a bit high bit low bit fwd or a bit back or too far and they step fwd as you pull the go button.
Had a round pencil through the soft part of a rib slice the lungs and pencil out the other side with a muntjac running 40 yards Big stuff take one step and fall over...each deer is different as the previous one is dead so you can't repeat a shot as the next beast is different, you can be close but it will be slightly different.

Practice is the key until you know it inside out...I shot my .243 in all sorts of cross winds off sticks out @ 200 on a plate just so I knew where it went. Did the same with the .270.
Just my thoughts on what you asked for.
 
I have shot both a lot.

270 is not a brute at all. Recoil is about the same as the 308. 270 is NOISY though which I suspect is the basis of its reputation. If you want to learn to flinch an unmoderated 270 is a good start. Up the hill actually it is fine noise wise, and given most people will use a can, not an issue.

I currently run both but only because I shoot up the hill a lot and I think the extra half inch of powder will slimmer bullets give it a bit of an edge 'out there' if you need to stop something. Really its marginal though. 308 is a shorter barrel woods gun.

Shooting a 110gr TTSX out of the 270, you can get 3400 fps (too hot really) yet it recoils like a 243.

308 is probably a BIT more flexible and defo has better barrel life. If you compare similar bullet weights the 308 will deliver similar speeds but the bullet is less sleek. Doesn't really matter until further out.

Long way of saying there is not a lot in it. The 308 is one of the most popular calibre in the country, 270 is only about 3%. So what.

If you want a vote, I would go 308 for what you shoot but would not tell you it is the wrong choice if you went 270.
 
NullMac said:
I have shot both a lot.

270 is not a brute at all. Recoil is about the same as the 308. 270 is NOISY though which I suspect is the basis of its reputation. If you want to learn to flinch an unmoderated 270 is a good start. Up the hill actually it is fine noise wise, and given most people will use a can, not an issue.

I currently run both but only because I shoot up the hill a lot and I think the extra half inch of powder will slimmer bullets give it a bit of an edge 'out there' if you need to stop something. Really its marginal though. 308 is a shorter barrel woods gun.

Shooting a 110gr TTSX out of the 270, you can get 3400 fps (too hot really) yet it recoils like a 243.

308 is probably a BIT more flexible and defo has better barrel life. If you compare similar bullet weights the 308 will deliver similar speeds but the bullet is less sleek. Doesn't really matter until further out.

Long way of saying there is not a lot in it. The 308 is one of the most popular calibre in the country, 270 is only about 3%. So what.

If you want a vote, I would go 308 for what you shoot but would not tell you it is the wrong choice if you went 270.
Click to expand...
Great reply thank you 🙏
 
sharper said:
Straight away from these reply’s I’m thinking .270 is the one 😬 I researched it time after time but heard a few horror stories that put me off...I guess everyone’s idea of recoil is different...I’m not exactly huge but I’m not small and don’t/never have struggled shooting larger caliber rifles...I shot a .303 Enfield (no mod, standing unsupported) and that went with a boom and deffo some recoil but manageable...I’m guessing the .270 is a walk in the park compared to that !
Click to expand...
A farmer called yesterday as he couldn't get a UJ off a pto shaft, he had to hold the big bar as I smashed the s hit out of it... it came apart lol the 5x4 steel bench was walking around the work shop...
So the moral of the story is all these small C/F we have in the UK recoil is only in the mind not the shoulder lol
 
The .270 is an absolutely superb calibre! I have .223, .270, and .308, and if told to choose the .270 would be the one I'd keep every time. And I shoot it without a mod', despite being a moderately-sized chap of 5'8" and 13 stone. Yep, it recoils. Yep, it can be sharp if the rifle doesn't fit. And yep, it has limited bullet choice. In reality, how many people actually load more than one bullet weight per calibre though? You pick a bullet to do what you want it to do, find a load that suits, and that's you set. I've never even considered anything other than 130 in mine, and it's been used on everything from whitetail and racoon, to red, fallow, and roe :thumb:
 
hendrix's rifle said:
I'd say it's a tiny tiny bit snappier in recoil than a 308 which tends to be a very gentle shove...
I like the 270, don't shoot one but would probably get one if the itch arises
Click to expand...
Yes, that's a fair description. The actual recoil is about the same or less than the 308, but the 270 feels a bit snappier. But when all is said and done, neither of them are heavy recoiling calibres, and the 270 is a pussycat to shoot, even unmoderated.
 
sharper said:
Evening all

Following from my post about the .25-06 (which I’v since been told Sako apparently do NOT offer in left hand on the 85 🙄😩) I am looking back to the .270 and the .308

The .308 seems to be the logical option with the ever looming threat of a lead ban...but...what are your opinions of the .270 !? It seems to be a some what love it or hate it Caliber...I’v read reviews and articles praising the .270 no end...and like the .25-06 it ticks a lot of boxes for me, but I’v also heard/read it can be a brute to shoot and not the nicest rifle to use regularly...is it that fierce !?

Someone I greatly respect (a deer stalker) told me the .270 is an amazing caliber, but a ba****d to shoot !? Is that true ? I only plan on buying and owning one “deer rifle” which is why I want to make the right choice. Again...this will be for muntjac, roe primarily and reds/fallow/sika on occasion.

Please give me your honest opinions ! Thank you, Benny
Click to expand...
I use a 270 daily. Shooting red, sika and roe. I am using 110grain non toxic they kill pretty well. The 270 like most rifles has become easier to shoot since the use of moderators.
 
VSS said:
Yes, that's a fair description. The actual recoil is about the same or less than the 308, but the 270 feels a bit snappier. But when all is said and done, neither of them are heavy recoiling calibres, and the 270 is a pussycat to shoot, even unmoderated.
Click to expand...
Fit is more important than anything. The 270 went through a number of rounds with no issue, my 308 hurt like hell after a few. Poor Fit, extremely light weight and genuinely kicked hard with a really poor recoil pad. Bit of weight in it and it was a dream to shoot. Says a lot! I must admit I've been tempted by a 270 for a while, old Parker Hale or similar with iron sights, that would be great
 
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