Choosing a calibre

Slickshot

Well-Known Member
Right guys thinking of buying a new stalking rifle.. It will be used for roe, fallow and red deer.. And occasional foxing. I want a good flat shooting hard hitting round for distances out to 300 yards..

Thinking of either 270 win, 30-06 spi, 300 Winmag or 308 win which I currently own already! I do reload my self so ammo cost not an issues.

Would appreciate peoples views..

Aaron
 
Any of the calibre's you mentioned will do the nicely and the differences in trajectory are really academic outside of a rifle range however if I had to pick one it would be the .270 mainly because I used to own one and it was great fun.
 
I have a mate who owns .270.. Is it really worth the extra powder and recoil compared to a 308?? I'm thinking i might as well go magnum like the 300 Winmag to really see the added benifits.
 
I have a mate who owns .270.. Is it really worth the extra powder and recoil compared to a 308?? I'm thinking i might as well go magnum like the 300 Winmag to really see the added benifits.

Just out of interest- what added benefits over a .308 are you looking for?
 
So many 'which calibre threads' that it's a wonder anyone replies anymore. Just go to 'Advanced Search' in the top right corner of your screen!
Baguio
 
So many 'which calibre threads' that it's a wonder anyone replies anymore. Just go to 'Advanced Search' in the top right corner of your screen!
Baguio

I often wonder that but theres so many options, filling so many niches, that it is actually a very personal thing I guess?
 
I have a mate who owns .270.. Is it really worth the extra powder and recoil compared to a 308?? I'm thinking i might as well go magnum like the 300 Winmag to really see the added benifits.
The .270 with a decent moderator is a pussycat to shoot ,the 300 win mag is a great rifle but out to 300 yards I really don't see any real advantage over the 270/308/3006.
 
270/308 , same weight projectile, trajectories to 300m essentially the same ? Which one do you fancy , buy that one!
 
300 win mag is found to be uncomfortable by some yet ok by others, there is a good deal more noise and recoil not to mention less magazine capacity. If you are relatively recoil insensitive then go for it but don't forget that bullet placement and construction are the key not more horsepower. All of your calibres you have mentioned will do what you want. Also worth checking out what factory ammo availability is like locally. I appreciate that you reload but you may find yourself in a position where you are obliged to use factory ammo.
 
Well regards to benifits I'm referring to more energy at range and a flatter trajectory. The 308 and 270 has soft recoil IMO.. But I'm thinking is it worth half a jump going to 270 or 30-06 when I might as well go 300 Winmag.. Least then I get the best in all worlds..
 
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choose a bullet then choose a rifle (that fits you, it will negate any talk of felt recoil. an extra inch on my 300wm stock and its a different animal)

-270 caps out at 150gr (realistically) but a 130gr .270 will drop anything and is a fast and flat as most people will ever need
-30-06 is the 270 fat cousin...it picks up where the 270 left off on weights up to 200gr+
-300wm is wasted on anything under 180gr and should be chucking heavier IMO. no point burning 70gr of powder to throw 150gr pills at 33-3400fps
-308 is a jack of all trades 110gr to 200+gr.....but some call it loopy
 
Mmm it's a hard one! Tbh I think I should rule out the magnums.. It's nice to have the power but do I really need it! The 30-06 and 270 sounds nice but il be running a sako 85 with a 20" barrel so will I actually get the best velocities for those given calibre's? Maybe il just stick with the tried and tested 308 with 155 amax running at 2800fps!
 
A lot of hunters find the .308 and .270 the limit of what they can shoot well, doe to the recoil in a hunting weight rifle. The .30-06 with heavy bullets, and the .300 Magnums even more, simply take some working up to, and deliver a lot sharper recoil impulse in a hunting rifle than they do in the heavy military rifles. To me, the .300 magnums are niche rifles, for shooting bullets in the 180 to 220 grain range, in places like Alaska, where you may need to shoot at 400 yards at a sheep or 25 yards at half ton bear, and these magnums will handle that breadth of application. I have never hunted in the UK, but I see no benefit.

For big antelope or American Elk, the .30-06 and upwards definitely have the edge over the .270 and .308 in case things don't go perfectly - the .300 WM and .338 WM even more so. I don't own a .300 magnum, nor a .338. My step up from my ten .30-06s is .375 H&H. Power is useless without shot placement.
 
or 6.5x55mm with 140gr SST...

Anything between .243 and .308 can and will drop everything in the UK and PBR will not be that different (ie circa 250 yds) when zeroed at 1" high at 100yds.

Whatever you go with, spend time at the range.
 
So many 'which calibre threads' that it's a wonder anyone replies anymore. Just go to 'Advanced Search' in the top right corner of your screen!
Baguio

Agree. But that's what a forum is about. These discussions are always fun.

270 or 7 mm Rem Mag
I watched a good few clips on youtube about red deer hunting in New Zealand. I never was a 270 man, but after watching these the 270 becomes more and more appealing.
With 130 grain bullets they drop big stags like a rabbit being hit by a load of n°4 shot. The same when you watch Wild boar fever. With modern bullets even bigger game comes into range. The 270 for "normal" sized game. The 7mm Rem Mag if you want to go in the 200/400 kg class.
 
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