.270 or 308

[Colonel]

I have a 270 that I’ve shot every thing from fox to red and boar but I also have a 30-06. As said skip the 270 & 308 and go for a 30-06.

 

[NigelM]

The 270 and the 308 achieve pretty much the same thing, 270 a bit lighter and faster, 308, a bit heavier and slower.

Given you already have a 243, my suggestion is to skip both and go straight to the 30/06. It is the universal hunting cartridge...

You can thank me another time...

Now that's not a daft call.

 

[tusker]

The 270 and the 308 achieve pretty much the same thing, 270 a bit lighter and faster, 308, a bit heavier and slower.

Given you already have a 243, my suggestion is to skip both and go straight to the 30/06. It is the universal hunting cartridge...

You can thank me another time...

My thoughts also. I have all 3 but ought 6 is my go to rifle.
Tusker

 

[cjs66]

Buy a Blaser in 308 and shoot everything with SST 150s.

JOB DONE!

cjs

 

[XYZ]

Another vote for the 30-06. It can do everything a .308 can do and more besides.
Why limit yourself to something when you can achieve everything with the 30-06 and where the .308 is maxed at about 150gr you still have room to go heavier giving you more options.

 

[Colonel]

I reload my 30-06 with 150gr bullets to 2800fps which is a 308 load, very good for all I need for deer but then load 168gr or 180gr for Africa. I could load 130gr bullets to 270 speeds, what else do need?

 

[User00033]

Another vote for the 30-06. It can do everything a .308 can do and more besides.
Why limit yourself to something when you can achieve everything with the 30-06 and where the .308 is maxed at about 150gr you still have room to go heavier giving you more options.

Er, what? .308 maxxed out at 150gr? Are you sure about that? I’ll have to remember that next time I load my .308 with 178gr ELD-X.

Jack Fellows - I’ve got both .308 and .270 in the safe at the moment, the latter being a mate’s newish rifle that I’m looking after while he travels. There is no tangible difference in how they perform in real world hunting conditions. There is a slight increase in kick from the .270 in lighter rifles but in the one I’ve got here (Howa with walnut stock) its not noticeable as its quite heavy.

Both are very popular and I’d be surprised if you ever came up short trying to find reloading components or factory ammo.

If you were living in Europe and driven boar hunting regularly then the .30-06 is an option to consider, but for UK shooting is not necessary. If you were to go driven boar hunting with a .308 you’d be in good company as it is very commonly used. Far too many blokes focus on the calibre / cartridge and argue this way and that, but really the focus should be on the bullet. Boar aren’t wearing kevlar body armour, they are quite easy to put down as long as you achieve adequate penetration. The difference to the boar between a .308 and a .30-06 is negligible as long as you’re using a tough bullet designed for the task. If you lined up all the non-magnum cartridges between .270 and .30cal and shot a good sized running boar with a Partition with a good stout load, you aren’t gonna be able to tell the difference, the boar will go down.

Whatever calibre / cartridge you choose, the bullets you select for the game you are targeting will make or break your success.

 

[sikasako]

Nothing much between them.
Shorter action on 308 Vs 270.

 

[JTO]

Er, what? .308 maxxed out at 150gr? Are you sure about that? I’ll have to remember that next time I load my .308 with 178gr ELD-X.

+1
Berger list loads for both .308 and 30-06 for bullets up to 230grn.
My Steyr SSG was supplied with a target shot with 190grn bullets.
My best ever group was shot with Norma 180grn factory rounds.

 

[margun]

As others have said, I don't think you'll notice any difference in the real world it ballistic terms. .270 in my experience doesn't deserve its reputation as a barking, kicking mule. It's not really any different to .308, especially with a decent moderator. Go for whatever ammunition is most widely available and choose the rifle preferably on handling/comparing the them together.

 

[HDShark]

I went for 308 because I wanted to keep barrel length down and like the short action. Even at 20 inches using Hornady superformace 150 grainers, it is putting out .270 speeds

 

[User00033]

I went for 308 because I wanted to keep barrel length down and like the short action. Even at 20 inches using Hornady superformace 150 grainers, it is putting out .270 speeds

This is a good point and a commonly quoted plus for the .308 Win.

But perform the same barrel shortening exercise for the .270 Win and you get much the same result. I know of one 20" custom barreled suppressed .270 that is a fine rifle. A quick check in Quickload suggests that velocity loss for a 140gr pill and middle of the park loads sees a loss of ~130fps. For the .308 shooting a 150gr pill and a range of powders, the velocity loss is ~100fps, so not a lot in it.

Take the suppressor off the 20" .270 and it's far too loud for me though that's the same for my 20" .243.

 

[wraith]

just get a 7mm rem mag better than 270 or 308 if not a rem mag the 270 just dont purchase a light gun think high bc rounds flat shooting fast speed kills and with less drop and less wind drift better for longer shots

 

[ChesterP]

just get a 7mm rem mag better than 270 or 308 if not a rem mag the 270 just dont purchase a light gun think high bc rounds flat shooting fast speed kills and with less drop and less wind drift better for longer shots

The "less wind drift" buit I can live with, but nothing is flat shooting (it's a hairy old chestnut amongst UK shooting forums) and every cal needs drop compensation once much past zero or mpbr, so quoting bullet BC or speed as an advantage is only an advantage once range stretches out to beyond what most of us would shoot deer at anyway. I like the 7mm cals, and the 6.5s but there's no real world hunting advantage for UK quarry over any 270 or 308. The 7mm Rem mag is probably more expensive to load for too.

 

[Border]

Nothing much between them.
Shorter action on 308 Vs 270.

I was going to say that but for the rifles the OP is looking at they are one action length anyway.
Remington, Howa, Bergara? and Sako seem to be the only ones offering shorter actions for shorter cartridges these days.

 

[CarlW]

Hi everyone,

I've had a .243 for years now and I do love it but I'm putting in a variation for something bigger with some more stopping power and I wanted to get everyone's view on it.

So I'm looking at .270 or 308, hoping to shoot a few Reds this year and a boar trip in the pipeline but on the other hand I will be shooting a few muntjac aswell.

Next question is Mauser M12 OR Sauer 101 or 100xt

any help much appreciated!

If you are Scottish, get a .270; otherwise, get a .308. All calibres other than .270 were banned in the highlands at the same time as they banned fruit and vegetables...