Smart men

I agree, one down side of the 7mm-08 for the biggest critters is most factory loads use 120 or 140 gr pills and though the 140s will kill elk and midsized game quite well I would like to see 150 Sirocco or 160 accubonds as a factory alternative. As much as I like and respect the 7mm-08 which I have been shooting and hunting with since 1982 it is not the best on the list for elk IMO.

270 will also work for elk and anything smaller but the 30-06 gives a bit more choices in larger tough bullets for the bigger stuff.

280 is not on the list but would be on my short list if looking for a good one to do everything elk and down in size.

To me the question is not are they capable of killing an elk, sure all are but those hunts for most of us are short duration with quite a lot of expense. I want something I have shot enough to have full confidence in to my and my equipment's limits, known through practice. Then keep it within those limits.

I own a 270 and have loved it. I have always wanted a 7mm-08. That said for what is listed in your post I fell the 30-06 is your best option.

Seen elk fall to all four, none did better then the other.

To me ammo availability makes the .270 win... and I mean at any mom and pop store... you will see .270... always

makes the .270win win.

7mm's is not much seperation in bullet diameter, so to make an informed decision IMO you have to look at the other (if any) considerations to make a choice from.

Yes you CAN get a 175 gr'er in a 7mm bullet and cannot commonly in a 270, but I doubt 1% or less of all 7-08 shooters will ever shoot one. I think only one company is still making 270 component bullet's in a 160gr, and like a 7-08 in 175gr'ers, none I'm aware of makes a factory loaded 270 160 gr'er....except maybe Nosler in their own ammo.

The 7mm's 160g'er class bullets have some advantages in weight & mebbe in BC's, but suffer lack of powder capacity in the smaller 308 based case, as 277 160 bullets are not commonly stocked even in component outlets.

7-08 ammo will usually run 15-20% higher and be available only in bigbox and full service gun shops. I've found 270 ammo anywhere I was in hunting country, from a Zona Rosa entertaiment "store" to various gas stions, C-stores, Feed & Ranch outlets, or other Fast Food & alcohol related outlets....just like 30'06, 308, 243 & 30-30 ammo is.

270 ammo ( and 30'06, 308, 243 & 30-30 ammo) will always be offered on every advertised Pre Season & Christmas ad flyer from every big box retailer...if ammo availability is important to you.

ReSale & Pawn values in a 270 (7Rmg, 30'06 & 243)are a bench mark...and depending on location might not be as high as high in a 7-08 from my experiences swapping guns a lot over the years.

270's come in both 22" & 24" barrels, I've never seen a 24" factory barreled 7-08 in anything other than a Varmint/Target model...if THAT is important to you. 270's are super rare in target/varmint factory configurations and usually not thought of for that task with their usually older bullet designs that is slowly being addressed with better LR style bullets

270's were created in 1925, to offer a faster version of the 30'06 with slightly lighter 130 gr bullets ( instead of the "standard" 150gr 30'06)& be able to maintain a close MV to the '06 even in 150gr bullets. 7-08's were created as a "wildcat" benchrest target cartridge improvement of the 308Win caliber in the 1970's, and offered by Remington in 1980 as a SAAMI factory caliber. 7-08's (and other 308 based calibers) lend themselves to shorter barrel lengths with better or minimal loss of MV.

Long story short...flip a coin...and buy a gun that "feels" right to you....unless you depend on being able to buy cheap ammo available "anywhere"....otherwise buy a 270 and don't bother to look back with any concerns....they are THAT close in performance.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

I'm surprised you aren't considering the 7mm RM in that Tikka. With Remington Managed Recoil loads, you get two calibers in one, so to speak. Full load 140 grain are 3175 fps and the managed recoil are 2710 fps.

As I said earlier I really appreciate everyone's input. Talking to people and reading online I was under the impression that the 30-06 is inaccurate, the .270 is not enough gun for an elk and that the 7mm08 has the best accuracy and furthest range. After reading everyone's responses I'm leaning towards a 270 but I'm still going to take a hard look at the 30-06. I won't lie, sometimes I'm a bit sensitive to recoil. If the 30-06's recoil is substainaly more than the .270's than it seems like .270 is the way to go. I want this rifle to be my go to rifle for all my hunts and a gun I can pass on to my kids. I need stop racking my brain over this and just pull the trigger on one already.

If you want a forever go-to caliber, 270 is it. That said, most of my hunting these days is with the 260, which I'm sure would be useable on an elk, with the right bullet. For the way I hunt now, my 270 is more than I need.

.30-06 in my experience is just as accurate as .25-06/.270/.280. With the right rifle you can shoot very small groups from the bench with any of them. Getting a good hold while hunting will be much more of a factor. Recoil on the .30-06 150 grain isn't bad, but 220 grain loads (which you'll never use more than likely) are a little stout. Really, rifle weight and having a good thick recoil pad are much more of a factor for recoil.

You might want to think about the Weatherby Vanguard S2 over the Tikka, since it is a heavier rifle and will recoil significantly less.

i said .270 because of $15.00 box ammo .its really almost same gun to me 7-08 great gun short action .almost same as 7x57 or .280 ,if you re-load have more bullet choices with 7mm bullets ak 7-08 .cant go wrong either way use premium bullets 150 nosler acubond or partions will be fine for anything under 300 yards mt .02 cents

.270 - bullet diameter is .277
7mm-08 - bullet diameter is .284

It seems that heavy bullets intrude too far in the case and reduce powder capacity too much in the 7mm-08. I think that is why you don't see factory ammo(I haven't seen any) loaded with 170ish grain bullets - which is what made the 7mm calibers sterling reputation.

I believe in the same rifle the 7mm-08 will have less recoil. Many women and a surprising number of men hunt elk with a 7mm-08 with outstanding results. The .270 has been killing elk with dispatch since it came out.

I took my one elk with a .270 in 1984 and was happy with the result. Most elk guides would rather have a client that shoots a .270 or 7mm-08 well, than one with a larger cartridge that has a flinch.

I believe the .270 shoots a little flatter.

Flip a coin.

A 7mm-08 will run a 162 gr or 168 gr high BC bullet around 2700-ish out of a 24" barrel, with a hand load of H-Varget.

That's stout medicine for anything, especially a short action.

OP talked about distance, well the .270 will go subsonic at a shorter distance than the 7mm-08, and the .30-06. Sure he, and most folks won't push anything to transsonic, but it helps illustrate the increased efficiency of the 7mm and the .30-06 over the .270. I'd have to crunch some numbers to find out the distance where the 7mm and the .30-06 are maintining more velocity down range than the .270, thereby passing it in a drag race. This is a moot point in most hunting scenarios, but the fact of the matter is the .277 is unfortunately handicapped by bullet makers and barrel makers. It could be a hot rod of a cartridge if the two shops would allow it to be. Just speaking on the plain science of the three, not bashing anything for hunting inside 400 yards, which is 200 farther than most folks will use one.

You are correct when talking hand loads but I was talking factory ammo. When I stated the .270 shot flatter I was talking 300 yards or less. You are correct JG about a 7mm-08 with hand loads.

If you can great, but in my experience the majority of people have no business taking shots at big game past 200 yards. In 56 years I've taken one 300 yard shot and that was in a stand with a good rest. Back at the beginning of November a man came to the store on Friday morning needing a scope, his had crapped out. Sold him a scope, he brought his rifle in and I mounted it, the scope not the rifle. Mounting a rifle is illegal in certain parts of Utah. Anyway the gentleman asked me if I boresighted his rifle and when I responded yes, he said, "Then I'm good to go". I said no, you need to sight in your rifle and he said he did not since he wouldn't be taking any shots past 100 yards. Scary, but I encounter things like that frequently.

The mass produced ammo of the .30-06 will also go beyond what the .270 will do. Both in retained velocity and energy down range.

The problem is, so many people mever learn how to properly compensate for the drop of the '06 and lean on cartriges that are faster out of the gate. He's never specified distance, so depending on the distance, faster out of the gate isn't always the best bet.

Prime example of each end is the .22-250 pushing a 55 gr north of 3700 fps MV. Compare that to the, as compared, slow .308 pushing a 175gr a 2700 fps MV. The .308 will pass the .22-250 well before 500 yards down range. It's got the bullet weight and the BC advantage over the .22-250.

I'm confused. What is "mounting a rifle?"

He said it was illegal in Utah. Pretty sure it is in Texas, as well. So it can't be rated PG-13...

30-06

At 300 yards, neither is dropping more than 6 or 8 inches.

A joke.