I have a 1971 Marlin 30/30, a 270 and a 6.8 SPC..

I think I need a larger caliber, just in case I ever go on a Elk hunt or something along those lines.

Was thinking about a 300 win, 7 Mag or a 308.

What's y'all's thoughts on a larger caliber, just in case I need to hunt bigger game?

Depending on distance the 270 will take elk. Bear and moose might have to step up. Think about 3006 has a wide range on bullet weights.

Yep. You need another rifle. If you already have a 270 Id just skip the 30-06 and look at a magnum.

Everyone always needs another rifle.

Like Dalee said the 270 is big enough to hunt elk. If I were to choose another rifle out of the caliber so you chose I would go with the 300 Win Mag. The 300 would be enough rifle for anything in North America.

You always need one more rifle. The next one.

That out of the way, I'd buy what I was most likely to use regularly.

Everyone needs a 300 in their collection. I don't think the 7 or 308 really add that much over a 270.

270 if outfitted correctly will take most everything. Saw a very big moose killed with a 270 in Alaska. Piles of elk have been killed with a 270 also. A 270 with a 150 MRX bullet can do a lot. Taking your firearms inventory I'd go with a 338 of some ilk. I don't see a significant jump from a 270 to a 308 or 7mag...300 maybe but in my opinion if your going to 300 ultra on something along those lines--get a 338. I have owned 338 win mag, 340 WBY and 338 ultra---they were all hell on wheels. I'm building a 33 nosler--waiting on Dave Manson to send me a reamer. Should be about like a 340 WBY... If the .338s don't appeal--I'd go 375--truly a big game caliber. I have killed everything from duiker to Cape buffalo with a 375 of some type---my favorite is either the Weatherby or the Ultra version.

Ed

If you have the extra money and desire, get a magnum. You might not need the extra firepower, but you'll never wonder if you have enough gun for any job.

Didn't read the post. Just the title. Answer is yes

Every hunter needs at least one 7 Rem Mag, or 300 Win Mag, or larger.

7 Rem Mag loaded with 180's, 300 Win Mag loaded with 210's, or even larger case, and bullet.

There's the 28 Nosler, with excellent ballistics, and expensive brass, as well as the 300 Norma Mag, that is catching my eye. Loss of belt, better geometry, higher case capacity. All the ones mentioned will kill anything on the continent, and do it pretty far away, if you'd like.

And can't forget the 7/300 mag...reading all of chad's posts about that caliber has me wanting one now. I'll probably stick with my trusty 300WM though.

I dont shoot my 300wm all that well but made me really appreciate the recoil on all my other rifles.

If this is really all the rifles you have then you're
going in the wrong direction. The the 1st addition
should be a 22LR.

Otherwise 338 Win Mag.

Absolutely you need more rifles.
If you have a rifles appropriate for any game you will be ready should an opportunity present itself.

I have multiple rifles in the same cartridge, for example 30-06s one with a scope sighted for 165 grain and another with iron sights for 220 grain at close range.

If you don't need the rifle right now you can wait until a deal comes along, keep your eyes open and you can get a lot nicer gun for less money.

M

I agree here. A .22 LR should be a staple in everyone's collection, after that I'd go .223 before I'd get something larger. How likely are you to actually hunt something that you would need larger than a .270?

And out of the 3 you listed I would go 300 WinMag.

22 lr
22-250 or 223
300 win mag or biigger

If you have to ask the answer is "Yes"

Far be it from this crew to talk someone out of purchasing an additional rifle.

NO...YOU DON'T need another rifle right now! Don't buy anything!
Wait until you actually are about to go elk hunting.

Before that, you might realize that you need other calibers. You have other big gaps before considering moving to a 7RM or 300WM.....or a 375!!
You don't have a 223 (that's a huge gap)
You don't have any performant/ballistic efficient/longer range calibers (260/6.5C, etc...)

With what you already have (and what you don't), I'd not jump on a big magnum caliber for a hypothetic elk hunt in the future.

I'm not a big gun guy. Don't think I need a 22LR, had those when I was younger. Don't need a 223, had a couple of AR's in 223 and decided to liquidate and go 6.8 which IMO is far superior for my needs.

I won't sell my 3030, my uncle gave it to me. I take the 270 if I need to shoot something over 300 yards. Other than that my 6.8 takes anything within 200 yards.

Would like something more long range and more power. Been wanting one for awhile. I'm leaning to 7 mag, surprised I got no comments on 308 as option.

The only benefit of the 308 over 270 will be a better bullet selection for longer range shooting and a short action rifle. For your application (hunting), the 308 won't be any better than the 270.

Performant? Hypothetic?

Yep!

Beginning back in the olden days pre range finders, BDC scopes and other "fancy" accoutriments I ran a 270 as my everyday shooter starting in umm 1969 or so, and paired it with a 300WMg after I moved back to texas in 1975, in the same rifle & stock style 'cause the rough drop holds in a 270/130gr'ers are about the same as a 300Winnie in 165's, and the 270 in 150's are about the same as a 300Winnie in 180's...and kept that pairing for almost 40 years. I added a 257Rbts instead of a 243 when I needed to drop back on recoil as a result of medical issues and while Rbts killed WTails great but was lacking on hogs that almost got me a wounded porker in my lap at under 50 feet before I A/C'd his skull tat was too close to see in the scope. Again bullets of the day issues was the problem X's the finicky bullet appetites of the M70 XTR Rbt's I was using.

I had had a 243 from the very late 60's and was meh about it's on game performance with the bullets of the day. Mine was a hyper accurate SAKO 579 that used to win me $'s at the range taking the heads off horsefly's but lost more deer than I ever did with any other caliber since then.

Fast forward to the early 2000's and I discovered a 9.3x62 and chose it over the 338 or 375 Holland based on the strong recc of an old friend who was the founder of the SAKO Collectors Assc, with his buddy from Whitewater Kansas, when I was contemplating more than one trip to Africa and had more $$'s than brains to play with. Even today for a "heavy" I'd go back to the 9.3 unless Cape Buffalo was the primary or only target, and then step up into something in a 400 caliber as a minimum.

Todays bullets are more than adequate for Elk & Moose in a 270, from what I read elsewhere, where killing a larger game animal depends more on Your Accuracy in bullet placement..which extrapolates to your frequent usage of whatever caliber you are using, and the 9.3 in a heavy arsed CZ550 is ideal for WTails too and you can eat right up to the hole. I've had thst same experience on Texas WTails even in the less spendy Speer 270gr'ers that I used for everything until I ran into some now dic'd 250 BT's that some fools were using on Cape Buff's and getting into trouble with. Today Nozzler has upgraded that bullet to an AB construction , and Barnes also offers a 250gr'er to squeeze some more MV out of the old warrior who' standard bullet weight is 286gr's. MY CZ American's 1st 4 rounds from a NIB rifle gave me a MOA group that got tighter the more I shot the rifle at more and more MV's in RL 15. Varget will get you a bit more speed too and compete with a 338Wmg in the same bullet weights.

A 35 Whelen, especially in a 26" barrel to milk ALL the MV possible, is a close clone too but IMO the 9.3 has lots more pananche (and lots of Euro Ammo with better bullets than Hornady's) plus very long history of success in Africa as a Go To caliber for keeping critters out of the crops going back to 1905 when Herr Otto Bock produced a "almost 375 H&H performance levels in a cheap common '98 Mauser length action" when the Brits were trying to starve out the German farmers in South Africa and refused to sell them the newer Holland rifles to protect their farms with before the Boer War. FWIW SAKO has upgraded the over 100 year old design in a cartridge named after themselves with a bit more MV and powder squeezed into a stretched 30'06 case...but my skinflint soul refuses to play that game to gain miniscule MV's....and a classic Euro styled hogback stocked CZ fullstock 9.3x62 gives me the heebiejeebies just looking at one of them until my shoulder pops when I mount the heavy arsed rifle. FWIW SAKO, Mauser & Blaser etc all offer a 9.3 in several grades too. I realy need to win decent 7 figure Lottery takehome to afford ALL the Toys I can "justify" needing the places I would take them playing "Have Passport Will Travel, with Game Rifles".
Ron