is a 7mm-08 smaller then a 270

7MM is .284 diameter if that's what you mean

Case on a 7mm-08 is smaller than a 270 by the same relation as a 308 is smaller than a 30-06.

Bullet diameter for a 270 is .277 inches while a 7mm bullet is .284 inches so in bullet diameter the 270 is only .007 inches smaller than a 7mm.

so a 270 will kick less

No, kick has a few more factors.

The 7-08 will kick less then the 270 which has a higher case capacity.

The 7-08 is a necked down 308, and the 270 is a necked down 30-06

You can look at recoil charts online

A 270 kicks like a mule!! A 7mm-08 isnt too bad.

kick is also a function of bullet weight

Rifle weight as well.

I will agree that a 270 kicks more, but like a mule? Hardly. But I guess perceived recoil is also open to interpretation depending on the individual too.

My Sako in 270 kicks firmly, but my Dad's Ruger Ultralight in 270 will rattle your teeth.

7-08 = short action

.270 = long action, more powder, more recoil.

thanks

Just some thoughts on the OP's questions.

Someones Perception is Their Reality

Lots of factors go into quantifying Foot Pounds of Free Recoil....and is NOT "Felt Recoil" because Felt Recoil is Subjective and not Objective.

Free Recoil in a super simplified answer is measured by suspending a rifle from a fixed object, firing it, and measuring how far the rifle swings, and comparing that distance to how much energy is expended to move the rifle that same distance....think a trigger pull guage in reverse as measuring device.
Other "Known" factors include: weight of the rifle & barrel diameter - less barrel jump in heavier barrels,
net chamber pressure -can be a measurement of bullet speed & is NOT necessarily the amount of powder used - more efficient calibers use less powder for the same bullet speeds ...think 308 x 30'06 in 150 gr'ers,
burn rate of the gunpowder used - faster burning powders pressure curve is all contained in the barrel,
heat range of the primer used - magnum primers burn all the powder in a shorter distance ie a faster pressure curve,
shape of the stock - *degree's of stock's comb angle from barrel as measured from the butt & *degree of angle in the butt from the reciever as measured at the toe - think a dog leg shaped stock that kicks like #$@! and this could be a Felt Recoil aspect too as generally straighter combed stocks don't generate as much Felt Recoil as a doglegged stock does,
construction material used in the stock and it's flexibility to aborb recoil - laminated zero flex no give stocks vs Hogue over molded rubber coated fiberglass non reinforced stocks,
barrel length - how long does the bullet take to exit the barrel,
weight of the bullet being fired - 300 gr bullets at 2700 fps out of a 375H&H kick more than a 130 gr 6.5x55 swede at 2700 fps
yadda yadda.

Other "Unknown" aka non quantifiable Felt Recoil factors include: age, total body weight, chest size/arm length, muscle mass vs fat mass for height & sometimes even gender of the shooter because of bone structure mass & frame size, how well does the rifle fit the shooter, how much experience does the shooter have with similar shaped rifles, what kind and hardness of recoil pad/butt plate being used - steel/plastic or no slip hard rubber x thick soft foam rubber Limbsaver type pads... yadda yadda.

All of this assumes that the shooter is shooting from the same position for both rifles ... makes no difference as long as they are equal.

IMO & IME As a far as the differences between a 7 1/2lb "all up" ie scoped/slinged/loaded 7-08 vs a 8lb "all up" 270 in the same brand and model bolt action rifle shooting the same weight bullets at roughly the same speeds ...the differences betwen the two calibers in Felt Recoil & Ft Lb's of Recoil will be surprising little, mebbe 1 or 2 Ft Lbs at most. IMO this is more an expression of the 4-6oz weight difference between a SA X a LA & Felt Recoil could be a tad less as the weight of the SA being slightly more concentrated in the SA.

EX: It is easy to differentiate the recoil from say a 22-250 anything from a 30'06 anything for a blindfolded person because of the obvious changes in Known Factors.
Cheers Ya'll
Ron

a .270 was made from a .30-03 case

the .280 was based off the 06'

Recoil is per person. What one person thinks is bad, another doesn't.

I LOVE the recoil of a 270. It has less of a snap then a 308. Less push then a 30-06.

The combination of snap and push make it a fun round to shoot. Ive shot the living crap out of deer with a 270. If I needed to take a second shot, rack the bolt and cut loose. Never once did the thought of "it kicks like a mule" cross my mind.

I hate 40cal recoil. I don't mind 9mm. But I love 45GAP. There's probably 5 other people in the world that thinks the same.

Some recoil taste better then others. 243 and 7mm08 have a snap. But until you learn how to deal with heavier recoil. Sway with it, let it do it's thing, come back on target. Those cals are perfect. Recommended for beginner shooters.

I tend to agree with this!

All the coolaid drinkers will yell 7mm08 tho.

Oh how recoil threads lose touch.

458win mag? Does it kick? How about a 375H&H???

They all kick. Even 22's. If youre gonna over think recoil to computer data on free recoil...why stop at 7mm08...get something even lower...

Recoil is a cal's trait. It's a mechanical symptom of the cartridges design. No matter what recoil a cal has. It's the learning of what it does during ignition thats more important then a self perceived idea of recoil.


No one is cussing 7mm08. It has a different recoil then 270. No bad, no worse. It simple does it's job with different movement.


Youtube big guns. I'm sure people have seen the huge rifle(600?) knock the living crap out of these fools in a indoor testing site. Fool after fool shot the rifle. The rifle flys out their hands. They fall, get all drama-y. Then one person steps up. Shoots. Holds the rifle. Comes back on target.

Recoil to him isn't the same as to the fools that got slapped in the face with a 15# rifle.


Don't buy a 270 or a 416 rem mag if you already think they will kick. Cuz they will. It's in your head.

Some people don't golf. Not that don't like the game. They haven't learned how to handle the club......

From the Handloads.com recoil calculator. Using the Nosler #6 manual for max load data:

7-08
@ 7.5 lbs rifle weight, 140gr bullets, at 2900fps using 49 gr's RL19 = 15.31 Foot Lb's of Free Recoil.

270
@ 8.00lbs rifle weight, 140gr bullets, at 3000 fps using 55 gr's RL19 = 16.23 Foot Lbs of Free Recoil.

Got some interesting other info on recoil velocity and stuff too.
Ya'll check it out.
Cheers
Ron

facepalm.....good luck guys

I never have heard this. Nothing online confirms this including Chuck Hawks who states it is a 30-06 based cartrdge http://www.chuckhawks.com/270family.htm

and sierra manual states the same, page 403.

Curious as to the real story behind the cartridge. can you site a source? Thanks

Also, who in their right mind would load a 7mm08 wit 49 grains of anything? Under those conditions the correct comparison would be 70 grains of R22 in the 270.

i load mine with 50.5 gr of win 760 and my friend 7-08 likes 50 gr of rl9

In reality, the 270 is a better choice for just about everything

I like the 7.08 but laugh when folks think its any better than the 243 especially when most folks are using 120-140gr bullets at a slower speed than the 243.

With a 140 grain bullet? I guess I should have qualified that....

Well Ill be a dipstick! Alliant says you can do it. I might just have to try that combo!

Agree with you on the 270 being based on the 30-06 in everything I have read. The 30-03 had a short life really and was not the Military round for what 21 years prior to the introduction of the 270?

Powders in the burning rate of 4350, 4831, RL 22... the 270 will max out using about 14% more powder than the 7mm-08 and the weight of powder has to be considered in the calculation of recoil. First data I had for reloading the 7mm-08 in 1982 used IMR 4350 and max loads were listed at 48.5 grains and was a bigtime compressed charge behind a 145gr Speer SPBT.