I have both, and like both, but will almost always pick up the 06 before the 270.

My brother and I used to hunt a lot of elk and antelope and deer together in Montana. He shoots a 30-06 and I shoot a 270. Everything I shot regardless of distance always dropped dead with one shot. It seemed like he had to put 2-6 shots in his critters to get the same results. Ammo? Shot placement? Not sure but I have a mental image stuck in my mind and prefer the 270 even today.

Shooter.

Agreed. There are the two most popular long action cartridges for a reason.

If that's the criteria for choosing a gun, I want a 270-06. At the same damn time.

I've killed way more deer with my .270 than I've done with my 30-06. Then again I didn't have a 30-06 until the last half dozen years or so. Now I take both rifles every time I go deer hunting and which ever rifle case I pull out first is the rifle I'll use that day. Here in Texas I zero them for 100 yards but when I go to South Dakota deer hunting I zero them at 200 yards. While the 06 has a little more drop with 150 grain pills than the .270 firing 130 grain pills at 200 yards, it's not much. I keep the dope chart in the scope cover for quick reference. I normally only shoot out to 300 yards because for the most part I'm shooting from a standing position off of shooting sticks. If I'm lucky, I can kneel or sit and shoot off my sticks for a little more stability. So for deer it's a wash, shoot which ever caliber/rifle you're most accurate with. Elk and bigger game I'd go with a 30-06 with heavier bullets.

The 145gr ELDX in the Prec Hunter round is a laser.

Google the title of this thread and you�ll have several years worth of reading. There are no comments in this thread that haven�t already been discussed from every possible angle ad-nauseum. A poster mentioned killing everything with one shot using his .270 while brothers 30-06 required multiple shots. I�ve the heard the story except it is reversed a thousand times.

I have both, .270 has killed the bulk of animals shot in my lifetime, I can�t recall anything I�ve killed with my 30-06. If the roles were reversed the kill/wound stats would be the same. A much higher percentage of THF members shoot long range and reload compared to the population at large. To the vast majority of US hunters it makes zero difference which cartridge is used, the results will be the same.

Facts would favor 30-06 if I lived or hunted where brown bears hang out and that�s definitely what I�d use, but I don�t.

You mean we aren't breaking new ground in this debate?

Last year I sighted in my Sako 85 270 with 145gr ELDX in the Prec Hunter and it was right on. I sighted in my son's M70 Featherweight with 130 grain Hornady SST's and both were spot on. This year just got back from the range and the Sako 85 Hunter shot the SST 140 grain better at 1 MOA but struggling a little bit with my son's M70 Featherweight 270 doing better with 145 ELDx 145 ammo. hopefully they will both shoot the same in the field!

It is quite shocking. But no.

30-06 hands down, never have I heard of .270 long range. 30cal offers better BC.

The 145 ELDX in the .270 will out-perform the 178 ELDX in the .30-06 at every distance to 1000 yds. They're close enough in BC that the additional speed of the smaller bullet carries the difference.

Is that trajectory or energy or both?

Hornady data, my calculator, your decision.





Edit: I should have added wind.

Well, he mentioned long range and BC, which to me speaks to trajectory, but here's the comparison:

the 178 starts at 2750, carrying 2990 ft lbs. At 500 yards it drops 49.1", is at 2194/1902. At 1000 yards it drops 282.6", is at 1709/1155

the 145 starts at 2970, carrying 2840 ft lbs. At 500 yards it drops 41.2", is at 2371/1810. At 1000 yards it drops 239.2", is at 1847/1099.

Arguing over the 270 vs 30-06 is futile. They are based on the same exact parent case (the 30-06), therefore if both are pushed to the max with a given bullet, they will exhibit near identical pressures with very similar trajectories. You will be changing up the trajectory simply based on the BC and velocity of the bullet you are shooting for the long range data. But the end result will be very similar. It's like arguing over which female identical twin is hotter.

Back in the day when I bought my first deer rifle I had this decision. I was 11 years old and followed the advice of some old farts I knew and bought a 270. I have never regretted the 270, but I can say that if I was in the same position today I would buy the 30-06 every time.

Thats funny. The first rifle I bought was a 30-06 because that's what all the old farts, including my dad, shot back in the day. I gravitated away from 06 for a number of years but started hunting with one last year again. Recoil is not as bad as I remember and I can say was def happy with the results.

When I was a teen, I saved up all my lawn mowing money & went to Thompson's Liquor Store that was a few blocks away from home in San Antonio. I think I rode my bike(?) They had a great selection of new & used guns! Any way, I bought a brand new Remington 700 BDL for $85 in .270 Win. At the time I was a big reader of Jack O'Connor in Outdoor Life Magazine & I wanted a magical .270. When I got home with my new rifle, my dad was proud of me, but the first thing he said was "What happened, were they out of .30-06's?"

I still have that rifle & have replaced the barrel once. I'm still pleased with my rifle & caliber decision 50+ yrs ago.

Sooo..

9mm or .45?

If a .308 Win can shoot a 178 gr at 2700 fps, then a .30-06 can shoot the same bullet______.

the .270 was based on the 30-03 casing....and in the case of twins more often than not there is one that is better looking for whatever reason