This is not a sarcastic question. I really want to get some good advice why someone would want one because I'm getting a new bolt action in the short future. It seems to me like they are a necked down 30-06.

Pros? Cons?

little less recoil but other than that I think the 06 has it beat in every category

The more specific your purpose, the easier it is to answer your question. If all you want is something in the 6.5mm to .30 cal range to shoot deer with, then there's not really a lot of ways to say how or why any one of 'em is better than another.

Complex question really.

Recoil is less because it shoots, on average, a lighter bullet. Yes, you can load an '06 down to avg 270 weights, but the equal weight 30 cal bullet's BC suffers due to it's larger diameter, thus shorter length when equaling the weight of a 270 bullet.

Add to that, to get the same BC's in an '06 round, you need to step up in weight. Now you might be creating a situation where the '06 bullet doesn't serve up the energy on the medium size critter, due to over-penetration, the 270 would.

Now I haven't checked out the trajectory of different avg weight bullets to see if this is a noticeable amount (i.e., enough to make a true difference in trajectory). Just relating what immediately comes to mind.


I'd choose the '06 any day if I were going with a long action caliber and those were my only choices. Some will argue. But the fact is, there is a wider range of available bullet weights in 30 cal.. Look at that, and the fact that most shots are taken in a short enough distance where trajectory is never a concern. Either one is a good choice though, and both together are responsible for the bulk of animals taken in the field each year.

But personally, unless I needed it for "big" game, Id choose the little brother, the 308. Or the caliber I love so much, the 7-08 (the perfect whitetail round, IMO).

The fact is, no matter which of any of the popular 25-30cal rounds you choose, the animal is just as dead.


Jay

Why would anyone want to get kicked harder? That is the correct answer

Very helpful from all. Other than hunting I really enjoy grabbing a couple boxes of ammo and going to the range regularly even though it'll probably wear the gun out faster. But hey they're meant to be shot! But I don't like the beating my shoulder takes from running 40 rounds of 30-06 through a gun, which is why the lesser recoil responses sounds delightful.

To be more specific I want to reach out and hit a hog/deer/pronghorn type animal out to 500M. My skills are good enough to, and I want a bullet that can take advantage of that ability. Does me no good if I can shoot that far but my bullet runs out of oomph.

Does a .270 have the resume for that guys?

270 will shoot flatter than the 06,has less recoil,and has more than enough power for any thing in the u.s.a.

I am an '06 fan. But, the 270 is relatively flat shooting, medium recoiling medium and big game rifle suitable for anything in North America except big bears (I have hunted with guys up north that used the 270 for bear and moose, but I wouldn't). The ammo is available everywhere you will hunt on this continent.

All that said, I would still choose 30'06. But it is a very personal choice.

Recoil same as a .308 or less?

My 30-06 browning with the BOSS barely kicks at all, even with hornady light mag bullets. And as far as bullet drop even at 500 yards there is not much difference. If you miss with the 30-06 you will more than likely miss with the 270. I prefer the 30-06, because it offers more choices.

yeah the muzzle break sure makes the difference but I shoot a Rem 700 CDL in 06 and its not to bad until about 15 shots in a sitting but heck if I want to shoot more than that I will get out the mini-14 or the 10/22

the difference in trajectory is minimal

Winchester CXP Guide

from the Remmy chart
30/06 150 gr Core-lokt PSP-300yds energy=1445 lbs traj=8.2"low
.270 150 gr Core-lokt PSP-300yds energy=1185 lbs traj=9.4" low

The .270 Winchester was developed by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1923 and unveiled in 1925 as a chambering for their bolt action Model 54[2]. The cartridge is based upon the .30-06 Springfield, and the case is slightly longer due to the necking down process.

Driving a 130-grain (8.4 g) bullet at approximately 3140 ft/s (957 m/s), (later reduced to 3060 ft/s (933 m/s)) the cartridge demonstrated high performance at the time of its introduction and was marketed as being suitable for "long range shooting" on most big game.

Two additional bullet weights were soon introduced: a 100-grain (6.5 g) hollow point bullet for Varmint shooting, and a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet for larger deer, elk and moose in Big-game hunting[2]. While not an immediate success, over the succeeding decades and especially in the post WW2 period, the .270 Winchester has attained great popularity among gun owners and hunters, ranking it among the most popular and widely used cartridges worldwide. Internationally, firearms manufacturers now offer this chambering in all firearm varieties: bolt actions, single-shots, lever-actions (such as Browning BLR), Pump-actions (such as Remington 7600), autoloaders (such as Remington 7400) and even a few double rifles.

150 gr win XP 30/06 @ 300 yds is 150 lbs behind and 1/2" lower

Two words says it all for anyone that is in the know...

Jack O'Connor....google it.

Earl

I like them both. I'm probably not gonna shoot at a deer that is 400 yards out, so the ballistics at those distances are irrelevant to me.

As far as recoil goes, I have a Remington 7400 in 30-06, and can shoot 2 boxes at one sitting and not even notice it. But like I said, I am not a distance shooter, so I don't need a super accurate bolt gun.

Post deleted by Packmule1

Yes, at distances within 300 yards, the .270 and 30-06 appear to provide equal performance.

Perhaps it was consideration of the hunters in the central and western states that led Winchester to create the .270. We have to keep in mind that newer cartridges are almost always created because of the shortcomings of an earlier one. I've never hunted such open country. But I can easily see a guy standing near the bottom a rising Rocky Mountain foothill, wishing his 30-06 had a little more velocity to take down that Ram standing some 350 yards above him.

It may also be worthy to mention that the 30-06 was created for use by U.S. Army for combat use. Little wonder that hunters eventually demanded something better for "sporting" use. And as reloaders know, it's the shortcomings in performance of factory ammo that causes them to create their own "cocktails."

JMO, but I suspect many of the guys who prefer the 30-06 over the .270 would feel "wimpy" throwing less lead at a deer. I mean, the ability to blast massive bullets is definitely something that satisfies some. Personally, I'm just too dang old now to worry about what someone might think about the rifle I carry. To me, hunting with my little .243, over my .270, equates to fishing with lighter tackle. It's all in executing the proper technique, and knowing the capabilities of the gun, and most importantly, the shooter.