270 vs 308

what are the pros and cons to each as a hunting round?

My Dad used a 308 for years, in more than one rifle. When he got older and wanted a lighter rifle, we (the grown kids) got him a Ruger 77 Ultralight. I was the designated shopper, and all I could find in that rifle was a 270. We gave it to him for Christmas, so deer season was in full swing. The first thing he shot was a coyote. He told me “son, there were coyote chunks all over the palmetto. I love this 270”. He never missed having a 308.

Both will kill just fine, just think the 308 is a little more versatile.

You can load 110 to 200 grain bullets.

MEAT EATER just did this.... in great detail. No sense reinventing the wheel. Just read the article

Hunting, doesn’t matter so much.. shooting targets the 308 will out do the 270 on all facets.
Negatives of a 270
Long inconsistent brass
Long action caliber
Narrow window of match quality bullets

308:
Military caliber can be extremely hard to find suing pandemic

But like others have said this has been done many times..

IMO, very little difference. I hunt with both. The .270 has more velocity, but both perform very similar at normal hunting ranges. (300 yards and less) I think I prefer the .270, but I can't really tell you why.

As it relates to average hunting distances, the choice is 6 and half a dozen. If you reload, .308 all day. IME, they are not picky. I’m partial to 30 calibers though, and as stated you can load from 110 gr to 200+ gr if you wanted. Right now, I’d find ammo first and then buy the caliber, strictly speaking hunting and factory ammo

It’s hard to get 308 right now. A little easier to get 270 ammunition

For a hunting round you would never know a difference in either round, neither would any animal. The 308 would double as a target round a little better than the 270 would. The 308 will also have a wider range of bullet weights available in factory options. Also, just my experience/opinion, a 308 will have a little less felt recoil in general.

10 miles of bad road ahead.

What do you mean “10 miles of rough road ahead”?

Cool guy gun talk?

I wont speak for him but probably lots of uninformed or misinformed arguing over something that in the end makes little difference.

There are plenty of modern day bullets that will allow the old 270 to stretch its legs way out there.

For a hunting gun, pick which one you want you will likely never know the difference and neither will the deer.

I have found that if I poke a hole in the right place, at the right velocity, caliber is just something to argue about.

I own both calibers. If I could only keep one or the other. 270

Cartridge debates tend to go south. The part that irks me with this comparison is they are quite far apart. One is a long action, the other a short action. However, there is a good chance both of them will probably do what you need them to do.

I’ve hunted with a 308 for the last 10 years. It’s a Remington 700 Varmint and super heavy. I had it cut down from a 26” to an 18” barrel and it’s still heavy. I recently picked up a Tikka 270 T3X with the thoughts of doing a Mule Deer and Elk hunt in the near future. After picking up the Tikka and feeling the weight difference, I’ve made it my primary hunting rifle. Truth is, for most hunting scenarios I’ll encounter, either one will fill the bill for me.

One thing I can say for certain is this pig didn’t know that I switched to a 270.

RC, yours will be the most intelligent post, and most ignored in this whole thread.

^^^ This is your answer! I have hunted with 308 and 270 for years. The 270 is a little faster and flatter shooting and the 308 has bigger bullets with more weight. Both kill equally well with good shot placement. I currently hunt with a 308 Win shooting my 308 Win Bulk ammo with 168 ELDM bullet. It kills everything with adequate shot placement. I just loaded up some new rounds to play with, 150 grain Speer Gold Dots. I plan to shoot those next time I go out. I want t see how well they shoot and how effective they are on game.

If it came down to it, I'd go 308 Win over the 270. The 308 is much more versatile with much better ammo options. The 270 is strictly a hunting round with limited bullet options. But I like to play and tinker with different bullets and have the versatility. But again, with good shot placement, it doesn't matter. So get the one with the rifle you fit behind the best and can shoot better.

One other question - In your sig line you list a 30-06. For hunting, that cartridge will do everything the 270 or 308 will do. Not trying to talk you out of anything, just pointing out the obvious. Now there might be other reasons for wanting to add another rifle. Maybe an upgrade in accuracy, or wanting something lighter (or heavier), or wanting to add a high quality rifle to the arsenal, or needing a backup, or...well, the list is just about endless.