Debate time: .308 vs .270

[Dr Ray]

270 for me. Over here the 270 is not fashionable so they are very cheap to buy. Also flatter shooting, very good for reds on the hill.
Markcz

And the 270 has more energy and it shoots a lot flatter if you can call it that .
But the 308 is useful for shooting heavier game as the slower bullet generally penetrates deeper than the faster moving 270 bullet. Note I wrote “generally”.

 

[mdwest]

.308 for me... Its just a better "all around" rifle for meeting the requirements of 90+% of the hunting I do, whether its deer, pigs, elk here in the US, or PG in Africa..

I certainly appreciate the "flat" shooting capability of the .270, and have learned to love the almost non existent recoil in some of my "smaller" bore rifles.. we're actually having a .270 built for my wife right now that I think is going to be one of her prized possessions once its finished..

But being able to load the .308 down to 110gr projectiles, and all the way up to 180gr.. is a major plus for me.. and one particular .308 I have in my safe is just "comfortable".. I know that gun better than probably any other I own..

and with rare occasion do I ever take a shot past about 150 yards (more often than not, shots are inside 100 yards).. so the "flat" aspect of the .270, while nice, really isnt of much value to me personally..

 

[Eventually_Africa_Again]

As someone who doesn't (yet) reload I've owned and used both of these calibers in a ton of different rifles. At the end of the day, however, I no longer own any 308's and I do still own a .270. For me it was just a good combination of very low recoil, good trajectory and above all (for me) the ability to put the bullet right where I wanted it. I'm accurate enough with it to have no worries about a slightly smaller round. Also have to admit that I have 2 rifles in 6.5x55 Swede and I'm not sure if I should sell one of those two, or double down and sell the .270 lol. Anyway that's just my two cents and I'd say that honestly it would be very hard to go wrong with any of these calibers.

 

[fourfive8]

...tonight on .308 vs other favorite cartridges... Which do you prefer? Why?

hey LostandboredinTexas. What would be your choice and why? 270, '06, 308, etc..... ad nauseum

 

[Bill Bunn III]

.270 and brunettes

 

[Art Lambart II]

The 270 and 308 are both successful rounds but neither is a successful as their parent case. I'm not recoil shy so for me the choice is clear, the 30-06 all day, everyday, over the 270 and the 308.

 

[Nyati]

I am old school, and see the .270 as a hunting cartridge and the .308 as military.

 

[MarkCZ]

The 270 and 308 are both successful rounds but neither is a successful as their parent case. I'm not recoil shy so for me the choice is clear, the 30-06 all day, everyday, over the 270 and the 308.

I thought this was just 270 v 308 but now you mention the 30-06 you are definatly floating my boat. My 30-06 with 165 grn bullets shoots to point of aim at 200 yrds. I have taken more game with this rifle than all my others put together and only the other day we were shooting a muntjac size gong out to 300 yrds. In my opinion the 30-06 is superior to the other 2 calibres. I do like my 270 though I just feel unfaithful when I take it out of the cabinate instead of the ought 6.
MarkCZ

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

Cut my teeth on a Springfield 1903A3 in .30-06 SPR, so neither the .308 or .270 are useful to me. After I grew up and matured, I lean towards the 6.5 x 55 SE to get things done.

 

[Dwight Beagle]

I've shot my .270 since I was old enough to save and buy it at the ripe old age of 14. I'm closing in on 50 now, so 35 years of loading and shooting that gun. My vote is for the .270, though it really is only because of the emotional attachment.

The two rifles we had in the family for hunting were a military surplus 1903A3 and a Lee Enfield. Neither were sporterized. When I was 13 in 1972 I took some calf money, walked into Gibson’s and walked out with a 700 ADL .270. It has taken an elk, several nilgai, countless whitetails and hogs, a number of axis and one Rottweiler. Have had a 30-06 for ten years but haven’t shot it since I sighted it in, but I won’t be getting rid of it. I agree the 30-06 is more versatile if you hunt in big bear , moose and elk country. But living in Texas a .270 is more versatile to me though mine has been semi-retired for a while in favor of a 6.5x55. I have an irrational dislike for the .308 in a bolt action rifle and don’t have a clue as to why. I also could care less about whether a cartridge is short action or long action.

.270 is a Corvette
30-06 a Camaro
.308 a Taurus

 

[Eric Anderson]

I am old school, and see the .270 as a hunting cartridge and the .308 as military.

Edit, I misread

 

[DG870]

My vote is for the 270. Reasons: mostly sentimental, as a 13 year old in the 60’s I was an avid reader of Sports Afield and Guns and Ammo and the 270 for me is the “rifle that Jack build”. I saved money and bought my first 270 in 1973. The rifle and caliber has served me well for 45 years mostly for mule deer and coyotes. I learned how to reload using the 270 and tried lots of different bullets, powders and it has treated me very well.

The 308 is a fine round and the new alphabet rifles ie. wsm’s, rcm’s etc might get another 100 FPS but for my hunting the 270 Winchester is still a fine all around cartridge.

 

[Nosler guy]

Can't imagine that I will ever have either of these calibres in my gun cabinet, just too many others that do every thing these two will and much more ...

 

[Longwalker]

.308 all day long and twice on Sundays. I've been hunting with a .308 since the beginning, and never found it lacking. My hunting buddies have used a .270 just as long, and while it is a very effective cartridge on deer sized game, it destroys more meat than necessary, and isn't as dependable when it encounters large bones in something the size of moose. For me, versatile cartridges start at caliber 7mm and up. If I want a specialized smaller caliber for light hoofed game I choose a .25-06.

 

[Ragman]

I’m another one on the .308 bandwagon without question. I used to own both a .308 and a .270 but sold the .270 to fund something else. I have a huge respect for that caliber, but would never choose one over the .308. In my opinion with bullets from 150 to 180 grains the .30-06 offers no advantage over the .308 either. Like @Longwalker I live in Saskatchewan and we are blessed to be able to hunt a wide variety of big game species….pronghorn, whitetails, mulies, elk, moose and black bears. I’ve shot them all (except pronghorn) with the .308 with excellent results. It is the only caliber I will never be without and if I could only have one, that would be it.

 

[BloodyKnuckles]

Been shooting a .270 for 32 years. The first new rifle I saved for and bought. So, I’m partial to it.
i’ll always choose a .270 over a .308 but there are a few rifles chambered in .30-06 in the house that generally get the nod.

BTW, bride is blonde.

 

[Berettaco]

First - both are great rounds and are extremely close in performance. I prefer the 270 due to nostalgia and like to shoot heavy for caliber bullets. If you are comparing the 150 gr 270 and the 180 gr 308 - the 270 wins in trajectory, ballistic coefficient and sectional density with most bullets.
I took my Kimber 270 for PG this last trip to Limpopo and it performed flawlessly with 150 Aframes. Didn’t recover any bullets - clean pass through with shoulder shots.

 

[IvW]

Neither 7x64 Brenneke or 7x65R

 

[colorado]

270 not even close. A comparison with the 30-06 would be more fair

 

[Alex38]

.270 for me. I have 2 myself and just bought one for my daughter (M70 EW). I have 0 .308’s, though I have used them in the past for boar. I think the 150 Partition from a .270 is an excellent combination when it comes to trajectory, recoil, penetration, etc. Its an excellent all-around combo that works well for me in about anything that isn’t dangerous.