.270 and .308 Velocities from 15" barrel?

[BigBrass]

I am considering buying my first T/C for deer and hog hunting, and I am thinking about an Encore with 15" barrel; maybe in .270 Win, maybe .308. maybe 30-06.  Can you help me decide about the caliber by advising as to approximately what muzzle velocities I should expect to get from a 15" barrel  with a .270, with a .308, or with a 30-06? (If I have an idea what muzzle velocities to expect, I can work out the ballistics from there.)  I would be handloading for this gun, in case that matters.  Thanks much.

[palgeno]

I've tried pretty much all weights of .30 caliber Nosler bullets in my 15" .308 just for fun, but settled on 150 gr. bullets for deer---150 gr Partitions average 2550 fps with a nearly max load of Varget----less than moa out to 250yds which is as far as I have shot for groups----the 150 gr BT's are just a tad faster and will group 1/2 moa 3 shot groups from an Uncle Buds Bull Bag. I have not tried Barnes TSX's yet. I guess you can kill pigs with any caliber commensurate with the weight of the animal, but I like to hunt them with a big bore revolver using a heavy cast lead bullet just in case I stumble into a giant one----still hoping! :lol: pg

[BigBrass]

pg: Thanks, that information was helpful.

Does anyone have a figure for what kind of muzzle velocity I might expect with a .270 Win or 30-06 from a 15" Encore barrel?  (Velocity for a 150-grain bullet would be the best, so I can compare it to the figures pg has provided for a 150-grain bullet in  .308 .)

[redawg]

Hello!  While I don't have any pistol barrels for my Encore yet, I do have a couple of loading manuals that list data for 15" Encore pistol barrels.

Hornady Fifth Edition
270 Win
150gr 2500-2600
Nothing listed for 30-06 in a handgun

Sierra Fifth Edition
270 Win
150gr 2350-2550
30-06
150gr 2500-2600
180gr 2300-2400

The above velocities were with max loads.  As I said before I don't have any Encore pistol barrels, these were velocities taken from the manuals.  HTH!

[BigBrass]

redawg:  Thanks a bunch.  That was just what I needed.

Ballistically, the .308 looks like the best bet in a 15"  barrel, so far.

[BigBrass]

I take it back.  Now that I have run some numbers with the .270 shooting a 150-grain bullet (rather than the 130-grain), that combination seems to give the highest energy at 300 yards with the least drop of any of the three cartridges, when fired from a 15" barrel.   That was kind of unexpected.  I had assumed that the .308 would be the winner with bullets of equal weight.

[KYODE]

pick up the hodgdons annual manual. paperback/magazine form of load manual. only costs about 7 bucks, and has good handgun data with their powders.

[Lone Star]

Be careful with your calculations - if you don't use bullets of similar type in each cartridge your results will not be valid.  A high-BC 150-grain .270 bullet will give higher retained energy at 300 yards than a flat based 150-grain .308 bullet will if both are launched at the same velocity.  Trying to use simple ballistic chart comparisons is not the best way to evaluate cartridge performance.  A difference of 1" drop at 300 yards is nothing, as is a 200 fpe difference in energy.   These parameters make good armchair discussions - but are worthless in the field.

From Hodgdon maximum load 15" barrel data:

.270WCF..130SP...2719 fps
................150SP...2472 fps
.308WCF...150BT...2675 fps
.................165SP...2576 fps
.30-06......150BT...2721 fps
................165 BT..2605 fps

Downrange performance is substantially effected by the choice of bullet.  To normalize things, use Nosler BallisticTip bullets for all calculations.  Good luck.