.270, 7mm-08 or .308

[redneckd1]

OK, not to open a can of worms here, but I've been thinking of getting a new rifle and have narrowed the calibers to the following and wanted some 'expert' opinions on them

.270, I've used this one for years and it is the top of my list for the following reason:
1. Never had to trail a deer more than 30 yards
2. Flat shooting
3. Can buy ammo anywhere
4. Mild recoil
5. Basically, I trust it!!

7mm-08
1. Been hearing great things about this one
2. Really mild recoil, How mild?? Like a .243??
3. Availability?? Not sure how easy it is to get ammo anywhere

.308
1. I've never shot one, recoil, hard or mild??
2. Like the bigger bullet (than the .270)

Looking to have a rifle that can take anything from coyotes to deer, maybe an elk if I get to take a trip out west one day!! Like to have a flat shooter so I can hold dead on out to about 300 yards. I hunt mostly in the woods with a 100 yard or less shot, but also on the occaisional green field where a longer shot is likely.
Thx for your inputs on the pros and cons of these rounds.
R

[PA-Joe]

Stick with your 270. Although the 708 and 308 are short cases they pack powder into them so recoil is about the same as your 270.

[smoky]

Three great calibers and I would not hesitate to recommend any of the three.  

If you still have the .270, then I would opt for the 7-08 or the .308 in a short action, handy rifle such as the model 7 or the tikka lite or the browning micro medallion.  You can get by with an 18-20 inch barrel in the short actions, but probably would want 22-24 inches in the 270.  By doing this, you have two guns that you can use for different applications (i.e. stand hunting and deep woods/stalking).  All are at least 300 yard whitetail rifles.

Of the two, I really love the 7-08 because I have a fondness for the 7mm class of bullets.  Currently, I hand load for  7mm Rem BR, 7mm-08, 7mm-08 Ackley Imp., 7 x 57, .280 Rem, and 7mm Rem Mag.  I usually don't have much trouble making a 7mm shoot well in a short amount of time.

I don't think you would se any major recoil difference between the 7-08 and the .308, but if there is, the 7-08 should be less.  Also, it is popular enough that just about any gun store, sporting goods store, or wally world should have a good selection of loaded ammunition for it.

Hope all of this helps,

Smoky

[aulrich]

If you don't reload the 308 has the advantage of having cheaper practice ammo available, but I don't know if there are factory varmint rounds available.  If you a gun nut like me I would exclude the 270 because I already have one, as long as you are planning on keeping you current.  

BTW what sort of country do you hunt.  To me it's more the rifle and how it fits where you hunt that is more important than cartridge.  The rounds mentioned are 100% reliable deer killers when used correctly.

Here is one from left field  if your 270 is still working in you current hunting situation it will work out west. Yes the average shot is longer but it is well insde the 270 capabilities. So you don't really need a new big game rig  :cry: but it does sound like you need a varmint rig :lol: a nice 223 or 243 if you want it to be a multi tasker.

[iiibbb]

I bought some surplus Indian manufacture .308 for just over $0.10 a round.

That's cheaper to shoot than WWB 9mm.  Can't speak of the quality of said ammo yet, but how bad can it be for plinking?

Hunting rounds cost in the area of $0.75 to $1.10 round.

[huntsman]

All three are capable rounds, proven, and suited to your specified uses. If varmints to western elk is in the picture, I would nod to the .270. Reason: better ballistic coefficient and better sectional density, flatter shooting for varmints. Better range and power for elk. All these only by a narrow margin, but it could make the difference on long-range shots.

[KYsquirrelsniper]

My thoughts...

270: You pretty much said it all about this one, of course since you own one you should at least know a little something about it :grin:. The main benefits are flat shooting and you can find ammo just about anywhere. IMO, it's one of the best deer rounds ever made.

7mm-08: A good overall round with enough velocity to get the job done and 7mm bullets have good BCs for flat trajectory downrange (but it won't beat your 270). The recoil will be the lightest of the three, but not by much. If you shoot it in a rifle of about the same weight as your 270, just imagine it as shooting your 270 while wearing a fairly heavy jacket, and that's about what the recoil will be like. It's quite a bit more than a 243 due to the bullet weights used in the 7mm-08. The main downfall is that if you don't reload, there isn't a huge ammo selection like there is for the 270 and 308.

308: Basically a 30-06 minus 100-200fps of velocity. The bigger bullet is nice if you plan to shoot game larger than deer, but for use on deer it doesn't have any great advantage over your 270. The recoil is just about the same as a 270 if you compare them in rifles of the same weight. The recoil increase of the 308's heavier bullets is cancelled out by the slower velocity. The main downfall of the 308 is the trajectory. If you want a flat shooting cartridge, look elsewhere, at 300-400yds the 308 is like a rainbow compared to your 270.

Overall, unless you just have a desire to get something different, I'd probably stick with the 270.

[Graybeard]

Not a dime's worth of difference between them for the uses to which you plan to put them. My personal favorite is the 7-08. But since you're used to the .270 Win. and know it well I'd just stick with it. It's all you'll need and familiar to you.

[rickt300]

I have a 270, 7x57 and a 308. I use the 270 for any long range shooting, the 7x57 is a short light treestand rifle and the 308 is a backup for the first two. None of them have noticable recoil, all are accurate and take deer, hogs and elk no problem.

[kombi1976]

The old "single gun theory" seems to be raising it's ugly head in this thread once again. That's no criticism, just an observation.
The .270 Win, much as I prefer other cartridges, really seems your best bet. It's had the reputation as the flatest trajectory cartridge(true or not) for a long while for good reasons.
The 7mm-08 is a fine deer round and if you hadn't mentioned elk(although it is capable of it) or the 300yd non-holdover I would've recommended it as it does have less recoil.
A .308 is fine but I've always felt that in some ways it was a compromise. Don't get me wrong. 308s are famously accurate and cycle fast through the short actions and are efficient in terms of powder but it competing with the old '06 and it's just behind.
But enough. Go the .270. If you do buy an additional rifle however go the 7mm-08.

[redneckd1]

Thx for all the great insight guys, I think I will stick with the old .270, I'm used to it, like it and trust it, so that is hard to beat. I wish I could afford more than one rifle, but I'll have to sell my Ruger bolt to fund a T/C Encore. Then maybe I can get different calibers with only the cost of a barrel. Again, great info on this site, thx for all the help!

[270hunter]

Hi, i have a 270. win. It is a great field gun and like you said flat shooting. But i have figured out (especially this season) it isn't the best woods gun. what will you be hunting, field, or woods?

[Graybeard]

Hi, i have a 270. win. It is a great field gun and like you said flat shooting. But i have figured out (especially this season) it isn't the best woods gun. what will you be hunting, field, or woods?

Perhaps I'm confusing your story with another but I don't think so. If I'm right what you "should" have learned this past season was that either: a. you're not as good a shot as you thought you were or b. you're not much of a tracker.

If the .270 is a great open field deer rifle (and it is) then it cannot NOT be a great woods deer rifle as well. The problem IF there is one lies not with the rifle or chambering but the shooter. Maybe his selection of ammo even. Maybe his shooting skills. Maybe his tracking skills. BUT not the rifle or chambering.

I hunt only in woods. No fields for miles. Same for my oldest son. He's taken every deer he's ever killed with the .270 and I've taken several. Never lost one yet. The only two loads either of us have ever used are the Hornady Classic 140 and the Federal Premium 150 Nosler PT. All but one of our deer have been one shot kills. I shot one in spine from about 200 yards as that's really all I could see. It went down and stayed but required a finishing shot.

The .270 Win. is a great deer rifle period. Works equally as well in thick woods as in open fields. But it can only do what the operator causes it to do.

[270hunter]

sorry graybeard that wasnt me our talking about. Sorry for confusing you.

[dougk]

Excuse me.  But where is the 30-06 in this discussion?

By the Way, my wife shoots the .270 and is very comfortable with it.  Standing at 80 yards she was able to constantly shot inside a 12 inch circle.  She wanted to stand to see how good she was.  I was impressed.

Over Christmas I am hoping to help her get her first big buck.  

Doug

[longwinters]

If you take a 150 gn bullet and shoot it out of the 270 you are looking at 2800-2900fps.  With a 7m-08 you are looking at 2700-2800fps.  And with the 308 you can get 2900-3000fps.  This is out of the Nosler reloading book.  The 270 is not flatter shooting.  This being said, it is still an excellent caliber.  However,  there has been a lot of hype about the "flat shooting 270 but when you look at the reloading books it does not "reign supreme" in the real world.

Long

[THE#1hunter]

Stick with the .270

[redneckd1]

Yeah, I started this post kinda knowing that some folks would throw in some opinions outside the question. I know the 30-06 is a known deer killer and has lots of attributes, however I'm 6' and 180lbs and would rather see the impact throught the scope than have my eyes shut when I pull the trigger, the .270 allows me to do that. I shot a spike on Weds evening with a Win. 140 grn fail safe bullet, it dropped where it stood, like most of the deer I've shot. So, I know there are many calibers, like the 30-06, but I'll stick with the .270. As far as flat shooting I popped a doe a few years ago in Texas at 100 yards, not real impressive unless you throw in that it was the last day of hunting season, on the evening hunt with about 5 minutes of daylight left, the doe came out in some brush and all I could see was her head, one shot being her ear, the exit wound was her mouth, I didn't have to wonder if the bullet would strike the mark. I've had buddies shoot deer with 7mm and 300 win mag that we had to spend hours tracking, not mine with a .270. (shot placement is key) Thx for all the input, this site is unbelievable for the expert knowlegde, but I think the concensus on this one is the .270 will certainly suit my needs.
Thx again.
R

[maroondog]

on an earlier post I saw that you like the "Hornady Classic in the .270"

Is that the: 140 grain SST

or

140 grain Boat Tail Spire Point?


this is for Whitetails in Mississippi.

[ufgators68]

Dude, I'm the same size you are, 6'0" 180 lbs. I shoot a Remington 700 ADL 30-06 w/synthetic stock and I don't notice the kick. I shoot 165 grain Federal Premium Vital Shok nosler ballistic tips and the only time I feel them is when I'm target practicing before season in a tee shirt. It's all in ya head, they don't kick that bad.

[redneckd1]

I know they don't kick all that bad, I haven't shot one since I was 15 though so my memory of it might be more than reality. I just like the .270 and trust it to perform. I don't see any advantage to going to an 06 even if it has only slightly more recoil. I wasn't trying to get a best caliber discussion going, was just looking at differences between .270, 7mm-08 and .308.
Thx,
R

[ufgators68]

I know, just had to take up for my favorite caliber    

All of my in laws shoot a 270, they kill deer just as dead as I do. One of them has taken deer at close to 300 yards with his Ruger bolt action 270. Didn't drop in it's tracks but it didn't go too far either.

If you're comfortable with the 270, you should stick with it. Don't go with anything that'll make you flinch or close your eyes when you shoot. In other words, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[nico243]

let me start by saying all the deer I stalk are in the uk (so our deer are considerably smaller than most of yours :oops: )
I cannot comment on 7mm-08 as I am completely unfamiliar with it!
I seem to be in the minority here but, I prefer the .308" over the .270" any day of the week!
IMHO the .308 in comparison to the .270, is a bit gentler recoil-wise and it definately has less muzzle blast (and although not really a problem to you guys, it is easier and more effctively moderated) and when shooting deer over here in the UK, the .308 is quite clean on the carcass, whereas the .270 tends to destroy a lot of the meat.
My preference is a .243 loaded with 80 or 100grn for smaller deer (and when accompanying stalking clients) and foxes upto about 250-300yds and the .308 with 165grn for larger deer (for annual culling and long-range high-seat (thats tree-stand to you guys)use)

[dougk]

I am now a big fan of the 270.  My wife took 2 deer her first time hunting.  Both deer dropped immediately.  She was using Federal 130 Nossler ballistic Tip.  The other impressive thing is she had only shot 3 rounds out of that gun.

[msorenso]

Just my input,
I have shot many deer with a 270 150 gr.  First few were with a 760 game master open sights.  Dropped right away.  Purchased my grandpas 270 with a scope and dropped a buck this year 150 yards and on a dead run.  With my experience is drops them with no questions asked.  Love it very flat and can shoot very accurately from quiet a distance. :grin:

[James B]

It don't make a nickles worth of difference. They are all great deer guns. I have a 308 and 7mm-08 and have a 270 on the way. Cant have to many of a good thing. :grin:

[IowaBuckHunter]

If you dont want the recoil, then I would certainly go with the .270.  Although, if It were me, I wouldn't even go that big.  The largest I would use would be a 25-06 or 257 Weatherby.  These are both smoking rounds for deer.  Other great choices would be the 243 or 243WSSM.  The WSSM is also a good one with ballistics similar to the .25 cals.  I know this is outside the discussion, but You may want to look at the ballistics on these.  I have shot 5 deer in wisconsin with my 243 and never had to track any of them.  They folded instantly from ranges of 150-325yds.   Best overall choice for deer- the 257 weatherby.  it is expensive to shoot when buying factory ammo, but ballistically it is AWESOME for deer.  If you think you may go elk hunting or something like taht, then go with the 270 or 08.

[deerman12]

Any of the three are great.  Shot placement is the key.

[kenscot]

The only reason I can see( other than just wanting a new rifle) for you to switch from your 270 is for a shorter lighter weight rig. Which is what I just did. Got me a Browning Micro hunter in 7mm-08 it only weighs
6lbs 4 oz and is less than 40 " over all length. Shoots 3 shots under .5"   :-) love this little rifle

[targetguy]

Go .308

Diameter Rules