.270 Vs. .308

[RemingtonShooter]

New member, first post, so be gentle!

I have two favorite rifles, a .308 and .270. Both BDL's. They are hunting rifles of course. I not a rookie to shooting but I have never really gotten to in depth. However, when looking some ballistic tables it seems to me that a 140Grn 270 is generally pretty close to a 150grn .308. Of course there are many variables, but i was looking at the Hornady Superformance SST and GMX's. Although the wieghts are different, velocity and energy is about the same. I dont know a thing about BC and sectional density. A 400 yard shot is max for me so whatever a .270 can do, cant a .308 do ? (sorry Mr. O'Connor).

The .308 seems to hit as hard, but less recoil? Why is it not used as often as .270 for hunting?

Thanks,

RS

 

[Miller Outdoors]

The .308 seems to hit as hard, but less recoil? Why is it not used as often as .270 for hunting?

That's a difficult question to answer, as personal tastes are quite subjective.

It's difficult to do a 'which is better' comparison between two different calibers - especially when there is such a significant difference in bullet sizes. Making it even more difficult is the fact that the .308 is a short action and the .270 is a long action.

In my opinion, the .308 is superior because it can shoot heavier bullets, uses less powder/has less kick, can utilize higher BC bullets (more earodynamic) and is notoriously accurate at long ranges, but it really depends on what the particular gun's application is. Off the top of my head I can think of no instance where I'd choose a .270 over the .308, but I'm kinda biased to begin with.

 

[Chas1]

I'm not so sure the 270 is a more popular hunting cartridge, alot of folks hunt with the 308. I prefer 308, many more bullet choices, less recoil, with the right setup in the right hands...very accurate. Pretty popular on the competition scene too.

 

[bigngreen]

For inside 400 yrd there's not much difference, the 270 will have more energy, velocity and less drop and wind drift so it's better in every way that I can see, but I'm very biased to the 270 cal stuff. The 270 just kills stuff that is why it is still alive and well, I read an article in a mag that took record book entries and broke them down by cal and specie and the 270 is still a top killer, more game is taken only with the 7mm, if I recall correctly.
Recoil will be less in the 270 driving a 140gr bullet at the same speed than a 150 gr 30 cal. If you romp on it it will recoil more but all things the same except bullet weight the heavier bullet will recoil more.
I only know one guy who shoots a 308 and he only packs it if he thinks he will be shooting inside 200yrds other wise he packs a larger cal.

 

[LordScythe]

Comparatively a 270 against a 308 is like everyone says it is preference choice. I prefer a 270 which is what I have been shooting for about 15 years and I have shot a 308, but to me a 270 does more for me than a 308 cause it can go longer, shoot flatter, in the long run to me it is cheaper.

True a 308 can do more damage at a certain distance cause of the bigger heavier bullet, but also think about this if in some instance you have a shot at a target that is 1500 yards out from you and you are on an angle from above it which would you rather have a round such as a 308 that is going to drop sooner than the 270 round so you have to aim a lot higher than normal and might not have the velocity to impact or a round such as the 270 that loses velocity and drop at a lot farther distance than the 308 and can impact your target, now true it may not do as much damage as the 308 overall but your target will be hit and may run, but definitely for sure is going to bleed and die.

Also on a side note I shoot competitively and there were people who thought I couldn't do crap with a 270 in competition against a 308, but I showed them and beat some of them as well.

 

[royinidaho]

The 308 Win cartridge is popular because of the number of them as a result of the NATO designation. There are many used for match competition. There are many bullet offerings for the .308 WIn.

On the other hand, the 270 Win started life as a game hunting cartridge and was popularized by Mr. O'Connor. Actually I think it was a clunker in those days, but so were most other cartridges of that ilk.

The 308 has many uses as does the 270 Win. However the .308 just ain't as sexy as the 270.

Neither cartridge is a 1000 yard big game getter, in my opinion.

I don't know of a bullet for the 270 Win, currently offered that approaches a bc of 0.600. That is a bummer. The 270 Win will push a 150 gr bullet as fast as a 308 will. Give that bullet a bc over 0.600 and it won't even be a contest.

Come up with a 160 gr offering with a > 0.600 bc and the 270 WSM becomes what a 270 WSM should be. Oops, drifted off there for a bit.

My first "Western" rifle was a 270 Win for shooting everything from chucks to elk. It did well. 90 grain Sierras for chucks an yotes to beyond 400 yards. 130 Sierras for deer. Same for moose. Never did shot an elk with it. Many mule deer.

My first "Eastern" rifle was a 7MM Mauser. The 30-30 of the world. Could only get 170 gr bullets from the factory. Another bummer.

 

[dwm]

How fast could you drive the 270 cal - 169.5 gr ULD RBBT (BC in the .740 range) with a .270Win?

My 270 has a short barrel (for now), I have a H4350 load that shoots 140 Accubonds great.

 

[kyreloader]

How fast could you drive the 270 cal - 169.5 gr ULD RBBT (BC in the .740 range) with a .270Win?

My 270 has a short barrel (for now), I have a H4350 load that shoots 140 Accubonds great.

Better question is what twist would you need in a .270Win to stabilize it?

My bet is factory 1:10 wouldnt work.

 

[bigngreen]

Better question is what twist would you need in a .270Win to stabilize it?

My bet is factory 1:10 wouldnt work.

The 169.5 Wildcat has been shot from a 1-10 twist 270 WSM and it was stable, as far as I know. It's got to be border line though, I've got to get down and pick up a barrel that I have in a 1-9 twist for my 270 WSM.

I'll know how fast they go and how stable they are in a 1-11,1-10, and 1-9 twist 270 win and 270 WSM barrel about two hours after I get my grubby little hands on some!!!!!

 

[winmag]

The 169.5 Wildcat has been shot from a 1-10 twist 270 WSM and it was stable, as far as I know. It's got to be border line though, I've got to get down and pick up a barrel that I have in a 1-9 twist for my 270 WSM.

I'll know how fast they go and how stable they are in a 1-11,1-10, and 1-9 twist 270 win and 270 WSM barrel about two hours after I get my grubby little hands on some!!!!!

When you get some let me know how they do out of a 10 twist. Id like to try them out for elk season if theyre good to go. Any pics of em yet? How fragile are they? What do they cost per-100 or 50?

And to answer the origional post. Out of the two cartriges listed, Id go with the 270. Just my preferance of the two for hunting big game. Both are great calibers, and both will work for hunting big game within reason at reasonable range......... wich for now is about as far as I can accurately shoot anyway, 6-800yds and less with the right bullet and conditions and shot placement. Some may push that further, some may feel its pushing limmits at that range. Its a fine line between opinion and physics. Just my 2 cents.

 

[bigngreen]

When you get some let me know how they do out of a 10 twist. Id like to try them out for elk season if theyre good to go. Any pics of em yet? How fragile are they? What do they cost per-100 or 50?

I'll PM ya, I don't want to kill another guys thread with my 270 cool aid, which I may be able to trace directly to Roy!!

 

[Deerslayer56]

I have a 270 h & r ultra comp and they don't make them anymore but I drilled a deer at around 1430 yards and I also have a 308 and I did some comparing and found the .270 beats the 308 in range, damage , and trajectory

 

[topbrass]

Thread is back from the dead in less than three years?

One good thing about 270 over 308 is you can buy about all the 270 ammo you want right now. Not so easy with 308. gun)

 

[Derek M.]

I have both. I have several 270s and one 308. The 308 kicks a bit more with the 150 NBTs over IMR4064 even though it is a heavier rifle with a Sako M591 action. It kicks more than any of my 270s.

Perhaps it's a finicky rifle and to be honest, I've not spent a lot of time with it but the 308 has been more of a challenge to get an acceptable load over any of my 270s for unknown reasons. I use Lapua brass in the 308 too and only Federal match primers. It has an Obermeyer barrel on it sent straight from Boots himself.

I'm sure one day I"ll get out the 308 and have a go with it. I put in for CO black bear this year. If I draw, I'm taking it and the 30.06, both with 180s.