[mbpe912]

I am new to the hunting thing. Have always thought of a 30-06 as a good all around rifle, however a lot of the guys here are shooting the .270 what is the difference. looking for a nice piece in the 300-650 dollar range? what do you suggest?

 

[redtree]

First of all welcome to the forum. I hope you will enjoy it as much as the rest of us do. My Bro-In-Law is a big time hunter and he uses 270. He primarily hunts Mule deer. He has used it on elk. So it's a good all around caliber. 30-06 is the all time classic load and is also a sweet caliber. Both loads ballistically speaking are very similar. Now if you want to be able to take down any game in North America including moose and buffalo I would say 300 win mag! Good luck!!!

 

[Brickboy240]

I have both 30-06 and a 270.

The 30-06 is a pawn shop rescue 03 Springfield that I put Dad's old Weaver K4 on and refinished the wood and metal. Very accurate and I have put a few deer and pigs in the freezer with it.

The 270 is an early 80s Remington M700 BDL that wears a Leupold 3x9x40mm scope on a Redfield base. I bought this rifle at an estate auction in the mid 90s for 300 bucks, minus the scope. Did a trigger job and its been my #1 deer rifle since then. Very accurate and easier on the shoulder than the 06.

Both are good deer rounds, if you ask me. I have had VERY similar performance out of both calibers. I have found that the 270 seems to be more accurate...but the difference is slight. The 270 is also easier on the shoulder than the 06, but if you stick with the 150gr 06 ammo, its not punishing in the least. Actually, I find the 270, launching a 130gr bullet to be very pleasant for a round that gives such power. My M700 wears its stock hard plastic buttplate and it never bothers me in the least, with its recoil.

I'd say you can't go wrong with either caliber. The 06 might suit you better if you ever decide to go after larger game than whitetails, because you can load it with heavier bullets. The 270 might have an advantage if you'r planning lots of longer shots, because it shoots flatter. Again...these differences are slight.

You CAN load the 270 to some very hot levels - if needed. My Uncle used to handload for his Sako 75 270, some loads that were just under 7mag velocities. He used these rounds out in West Texas for mule deer and antelope hunts.

I think either round will serve you well. Pick a quality bolt gun like the M700 Remington, Model 70 Winchester, M77 Ruger, 550 CZ or Savage Mod 10 and you're in business.

- brickboy240

 

[So Flo]

I bought a Savage rifle/scope combo from Wal-Mart in .270 for around $400.
Once sighted in, it is a very accurate rifle considering what I paid for it. Eventually, I will want to put a better scope on it, but for an entry level gun it will do just fine!

I chose the .270 because it is a very flat shooting round, and here in Florida, we have the opportunity for some fairly long shots in the clear, so the flatter the better IMHO.

 

[RogueXD]

I guess it depends on what you want to do with it and the topo your hunting in. I never was too big on the 270, but I fell in love with the 7mm, I wanted to reach out further!! The 308 is good too. I suppose if I was within 200yrds. the 30-06 or 30-30. The 30.06 is a very hard hitting round and is a good gun, but the drop at 200yds is a lot...

 

[cypress]

I would take a look at the Savage bolt guns. I bought a Savage Model 10 Package gun in 7mm-08 for my son last year. I found it to be very accurate with the accu-trigger right out of the box. It's not as common as the 30-06 or 270 but the 7mm-08 is a nice flat shooting short action round without a lot of felt recoil.

 

[rystineusmc0311]

Basically, the .270 is a .30-06 necked down to a .277 caliber bullet. Really flat shooting and plenty of power for deer and elk.

Honestly as far as on game performance your not going to see any difference if your hunting deer. The 06 will kick more than the .270, but most can handle it especially if you get a recoil pad. And the 06 will give you a little more room to play with bigger bullets.

Other good deer rounds are the .308 and the 7mm08, both are still good for bigger game if you get the chance. Best advice is to pick one and not worry about it, cant really go wrong with either one you asked about or any suggested so far.

 

[spyderman2k4]

For deer either will work fine. My dad has a .270 while my brother and I have 30-06s. However, if you want it to be more versatile, go with the -06 or another .30 cal. While 270s CAN work for larger game such as elk (my dad has taken 2 elk cows with his), it's right on the edge of being acceptable. His latest elk took 4 or 5 rounds to down it. He stated firmly that's the last time he'll be elk hunting with something that small. A larger 30 cal. round will be just fine for things like elk (the guy that owns that elk outfitter has spoken very highly of the -06 round used on elk), and with heavier bullets will also be pretty acceptable for bear and other big game.

Edit: As far as specific rifle, I think that these days most "names" will be acceptable. My preference falls with the Remington 700 as well as the Winchester 70, but Savage offers a really good value as well as a number of others.

 

[vafish]

.....Both are good deer rounds, if you ask me. I have had VERY similar performance out of both calibers. .......

....I'd say you can't go wrong with either caliber. .....

....I think either round will serve you well. Pick a quality bolt gun like the M700 Remington, Model 70 Winchester, M77 Ruger, 550 CZ or Savage Mod 10 and you're in business.

- brickboy240

The argument about the .270 vs the .30-06 has been going on for at least 40 or 50 years. the .270 guys will say their rifle shoots flatter and has less recoil, the .30-06 guys will say their gun is more flexible and has more ammo choices.

But, those quotes above pretty much says it all right there. There just isn't that much difference between them. The .270 is just a necked down .30-06 round. The difference between the 2 is really .03". There isn't a white tailed deer on this planet that could tell the difference between the 2 given equal shot placement.

I have a .30-06, not because I think it is so much better than the .270, but because at the time I bought it most of the guys in my hunt camp including my father and brother used a .30-06. And having forgotten to pack my ammo on one hunting trip I can tell you it's real nice to be able to turn to your hunting buddies and say "Hey can I borrow a couple rounds"

If most of the guys in our deer camp had been carrying .270's I'd probably own one of them now.

If you don't have a group of guys you hunt with that use a particular caliber, then I say follow brickboy's advice.

Get a quality bolt gun in either caliber, put some decent glass on it and go hunting. Your performance will matter a lot more than the difference between the 2 rounds.

 

[Brickboy240]

Yep, shooting the average deer at anything from 50-200 yards...you will probably not notice any difference in performance between a 270 or 30-06. Provided you have a quality rifle and good ammo.

I'd grab either of mine for a serious hunt and feel totally confident.

- brickboy240