30-06 vs 270

[Stewart1516]

I am 17 and am getting a rifle in about a week. Will be mostly used for whitetail deer. Although I would like the option to go after bigger game at some point. I've been told there really isn't all that much of a difference in trajectory. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

McKenzie

[Hunting Man]

You already have the answer, not enough difference for the average hunter to say one is better. 30-06 will run a heavier bullet but unless your going after moose/big bear then pick the one you like.

[Scorpion8]

The .30-06 can do anything the .270 can and more, because of it's ability to handle heavier bullets. It is one of the most versatile rounds around. In truth, for whitetails, you would not be disappointed with either.

[Hunting Man]

I would give the 270 a very slight accuracy edge.

[WisconsinDeer]

30-06 for me.

[Hellbilly]

Originally Posted by Hunting Man

I would give the 270 a very slight accuracy edge.

HM your right. the 06 also kicks harder.the onlt advantage Id say the 06 has over the 270 is bullet choice.But you cant always go by that.Ive seen rifles only site in good with 180g ammo and others will only shoot 150g ammo good.and some that will handle several differant weights good.If it were me Id go with the 270 and later get something bigger if I wanted to elk,moose,etc hunting

[BruceBruce1959]

Originally Posted by Hellbilly

HM your right. the 06 also kicks harder.the onlt advantage Id say the 06 has over the 270 is bullet choice.But you cant always go by that.Ive seen rifles only site in good with 180g ammo and others will only shoot 150g ammo good.and some that will handle several differant weights good.If it were me Id go with the 270 and later get something bigger if I wanted to elk,moose,etc hunting

I would choose the .270 too but I also wouldn't hesitate using a .270 even on Elk or Moose, .270's are often used here in Vermont for moose with great success.
Federal Premium Ammunition adds the .270 for Elk and Moose also,
The Federal Ammunition link has a good search tool to use for Federal Load Recommendations for specific game animals, a great tool.

[jkm97]

On deer the difference between the two is academic at best. Both are outstanding. The .30-06 has a wider range of bullet weights available, the .270 kicks a touch less and is a touch flatter shooting.

I have killed quite a few deer with each, and I will say that the deer I shoot with the .30-06 tend to drop in their tracks a bit more often than the .270's victims do.

[Hunting Man]

With the 140 gr the 270 gave me a bit better performance than the 150 gr 30-06. Deer drop distances where generally less with the 270. In my Rem Mountain rifle the 270 recoil was on par with my Rem 760 in 30-06. It's mostly related to rifle weight I think. I wouldn't hesitate on purchasing either one. You could throw the 280 in the mix and still have nearly equal debate.

[Karl.Luhr]

They are both great cartridges. I personally love and use the 30-06. I don't think on Deer that either is head and shoulders above the other. One thing that I thought about when my brother-in-law and I were buying rifles 30 years ago was standardizing between the two of us. Consider who you usally hunt/shoot with. There are real advantages to shooting the same rounds as those you hunt/shoot with. My brother-in-law did forget his ammo one morning and the camper was about an hour away round trip, unforunately that was the year I was using a pistol and didn't have ammo to share. If you get into reloading there is even a bigger advantage to using what the rest of your hunting/shooting circle use. I have reloading dies for probibly 10 calibers but I load 30-06 the most. When I stock up components it is usally Nosler 165gr BT in .308 cal, Win 760/H414 powder, and Federal large primers. Two out of three of these would work just as well with the 270 Win, I would have to pick up some .277 cal bullets. I do think that the 270 will kick a little less than the 30-06 in the same rifle.

Karl