Posted on 05/28/2006 7:15:50 AM PDT by Bear_Slayer
My son is stepping up from .243 to a larger caliber hunting rifle.
The goal is to shoot deer and elk at farther distances.
His friend shoots .270 and my son has it in his mind that this is what he wants too.
I've owned and prefer the .30/06 and know little about the 270.
I do understand that the cartridge is the same as the 06 but not sure how that effects it in any real world situation.
Is there a good web page for common caliber ballistics, which also shows comparisons with other calibers?
Thanks.
BTW - what do you know about 308 Norma mag vs 308?
I'm looking at buying one used.
Depending on the terrain, the 7mm Rem. Mag. and the 7mm or .300 WSM may be a little more suitable for your son's needs. With regards to the .30-06 I'm prety much in agreement with Guns & Ammo magazine's Bob Milek...it's probably the most versatile, all-around utility round for North America, but if a weapon is being sought for a specific use or need, there's probably something better out there. In broad terms, the 7mm's and .300 mags will generally provide a flatter trajectory than the .30-06 and deliver more energy than the .270. Depending on how much Elk hunting is going to be done in pack country, or how much more the rifle will be carried than actually thought, the WSMs may provide a lighter package that's a lot easier to lug up and down hills/mountains for a couple days at a time.
Re: my post #5...I meant G&A's Craig Boddington, not Bob Milek.
Yep every ammo manufacturer has one. Here's three..
I have a .270 myself which is good for anything from varmint hunting up to elk depending on the bullet. However, I did have a hunting guide in Alaska tell me, when I asked him how many guns he owned, that he only had one rifle and it was a 30.06. He said it was good for anything on the NA continent with the exception of Grizzly.
Excellent. That's what I was looking for.
I assume that would be larger varmits such as the coyote. Anything smaller, it seems to me, would be too much bullet, and even then the .270 would ruin a coyote hide, for the pelt hunter.
Squeeze the trigger and wait about 30 minutes for that familliar sound of the strike...and yes....squeezing that trigger always results in a blued shoulder..a 2 pound hammer would do less dammage....but it creates such a loud report and shockwave.....!
Your choice of the two calibers is not nearly as important as regularly practicing up to the maximum anticipated range. {and estimating the range}
Correct. If you wanted a rifle for varmints only you would be better off with a .22-250 or a .22 hornet or something else in that range. The .270 will make an effective varmint gun with smaller bullets around 110 grain and makes a very effective big game cartridge with 150 grain bullet. It's the versatility of the caliber that I wanted to emphasize, not it's superiority in any particular application.
You may want to take a look at Shoot! v.30 ballistics software (shareware - 30 day free trial).
Try a 7mm08. Shoots flat. 139gr. Hornaday shoots 3000fps at the muzzle with much less kick than 270, 30-06 or 308.
If he's already got a .243 and adds an 06 to his arsenal he'll be set for the rest of his natural life. Unless of course he starts hunting in Africa.
Just my two cents. You're mileage may vary.
L
7mm Magnum. I have been on a whole lot of hunts where I saw this rifle do the trick at amazing distances, and drop even large game like a hammer. This rifle proved to me how Lee Harvey Oswald could have single handedly done what he did. I once witnessed a friend of mine shoot an elk with a Bolt Action Remington 7mm Magnum, and then shoot it again before it even hit the ground. And this was from about 300 yards. I was amazed. But I never had a problem believing that Lee Harvey was the lone gunman after that! I've always used a .308, and it just doesn't have the knock down power at distance that I think it should have. Great for Whitetail though.
I faced the same thing with my son. got him the 270 w a muzzle break. he has taken many game animals up to and including elk, and a big moose with it. Winchester sells a high power 270 round that basically has the same energy as a 30-06 if you want more omph.
for a kid the 270 is way beter bacause it is manageable recoil, less flinching. and with the muzzle break it is very light recoil. i got a browning for him. has the advantage of the detachable box magazine.
the old saying is true; more important where the shot lands than the calibre.
i wouldnt go with the 30-06 for a kid. too much gun, and the performance isnt that much greater.
forgot to add: the cartridge isnt the same. 270 will likely shoot a 140 grain, while the most common load for the 30-06 is 180 grain. but with the modern bullets like trophy bonded bear claw or nosler partition the 140 does a fine job on big game, short of bears.
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