30.06 vs 270 yes I'm going there

**Lycanthrope** · January 8th, 2015, 09:52 AM

Magnums are not for everyone, but if you reload, they can offer more versatility. A 7mm Rem Mag will recoil significantly more than most 30-06 rifles in the same platform but most people ignore the ways around that.

I went from the .243 to a 7mm Rem Mag when I was 14. Lighter bullets tend to recoil a bit less so my father and I would load up some 140gr heads with a reduced charge of IMR 4350. That load probably wasn't any better than a typical full house .270, but as I started to shoot deeper and got more comfortable with the recoil it offered the easy way to step up to a faster/flatter gun. By the early '90's I stepped into a 7mm Shooting Times Westerner as my main hunting rifle which is a step up from the 7mm Rem Mag. In a lightweight gun, this caliber really needed a muzzle brake if I was going to shoot more than 20 rounds from the bench (bench shooting is going to have more perceived recoil than field shooting off-hand). On my 2nd 7STW build, the gun weighed 14lbs so no brake was needed. 14 year old girls have shot that gun off the bench and it recoils like my 30-06. But....(and there is always a compromise) the downside to overbore cartridges and a lot of big magnums is that they are really hard on barrels. The STW is going to change tubes every 2000 rounds if I want to keep my accuracy standards (the 7mm Rem Mag will last longer, but still not nearly as long as the .308). The Weatherby's will vary depending on the overbore.

So what do you need? It really depends on what you want to focus on. My magnums are all dedicated hunting rifles and somewhat specialized. They are made to shoot a handful of shots a year...at most. They are made to shoot flatter to give me more room for error when pressed for time. They are made to anchor animals without tracking and I choose bullets that do that well. They are not made for practice or bench shooting because, honestly that would hurt too much...in the shoulder and the wallet.

When I practice the other rifles come out. I'm seriously considering a Remmy 700 varmint to compliment my pair of .243's. The .308 shoots just as well, is easier on barrels and very forgiving when it comes to reloading for accuracy (just slightly moreso than the 30-06). It's also just fine on deer out to about 500 yards. I want one so I can punch paper every week and blueprint down the road when I eventually rebarrel.

This is how you end up with multiple rifles and the realization that you could handle most range, competition and hunting trips with a pair of Remmy 700's in .308 and .300 Win Mag. Of course, I could easily change that to 7mm-08 and the 7mm Rem Mag....or a .260 Rem and a .300 Wby....or a 30-06 and .300 Ultra Mag......you get the idea.

One gun and just deer? Anything from .243 up. One gun and anything is the U.S? 30-06 and up.

Lycanwhyeveryonehasa30-06thrope

***Klutch*** · January 8th, 2015, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by Lycanthrope

Magnums are not for everyone, but if you reload, they can offer more versatility. A 7mm Rem Mag will recoil significantly more than most 30-06 rifles in the same platform but most people ignore the ways around that.

I went from the .243 to a 7mm Rem Mag when I was 14. Lighter bullets tend to recoil a bit less so my father and I would load up some 140gr heads with a reduced charge of IMR 4350. That load probably wasn't any better than a typical full house .270, but as I started to shoot deeper and got more comfortable with the recoil it offered the easy way to step up to a faster/flatter gun. By the early '90's I stepped into a 7mm Shooting Times Westerner as my main hunting rifle which is a step up from the 7mm Rem Mag. In a lightweight gun, this caliber really needed a muzzle brake if I was going to shoot more than 20 rounds from the bench (bench shooting is going to have more perceived recoil than field shooting off-hand). On my 2nd 7STW build, the gun weighed 14lbs so no brake was needed. 14 year old girls have shot that gun off the bench and it recoils like my 30-06. But....(and there is always a compromise) the downside to overbore cartridges and a lot of big magnums is that they are really hard on barrels. The STW is going to change tubes every 2000 rounds if I want to keep my accuracy standards (the 7mm Rem Mag will last longer, but still not nearly as long as the .308). The Weatherby's will vary depending on the overbore.

So what do you need? It really depends on what you want to focus on. My magnums are all dedicated hunting rifles and somewhat specialized. They are made to shoot a handful of shots a year...at most. They are made to shoot flatter to give me more room for error when pressed for time. They are made to anchor animals without tracking and I choose bullets that do that well. They are not made for practice or bench shooting because, honestly that would hurt too much...in the shoulder and the wallet.

When I practice the other rifles come out. I'm seriously considering a Remmy 700 varmint to compliment my pair of .243's. The .308 shoots just as well, is easier on barrels and very forgiving when it comes to reloading for accuracy (just slightly moreso than the 30-06). It's also just fine on deer out to about 500 yards. I want one so I can punch paper every week and blueprint down the road when I eventually rebarrel.

This is how you end up with multiple rifles and the realization that you could handle most range, competition and hunting trips with a pair of Remmy 700's in .308 and .300 Win Mag. Of course, I could easily change that to 7mm-08 and the 7mm Rem Mag....or a .260 Rem and a .300 Wby....or a 30-06 and .300 Ultra Mag......you get the idea.

One gun and just deer? Anything from .243 up. One gun and anything is the U.S? 30-06 and up.

Lycanwhyeveryonehasa30-06thrope

ok I'm thinking mostly deer, the occasional coyote as well as the once or twice in my life moose in Maine. I'm not against buying another rifle for the moose when the trip comes up but whatever I have been shooting for a while will be coming with me anyway. I'll kill paper targets quite a bit at the begining as i work up some loads for any caliber, but once I find what works I'll just load that recipe 100 times and call it good. I like 7mm calibers, I feel they offer some good ballistics further down range than the .30 cal but that is all bullet selection and a bit subjective to say the least. As far as bullet weights, I'm not sure I care so much about all the different options as I'm gonna shoot what I like to shoot and I did some reading this am about reloading for the 270 and they're are pages of bullets to choose from just not as many bullet weights but again I don't care. In 270 I'll shoot 130/150 in 30.06 it 150/165 come time for the moose hunt I'll call Daryl and get that 7mag I've been dreaming about. All that said I still love the 06 for a ton of reasons, so who knows what it will come down to other than maybe price of a nice rifle at the right time.

Sorry but I think I may have answered more than one post with this...

**pittim** · January 9th, 2015, 01:20 AM

After realizing the entire internet as well as LGS was sold out of .35Rem for over 6 months, I decided to sell my Marlin and pick up a 308.

I wanted to get something that had ammo available at every single shop, and since I don't reload 308 is one of the cheaper "deer sized" rounds out there. I can practice with cheap FMJs then do a quick sight in with softpoints.

**mosseater** · January 9th, 2015, 01:52 AM

If the only criteria is PA hunting then it's probably a draw. But, once you own it, the other ideas that pop into your head about what you might like to do with it make the versatility of the '06 a no-brainer. You 're not likely to find any useful 220 gr. loadings for the .270, but you can darned sure find lighter bullets for the 30-06. Easy call for the "ott-six" in my book.

**paplinker22** · January 9th, 2015, 05:35 PM

I would go .30-06 personally because I have two other rifles in the same caliber.

That said, I sold my 30-06 hunting rifle a few years ago. If I had to do it all over again I'd purchase a .243.

Bill

**Pilot321** · January 10th, 2015, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by paplinker22

That said, I sold my 30-06 hunting rifle a few years ago. If I had to do it all over again I'd purchase a .243.

I always assume people reload, which is a mistake, so my recommendations usually are for cartridges that may be less common, but offer excellent performance, and versatility.

I am sold on the 6.5MM round in something like the .260 Remington or 6.5x55 Swede. If you want bigger the 7MM is my next choice, and the 7MM-08 will take anything in the lower 48. Both are flatter shooting, and have less felt recoil than either the .30-06, or .270.

**paplinker22** · January 10th, 2015, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by Pilot321

I always assume people reload, which is a mistake, so my recommendations usually are for cartridges that may be less common, but offer excellent performance, and versatility.

I am sold on the 6.5MM round in something like the .260 Remington or 6.5x55 Swede. If you want bigger the 7MM is my next choice, and the 7MM-08 will take anything in the lower 48. Both are flatter shooting, and have less felt recoil than either the .30-06, or .270.

I always assume the same...I couldn't imagine going to the store and buying ammo everytime I wanted to shoot especially at today's prices.

For hunting calibers, its good to stay from popular "tactical" caliber because they won't be available in the next ammo crunch. For PA deer hunting, there is no need to put up with the recoil of a big caliber.

Bill

***Klutch*** · January 10th, 2015, 12:56 PM

Well boys the good news is I do reload. But simply the 260 ammo prices I have to pay to acquire brass isn't worth it to me as well as availablity just isn't there unless I go to cabelas. I love the 7-08 but again same thing just not as severe. During the last ammo crunch 06 and 270 as well as 7mag were every where even Wally world. I do prefer long actions and recoil isn't an issue 95% of the time as long as it isn't an afternoon of sustained fire destroying my barrel. It's going to be one of the two I mentioned with the only other possibility of a 7mag. As I said in an earlier post it will come down to price and the rifle I pick which I would love to have a winchester 70!

**jerkin** · January 11th, 2015, 03:39 AM

Buy a Savage and have both, you can switch from 270 to 30-06 and back in 10 minutes.

**Twoboxer** · January 11th, 2015, 04:53 AM

If you are serious about having opportunities for shots beyond ~300yds, I think you have to prefer the 30-06 as the most forgiving beyond that distance on deer.

Also wanting a rifle that can easily handle an opportunity at larger game would add a second "pro" to the 30-06's scorecard.

As Lycan pointed out, a lot of shooting will wear out the 270's barrel faster than the 06's, but if this is a hunting rifle that's probably not a major factor.

The only "con" I can see for certain to the 06 is slightly heavier recoil. I've never reloaded for 270, but maybe someone can chime in on whether the 270 is easier to reload for. I've personally found that the 308 is easier to reload for than the 30-06, but that is purely anecdotal.

So while a 270 handled with care can probably handle the parameters you posed, IMO there is no reason not to choose the 30-06.