.270 vs .308 for deer

Deerspotter

This may not be the right thread for this question, but there seems a huge amount of expertise on this.
I overheard an argument with regards to which is better for shooting deer, a .270 or a 308.
Any opinions?
I am clueless about guns and am not a shooter, but the lad who was talking about the .270 seemed to make some good points.

Sparks

Split off to own thread.

Trojan911

Deerspotter wrote: »

but the lad who was talking about the .270 seemed to make some good points.

What were his points?

deerhunter1

Deerspotter wrote: »

This may not be the right thread for this question, but there seems a huge amount of expertise on this.
I overheard an argument with regards to which is better for shooting deer, a .270 or a 308.
Any opinions?
I am clueless about guns and am not a shooter, but the lad who was talking about the .270 seemed to make some good points.

Two fine calibres capable of doing the job, had both, now have .308
Lighter recoil and more than capable for anything we shoot. Americans love the .270, packs a hefty punch.

clivej

I was in the dealers today to ask about what stalking gun to buy
Dealer himself uses a 270 but only with a mod fitted as it's to hard on the shoulder overwise. He said the 308 will do all I would need to do for stalking.

He had a lovely Tikka stainless lite in 65x55 and 308. I'm still to make my mind up but it's looking like the 308 will win out.

jwshooter

using 130gr ballistic tip in a 270 .and 150gr ballistic tip in the 308 there is little or noting in it out to 300 yards .

go for the 308 clive keep away from 6.5x55 unless you have a good tracking dog. 900 euro for a new tikka t3 is what you will be looking at .they have gone up 20% in the last few weeks along with most stalking gear ,so i would not sit on the fence to long

It wasn't me!

I was going to go for a .270, but eventually the sheer versatility of the .308 won me over. Also, I've shot a couple and liked it as a round to shoot.

deerhunter1

jwshooter wrote: »

using 130gr ballistic tip in a 270 .and 150gr ballistic tip in the 308 there is little or noting in it out to 300 yards .

go for the 308 clive keep away from 6.5x55 unless you have a good tracking dog. 900 euro for a new tikka t3 is what you will be looking at .they have gone up 20% in the last few weeks along with most stalking gear ,so i would not sit on the fence to long

Correct about 6.5 had one in Sako 75 Delux very accurate but wiil not compare with .308 for taking down deer.

ejg

The 270 has only one real advantage over a 308. it shoots a bit flatter. As mentioned not too much difference out to 300m.
308 has:
- a short action
- huge ammo selection
- very cheap practice ammo
- works well with a short barrel length
- much longer barrel life
- makes a bigger hole into an animal
- very accurate

I prefer the 308 because of these reasons, most important being cheap practice ammo. Plenty of practice leads to accuracy and confidence.
If someone would give me a 270, I'd shoot that also, it is a good round.
If someone would give me a 6.5x55... I'd give it back.

edi

Trojan911

Here is a Thread from last year which helped me choose my current rifle the Remington 700VTR in .308 cal. Might help you Clive.

Deerspotter

That is a great amount of info. The points I over-heard with regards to the benefits of the .270 were that a lighter grain round had a flatter shoot and bigger impact at greater distance!
I know very little about this stuff but find it very interesting indeed.
I read the thread about which gun to choose and am confused.
Some people say stay away from the 6.5 x 5.5 and others are swearing by it.
Is there any reason why one would choose this gun instead of a .270 or a 308?
Just very curious about the whole thing and again thank you for the comments.

jwshooter

no is the short answer ,the 6.5 is a disaster unless you use a 120 gr ballistic tip .45 euro a box :eek:
i like the .270 as i use 110gr v max for neck shooting and 130 gr ballistic s for stags ,also 25,06 is a cal very suited for irish hunting .
the 308 ticks the right boxes also ,but keep the grain weight around the 150 mark .

Deerspotter

Again, please excuse my ignorance, but isn't 110gr very very light for a .270? Could it also be hard to get?
So why then would someone choose the 6.5?
Is it 'trendy'?

clivej

jwshooter wrote: »

no is the short answer ,the 6.5 is a disaster unless you use a 120 gr ballistic tip .45 euro a box :eek:
i like the .270 as i use 110gr v max for neck shooting and 130 gr ballistic s for stags ,also 25,06 is a cal very suited for irish hunting .
the 308 ticks the right boxes also ,but keep the grain weight around the 150 mark .

In the 308 I was told that a 150gr Soft Point was the way to go. Little meat damage and will take down any deer in Ireland. And it's not an expensive round.

All pipe dreams for now, but the smoke is clearing and the $$$$$$ could be very near.

jwshooter

110 gr v max norma is a newish bullet for the 270 for stalking anyway ,it was designed for long range varmint shooting .traveling about 3400 fps stated on the box ,giving savage kills on deer taking neck or head shots .
why .if i miss the bone on a neck the bullet will explode on impact with skin giving a instant kill.
im not sure of the 6.5 thing i could never see the point of having one .

ejg

For years people have been fighting if it is better to have a large slow bullet or a smaller faster one. The 6.5x55 is neither. It's a caliber for an expert, with good bullet choice and good bullet placement. And a good dog.
The 6.5 with the standard 140g bullet is fairly slow with around 2600fps out of a 22" barrel. Bullets nowadays are designed to operate at higher speeds meaning expansion is low. Low expansion means deep penetration but also low energy transfer. Now the 6.5 is small in diameter as it is and little expansion means also less tissue damage. One case is a bullet missing a rib going in on a smallish sika with a perfect heart shot. Chances are there is just a pencil thick hole through the heart and the animal could travel on quite a bit with little blood loss.
Why not choose a caliber with some reserves. Hardly anybody complains about the lack of nock down power of a 270 or 308.
If a deer could shoot back there would be less people using the 6.5.
The swede has its good points, as a military round the high sectional density is usefull at penetrating armour.
edi

jwshooter

clivej wrote: »

In the 308 I was told that a 150gr Soft Point was the way to go. Little meat damage and will take down any deer in Ireland. And it's not an expensive round.

All pipe dreams for now, but the smoke is clearing and the $$$$$$ could be very near.

i find the federal soft points in 243 ,25,06 and 270 to cause as much damage as ballistic tips, there is a very tin wall in them and they expand quick.
i have seen ballistic tips not open up on chest and necks ,horses for courses.
as far as meat damage goes its down to shot placement.
i dont chest shoot to often its just to messy

kakashka

I've used the Swede and friends use as primary gun with absolutely no problems,a little dead but dependable
308 shines with hotter load, 168 moly BT will kick.270+ .25/.30 06 ass
BC and consistency are important IMHO

berettadt10

i had a .308 for years, a class round. I sold the gun as i wasent shooting as much as i would like. i bought a cheaper rifle in .270, and its a class round. I use the Reme 130g acc tip, they are class. The .270 will kick a bit allright, but after shooting both rounds i would perfer the .270, as it is a small bit flatter shoting. If you are going to be using the .308 for targets etc, it better, as ammo is cheap and there is more varity.

kakashka

It wasn't me! wrote: »

I was going to go for a .270, but eventually the sheer versatility of the .308 won me over. Also, I've shot a couple and liked it as a round to shoot.

IWM what breed of rifle did you go for after all

It wasn't me!

kakashka wrote: »

IWM what breed of rifle did you go for after all

Should be putting a deposit very shortly on a Tikka T3 Hunter or Lite Stainless.

berettadt10

I had a steyr SSG brillant rifle, still have a .223 pro varmint in one. I went with a CZ, cheap and cheerful but does the job quiet the same. I only shoot 8-10 deer in a season, so ther was no need to have a expensive rifle sitting in the safe.

sfakiaman

Choosing between .270 and .308 is like choosing between blonds and brunettes. If you're experienced you will know what you like, if not get the one you can get the most practice with. For a new rifleman I would choose .308 because of cheaper practice ammo, lower recoil and wide choice of rifles.

Rovi

sfakiaman wrote: »

Choosing between .270 and .308 is like choosing between blonds and brunettes. If you're experienced you will know what you like, if not get the one you can get the most practice with.

I'm sooooo tempted to make that a signature...

:D:D

Double Barrel

sfakiaman wrote: »

Choosing between .270 and .308 is like choosing between blonds and brunettes. If you're experienced you will know what you like, if not get the one you can get the most practice with. For a new rifleman I would choose .308 because of cheaper practice ammo, lower recoil and wide choice of rifles.

:cool:

Currently it's a redhead.

Better grab it quick Rovi.

clivej

Double Barrel wrote: »

:cool:

Currently it's a redhead.

Better grab it quick Rovi.

+1 here for the Redhead

k_d

redhead...has to be 300 winmag..rough as.....

sfakiaman

k_d wrote: »

redhead...has to be 300 winmag..rough as.....

As long as its not 30 wssm, you'd probably end up with ruptured primers and a bad case of scope eye.

lordarpad

Redhead? sorry 30-378 Weatherby Magnum ;-)

kakashka

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Should be putting a deposit very shortly on a Tikka T3 Hunter or Lite Stainless.

Good luck with that,heard good reviews

It wasn't me!

kakashka wrote: »

Good luck with that,heard good reviews

Guaranteed 1" at a hundred, and yet to hear of one that won't beat that significantly, so suits me well enough.