Poll: 270vs30-06vs308

[OR_VARMINT_HUNTER]

So for elk and black bear and for that one day I get to go big horn hunting which would be best choice 270,308,30-06? Not only for knock down power but let say shots gonna be 250-325yardsish range

Also thoughs on ar-10 for hunting?

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[Jamie6.5]

At that range(s), it would be hard to tell the difference. With one caveat. Those animals are often in very steep terrain. The flatter shooting rounds will need less adjustment when shooting uphill/downhill at the more extreme angles. Stay below 180gr bullets in the '06, and 165 or under in the .308 and you should be fine.
I shoot a .270 for bear and elk, using 150gr handloads at about 2940fps. For sheep I would go with 130gr, at ~3100fps for a really flat shooter.

If you are looking into a lightweight, short-barreled mountain rifle, I would stay with .308, as it doesn't need as much barrel to get the velocity needed for flatter shooting. A 22" barrel on a .308 is plenty, and there are lots of folks sporting 20"ers on their .308s. Whereas the .270 does better with a 24", as does the '06.

 

[orygun]

I agree with Jamie that any of these would be a good choice for what you want.
I use a 30-06 with 180gr bullets and sighted in @ 200 the drop is in the 8" range at 300. Something that's easy to account for in the field.
My rifle has a 24" barrel, but the last 2 that I had were 22". I've chronoed the the same loads in all three guns. The difference isn't worth mentioning, at least with the powder/bullet combination I was using.
When we go elk hunting on the other side of the state, I always take a "back up" rifle. This year it's a .270.
With your choices, I think the decision would likely be more based on finding the rifle you want chambered for any of these calibers.
On a side note, they are all three very popular calibers, so the ammunition choices are plentiful!

 

[orygun]

Forgot to address the AR-10 question. I think my only complaint would be the weight. I'm not a great authority on AR series of rifles, but it seems to me that all I've held were heavy, especially for the size. If you are gonna do a bunch of walking, I'd think you would want a rifle that's a bit lighter. I've lugged around a 10+pound rifle all day hunting a few times. It isn't too much fun.

 

[HollisOR]

In a way .308 and 30-06 are pretty comparable when it comes to factory ammo. Advantage of the 30-06 is reloading, it can be loaded a little hotter.

 

[orygun]

In a way .308 and 30-06 are pretty comparable when it comes to factory ammo. Advantage of the 30-06 is reloading, it can be loaded a little hotter.

I would agree with this if you cap it off at 165-168gr. Once you hit 180gr (and heavier) you've reached the point that the 06 has "more legs". How much more is open to interpretation. I definitely agree that handloading really can bring out the 180gr class bullets in the 06.

 

[Onajoyride]

Im a huge fan of my 270. The designers used a 30-06 case necked it down to .277 With the advancements in modern bullets a 270 partition can hit as hard with less drop as you will need on most north American game.

 

[2506]

Im a huge fan of my 270. The designers used a 30-06 case necked it down to .277 With the advancements in modern bullets a 270 partition can hit as hard with less drop as you will need on most north American game.

I'm a huge fan of my 25-06. The designer used a 30-06 case necked down to .257. With the advancements in modern bullets a 25-06 Accubond can hit as hard with less drop as you will need on most North American game.

Except for maybe my 300 RUM...

 

[fry]

I think 30.06 with 180g @ approximatly 2700-2800 fps is the ticket. My opinion is worth what you paid for it. YMMV

 

[2506]

I think 30.06 with 180g @ approximatly 2700-2800 fps is the ticket. My opinion is worth what you paid for it. YMMV

I reload 30-06 (with the trusty, old-timey Lee Loader) with 165 gr at about 3000 fps. Strong medicine. I mostly chose the 165 gr because the particular model 70, for whatever reason, kicks like a friggin' mule. 180 gr out of that gun feel much harsher than 250 grainers out of my 338.

 

[fry]

This load that works very well in me 700. 56.0g of imr 4350 behind a hornady 180g btsp.
Then again this was the only bullet I experimented with in this particular rifle.
The hornady btsp isnt expensive and it works just skippy on horned forest creatures..
I molested my 700 a bit by setting the barrel back two turns and rechambering it to just close on the go. The action was also molested by me and the trigger was adjusted by a friend.




Edit to change 46.0 to 56.0

 

[orygun]

This load that works very well in me 700. 46.0g of imr 4350 behind a hornady 180g btsp.

Have you chrono-ed this? What barrel length?

 

[nitestocker]

im a older guy i started using the o6 in the 1970s my dad used it its always work for us to be honest i compare the 3006 but it hits harder with a 180gr bullit and i reload

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

6 of one, half dozen of another.

With those caliber choices, you can take any game animal in North America, excepting perhaps a grizz/brown bear....and some people have probably done that with an 06....

Put your head down, pick one and don't look back. Practice and shot placement will make your choice the correct one.

 

[fry]

Orygun,
Oopsies. Sorry about the type-o. Its 56.0. Of imr 4350. I did not chrono this load. The rifle is a 22" remington 700. This was what worked best in this particular rifle using imr 4350 and hornady 180 interlock btsp's.
Fry

 

[orygun]

Orygun,
Oopsies. Sorry about the type-o. Its 56.0. Of imr 4350. I did not chrono this load. The rifle is a 22" remington 700. This was what worked best in this particular rifle using imr 4350 and hornady 180 interlock btsp's.
Fry

Thanks. I've been using RL22 for the last several years and am pleased with it. I was wondering what kind of velocities people were getting with other powders with 180gr bullets. I was hoping you could help out.

 

[fry]

My shoulder thinks its between 2675 and 2685, lol.

 

[Mark W.]

The 30-06 was adopted in 1906 as a US Military cartridge used in our Main battle rifles as well as light machine guns. It was Quickly adopted by sportsmen embracing the new bolt action rifles appearing on the shelves.

105 years later the 30-06 is still one of the most popular calibers for hunting rifles. With very rare exceptions the Market weeds out the non preformer and rewards the product that excells. I would think 105 years of trust by the sportsmen of the world would be a pretty good recomendation.

 

[orygun]

105 years later the 30-06 is still one of the most popular calibers for hunting rifles. With very rare exceptions the Market weeds out the non preformer and rewards the product that excells. I would think 105 years of trust by the sportsmen of the world would be a pretty good recomendation.

And I've done my share to help that! In the last 15 years I've bought 4 new 30-06s and one used one. (well, I bought 3 and the wife bought one for me) Of the ones I actually purchased, the first one was a gift for my dad, and 2 others have been for my nephews. One of those I used for several years and had nothing but one shot kills on deer and elk with it, before passing it on as a graduation present.
This year at elk camp, 4 of them will be there.

 

[eriknemily]

And I've done my share to help that! In the last 15 years I've bought 4 new 30-06s and one used one. (well, I bought 3 and the wife bought one for me) Of the ones I actually purchased, the first one was a gift for my dad, and 2 others have been for my nephews. One of those I used for several years and had nothing but one shot kills on deer and elk with it, before passing it on as a graduation present.
This year at elk camp, 4 of them will be there.

I hope that used one you got has been pulling its weight on hunting trips. Tell your nephew I hope he has success with it during elk season this year!!!