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Hi there, I'm John McAdams, founder of the Big Game Hunting blog. Thanks a lot
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for joining me today. In this video, I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the
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7mm 08 Remington and the 270 Winchester cartridges. Now, both are fantastic centerfire rifle hunting cartridges that have really devoted fan
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bases, and for a good reason. That said, there are some important differences in
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their performance that get overlooked or lost in the shuffle. There's a lot of
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overlap in their performance, and they do work really well for a lot of the same
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things, but there are some interesting areas where there's some big divergence
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in their capabilities that makes them suited for distinct tasks. Now, interestingly, despite their big differences in outward appearance, the
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two cartridges are almost shockingly similar in some areas. But like I said
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there's some important differences to keep in mind, and each is better suited for different tasks. So, that is what we're going to talk about in this episode. I'm
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going to investigate their similarities and differences in more detail, and give
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you some recommendations on which one is best for various hunting situations, so
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you can make an informed decision on which is best for your individual needs
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Now, before we get started, make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel right
1:22
now. Do it now. Just click that red subscribe button below, and you'll get
1:26
all my new videos. And if you really want to be high-speed, click the bell to get
1:30
the notifications. Additionally, and for more detailed information on other popular hunting cartridges, to include the .270 and the 7mm-08, as well
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as some other ones that you might not be aware of, or might not be considering
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click the link in the description below, or go to HuntingGuns101.com to get a
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free e-book I have written on the best hunting calibers. That's HuntingGuns101.com
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Okay, let's get started talking about the .270 and the 7mm-08 Remington
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As usual, we'll start with the history of the .270 Winchester and the 7mm-08 Remington. Now, the story of these two
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cartridges both really begins with the .30-06. Now, the United States Army
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started looking for a new infantry service rifle and cartridge after receiving a deadly demonstration of the capabilities of their revolutionary new
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Mauser rifle and 7mm Mauser cartridge in the hands of Spanish troops in Cuba during 1898. They eventually selected the bolt-action 1903
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Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge. Now, the new
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.30-06 was dimensionally extremely similar to the 7x57mm Mauser, and it's highly likely that the designers of the .30-06
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based their cartridge design heavily on the revolutionary 7mm Mauser cartridge. Some have even gone so far as to say that the 7mm
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Mauser is the parent to the less well-known .30-03 Springfield, as well as the legendary .30-06. Anyway, initial loadings for that cartridge
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used smokeless powder to fire a 150 grain Spitzer bullet at about 2,700 feet
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per second. Now, believe it or not, that was a massive leap forward in
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performance compared to other popular American cartridges used during that era, like the .45-70. So, not only was the .30-06 a big hit with the military, but it
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was an almost instant success in the civilian market as well. Now, as is often
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the case with any well-designed centerfire rifle cartridge, Wildcatters quickly started modifying the .30-06 to accomplish a variety of different
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tasks. Some designers opted to neck down the .30-06 case to use smaller
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diameter bullets, like the .25-06 and the .280 Remington, and this is what the
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folks at Winchester did when they modified the case to use smaller diameter
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.277 caliber instead of .308 caliber bullets. The result was the 270
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Winchester cartridge, which they released in 1925 with the new Winchester Model
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54 rifle. The original 270 Winchester offering shot a 130 grain bullet at a
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velocity of 3,140 feet per second. That was an incredibly high velocity for the
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1920s and was a tremendous speed improvement over the .30-06, which was
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itself considered a very high velocity cartridge at the time. Subsequent factory
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loadings for the cartridge have dropped the typical velocity with 130 grain
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bullets down to about 3,060 feet per second, and that's still pretty darn fast
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even today. Now, American hunters appreciated the flat shooting characteristics of the round and the fact that it was so effective on thin
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skinned game. Now, it gradually became more and more popular, which was helped
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by Jack O'Connor and his famous affinity for the cartridge that he expressed in
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countless outdoor life articles over the year. Now, while he did indeed love the
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270 and O'Connor used it extensively on hunts all over the world, it's far from
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the only cartridge he used. And the 270 was also a good enough cartridge and
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filled a big enough niche that it probably would have been successful even without help from him. Now, the 270 Winchester is a bit of an oddity when it
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comes to bullet diameter, though. Unlike all the other popular 7mm cartridges, like the 7mm Mauser, the 7mm Remington Magnum
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the .280 Remington, and the .28 Nosler that use .284 caliber bullets, the
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270 uses slightly smaller diameter .277 caliber bullets. It's unclear exactly why they decided to go with the .277 caliber instead of .284
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caliber. One theory is they selected that particular bullet size based on the
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obscure 6.8x57mm Chinese Mauser cartridge. It's also possible that the folks at Winchester wanted to create a distinctly American
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bullet size and avoid the 6.5mm and 7mm bullets popular in Europe by building a brand new bullet diameter 10% smaller than the one used
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in the .30-06 and .9x.308 is .277. Regardless of their exact reasons, the design team at Winchester went with the
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.277 caliber bullet diameter and the rest is history. Interestingly enough, while the 270 Winchester turned out to be a smashing
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commercial success for the company, .277 caliber bullets haven't really caught on
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themselves. The 270 Winchester Short Mag and the 270 Weatherby, along with the
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newer 6.8 Remington SPC, .27 Nosler and 6.8 Western, are the only other
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mass-produced cartridges that utilize bullets of that diameter. Even so, the 270
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remains an incredibly popular and effective big-game hunting cartridge all over the world, but especially in North America. Now let's shift gears and talk
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about the 7mm-08 Remington. First unveiled by Winchester all the way back in 1952, the new .308 Winchester cartridge quickly developed a
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reputation for accuracy, power and efficiency with hunters and shooters. Just like what happened with the .30-06, wildcatters and gun designers started
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modifying the .308 to develop new and more specialized wildcat cartridges almost immediately after it hit the market. Among others, the .243 Winchester
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the .260 Remington, .338 Federal and the .358 Winchester are all descended from
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the legendary .308 Winchester, as designers necked the case up or down to
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shoot smaller or larger 6mm, 6.5mm, .33 caliber or .35 caliber bullets, respectively. Well, the 7mm-08 Remington is yet another
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cartridge derived from the .308 Winchester. Standardized by Remington in 1980, the 7mm-08 Remington uses a
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modified .308 Winchester case, necked down to shoot 7mm bullets. By necking down the .308 case to shoot smaller caliber bullets, the designers of
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the 7mm-08 built a cartridge with a higher velocity, flatter trajectory, more resistance to wind drift and less recoil than the .308
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Winchester. For instance, Remington offers a 7mm-08 load in their Core-Locked line that shoots a 140 grain bullet at 2,860 feet per second
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This load outperforms the Core-Locked load for the .308 using 150 grain
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bullets across the board. Now, the 7mm-08 Remington uses the same .284
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caliber bullets as the 7mm Mauser and the 7mm Remington Magnum. Basically, any other typical 7mm cartridge uses the same bullets as
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the 7mm-08. Now, this provides a great balance of adequate power for
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hunting a wide variety of game, moderate recoil and great external ballistics at
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a reasonable distance. Now, indeed, the 7mm-08 was one of the most
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popular cartridges among deer hunters as well as for big game hunters in
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general who valued those characteristics for a very long time. Now, while newer
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cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor have eaten into that same market niche
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recently, the 7mm-08 Remington still remains popular to this day. Alright, I referenced this earlier in the dramatic differences in their outward
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appearance and that is even more obvious when you look at pictures of the
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cartridges side-by-side and compare their external dimensions and cartridge sizes, the measurements that is. So, first, the 7mm-08 is physically
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smaller than the 270. Both have the same diameter case with a 0.473 inch rim, but
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the 270 Winchester has a longer overall length and a longer case length than the
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7mm-08. That said, the 7mm-08 will easily fit in a short-action bolt-action rifle while the longer 270 requires the use of a
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larger standard or long-action rifle. So, for those reasons, the 270 has
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significantly more case capacity than the 7mm-08. Now, bullet size and weight are the other big important differences between them. The 270 uses
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0.277 caliber bullets while the 7mm-08 uses slightly larger 0.284 caliber bullets. 270 factory loads typically shoot bullets in the
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130 to 160 grain range and 130 and 150 grain bullets are easily the most
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popular. On the other hand, the 7mm-08 uses bullets in the 120 to
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160 grain range. 120, 140, 150 grain bullets are the most common. At the same
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time, the 270 is also loaded to a higher semi-maximum average pressure of 65,000
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PSI versus just 61,000 PSI for the 7mm-08. Now, the differences in the
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external dimensions of these cartridges translate into some interesting differences in their ballistic performance though. This is illustrated
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when you compare Hornady Precision Hunter, Swift High Grade, and Winchester Deer Season XP factory ammo. The 270 Winchester loads use 130 grain
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extreme point with a 0.450 BC, 145 grain ELDX with a 0.536 BC, and 150 grain
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A-frame with a 0.444 BC. Now, the 7mm-08 Remington loads here use
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140 grain extreme point with a 0.484 BC, 150 grain ELDX bullets with a
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0.574 BC, and 160 grain A-frame bullets with a 0.450 BC. Now, note that the
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various bullets used in the 7mm-08 Remington loads I just talked about all have a higher BC than those used in the comparable 270 Winchester
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loads. Now, all of those loads taken in the aggregate, the Winchester loads use
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light for caliber deer hunting bullets, the Hornady loads use heavier for
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caliber and really aerodynamic bullets with a very high BC, and the Swift loads
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use the heaviest commonly available bullets available for each cartridge. Now, the 270 Winchester is a flatter shooting cartridge than the 7mm-08
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This is due to the higher muzzle velocity of all those 270 loads compared
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to the various 7mm-08 loads here, and we're looking at about 170 to a 497 foot-per-second difference in favor of the 270 over the 7mm-08
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That translates into a noticeably flatter trajectory for the 270 with the 7mm-08 having between 3 and 18.5 inches
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more bullet drop at 500 yards. The differences are smaller at shorter range
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but the 270 really starts to pull away around the 400 yard mark. At the same
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time, the 270 has a little more kinetic energy than the 7mm-08
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Now, the 270 starts out with between 6 and 27 percent more muzzle energy than
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the various 7mm-08 loads. Now, just like with trajectory, the 270 has
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the advantage here because of the faster muzzle velocity of the cartridge. Velocity is squared when calculating kinetic energy, so small changes in
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velocity have a big effect in kinetic energy. Now, in particular, that 160 grain
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loading for the 7mm-08 really struggles on paper because it's so much slower than all the other loadings I compare here. Similar to the
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case with the .308 shooting 180 grain bullets, the 7mm-08 is operating right at the upper edge of its capability with those really heavy 160
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grain bullets, and it simply can't push them very fast. While that's still a good
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loading for use on really big game like elk or moose at close range, the
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cartridge has subpar performance on paper, especially as range increases, and like I said, that's with this particular load. Now, moving on from that 160 grain
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load, the 7mm-08 cartridge uses a more aerodynamic bullet than comparable 270 loads, so that edge and kinetic energy shrinks and even flips in
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favor of the 7mm-08 as range increases in certain cases. For instance, that 150 grain ELDX load for the 7mm-08 actually
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surpasses the 130 grain XP from the 270 around 200 yards, and the 150 grain
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A-frame from the 270 just shy of 400 yards. The 145 grain ELDX from the 270
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still has about 8% more kinetic energy at 500 yards, but those cartridges are
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basically neck-and-neck for those two particular loads. Now, all of the loads in
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this comparison maintain at least a thousand foot-pounds of energy out past 500 yards. The 140 grain and 150 grain 7mm-08 loads maintain at least
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1,500 foot-pounds of kinetic energy out to 300 yards and past 400 for the 150
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grain ELDX. However, that 160 grain loading dips below 1,500 foot-pounds of energy just shy of 300 yards. Likewise, the 145 grain and 150
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grain 270 Winchester loads still carry 1,500 foot-pounds of kinetic energy out
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past 400 yards. So, the big takeaways so far are that the 270 Winchester has a
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flatter trajectory, but the 270 also has a small edge in terms of kinetic energy
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at shorter range and is surpassed by very high BC 7mm-08 loadings as
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range increases. Now, let's talk about wind deflection. When you compare these same
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loads with a 10 mile an hour crosswind out to 500 yards, you see there's quite a
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bit of overlap, but the 270 also does seem to have a small edge overall. Now
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while the 270 does have the edge in the trajectory department because it has a slightly faster muzzle velocity, this advantage is partially erased by the
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higher BC bullets used by the 7mm-08. Both velocity and BC are very
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important for calculating wind drift, or rather wind deflection, but BC is the
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more important of those two characteristics. Now, indeed, the 130 grain and 140 grain Deer Season XP loads for the two cartridges have pretty
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similar amounts of wind deflection. We got 18.4 inches at 500 yards for
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the 270 and 19.3 inches at 500 yards for the 7mm-08. So
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less than an inch, or rather about an inch at 500 yards is a very, very, very
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small difference here. Now, the same is true for the 145 grain and 150 grain
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Precision Hunter loads. We're looking at about a half inch of difference there
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The gap is a little bit bigger with the two Swift loads for the two cartridges
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Now, in each case, the 270 does have the advantage. That said, that 150 grain ELDX
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load for the 7mm-08 outperforms all the other 270 loads, except for the 145 grain ELDX, once again, because that 270 load has a high BC
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and because that 7mm-08 load has an even higher BC. It's just offset just a
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little bit because of that faster muzzle velocity, because the 270 is a standard
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action cartridge with a much larger powder capacity and can just push those
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bullets faster. Now, the limitations of the 7mm-08, when compared to many other 7mm cartridges, like the 280 Remington, 280 Ackley Improved
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7mm Rim Mag, etc., in terms of an inability to either use a really
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high BC bullet, like the 162 grain ELDX that you see with the 7mm
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Rim Mag, for instance, in the Hornady Precision Hunter line, and or the
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inability of the cartridge to obtain a really high muzzle velocities, especially
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with those heavier bullets, hamstring the 7mm-08 here to a certain degree, like I just mentioned. With all that said, the differences between the
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7mm-08 and the 270 are definitely a lot smaller at shorter range
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The 270 does still have less wind deflection at 100 to 300 yards, but it's
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not nearly as large as a contrast. Now, let's talk about recoil. When you compare
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hand loads that approximate the performance of the Hornady factory loads I just mentioned, firing the 145 grain and 150 grain ELDX bullets from the two
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cartridges from identical 7-pound rifles, you'll see that the 7mm-08 has about 20% less recoil than the 270. Now, the 270 isn't a terrible
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recoiling cartridge, but that efficient little 7mm-08 just has significantly less. So, the 7mm-08 definitely has an advantage in
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this respect, especially for smaller or recoil shy hunters. Now, there's a couple
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of other factors that are also worth discussing. So first, the 7mm-08
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uses slightly larger diameter bullets than the 270. Specifically, the larger diameter .284 caliber bullets used by the cartridge have about 5% more
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frontal surface area than the .277 caliber bullets used by the 270. All
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other things being equal, a bigger bullet will make a bigger hole, cause more
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tissue damage, and result in more blood loss. This is a small advantage in favor
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of the 7mm-08, especially on bigger game. Now, in fact, those larger
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diameter bullets can somewhat offset the kinetic energy advantage the 270 has in
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some cases, or enhance the advantage that the 7mm-08 has in other specific comparisons. This can be helpful when hunting big game, and
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especially deer, or potentially even larger game. Now, the 7mm-08 also has a small edge in bullet sectional density. Sectional density is a
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measure of the ratio of the diameter of a projectile to its mass. All other
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things being equal, a heavier bullet of a given caliber will be longer, and
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therefore have a higher sectional density, and penetrate deeper than projectiles with a lower mass and lower sectional density. As an example, 130
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grain, 140 grain, and 150 grain .277 caliber bullets have sectional densities
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of .242, .261, and .279, respectively. Compare that to 120, 140, 150, and 160
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grain .284 caliber bullets, which have sectional densities of .213, .248, .266, and .283, respectively. This is something of a mixed bag on the face
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of things. The heaviest 7mm bullets outclass the heaviest 270 bullets, but the 270 has the edge with stuff in the 140 to 150 grain range. The
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differences are small across the board, but when comparing the most popular bullet weights for each cartridge, say 140 grain bullet from the 7mm-08
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and 130 grain bullet from the 270, the 7mm-08 does have a tiny
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edge. And the same is true with the really heavy stuff, like that 160 grain
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7mm bullet versus the 150 grain 270 bullet. This leaves us in an
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interesting situation. The 270 Winchester is a more powerful cartridge in many
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respects, but the 7mm-08 really tends to punch above its weight. Neither are really super heavy hitter on the level of cartridges like the 7mm
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rim mag, the .300 rim mag, the .28 Nosler, the .300 PRC, or even the
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.30-06. But both are really solid middleweight cartridges. So where do we
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stand with each one so far? The 7mm-08 fires a larger diameter
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often heavier, and usually more aerodynamic bullet at a slower velocity than the 270. The 270 usually has a flatter trajectory, but more recoil. The
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two cartridges have similar energy retention and wind deflection, but the 270 usually has a small edge over the 7mm-08 in both areas
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Alright, let's talk about rifle and ammo availability, starting with ammo. Both are
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extremely popular cartridges among hunters and shooters all over the world. Indeed both, though certainly the 270, are also likely in the top 10 most
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popular centerfire rifle cartridges in the United States. While the 7mm-08 is fairly popular itself, the 270 Winchester is easily the most widely
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used of the two. The big ammo companies like Barnes, Browning, Federal Premium
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Hornady, Nosler, Remington, Sierra, Swift, and Winchester all produce a really good
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variety of quality factory ammo suitable for hunting most species of big game for
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both the 270 and the 7mm-08. In each case, there's normally a pretty good
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selection of bullet types and weights for each cartridge suitable for big game hunting. Now both are also offered in most of the really popular hunting ammo
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lines. Barnes Vortex, Federal Power Shock, Hornady Precision Hunter, Nosler Trophy Grade, Remington Corelot, Winchester Super X, Winchester Deer Season XP, etc. There
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are some isolated cases where one cartridge is available in a certain ammo
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line but the other isn't. This reflects both the performance characteristics and
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common uses of each cartridge. So for instance, the 270 Winchester is available
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in the Barnes Vortex long range line while the 7mm-08 is not
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Likewise, the 7mm-08 Remington is available in the Hornady Custom Light line while the 270 is not. Now while it is often easy to find ammo for both
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cartridges during normal times, ammo is usually a little easier to find and
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there will be a larger selection to choose from for the 270. In general
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prices are similar but the 270 Winchester ammo is usually a little less
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expensive. Now during the 2020 to 2022 ammo shortage, the difference between the
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two cartridges has become even more apparent and at least where I live and
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shop, 270 Winchester ammo is usually easier to find and usually more
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reasonably priced than ammo for the 7mm-08. Availability is usually decent online and the bigger retailers typically have a good
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selection of quality factory ammo for both cartridges as well but the 270
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will likely still be easier to find even online. So bottom line, the average
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hunter will probably have easier access to ammo for the 270 than for the
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7mm-08 though I wouldn't say either one is really hard to find
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Now let's talk about rifles. Now once again, the 270 is usually more common
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than the 7mm-08 when it comes to rifle selection but there's usually a good selection of rifles in both cartridges. They're really common in
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bolt-action rifles and in fact just about every popular bolt-action hunting rifle in current production is available in both cartridges. Now for instance both
24:46
the 270 and the 7mm-08 are available in several different versions of
24:50
the Remington Model 700 and Winchester Model 70. Same goes for the Browning X
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Bolt, Christensen Arms Mesa, Kimber Hunter, Mossberg Patriot, Ruger American, Ruger Hawkeye, Savage Axis, Tikka T3 and the Winchester XPR. While both are most
25:07
common in bolt-action rifles they are available in a few lever-action and
25:11
semi-automatic rifles as well. For instance, both are available from Browning in their Browning Automatic Rifle or BAR and the Browning
25:19
Lever-Action Rifle or the BLR. Now while it's not a very common offering, the
25:25
7mm-08 is also an option for those who prefer modern sporting rifles
25:30
In particular, while the cartridge is too long for use in an AR-15, it is available in
25:35
larger frame AR-10 platforms from companies like Wilson Combat. So you can
25:41
probably find a good rifle available in either cartridge regardless of the type
25:45
of action you prefer. Now additionally barrel lengths do vary for both
25:49
cartridges depending on the manufacturer and exact model. The 270 is most common
25:54
in rifles with 22-inch long barrels but it's also not unusual to see that
25:58
cartridge in rifles with longer 24-inch barrels. On the other hand, the 7mm-08
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is also common with a 22-inch long barrel length but the characteristics of the efficient 7mm-08 cartridge make it well suited
26:11
for more compact rifles with shorter barrels. So 20, 18 and even 16-inch
26:16
long barrels are not unheard of with that cartridge. And since it is a short
26:21
action cartridge, 7mm-08 rifles also have a slightly shorter bolt throw and a shorter overall length. For instance, the Winchester Model 70 Super
26:31
Grade is available in both 270 and 7mm-08. The 270 version has a 24-inch
26:36
long barrel, a 44.75 inch long overall length and it weighs 8 pounds 4 ounces
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The 7mm-08 version of that rifle has a 22 inch long barrel, is 42.25
26:49
inches long overall, so it's two and a half inches shorter and it weighs 7
26:54
pounds 12 ounces. As another example, Ruger manufactures their Ruger American Compact Rifle in 7mm-08 but only offers the 270 in their standard
27:05
American rifle. That particular 7mm-08 rifle has an 18 inch long barrel and a 36.75 inch overall length compared to a 22 inch long barrel and a
27:15
42.5 inch overall length of the 270. Now like I said, details vary depending on
27:21
the exact manufacturer and rifle model in question. However, all things considered, rifles chambered in 270 tend to be slightly longer, heavier and a
27:31
little bit more unwieldy than rifles in 7mm-08. Having a shorter and lighter rifle is more important in some situations than others, so keep that
27:40
in mind. Okay, so the $10,000 question. Which one is right for you? Do you
27:45
primarily hunt medium-sized game? Whitetail deer, feral hogs or black bear at ranges inside 200 yards? Both are outstanding deer hunting cartridges and
27:55
will work great on deer sized game with good shot placement. Indeed, a 7mm-08
28:02
shooting 140 grain bullet and a 270 shooting a 130 grain bullet are both
28:06
classic lows used by untold numbers at deer hunters over the years. Go with the
28:11
270 if you want something a little more versatile or if you just want cheaper and or easier to find ammo and rifles. If you're going to be hunting in the tight
28:19
confines of a deer stand, like a box blind, or if you're hunting in thicker
28:24
brush, remember what I just talked about with the size difference in those
28:28
rifles. That extra couple inches in overall length of a rifle can be a real
28:33
headache to deal with when trying to quickly and quietly maneuver for a shot
28:37
So, definitely consider the 7mm-08 if you prefer a more compact rifle. Now, are you looking for a cartridge better suited for a long-range
28:47
hunting for a game like mule deer or pronghorn in open country where you
28:50
might need to take a shot at longer range? The 270 has a flatter trajectory
28:55
and a little bit more resistance to wind deflection, but the efficient 7mm-08
29:00
performs surprisingly well in this area, especially with a really good high BC
29:05
bullet like that 150 grain Hornady ELDX. I would give the 270 the edge here
29:11
overall, but there are definitely special cases where the 7mm-08 can be a better choice. Now, do you want a hunting cartridge that's well suited
29:21
for bigger game, like caribou, moose, elk, elan, kudu, etc.? Honestly, this is another
29:29
area where it may be a wash between the cartridges. The details vary depending on
29:35
the exact load, but for the most part, the 270 Winchester usually carries more
29:40
kinetic energy downrange. However, the 7mm-08 uses larger diameter bullets and performs surprisingly well in this area, too. Loaded with a quality
29:53
150 to 160 grain partition or A-frame, or a 139 or 140 grain lead-free
30:00
bullet like the Nosler E-Tip or the Hornady CX, the 7mm-08 is
30:07
absolutely deadly on really big game at reasonable ranges. For instance, Randy
30:13
Newberg cleanly killed a bull moose with a single shot from the 7mm-08
30:18
a couple years ago. Now, while not often counted among the real
30:21
quote-unquote heavy hitters, the 270 can also be darn effective in this role when
30:26
using heavy for caliber control expansion bullets like a 150 grain Nosler partition. After all, lots of hunters have killed untold numbers of
30:35
those animals with a 270 over the years. If anything, the 270 is even more
30:40
effective on really large game, like elk hunting in particular, now than it was
30:44
even 20 years ago because hunters just have access to much better quality
30:48
bullets these days. Now, are you sensitive to recoil and, indeed, of a lower
30:54
recoiling cartridge? Neither is terrible in this respect, but the 7mm-08 does have a big advantage over the 270 Winchester here, and you combine that
31:04
fact with the fact that the 7mm-08 is neck-and-neck with the 270 in
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certain categories with certain loadings. That may be the factor that kind of puts
31:14
you over the top. You know, say you're hunting mule deer or pronghorn. You got
31:18
that 150 grain ELDX in the 7mm-08. That little bit less recoil for the
31:24
7mm-08 may just make it a better cartridge for you or whoever
31:28
you're getting a hunting rifle set up for to be the best choice there. So
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keep that in mind. Now, indeed, the 7mm-08 is an especially great
31:38
choice as a centerfire rifle for a newer and or a recoil-shy hunter, and it is very
31:43
quote-unquote shootable in a rifle that fits the hunter well, and especially if
31:47
it has a good recoil pad, and especially if it has either a suppressor or a
31:51
muzzle brake. Now, Hornady also offers that cartridge in their custom light line
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which is a great reduced power option for deer hunting that will cleanly take
32:00
a deer, but have even less recoil than the already mild recoiling full-powered
32:05
7mm-08 loads that I've been talking about. Now, are you looking for a
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great cartridge for sheep, mountain goat, or tar hunting, where you need an
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effective cartridge with manageable recoil and a lightweight and easy to carry rifle? Both will certainly work to one degree or another. Thanks to Jack
32:23
O'Connor, the 270 is considered a classic sheep hunting cartridge if there ever was
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one. I'd give the 270 the edge here, since it has the flattest trajectory and
32:31
the most resistance to wind drift, and also the most retained energy at
32:35
extended range when using ideal bullets. However, the 7mm-08 isn't a bad choice here either, because it's such an efficient cartridge that
32:43
really punches above its weight. Like I keep saying, they're both solid rifle
32:48
cartridges. While there is a lot of overlap in their performance and ideal
32:52
uses, there are some significant differences between them in certain respects, and the 270 and the 7mm-08 are definitely better suited to
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specific situations. Carefully evaluate your needs as a hunter based on these
33:06
circumstances you foresee using the cartridge in. Get a good hunting rifle
33:10
chambered in the cartridge you select. Learn to shoot it well, use quality ammo
33:14
and it should serve you well afield. Now, if you enjoyed this video, please make
33:19
sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel right now. Just click that red subscribe
33:23
button below to make sure you don't miss out on any of my new videos on cartridge
33:27
comparisons, hunting gear reviews, etc. Now, for more detailed information on other
33:31
popular hunting cartridges, to include the 7mm-08 and the 270, but with
33:37
some other ones stored in there as well, click that link in the description below
33:41
or go to HuntingGuns101.com. That's 1-0-1 dot com to get a free ebook I've
33:48
written on the best hunting calibers. Now, I'm going to turn it over to you. Which
33:52
one do you prefer? The 7mm-08 or the 270? What game have you
33:58
successfully taken with each one? Let me know by leaving a comment on this video
34:02
right now. Thanks for watching, have a great day, and good hunting