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270 vs 30-06: Which Is Best For You?
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May 10, 2024
To learn more about popular hunting calibers like the .270 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield, visit: https://huntingguns101.com/optin1615146914565?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=HG101&utm_term=YT&utm_content=270vs30-06 In this video I talk about the .270 Winchester and how it compares to the .30-06 Springfield. Most hunters and shooters probably agree that the .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield are both quite versatile and effective cartridges. After all, there is a reason why they are among two most popular centerfire rifle cartridges used by hunters in the United States. While there is an overlap in their capabilities, the two cartridges are best suited to different tasks and represent two different ways of thinking. This is part of the reason why each cartridge has such a dedicated and loyal following and why the 270 vs 30-06 debate continues to rage on after so many years. In this video, I’m going to discuss the merits of the 270 vs 30-06 and provide some insight into which cartridge you should be using in various situations. To read a more detailed comparison of the 30-06 vs 270 visit: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/270-vs-30-06/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow BGHB: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBigGameHuntingBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebiggamehunter_/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBigGameHunt
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hi there, I'm John McAdams, founder of the Big Game Hunting blog, and in this video I'm
0:05
going to do a detailed comparison of the .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield
0:09
cartridges. Now most hunters and shooters probably agree that the .270 and the .30-06
0:15
are both very versatile and effective big game hunting cartridges. After all
0:19
there is a reason why they are consistently among the two most popular centerfire rifle cartridges used by hunters in the United States. Now while
0:28
there is an overlap in their capabilities, the two cartridges are best suited to different tasks and represent two different ways of thinking
0:36
This is part of the reason why each cartridge has such a dedicated and loyal
0:40
following and why the .270 vs. .30-06 debate continues to rage on after so
0:46
many years. So in this video I'm going to discuss the merits of the .270 vs. the
0:51
.30-06 and I'll provide some insight into which cartridge you should be using
0:56
in various situations. The US Army designed the .30-06 Springfield for use
1:01
in the bolt-action 1903 Springfield rifle in 1906 as an improvement on the
1:06
.30-03 Springfield cartridge. The Army was just coming off the heels of a
1:10
sobering lesson regarding the effectiveness of the new 7mm Mauser cartridge in the hands of Spanish troops in Cuba in 1898 and wanted a
1:18
cartridge and rifle that could compete with the revolutionary new Mauser. Using
1:22
smokeless powder and a new 150 grain pointed bullet fired at a muzzle
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velocity of 2,700 feet per second, the .30-06 Springfield was a significant
1:31
improvement over previous cartridges the military used during that era like the
1:35
.30-40 Krag and the .45-70 Government. It didn't take long for the .30-06
1:40
Springfield cartridge to catch on with the hunting and shooting communities and it was soon an extremely popular cartridge in the United States and in
1:47
North America as a whole. As good as the .30-06 Springfield was, not everyone was
1:51
completely satisfied with it and Wildcatters quickly started modifying the cartridge for more specialized tasks. Around the same time gun designers were
1:59
necking the .30-06 up to develop the .35 Whelen cartridge, engineers at
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Winchester decided to go the opposite route and neck down the .30-06, well
2:08
specifically the old .30-03 case, which the .30-06 is descended from, to use
2:13
.277 caliber instead of .308 caliber bullets. The resulting .270 Winchester cartridge was formally released in 1925 for the Winchester
2:24
Model 54 rifle. The original .270 load shot a 130 grain bullet at a blazing
2:30
fast velocity, for 1925 anyway, of 3,140 feet per second. Though the .270
2:36
Winchester was not an immediate success, American hunters appreciated the flat-shooting characteristics of the round and the fact that it was so
2:42
effective on thin-skinned game. The cartridge gradually became more and more popular, which was helped by Jack O'Connor and his famous affinity for the
2:50
cartridge that he expressed in countless outdoor life articles over the years. Now
2:54
that's not to say the cartridge only became incredibly popular because of O'Connor. Now while he did indeed love the .270 and used it extensively on hunts
3:02
all over the world, it was far from the only cartridge he used. The .270 was also
3:06
a good enough cartridge and filled a big enough niche that it probably would have
3:10
been successful even without any help from Jack O'Connor. Now the .270
3:14
Winchester is something of an oddity when it comes to bullet diameter though. Unlike all the other popular 7mm cartridges like the 7mm
3:21
Mauser, the 7mm 08, the 7mm Remington Magnum, and the .280 Remington that use .284 caliber bullets, the .270 uses .277 caliber
3:31
bullets. It's unclear exactly why Winchester decided to go with .277 instead of .284 caliber bullets with the .270. One theory is that they chose that
3:41
particular bullet size based on an obscure 6.8x57mm Chinese Mauser cartridge. It's also possible they wanted to create a distinctly American
3:49
bullet size and avoid the 6.5 and 7mm bullets popular in Europe
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by using a brand new bullet diameter 10% smaller than the one used in the .30-06
3:59
So .9 multiplied by .308 is .277. Regardless of their reasons, the design
4:05
team at Winchester went with the .277 caliber bullet diameter and the rest is
4:09
history. Interestingly enough, while the .270 turned out to be a smashing
4:13
commercial success for the company, .277 caliber bullets really never caught on
4:18
elsewhere. The .270 Winchester Short Magnum and the .270 Weatherby Magnum are
4:23
the only two mass-produced cartridges that use bullets of that size. Not
4:27
surprisingly, the .270 and the .30-06 cartridges look very similar to each
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other. The .270 does have a slightly longer case length, but the two
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cartridges are identical up to the shoulder and have the same maximum
4:39
overall length of 3.34 inches. For this reason, both cartridges are used in
4:44
long-action rifles. Now, since the .270 uses a neck-down .30-03 Springfield case, which the .30-06 is also descended from, both cartridges also have the
4:55
exact same case diameter and virtually the same case capacity. In short, aside
5:00
from the fact that the .270 shoots .277 caliber instead of .308
5:05
caliber bullets and the fact that the .270 has a tiny bit longer case length
5:09
the two cartridges are virtually identical. However, those small changes make a big difference when it comes to ballistic performance. The .30-06 is
5:18
certainly no slouch in terms of velocity or trajectory, but the .270 has a clear
5:24
advantage in both of those areas. By necking down the .30-06 case to shoot
5:28
smaller diameter bullets, the designers of the .270 were successful in building a
5:33
cartridge with a higher velocity, flatter trajectory, and less recoil than the .30-06. This is because when compared to the .30-06, the smaller diameter
5:42
.270 Winchester shoots lighter weight bullets. For instance, the vast majority of .270 Winchester factory loads shoot bullets in the 120 to 150 grain range. Of
5:52
these, 130 grain and 150 grain bullets are by far the most common. On the other
5:58
hand, though it is possible to find .30-06 ammo using bullets weighing as
6:02
little as 110 grains, most .30-06 Springfield factory loads use heavier weight bullets in the 150 to 180 grain range. There is a significant difference
6:14
in the bullet trajectories between the two cartridges. When comparing typical factory hunting loads, the .30-06 bullets usually have as much or slightly more
6:22
energy remaining at 500 yards, but the .270 bullets will still hit around 4 to 8
6:28
inches higher at that same range. Not only does the .270 have a noticeably
6:32
flatter trajectory, but most factory .270 loads will have about 20 to 30 percent
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less free recoil energy than typical .30-06 loads. It's tough to pick a
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winner when it comes to accuracy of the .270 versus the .30-06, because it's
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something of an apples-to-oranges comparison. Most people agree that both cartridges are capable of excellent accuracy, but the .270 Winchester is used
6:54
almost exclusively as a hunting cartridge, while match shooters, military police snipers, and hunters have all used the .30-06 extensively over the years
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For those reasons, the big ammo companies have invested a tremendous amount of
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time and resources in developing a really big selection of high BC, match
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grade .308 caliber hunting bullets that are available for use in the .30-06
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On the other hand, since the .270 has almost exclusively been used as a
7:19
hunting cartridge, the major bullet manufacturers have not invested nearly as much time developing heavy-for-caliber, high BC .277 caliber bullets. Now that's
7:28
not to say the .270 Winchester isn't an accurate cartridge. It most certainly is
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but it just doesn't have the same pedigree as the .30-06 in that regard, and
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for that reason, there are very few choices available for .270 match ammo. Now
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all that being said, both cartridges have the potential for excellent accuracy in
7:46
the right hands, and will absolutely do the job at reasonable hunting ranges. Now
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let's talk about ammo and rifle selection. The .270 and the .30-06 are two of the
7:56
most popular cartridges for hunters in the United States. For that reason
8:00
virtually every ammunition manufacturer of note, like Barnes, Browning, Federal, Hornady, Nosler, Remington, Swift, Weatherby, and Winchester, just to name a
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few, produce a wide variety of good quality ammo and various bullet weights
8:13
for both cartridges. So regardless of whether you want lighter or heavier
8:17
bullets for either cartridge, you should be able to find what you're looking for. Just about every major style of bullet is available in those cartridges as well
8:24
like the Barnes TTS-X, the Hornady GMX, Interbond, and SST, the Nosler Acubond and
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Partition, the Remington Korlacht, the Swift Sirocco and A-Frame, and the Winchester Powerpoint. Prices and availability vary from region to region
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but ammunition for both cartridges is widely available. In fact, if a sporting
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goods store only carried ammo for two different centerfire rifle cartridges, I'd bet money they'd have .270 and .30-06 ammo. Prices for both cartridges are about
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the same as well. If you're into hand loading, then you're also in luck because reloading components for both cartridges are widely available. There are lots of
9:00
good quality .277 and .308 caliber bullets to choose from, so you shouldn't
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have much trouble working up a custom load that shoots very accurately in your
9:08
rifle. Now since they're both such popular cartridges, there are also lots of
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rifles to choose from, and virtually every firearms manufacturer produces rifles chambered in both .270 and .30-06. Additionally, because the cartridges are
9:21
the same length and have the same rim diameter, rifles of the same model
9:25
chambered in each cartridge are virtually identical to each other. Among others, the Browning X-Bolt, the CZ 550, Mossberg Patriot, Remington Model 700
9:34
Ruger American and M77 Hawkeye, the Savage 111, the Thompson Center Compass
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the Tikka T3X, the Weatherby Mark V and Vanguard, and of course, the
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Winchester Model 70 are all available in .270 and .30-06. As anyone who has read a
9:50
few of his articles in Outdoor Life would know, Jack O'Connor's favorite rifle was a Winchester Model 70 chambered in .270 Winchester. Even though
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the Model 70s have been chambered in many other cartridges, including .30-06
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and even though many other rifles are available in .270 Winchester, the Model
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70 and the .270 Winchester remain forever linked in the minds of many hunters due
10:11
to O'Connor's work. By the way, if you want to see it for yourself, O'Connor's Model 70 is currently on display at the Jack O'Connor Museum in
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Lewiston, Idaho. He first purchased that particular rifle in 1959 and used it on
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hunts all over the world for a wide variety of game. He took his last stone
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sheep with that rifle in 1973. So, which one is right for you? When using the
10:31
right bullets and with good shot placement, both cartridges are excellent for hunting medium to large size game. Indeed, both the .270 Winchester and the
10:39
.30-06 Springfield are great choices if you're looking for a really versatile cartridge. They're both extremely effective and popular deer
10:46
hunting cartridges. Indeed, whitetail deer probably make up well over half the game harvested by those two cartridges each year. The .270 and the .30-06 also
10:54
work very well for feral hogs and black bear hunting. The same goes for exotic
10:58
game like Sika, Axis, and fallow deer. However, this is where the strengths and
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weaknesses of each cartridge start to diverge. The flat trajectory of the .270
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makes it great for animals that are more likely to require longer shots like mule
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deer or pronghorn. By the same token, the fact that the .270 also has a relatively
11:15
mild recoil also makes it a great cartridge for mountain hunts where a
11:19
lightweight rifle is really desirable. After all, there's a reason why Jack
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O'Connor liked his .270 so much for hunting sheep and why it's still such an effective cartridge for mountain goat and bighorn sheep hunting. On the other
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hand, since it shoots a heavier and larger diameter bullet, the .30-06
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Springfield has a clear advantage when hunting larger species like caribou, elk
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and moose. When using a 180 grain bullet, the .30-06 also has a big advantage when
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hunting most species of African plains game. Now that doesn't mean you can't
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hunt elk, moose, or plains game with a .270. After all, many hunters have killed
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untold numbers of those animals with the .270 over the years. If anything, the .270
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is even more effective on really large game, elk hunting in particular, now than
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it was even 20 years ago because hunters now have access to much better quality
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bullets. For example, a friend of mine has used his .270 with great success on
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caribou, moose, and kudu. Heck, he even cleanly took a blue wildebeest, which is
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a notoriously tough animal, with that same .270. Now, bullet selection is very
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important though, and he used 150 grain nozzle partitions on the kudu and the
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blue wildebeest. Additionally, there is a little bit less room for error with shot
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placement when the .270 on really big game, but it can still be an extremely
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effective cartridge if the hunter is up to the task. There's also nothing saying
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that .30-06 isn't suitable for long-range shots, or that it can't also be a
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great rifle for a mountain hunt. Like I said earlier, they're both quite versatile
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but it's just that each cartridge is just a better choice for certain applications. So, do you primarily hunt deer, hogs, or bear in an area where long
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distance shots past 200 yards are uncommon, and bullet drop isn't really a
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concern for you? Both cartridges will work just fine under these circumstances
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and there isn't much difference between them inside 300 yards. Now, are you
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sensitive to recoil, or maybe you do a lot of mountain or backcountry hunts
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where it's really nice to have a lightweight rifle? Consider going with
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the .270, which is a lighter recoil that's more manageable in a small
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lightweight rifle. With good shot placement and quality ammo, the .270 is a
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wonderful choice for mountain goat, sheep, or tar hunting. Do you want to hunt
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larger game like elk, moose, red stag, and elan? Both cartridges will work, but the
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.30-06 offers a clear advantage since it can use heavier 180 grain
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bullets that are much better suited for extremely large and or tough animals
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I personally would lean towards the .30-06 in this case, but that's just me, and
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there's not a darn thing wrong with using the .270 either, as long as you're
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aware of its limitations. As I've stated before, the .270 and the .30-06 are both
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great rifle cartridges. While each one may be better suited to specific
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situations than the other, they're both very solid performers overall. The difference between them is not as great as some people think, and the animal will
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never know the difference if your shot is placed in the right spot. Now if you
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enjoyed this video, then please make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel right now. Just click that red subscribe button below to make sure you don't miss
14:17
out on any of my new videos about hunting gear reviews, cartridge
14:21
comparisons, and more. For more detailed information on the .270 and the .30-06
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and how they compare to other popular hunting cartridges, click on the link in
14:30
the description below, or go to HuntingGuns101.com to get a free ebook I
14:37
have written on the best hunting calibers. Now I'm going to turn it over
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to you guys. Which cartridge do you prefer, the .270 or the .30-06? What
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game have you successfully taken with each one? Let me know by leaving a
14:51
comment on this video right now. Thanks for watching, have a great day, and good hunting
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