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270 vs 308: Which One Should You Hunt With?
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May 10, 2024
To learn more about popular hunting calibers like the .270 Winchester and the .308 Winchester, visit: https://huntingguns101.com/optin1615146914565?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=HG101&utm_term=YT&utm_content=270vs308 In this video I talk about the .270 Winchester and how it compares to the .308 Winchester. I think the majority of hunters and shooters would agree that the .270 Winchester and .308 Winchester are outstanding hunting cartridges. Indeed, they’re both consistently among the most popular centerfire rifle cartridges used in the United States each year for good reason. While each cartridge offers certain benefits to hunters, there is also a pretty big overlap in their capabilities. For those reasons, understanding their true strengths and weaknesses can be pretty confusing at times. The fact that the .270 and .308 each have very devoted fan clubs can also make it difficult to navigate the debate. Don’t get discouraged though: in this video, I’m going to discuss the pros and cons of the 270 vs 308 so you can make an informed decision on which one is best for you. To read a more detailed comparison of the 270 vs 308 visit: https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/270-vs-308/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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
0:04
I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the .270 Winchester and .308 Winchester cartridges
0:10
Now, I think the majority of hunters and shooters would agree that the .270 and the .308 are outstanding hunting cartridges
0:17
Indeed, they're both consistently among the most popular centerfire rifle cartridges used in the USA each year and for good reason
0:25
Now, while each cartridge does offer certain benefits to hunters, there's also a really big overlap in their capabilities
0:32
And so for these reasons, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the .270 and the .308 can be pretty confusing
0:38
And the fact that they each have extremely devoted fan clubs makes it even more difficult to navigate the debate
0:45
Don't get discouraged though. In today's episode, I'm going to discuss the pros and cons of the .270 versus the .308 so you can make an informed decision on which one is
0:55
best for you. So first, we'll talk about the history of the .270 and the .308
1:01
Now, like many other cartridges developed in the USA, the story of the .270 and .308 Winchester begins with the .30-06
1:08
The U.S. Army began the search for a new rifle and cartridge after receiving a deadly demonstration on the capabilities of the
1:14
revolutionary new Mauser rifle in 7mm Mauser cartridge in the hands of Spanish troops in Cuba during 1898
1:22
Those efforts bore fruit a few years later with the bolt-action 1903 Springfield rifle chambered in the new .30-06 Springfield cartridge
1:31
Using a smokeless powder and a 150 grain pointed bullet fired at
1:35
2,700 feet per second, the .30-06 Springfield was a gigantic improvement over other popular American cartridges used during that era
1:43
like the .30-30 Winchester and the .45-70 Government. Not surprisingly, the .30-06 was an almost instant success in the civilian market
1:52
While many were satisfied with the .30-06 from the start, Wildcatters also quickly started modifying the cartridge for more specialized tasks
2:00
Some gun designers necked up the .30-06 to develop bigger cartridges like the .35 Wayland
2:06
However, the folks at Winchester went the opposite route and necked down the .30-06
2:10
well, specifically the old .30-03 case, which the .30-06 is descended from, to use
2:16
.277 caliber instead of .308 caliber bullets. They formally released the resulting .270 Winchester cartridge in 1925 with the Winchester Model 54 rifle
2:27
The original .270 Winchester load shot a 130 grain bullet at a velocity of about
2:33
3,140 feet per second. While the .270 had a very high muzzle velocity compared to other popular cartridges of the day
2:40
it was not an instant commercial success. This was due to a number of reasons, one of which was the fact that the .270 fired unusual sized bullets
2:49
Instead of .284 caliber bullets like the 7mm Mauser and other cartridges like the 7mm 08
2:57
280 Acme Improved, 7mm Magnum, etc., the .270 Winchester used .277 caliber bullets, which undoubtedly
3:06
hampered adoption of the cartridge to a certain degree. Now, it's unclear exactly why Winchester opted for .277 caliber instead of the much more popular .284 caliber bullets
3:17
Regardless of their reasons, though, the design team at Winchester went with that bullet diameter and the rest is history
3:24
Interestingly enough, while the .270 Winchester eventually became a gigantic commercial success for the company
3:30
aside from the .270 Winchester Short Magnum, the .270 Weatherby Magnum, and the more recently developed 6.8 Remington SPC
3:39
virtually no other mass-produced cartridges used .277 caliber bullets. Now, helped along by Jack O'Connor and the famous articles that he wrote for Outdoor Life about the .270 over the years
3:50
the cartridge gradually caught on with the hunting community. Though some were reluctant to adopt the cartridge, many American hunters
3:58
eventually came to appreciate the flat shooting characteristics of the round, as well as the fact that it was so effective on thin-skinned game
4:05
Within a few decades, the .270 Winchester was firmly entrenched as one of the most popular hunting cartridges used in the United States
4:13
Now, we'll shift gears a little bit and talk about the .308. Now, while the .30-06 performed very well during both World Wars, the U.S. military again
4:21
recognized the need for a new rifle and cartridge after World War II. Specifically, they wanted a new rifle chambered in an intermediate cartridge capable of automatic fire and equipped with a detachable magazine
4:34
After a very controversial selection process, the Army eventually settled on the M14 rifle and the new
4:40
7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The original 7.62x51mm NATO M80 ball load fired a 146 grain full metal jacket at about
4:52
2,750 feet per second. Now, that load had virtually the same ballistics as the original
4:58
.30-06 Springfield load, which was 150 grain bullet at 2,700 feet per second. And also, they both fired .308 caliber bullets
5:06
However, the 7.62 cartridge achieved that performance with a much shorter case of 51 versus 63 millimeters
5:13
due to advances in powder technology that occurred after the development of the .30-06
5:18
Though the 7.62x51mm NATO had a very short-lived career as the primary rifle cartridge for the U.S. military
5:25
it is still widely used by the military in machine guns and sniper slash designated marksman rifles
5:32
Now, additionally, Winchester recognized serious commercial potential with that cartridge and introduced the extremely similar .308 Winchester cartridge for the civilian hunting and shooting markets in the 1950s
5:45
Providing approximately 90% of the power of the .30-06 in a smaller package
5:50
the cartridge soon became very popular and is now one of the most widely used big-game hunting rounds in North America
5:56
So, now that we've talked about their history, we'll go into a discussion of the relative sizes of the .270 and .308 cartridges
6:04
Now, the .270 Winchester and the .308 have very different external dimensions
6:09
The .270 Winchester has a significantly longer case length of 2.54 inches versus 2.015 inches
6:16
as well as a longer overall length of 3.34 inches versus 2.81 inches
6:21
For this reason, while the .270 Winchester is used in standard or long-action rifles
6:27
the .308 Winchester is the poster child for short-action rifles. Both cartridges have the same .473 inch rim diameter
6:36
However, the .308 has a slightly steeper shoulder angle of 20 degrees versus 17.5 degrees
6:43
Even so, the .270 Winchester has significantly more case capacity due to the much longer case used by the cartridge
6:50
Now, bullet size is another one of the obvious differences between them. They each use different diameter bullets, .277 caliber for the .270 and .308 caliber for the .308
7:01
The vast majority of .270 factory loads shoot bullets in the 120 to 150 grain range
7:07
Of these, 130 and 150 grain bullets are by far the most common
7:12
On the other hand, the .308 typically uses 110 to 180 grain bullets
7:16
with 150 grain, 165 grain, 168 grain, and 180 grain bullets being the most popular for that cartridge
7:24
And finally, the .270 Winchester has a slightly higher maximum average pressure, authorized by SAMI
7:30
of 65,000 PSI versus 62,000 PSI for the .308. Okay, now let's talk about the ballistics of the .270 versus the .308
7:39
By necking down the .30-06 or .30-03 case to shoot smaller diameter bullets
7:45
the designers of the .270 Winchester built a cartridge with a higher velocity, flatter trajectory, and less recoil than the .30-06
7:53
Now, since the .308 Winchester is essentially a scaled-down .30-06, with the exception of recoil
7:59
which we'll get to in a minute, the .270 Winchester has the same advantages over the .308 as it does over the .30-06
8:06
However, since most modern .30-06 factory loads have a small edge in velocity
8:11
say of 100 to 200 feet per second over .308 factory loads shooting the same weight bullet
8:17
the advantage in velocity of the .270 Winchester is even more pronounced when compared to the .308
8:22
Now, this is illustrated when comparing four different Federal Premium Nosler partition loads for the two cartridges
8:29
Specifically, we'll compare 130-grain and 150-grain loads in .270 Winchester, and 150-grain and 180-grain loads in .308 Winchester
8:39
Now, the 180-grain .308 load uses a slightly more aerodynamic bullet than those used by either of the .270 loads
8:47
However, the 130-grain and 150-grain Nosler partition bullets used in this comparison by the .270
8:53
are both more aerodynamic than the 150-grain .308 bullet. Now, not surprisingly, there is a significant difference in the bullet trajectories for these two cartridges
9:02
Now, in addition to that advantage I just told you about with the more aerodynamic bullets for the .270
9:08
the .270 loads also have a higher muzzle velocity of another couple hundred feet per second over the .308
9:15
So, not surprisingly, there is a significant difference in the bullet trajectories between the two cartridges
9:20
Now, the .270 Winchester has a slight edge over the .308 when they're both using 150-grain bullets
9:26
However, that 130-grain .270 load has an even flatter trajectory with between 9 and maybe 16 inches less
9:33
bullet drop at 500 yards than either of the .308 Winchester loads
9:38
With regards to energy, the cartridges are fairly evenly matched to start out with
9:43
The gap in kinetic energy grows slightly in favor of the .270 when compared to the
9:49
150-grain .308 Winchester load at all ranges. However, the opposite happens with a little bit more
9:55
aerodynamic 180-grain .308 Winchester load at longer range. But, all things considered, the two cartridges are fairly evenly matched in energy and the big advantage that the .270 has is with regards
10:06
to having a flatter trajectory. Now, with regards to wind drift, the two cartridges are also fairly evenly matched at shorter range
10:14
but the .270 does have a small advantage in wind drift that grows as range increases
10:20
And once again, this is because the .270 Winchester shoots more aerodynamic bullets with the exception of that 180-grain .308 load at a higher velocity
10:29
Now, let's talk about recoil. Specifically, we'll compare the recoil produced by those same 130-grain and 150-grain .270 loads to 150-grain and
10:38
180-grain .308 loads when fired from identical 7-pound rifles. Now, interestingly here, with the exception of that milder recoiling
10:47
150-grain .308 load, which does have a definite advantage over all the other three, the two cartridges have almost identical recoil
10:55
However, that does make sense when you consider that the .308 and the .270 were both designed as lower recoiling
11:01
alternatives to the .30-06. And this fits with the original intent of the designers, interested in building a mild shooting and
11:08
easy-to-handle cartridge that was still powerful enough for hunting medium-sized game at short to moderate range
11:13
Where do we stand with each cartridge? The .270 Winchester is a very flat shooting and moderately powerful cartridge
11:20
especially considering that it's nearly a hundred years old. With moderate recoil that's roughly comparable to the .308 and
11:26
noticeably lighter than the .30-06, most shooters and hunters can handle it without a lot of trouble
11:32
Now, while recoil is more or less comparable between the two cartridges, typical .308 Winchester loads do not have as flat of a trajectory as typical .270 loads
11:41
However, the .308 is available with heavier bullets than the .270 and is also available in a wider range of bullet weights and models
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Now, additionally, there are a couple of other factors that are also worth discussing
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So first, the .308 Winchester uses larger diameter bullets than the .270 Winchester
11:59
Specifically, the larger diameter .308 caliber bullets used by the .308 have about 24% more frontal surface area than the
12:07
.277 caliber bullets used by the .270. All other things being equal, a bigger bullet will make a bigger hole
12:13
cause more tissue damage, and result in more blood loss. That is a definite, though small, factor in favor of the .308. On the other hand, many of the
12:22
.277 caliber bullets have a higher sectional density than the most common bullets used in the .308
12:28
Sectional density is a measure of the ratio of the diameter of a projectile to its mass
12:32
All other things being equal, a heavier projectile of a given caliber will be longer and therefore have a higher sectional density and
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consequently penetrate deeper than projectiles with a lower mass and lower sectional density
12:45
Everything else being equal, the smaller diameter .277 caliber bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient and a higher sectional density than the larger diameter bullets of the same weight from the .308
12:55
But the .308 generally uses heavier bullets than the .270. All that being said, the .270 does still have a slight edge with most bullets in common use, even compared to heavier .30 caliber bullets
13:07
As an example, 130 grain, 140 grain, and 150 grain .277 caliber bullets have sectional densities of .242
13:15
.261, and .279 respectively. This compares favorably to 150 grain, 168 grain, and 180 grain .308 caliber bullets, which have sectional densities of .226
13:28
.253, and .271 respectively. Now for the most part, this also applies to ballistic coefficient
13:34
Now the bullets used in this comparison illustrate those differences well, with the .270 Winchester using
13:41
130 grain with .416 BC and 150 grain .466 BC bullets, compared to the 150 grain .387 BC and
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180 grain .484 BC bullets used by the .308. With the exception of those 180 grain .308 bullets
13:59
the .270 does have the edge across the board with regards to using more aerodynamic bullets in this comparison
14:05
Okay, now let's talk about ammo selection. Now the .308 and the .270 are both two of the most popular centerfire rifle cartridges in North America
14:13
In fact, I would wager that they're both among the top ten, if not the top five, best-selling rifle cartridges in the USA each year
14:20
And not surprisingly, just about every big ammunition manufacturer of note produces a wide variety of ammo for both cartridges. And the same thing goes with the major bullet styles
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They're almost all available in .270 and .308, like the Barnes TTS-X, Hornady ELDX, GMX, Interbond, Interlock
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SST, the Nosler Accubond, Accubond Long-Range, Nosler Ballistic Tip and E-Tip, Nosler Partition, Remington Core-Locked, the Swift A-Frame, and the Winchester Powerpoint
14:49
Now prices and availability do probably vary from region to region, but ammo for both cartridges is normally widely available in normal times
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In fact, if a sporting goods store only carried ammo for three different centerfire rifle cartridges
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I'd bet money they'd have .270, .308, and .30-06 ammo. So basically, there's no shortage of quality .270 Winchester and .308 Winchester factory ammo suitable for hunting
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Now both are also well suited for hand loaders, and reloading components are both widely available
15:20
And with regards to bullet selection, .308 caliber bullets in particular are extremely easy to find
15:26
Though only a few cartridges use .277 caliber bullets, there's still a really good selection of quality bullets to choose from in that bullet size
15:35
but maybe not quite as wide as .30 caliber bullets. Now let's talk about rifles. Now similar to the abundant ammo choices available in both cartridges
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there are plenty of quality rifles chambered in .270 and .308. And so regardless of which one you choose, finding a good hunting rifle shouldn't be an issue
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Both are most common in bolt-action rifles. Of course, Remington and Winchester produce their Model 70 and Model 700 rifles in both .270 and .308
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Same goes for the Browning X-Bolt, Mossberg Patriot, Nosler Liberty, Ruger American, Hawkeye
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Savage Axis, Tikka T3, and Weatherby Vanguard rifles as well. Aside from the Browning automatic rifle, the .270 Winchester is almost non-existent in semi-automatic rifles though
16:23
On the other hand, the .308 is relatively common in semi-automatic sporting rifles like the various AR-10 models, as well as the M1A
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Though there is quite a bit of overlap in barrel lengths for rifles in these cartridges
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.270 rifles often have slightly longer barrels than .308 rifles. That's not a hard-and-fast rule though, and 22-inch and 24-inch barrels are very common for both
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Now all things considered, identical rifles chambered in .270 tend to be a little bit longer, heavier, and a little bit more unwieldy
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than rifles in .308. And the Winchester Model 70 Super Grade illustrates these differences well
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When chambered in .308, the rifle has a 22-inch barrel, an overall length of 42.25 inches, and weighs 7.75 pounds
17:06
The same rifle in .270 has a 24-inch barrel, is 44.75 inches long, and weighs 8.25 pounds
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So that rifle in .270 is 2 inches or so longer and weighs about a half pound more than the exact same model in .308
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Now like I said though, those aren't hard-and-fast rules, and barrel lengths do vary depending on the
17:27
manufacturer and exact model. And at the same time, the .308 Winchester is sometimes available in more compact rifles with shorter 18- to
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20-inch long barrels. Now having a shorter and lighter rifle is more important on some hunts than on others
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so just keep that in mind. All right, which one is best for you? With good shot placement and when using quality bullets, the .270 Winchester and .308 Winchester
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are ideally suited for hunting medium and large sized game. They are both incredibly effective and popular deer hunting cartridges, and hunters armed with those two cartridges
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make up a significant portion of the annual whitetail deer harvest each year in the U.S
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Both are also great for similarly sized game like black bear, hogs, javelina, mule deer, and
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pronghorn, and the same goes for exotic game like axis, sika, and fallow deer
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However, the flat trajectory and resistance to wind drift of the .270 does make it a really good choice for a game that might require
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a longer shot like a pronghorn or a mule deer, and the
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relatively lightweight recoil of the cartridge also makes it easier to handle in a lightweight rifle that is desirable on a mountain hunt
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Jack O'Connor was really on to something with his affinity for the .270 as a sheep hunting cartridge, and those same
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characteristics also make it a really good choice for a mountain goat hunt in Canada or
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Himalayan tar and chamois while hunting in New Zealand. Now on the other hand, since it shoots heavier and larger diameter bullets, the .308 has a clear advantage when hunting larger species like
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moose, elk, and caribou. Especially when using a heavy bullet, the .308 has a significant advantage when hunting plains game in Africa as well like blue wildebeest, kudu, and eland
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Now the .308 Winchester is also a perfectly capable long-range cartridge, and plenty of hunters use it on mountain hunts each year
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After all, the recoil of the .308 is very similar to the .270, and by the same token, the .270 has taken untold numbers of
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moose, elk, and plains game without any issues. It's really just a matter of each cartridge having certain strengths and weaknesses
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So do you primarily hunt medium-sized game like white-tailed deer, feral hogs, or black bear at ranges within 200 yards
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Both are extremely effective deer hunting cartridges and will absolutely get the job done on medium-sized game if you do your part as a hunter
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Both are great deer hunting cartridges and are among the most popular North American hunting cartridges in general
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so it's really hard to go wrong here. If you're going to be hunting in thick brush or in the tight confines of a deer stand
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remember what I just mentioned about the size difference with .308 vs
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.270 rifles. That extra couple inches and overall length of a rifle can be a real headache to deal with when you're trying to quickly
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and quietly maneuver for a shot under certain conditions. Now what about if you're looking for the cartridge better suited for long-range hunting for game like mule deer or pronghorn in open country
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where you may need to take a shot at several hundred yards? Both will work, but the .270 Winchester is probably the better choice for these conditions. With a significantly flatter trajectory and more resistance to
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wind drift, the cartridge does really well on longer shots, especially on thin-skinned game like mule deer, pronghorn, sheep, etc
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Now do you want to hunt for larger animals like kudu eland, red stag, elk, or moose
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Neither would be my first choice for this sort of hunting, but both will absolutely work and lots of people have used them with success on bigger game. In my opinion
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the .308 Winchester is probably the better choice in this case, since it uses larger diameter and heavier bullets that are better suited for really large or tough animals
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Now regardless of which cartridge you choose, use a controlled expansion projectile and a heavier bullet weight for your elk or moose hunt for best results
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Now even though they have slightly different strengths and weaknesses, the .270 Winchester and the .308 Winchester are outstanding rifle cartridges
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Now while the differences between them are significant in some respects, they're both acceptable for a wide range of hunting tasks and there is a big overlap in what they're really good at
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So get a nice hunting rifle, chambered in the cartridge you think fits your needs the best, learn to shoot it well
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use quality bullets, and you'll be well prepared for the most common hunting situations
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Now if you enjoyed this video, then please make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel right now
21:37
Just click on the red subscribe button below to make sure you don't miss out on any of my new videos about hunting gear reviews
21:43
strategies, and more. For more detailed information on the .270 Winchester and the .308 Winchester
21:49
and how they compare to other popular hunting cartridges, click on the link in the description below to get a free ebook I have written on the best hunting calibers
21:58
Now I'm gonna turn it over to you guys. Which one do you prefer? The .270 or the .308
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What game have you successfully taken with them? Let me know by leaving a comment on this video right now
22:09
Thanks for watching. Have a great day and good hunting
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