Jordan .. I agree. But..It still barely beats the JLK.
Part of the argument was also that the 270 is a factory option 10 twist where as the 6.5-06 you need a custom barrel/twist.
Now you're into a custom barrel/twist with the 270.
I'll agree however, that the playing field is more level.
However, the 6.5 has more bullet choices. That in itself still trumps the 270.
I'm sure the bullet makers will catch up with 270 options sooner or later.
There's no question that if you want to shoot the truly great LR bullets in either cartridge you'll need a custom 8-9" twist barrel, with an appropriate throat. But as a caliber, .277" is no longer at the disadvantage that it once was. Ballistic advantage is purely due to the bullets and barrels made available for any given caliber, and there are finally a few good bullets on the market in .277, with fast-twist barrels to match.
A large bullet selection is a good thing, but I have to ask, how many bullet choices does a guy really need? I could happily get along doing all of my hunting with 1 of the 3 options listed above for the LR stuff (the 170gr Berger EOL Hybrid Hunting looks REALLY good), and then an AB, TTSX, or PT for anything I might shoot within 400 yards. I do the same thing with my 7mm rifles. A 140gr TTSX for sub-400 yard work, and the 162gr A-Max for anything beyond that range (I could happily substitute the 168gr or 180gr VLD and 140gr AB, if selection in 7mm was more limited). Those two bullets get the job done for me. I really don't capitalize on the huge bullet selection available in 7mm, and I suspect that most guys likewise choose 1 or 2 bullets to use in any given rifle.
You and I are on the same page mostly.
However, I do often tend to look at the match bullets for many of my endeavors. I like to have a large selection as different rifles like different things err most of the time. I tend to gravitate towards the Powder/Primer/Bullet/hull that the rifle likes best and shoot the tiniest group with the lowest ES. For that reason option are nice.
