Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting 270 Win or 308 -- with factory ammo

Would anyone go 270 over 308? Assume factory ammo, 500y... steel, deer, and elk.

This was a recent topic of discussion at work. I would go 308 for no other reason than ammo selection. I know that similar threads have touched on this, but would appreciate you fellas entertaining this question.

Jason

There are a couple of 270 bullets that are being made that give it the ability to *beat* the .308 at similar distances.

However... I'd still gun 155 Scenars from 2850-3000 and call it a day.

Tanner

How much is the rifle realistically going to get shot?

If it will have 500 or 1000 rounds put down the barrel a year, the 308 makes sense from an economic standpoint, as factory ammo can be had fairly cheap.

If the rifle will be shot 50 or 100 rounds a year for practice, and then have a few rounds put through it during hunting season on game, the factory ammo cost is irrelevant.

In that case, 270, as lots of hunting ammo is available in bullet weights shot at speeds that don't require any dicking around with turrets or hold over for the range most game is actually going to get shot.

If you'll be shooting stuff at 500 you'll either be holding over with a ballistic reticle or turning a knob. Either one will work fine at that distance, and both have good availability and selection for factory ammo.

So the point about how much you're going to shoot makes sense, you can get .308 cheaper in general but the question is, will you shoot enough so that it matters.

I've pretty much given up on the bullet selection for the 30 cal's. Lets face it, your only gonna shoot one bullet at a time and for myself, I pick the bullet I think is best for the cartridge I'm shooting. have killed a truck load of deer with the 308, love it! Never shot a 270 at anything but, I doubt the 308 has any really decent advantage on the 270 with a 150gr bullet. I shot 165 gr Hornady spire points and inter lock's and they were all. Never left me wanting. I think that a 270 with the 150gr bullet would accomplish the same end!

What I was getting at with the not using dials or dots comment is that we need to be realistic with ourselves. If someone is a �Box of ammo a year� kind of guy, he really ought to limit himself to MBPR type shots due to limited wind doping skills, trigger time, etc. There�s certainly nothing wrong with these fellows, as many folks don�t have the time or interest in shooting the rounds necessary to develop a long range skillset. Heck, I�ve known several folks who were really gung ho about LR, but after a year or two their interest wained, or they had kids, or got really into flyfishing, or they simply got bored with LR. It may seem strange to some, but for some folks shooting steel targets from a bipod is as fun as watching paint dry. So if one finds himself in this situation, the cartridge choice makes essentially zero difference. Far more important is finding a gun that fits the shooter and is shootable from a recoil/muzzle blast perspective, as well as fitting in one�s budget - not just the initial purchase but from an ammo standpoint.

If a guy is honestly going to put in the time and money to get good, there�s a really strong chance he will take up handloading. Then the minutia can be sorted through, and a choice made based on all the various ballistic mumbo jumbo factors.

I agree with everything you said. But I was thinking there was a reason he posted on the long range forum, probably because he wanted some opinions on the relative merits of the two chamberings out past MPBR.

The reason I mentioned MPBR is because the OP wrote of a conversation at work, and centered on factory ammo. Thus I made an assumption (and maybe I'm wrong) that at least some involved are not prolific shooters, and should think of limiting themselves. We've all had those work conversations where opinions are bandied about, often by those with little to no knowledge of the subject at hand. The factory ammo issue is also an assumption, as I know of very few serious shooters who don't handload - those who don't are paid to shoot or their ammo is sponsored. Maybe I'm totally wrong and everyone involved is really knowledgeable, and blow a couple grand a year on factory 270 ammo!

The rest of my first post dealt with those who shoot enough to be at least somewhat proficient at longer yardages, so the MPBR thing was not my entire thought process.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

A few things:

1. Just for the record I've been reloading for the past several years and have not fired factory ammo in a long time.

2. The question was for a co-worker that has no intention of reloading (at least now).

3. He's very motivated to become proficient at 500y, but will be limited to factory ammo. Ideally he'd shoot ~40 rounds per month which would be ~480 rounds per year (or more). But realistically, let's assume half that or ~240 rounds per year.

4. My thought was that there is a much larger selection of factory ammo for the 308. For example, Cor-Bon has the 155gr Skinner pre-rolled.

Jason

All good points. I got started with some help from a friend who got me set up with an accurate rifle (a .308) and helped me get a good deal on a case of Black Hills match ammo. It was good, accurate ammo. but before I was done shooting it I was into reloading, it's just the natural progression.

So don't overlook the Black Hills ammo, 4th, they load 168 and 175 SMKs.

With those details in mind, I'd think a 308 would be an absolutely fine choice for your co-worker.

As smokepole mentioned, don't overlook the Black Hills ammo. It's good stuff.

.308 is a favorite of mine.
It's a good all around cartridge.

Smoke, Billy - I'll keep that Black Hills in mind.

John Boy - are you shooting factory or rolling your own?

I'm a 270 fanatic but the 308 wins this one hands down.

Shod

No....

You left out the 7/08 which has a lot less wind drift and bullet drop vs the 308.

Shodd, 2much,

The 308 seemed like the obvious choice to me, but he went 270 T3.

Keith,

I like my 7-08, but factory ammo selection seems limited for 500y compared to the 308. Only need one good load, but...

If only he were a reloaderer...

.488 135 SMK's at 3,000.
.463 129 LRX's at 3,100.
.531 150 VLD's at 2,850.
.377 110 TTSX's at 3,400.

Not shabby, but handloads.

Hell, I'm considering dumping a Faux 260 for a 270 Montana lopped to 22" just to cut down on the crap laying around my bench and maybe shave a few ounce of a rig in the meantime...

But with factory ammo, you got a PILE more choices in 308. Midway offers 163 loads for 308, 60 for 270.

Narrow the list by what he WILL do, not dream about. Wishes get guys in more trouble than wills....

See if he can get some Superformance 150g SST ammo for his 270. Those bullets hold up pretty good at range and near 3000fps isn't shabby.

One ONLY "Needs" a good supply of ONE good load....

Then LEARN it