After having spent a lot of money and thought on the issue I have concluded that the perfect battery for 99% of rifle hunters is one 270 Winchester.

I just returned from The Sheep Show in Reno and am headed for SCI in Las Vegas next week. You can spend a huge amount of money dragging your 270 Winchester around the world. There are a few times, and I mean few times, when something bigger is needed and then go 375 or 416.

For the rifle nut who needs to build multiple rifles, you can build one 270 after another to improve on the rifle package. I can't think of any better cartridge especially when one considers worldwide availability of ammo, weight, recoil, bullet performance, ease of use, velocity, etc.

There are arguments for other cartridges but I believe in becoming very familiar with one cartridge.

Poor ingwe...........

Same could be said of the 30-06, 300 WM, or 338 WM. If you regularly hunt heavy animals in thick cover, I'd go heavier than the 270. If you regularly hunt lighter-boned animals in semi-arid country, I'd go lighter than the 338.

But they all work.


Okie John

I think your choice is a solid one. Still, cartridges are more alike than different… there is an endless supply of superb, all-around cartridges, but as the saying goes, "where are the all-around hunters"?

For my own use I could be happy with the 270, 30–06, 308 or 7-08. You could spend a lifetime with any of those and likely see little or no difference between them in the field. I also think the smart thing to do is have two rifles chambered for the same cartridge with slightly different platforms. One light weight, and one midweight or heavyweight.

At the end of the day I think you just have to pick something that speaks to you personally and "make it your own." Then you've achieved something you can speak about with a tiny bit of authority.

Lol

That's precisely what I have with my 270's. Of course these days I almost always grab the lightweight ones..........

The other thought is: If RL26 continues to pan out (nor have I given up on IMR7977) it has bumped the 270W into another realm--almost where the 270WM is at, especially if longer barrel lengths in the 270W produce the expected increase in velocity with such slow burning powder(s). The Alliant data is suggesting RL26 benefits the 270W and 243 the most. It's almost as though it's a "specialty" powder. Of course as the loonies try it in other cartridges that may change.

Casey

LOL x2.

I've got a bunch of rifles, but I've killed more game with the 270 WCF than any other. It'll do most anything needin' done in NA.

must hurt to be so repressed

You could make the same claim with at least a half dozen other cartridges........IMO its way more about your choice in rifle than it is about any particular cartridge..........Hb

I would have no problem with a 270, but for me the same arguments can be made for my 30-06.

And now I am starting to switch toward the 308. Better powders, tougher lighter bullets, make it do what I need with less recoil.

Didn't Mule Deer run some chrono. numbers with a 26" tubed 270Win? Seemed like he got some numbers that were VERY close to what a 270 Roy runs from a 26" barrel?

For all thin-skinned game across the globe, = 7mm Mag.

For both thin-skin and DG (sub .375cal legal) I would not hesitate with .300 magnum/ softs & FN solids.

RinB,

I can't think of anything I've hunted with in the last 40+ years that impressed me more than the 270.





Trystan

There are a number of reasonable picks.
The major point is to have ONE.

If in a hurry to make a decision with no time to gack about it i'd have to slum the ’06. Can't really see where it's not equal to others and better than most.

G

The .270 licks the boots of the 30-06

The only chrono results I've seen from Mule Deer were with a 22" bbl.
That's the length of bbl I've using while messing with RL26. Usually with a 270 a guy can expect another 20-25fps per inch of bbl.

Casey

.......And in terms of downrange ballistics in all categories and wind drift, the 30-06 licks the boots of a few cartridges as well.

Turnabout is fair play.

Oh stop it........

The 30-06 does everything a 270 does however it whips up on the 270 pretty good in the recoil department.

Hunt smarter.....not harder




Trystan

.....lol

I've been reading some old Finn writings of late and wish I could scan and paste some of his stuff over here. Suffice it to say he was a "middle of the road" guy unless the need for a "heavy" developed. He liked his 375 H&H and the .458 WM..

I've never been able to tell a difference in like rifles.

Preach it brother...

to each their own, regionally the 25-06 is more desired than the 270 but harder to find in my area.

The 30-06 is probably a better overall round for North America, the .308 has become very versatile and is just a hair under the 30-06. If you consier weight carried, you can get a longer barrelled .308 than 30-06 for the same weight which will narrow the performance gap. (Think 21" 30-06 vs. a 24" 308) In my experience .308 has just about surpassed the '06 in sales and availability most places I creep around.and is what I've build my hunting battery around.

That being said my first centerfire rifle was a 270 and I killed my first fw deer with it ;]

I could live with that, but glad I don't have to.

I like nice rifles; within reason, cartridge choice isn't much of an issue.

There is a whole bunch of compromise choosing the .270 Win for a guy who will put in the time at the range to learn to use real reach.

Nostalgia is great but if I am paying for the hunt there is no way a .270 Win is in the scabbard.

Just Sayin.

.300 Wby.

Inside of 500 yards the 270 is perfect.

To quote a fellow 'fire' member....

"Learn to hunt".. then you won't have to shoot so far.


That is TOTAL sarcasm from me. As you know we have a plethora of cartridges/calibers from which to choose. IMO there are a FEW at the top of the list. The 270 W is worthy of consideration w/o a doubt. It has the HISTORY to prove its merit.

Without much hesitation I'd list the 7mm RM & ....

264 WM among the top.

Jerry

One perfect rifle will give up a little "reach" here and there but fill the bill for a wide variety of N.A. big game. Some value distance shooting while others insist on a stalk to get as close as possible. But a battery of one starts and stops in the middle ground of cartridge selection.

I've yet to meet a hunter who would have worse off with a 7-08 and a reloading press.

Hey whoop

Very well said and not only 'could' I live W/in that parameter...

That's (middle range) where most of my hunting occurs and where most of my cartridges fair well.

Jerry

Nostalgia is great. I'm real nostalgic about that good tan I had back in August, but I'm not nostalgic enough to turn myself orange all winter.

YMMV.

Post Script: Someday take a hunt where you don't have a scabbard to put your rifle in. It is fun.

Mr Burns

Would appreciate your input as I am laying out the cabbage to go look for a Stone's sheep.

What would you choose? It must be available worldwide.

I used a 7RM for many years but couldn't see any advantage over a 270. The 300 Win is great but has a lot of recoil in a lw rifle.

The 308 & 30-06 are pretty good.

What say you?

I sure glad we aren't limited to one rifle, I load over 30 different cartridges. A 270 is great, so are 30 other cartridges. You need at least one of each.

I might not say perfect but very close to perfect and very good.



I would choose the 7mm Rem Mag.

Pretty available world wide if you need ammo in a pinch.

Combine the ability to launch good bullets at decent velocity with moderate recoil makes a cartridge that will never limit the hunter.

My "one gun" choice is a 7mm Rem Mag.

But I side with RinB over John in terms of the availability of the .270 over the 7 Rem Mag internationally. In countries as varied as Sweden and Zimbabwe I saw .270 but not 7 Rem. In fact, cartridges for the the standard bolt face rifles are more common than the .532" variants.

And I'll bet RinB has more time hunting internationally than John and I could ever amass.

You'd think with all the back and forth between 270/30-06/7RM that the world would be flooded with 280's.

I don't know how everyone else packs but if my ammo doesn't arrive I have to buy clothes too. Yea I have what I can in a carry on but the majority is in my check bag with ammo.

I would think it could be easier to borrow a zeroed rifle than a wardrobe?

No I havent flew all over the world for decades hunting but have flew to hunt and had to pack clothing and ammo.

Probably would be, if anybody but Remington was in charge of marketing.

Ain't that the truth.

And John, while obviously a fine hunter and rifleman in his own right, is more a horseback hunter from what I can tell, hence the fairly stout platforms he lugs around.

Some of us prefer lightweight, sub 500 yard rifles for a different style of hunting.

Back to Rick's original thesis. I do think it's about impossible to beat a 270 for all-around versatility. Add a 375 H&H and perhaps a 243 Win and beyond that you're making up "needs."

And the 270, never having been the military cartridge of any country, (except perhaps the state of Montana) is legal anywhere you can use a rifle.

I like blondes and brunettes but really dig redheads. Drive a GMC but have been known to slum a Ford. Rifles and chamberings are much the same.

Ruger M77 Hawkeye 24" barrel 12:1 twist 35 Whelen.

There are a number of cartridges that would do especially if you eliminate the great bears bison and maybe moose the 270 being a fine one. If I thought I might want to shoot the big bears then I would probably go with a 30-06. Besides that a good 12 ga capable of handling 3" steel shells as well as 1 0z target loads and finally a good 22 rim fire should do just fine.

Or hunt the whole world with one pre-64 375 H&H and a spare scope zeroed in a set of QD rings, 300 gr Partitions coupled with the BBW #13 solid of the same weight would get it all done.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^Works for me^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brad,

I think it's unfair to just label me a Horseback hunter.

I hunt from the truck plenty.

Ha!

A rancher friend of mine, after watching my hunting method, told me; "Brad, a hardhsip hunt for me is manual windows."

Deep cycle dual post AGM

Elmer is rolling in his grave while Jack cheers you guy on, raving about needle blowers and wee little pills that bounce off the fur. lol.

My basic trouble is that you could reasonably make an argument for any rifle in my safe. When you get right down to it, the first MODERN cartridge would suffice very well for any hunting that I am likely to do and any game that interests me. While admittedly there may be better options, I'd roll with the 8x57js(1905 version) and have no doubt that it would be up to the task.

I love that cartridge, fired one of mine over the chrono a bit yesterday afternoon, recoil with even the mighty 300 gr SAF's at a tick over 2600 fps was very tolerable.

For me a perfect rifle battery would be:

a. .22LR bolt action (or even a Ruger 10/22 with a target barrel, and a 2x red dot sight)
b. .270
c. .338WM

3006, a 9.3X62 is tempting; but practicality says the 06. Places that forbid the 06 aren't worth my money or time.

...

.308 Win.

I've got Kimber Montana's in 270 and 223, I feel pretty covered

For me, it is about the whole package, rifle, cartridge, scope, and how it shoots. That said, my very favorite rifle happens to be a .270. It is an old Remington Sportsman 78 action bedded in a nice ADL walnut stock wearing a Leupold VX2 3-9X40. I have owned this rifle a very long time, killed lots of critters from rock chucks to elk with it, and tried dozens of loads (including some that will put 3 shots in 3/8" @ 100 yards). I have utmost confidence in this rig, would not hesitate to take it on any deer/antelope hunt. It carries nice, a little over 7 lb., and rides nice in a scabbard too.

If it were in .280 I would possibly love it just as much. I have rifles in other cartridges, including .308 and .30-06 and 7MM-08. They are all great rifles, but the .270 just seems to have that magical "lighting bolt kill" at long range without much recoil. YMMV.

Well that's probably true, for most of us.

I talk to Rick before and after each of his trips and he gives me good blow by blow info on all the bullet performance from the 270. He goes over there and shoots 30-50 head of game and reports back.

It really is surprising how little difference there is between the 270, 280,7 Rem Mag, 30/06, 300 mags etc.......at the distances he is shooting. Bullets seem to mean more than cartridges and headstamps.

His PH over there corroborates most all of this. He used to be a 30/06 shooter(we are talking thousands of animals). He now shoots a 270 instead, finding virtually no difference between the 270 and 30/06 on game up to eland. I am not about to argue with that level of actual killing experience,which makes most on here seem insignificant.

Rick hates heavy rifles and dislikes recoil....no doubt this affects his choice. I also suspect if he were doing more John Burns type LR shooting he may choose differently.


My own choice in a portable shorter would be a 7.5 pound 7 Rem Mag with stout 160 - 175 gr bullets; on a standard case a 27,280, or 30/06, if someone would pay for 8 weeks in Africa per year. A 300 magnum recoils too much for the sustained shooting offered in Africa,at least for me.

Mine would have to be a 35 Whelen. Big enough for anything in North America and most stuff anywhere else. Recoil is relatively light. Easy to reload. What more could one ask for.

For some reason I've never felt recoil when shooting big game and generally there are just one or a few shots involved.

Some of you like Burnsey-boy feel it I guess and avoid certain cartridges.
Oh yeah, I forgot, light recoil is better for long range, so they say.

I have/had 700 Ti's in 260, 270, 280, 06, 300's

but.....

this just got put together and it's not my first one either.

Rem 700 XCR2 placed in a McMillan Edge Classic.
Leupold VX3 3.5x10 CDS set in Talley's
It may end up wearing a VX6 which will add about 3-4 oz.

Weighs 7 lbs 12 oz.

300 Win Mag, with the right bullet weight will do everything the 264 Win Mag, 7mm Mashburn will do, maybe better.

And I especially love what 200 grain Partitions do to elk when leaving the muzzle at 3K.

And if I ever make that fabled bear hunt to AK, I won't feel under gunned.

SU excellent choice..

One of the finest rifles I've ever seen is in the introduction to the book "Bill Ruger & His Guns." It's a Dog-Leg Bolt M77 in 308 Win that was used by an Australian Professional Hunter to take over 10,00 animals.

Now that's a "serious" rifle... and apparently for him a "perfect battery."

Me, I'm a 308 and 270 guy... I doubt anyone could ever tell the difference between the two in the field.

I would enjoy spending a couple of weeks driving around with John Burns in his pickup. I would learn a lot and have a great time. Would say the same about EdM, Brad, and many others. Always more to learn.

I prefer to get really close, like bow hunting close.
I built a 7STW and practiced and practiced. I ended up putting the sneak on my pronghorn and got him at 85 yards. Good fun.

I can.

You're amazing.

I can also.. Maybe you just don't pay attention.

Boom...

Pretty partial to that set up (close to it). Could give a schit if it was chambered in 270, 30-06, or 7RM.

Let's hear all your 308 experience...

On game you would be spot on.

The 270 is a bit flatter so drop compensation is a bit different.

But then you already knew that.



To correct the record and maintain my ego I will point out that recoil does not, within reason, bother me.

I love shooting big stuff like .577s, .600 Nitro and Seyfried's brainchild .585 Nyeti.

That being said, physics be physics, and controlling the rifle while the bullet is in the barrel, from field positions, is simply much easier with moderately recoiling rounds.

It's like a science thing.

I seem to be pretty content these days with 2 centerfire cartridges, the 30-06 and a 222. I went through a 257 Roberts, 308, 270, 300WSM, 375, 280, 35 Rem stage but kept coming back to the 30-06. So many rifles and bullets available it rarely becomes dull. I find myself using 150 grain bullets at non-challant velocities more now that bigger game hunting is probably behind me. A well balanced rifle of 7 to 7.5 pounds works well for me.

If not a 30-06, Id choose a 270 or 280. The 308 is fine, Ive just never been enarmored by short actions.

I hear ya John, and too true..


On another note, of my choice for a 300 Mag.

I hunt public land.

I don't know if hunting in Africa makes any difference where there are more animals than people out in the field.
Maybe you have a little more time for better shot selection and therefore a smaller caliber works just fine.

But I do know this, in in my experience, I need a hammer round that anchors animals.
I don't need them walking off into other peoples camps
which has happened to me on a few occasions.

Bob,

Choices make the world go around.

Killing them dead right there is never a bad thing.

Thanks to all for a nice discussion and RinB for an interesting thread.

It's almost like sitting around a campfire.

John

Buddy of mine with lots of African experience borrowed my 270 to take over there. He previously shot a lot 300 magnum. When I asked why he said, unlike North American hunting where you hunt days for one trophy ,and may take one or two shots, in Africa you are constantly shooting to fill tags, quotas for bait,varmints, etc

The sustained pounding from a 300 magnum gets under some peoples skin. I loaded 150 Partitions and he liked it much better as a light rifle.

For a couple shots anybody can handle anything.

Mr Burns,
You still using the .264?

.270 is good. .30-06 is better. More may be desired, but is not needed.

Since I have a pair of BRNO ZG-47 in 30-06.. I would say a two 30-06.

Or, 7x64 & 9,3x62 if I spend more money on them..

I don't think they understood the question.

Yes, sort of.

My .264 Win has much more freebore and a shallower leade angle than SAAMI.

It might be a bit hard to find ammo in a pinch but it's still my favorite.

The .26 Nosler is probably a better choice these days as getting the 140gr VLD to 3250 fps is a bit easier.

The SAAMI .26 Nosler throat is still blunt and a bit short for best accuracy and barrel life but can work.

A 'SERIOUS" hunter would not have to ask this question.

Yep, makes total sense..............

This was solved in Europe long ago with the 8x57, 7x57, and 6.5x55.

In America we basically did the same thing only with the 30-06, and later with the 270 win and 308 win.

They all do basically the same thing. Of course we all know this.

I would agree the important bit is getting the equipment that fits well,nsuits your weight parameters.

Any of these will do the job and they're far easier to learn and employ than an stick bow or atlatl.

Yet a serious hunter choose to start a discussion.

Ponder that.

Indeed ! What's the saying "open your mouth and ...." ?

Jerry

I admit I have taken more game with a .270 Winchester than anything else in my vault. Of course, at a time is was the ONLY thing in my vault too. I drive the Mrs nutz when I carry on about what rifles to take on a given hunt and then proceed to shoot up a bunch of ammo in the half dozen cartridges just to confuse myself. All that said, if push came to shove and I had only ONE to pick, and it better not, I'd have to go .30-06 Springfield. Gobs of bullets and powders for the reloader, ammo everywhere when you need it, manageable recoil, modest weight, will kill anything on the planet with the right bullets. Boring but will get the job done.

I thought you 270 fans would enjoy this quote from Jack O'Conner.

Jack O'Connor Quote
On his favorite cartridges...."The .30-06, the .270, the .375, and the .416. Now you're going to ask me 'In what order?' In that order."~Jack O'Connor~

Interesting. Poor 270 never gets any love. Kinda like 16 Gauge shotguns.

baldhunter, a lot of folks don't even know how JOC felt about the 30-06 and just assume he ONLY liked the 270. I believe I read someplace his wife took a jumbo with a 30-06.

Couldn't agree more and I went through a variety of cartridges before reaching that very conclusion. Toward the end of my search, I was shooting cartridges like the 300 Win, 338 Win, 257 Wby and 300 Wby but I didn't enjoy shooting the big magnums for long range sessions and didn't like paying for any of the ammo.

As a result, I made up my mind to go back to a vanilla '06-based cartridge because I wanted to shoot a bunch and still afford and enjoy it. I purchased a 25/06, 270 Win, 280 Rem and 30/06 and shot them side-by-side all summer long. There's not a lot of difference between any of these rounds but when it was all said and done, I knew the 270 Win was the one for me. I never had a 270 before that and I haven't looked back since. I love the cheap ammo, low recoil and on-game performance....really a perfect hunting round IME.

How dare you make that much sense in these forums...you're supposed to tell everyone that they need either a really obscure hard to find/find ammo for cartridge or approximately 87 rifles of various weights and chamberings to be serious....

Nicely said Jeff.

I think I could pretty easily get by with a stainless T3 Lite .308 in a McMillan stock.

That said, I would very much prefer a 3 rifle combo to cover everything that I normally go after, and at the various distances I tend to shoot.

Those would be:

T3 in .300 WM in a McMillan Sako Hunter

T3 in .308 Win in a McMillan Edge

Colt AR .223 in an ultra light configuration


Those would cover varmints to elk/big critters nicely.

I own a 270 WSM, 270 Weatherby , might as well own the other one as well. I think after I buy yet another 7mm Rem mag might do that .

I agree with RinB's assesment.

Have spent years chasing my tail and am now working to do the one big game gun thing.
That said I'll take a 30-06 please!

A serious hunter has often killed many of the animals he hunts with different rounds and knows what works at the range he normally hunts animals.

they also tend to read and research a great deal on thier game, and limit things to thier favorites vs. bouncing all over the place.

For me this boils down to having 2 rifles (a spare if I'm traveling) for close range work, and one for longer pokes.

I use a 260 for WT under 300

I use a 280AI or 30-06 beyond that and or for elk

For lopes I have a 25-06 that shoots ragged holes that I refuse to sell.
I don't hunt lopes often.

When the Classic Stainless M70 was first released, I hastily purchased a .30/06 as my one and only,
then I purchased another in .338win, from that moment on the 06' collected dust.
I contemplated a 7mmMag to replace my old 270-wby, ...only reason I went .338 was because I was
planning to hunt in buffalo and wild cattle country.

I agree. I have done that with my 300 WSM, 100% reliable & repeatable.

.30-06.

110 years old and better than ever with current bullet options.

WHY are you buying ammo?

Reloading equipment would have amortized itself THEN you'd be $$$ ahead.

Jerry

Yep.


There are a lot of cartridges that do certain things better than the 06 but none that do it all as well as the 06.


That having been said if we're talking just NA I'd not feel handicapped by a .270, 7-08, or 308.

7/57 in a modern rifle, throated to user preference, hand-loaded with modern bullets and powders.

I've gone from one rifle, a 25-06 for everything to three now. A 30-06, 270 and a 243. For some reason the 30-06 always finds its way into my safe. I may pick up another 25-06 as well if I can find a reasonably price Ruger 77 MKII in a zytel stock.