"outperforms".
Now there is a word that is thrown around all the time in the shooting world, but often is not understood at all.
If "performance" only equals energy, or if it equals velocity, or if it equals ballistic co-efficient, I see no reason anyone, anywhere, would use anything but a 50 BMG or a 408 Cheytac or maybe a 416 Barrett.
But performance is 98% the man and 2% what he shoots--------- and that has been true for a very very long time.
So if we had a scale of 1 to 10, and a cartridge that was a 7 and one that was an 8, in energy, BC and velocity, the answer would be easy.
But if "8" holds less ammo, needs a longer barrel, weights more or kicks harder, and has a shorter bore life (so long term practice can be more costly,) and shoots more costly ammo, in view of the true measure of "performance" being the skills of the shooter over time, is the 8 "better" then the 7?
And if I say 7 is better and you say 8 is better, there is no way to make a definitive judgement between the 2 shooters opinions, because no one is in the place of God who can say from perfect knowledge of every single shot ever fired from both "7" and from "8" which shooter is correct.
We all voice our opinions only from 2 bases.
#1 is individual experience.
#2 is the experience we heard about (some of which may be true and some may not be, or may be only part of the story)
I have owned both and I have used both. I still own some 270s. I sold all my 7MM mags.
Why?
Because I could not see any difference at all in the way either shell killed game and I have a LOT of game behind me to make that judgement from.
The fact is that the 7MMs I had were rifles that I didn't love as much as the 270s I still have. And that is far more about the guns than the rounds they were chambered in.
My 7MM Mags have been a 1 Weatherby, 3 Remington's and 1 Ruger, all of which worked fine, and 2 of which were REALLY accurate (one Remington and one Ruger).
To be 100% fair I must admit that I have sold 5 270s in my life too.
But my 270s are a Winchester M70s, 2 Mausers, and a Winchester M95 Lever Action, all of which I like better then the Weatherby Mk5, the M700s and the Ruger 77 that I had all chambered in 7MM mags.(both Remington and Weatherby) As I said I could see absolutely NO difference at all in the way they killed deer, elk, antelope, bears caribou or moose if they both used good bullets. That statement includes all game as well as farm and ranch critters. (horses, cattle and sheep) that I have either shot with both or seen shot with both.
If I were to make myself a 7MM mag on a Mauser or get one in the Winchester M70s in 7MM Mag I am sure I could see no difference between the Mausers and the M70s I have in 270.
But I just like (for no good reason) the 5 round mags better then the 3 round mag. (I say "no good reason" because I often hunt with a Single Shot rifle and many times that rifle can be a flintlock, so obviously I don't put all that much weight on mag capacity for my hunting rifles)
I like long barrels on the 270s too, so I can't say from a standpoint of custom or semi-custom build that 270 is any handier then a 7MM Mag.
The 270 does kick less then the 7MM Mag, but I really like and enjoy my 300 H&H and also my 9.3s, and my 375H&H, so in reality the heavier recoil of the 7MM Mag is not significant to me either. it is to some, but they have to make their own decisions.
So this is a very simple question, but the answer is not as simple and should be judged on the basis of who is going to own the rifle, and is far more about shooters then it is about cartridges.
What I can say without any doubt is what I have said above. There in NO difference at all that I can see when used to kill game up to and including moose. I like the 175 Grain bullets I can get for the 7MMs, but I have used a lot of the 160 Gr Nosler Partitions in my 270s over the years and again I can't really see any difference in how they kill game .
The bottom line is this:
Get the one you like best. Don't let someone else do your decision making for you. The rifle needs to only please you!
Feel no fear that either will let you down if you simply use good bullets in both. If you use poor bullet you can't blame the shell. (I have learned that the hard way, over 50 years of experience)
Last edited by szihn; 01/14/19.
