So true. I'm always amazed at guys that will say that every deer they killed with a certain cartridge always fell over in it's tracks, while every deer they shot with a very similar cartridge runs off, with no blood trail, and they need GPS tracking to find them a mile away, so the one is clearly superior to the other, when both have long and proven records. That would pretty much be the case with these two.
Sometimes I think the differences we perceive between cartridges is really "bullets";and while I never had any difficultes with either the 257 Roberts(which I ran giving velocities within 100-150 fps of the 25/06 with anything from 100-120 gr)the 25/06, or the 270,what I did notice is that 270 bullets just tended to be more ruggedly constructed, expanded to wider fontal areas, and in general penetrated deeper.
After watching a 117 gr Sierra from a 25/06 fail to get very far on a long angling shot on a big mule deer,in fact coming completely unglued after about 6-7" of penetration,where I knew a 130 270 would have made it into the chest;and seeing the best 25 bullet we had back then,the 120 Partition, ground up pretty badly on a couple of other bucks, it was apparent to me that it lacked the punch of the 270,and would not penetrate as well even with things like the 130 gr Speer from the 270,which would pretty reliably make very nasty exit holes from reasonable angles.We won't mention what you get from other stuff like a 130 Bitterroot,Swift Aframe, Barnes, and stuff like that in the 270.
I watched a pal drive a 130 gr Partition from a 270 almost end to end on a big Colorado buck at about 300 yards and send him cascading down slope....I never saw a 25 caliber come close with the bullets available back then,
Over the years and having observed plenty of results I just relegated the 25's to the status of fun guns,and while I love them,the 270 just struck me as a better mouse trap on the big northern deer I mostly chased around.It just tossed more flack,made bigger wounds,penetrated better......and I could only carry one rifle at a time.....
I know the playing field has changed a bit with todays more modern bullets, but the same advantage accrues to the 270 as well...
If I get a hankering to shoot 25 caliber-weight bullets because normal 270 recoil causes me to get light-headed, I can drop back today to the 110 TTSX,drive them 3200-3300 fps,and likely outdo anything the 25's will provide with more frontal area to boot.
I still love the Roberts best of all 25's
