I am starting to think the difference is the way one hunts. My Dad probably killed 25-30 deer with a 270 win and he would be the first to say that a 270 did not kill like a 30-06. He used partitions for most of those deer.
I shoot a lot and always use "premium" bullet of some sort. Both dad and I though will shoot a deer at almost any angle, running or standing. I am starting to think that 30 caliber bullets offer enough advantage to matter on shots other than perfectly broadside(where everything is good).
For whatever reason 30 caliber holes seem to leave better blood trails, break bone and delivery more shock on deer size animals than 270's.
Dink
Dink I would not be surprised if you are right; anybody who has killed enough game with a 300 magnum and a 270 will know that the 300's will have tendency to make a more severe and extensive wound in an animal than a 270.This is owing to the fact that they throw heavier bullets of greater diameter at higher velocity. Whether you use deep penetrators or more splashy designs, there is just more bullet material to work with,and at higher velocity.
Some of the more visually apparent train wrecks and dramatic kills I have seen on large bucks have come from 300 magnums and I have tracked enough bullets through enough animals (a good many larger than the biggest deer) to know that 300 magnums can be made to penetrate very deeply,break bones, and cause more trauma along the way than any bullet of 270 diameter.Comparing a 270 Winchester to a 300 magnum is sort of like comparing it to a 338 Win Mag....a 300 mag has more in common with a 338 than it does with a 270....so yeah! I would expect a 300 magnum to demonstrate an advantage! Who wouldn't?
But the only times I have seen them demonstrate a very clear advantage was when bullets were well placed.
They are indeed more potent cartridges than a 270.....But what can we expect when a 300 magnum burns a lot more powder, and throws much heavier bullets of greater diameter at the same or higher velocity?
If you hang around the 300's long enough,you also learn that they are a long way from being infallible,and I have seen a fair number of animals, deer sized and up,that made a lot of tracks after a hit with a 300 magnum,and have even seen those well hit make tracks as well.It also goes without saying that they are more difficult for a lot of people to shoot well and accurately.Prairie Goat alludes to this above.
I have a friend who believed very firmly the same way you do in the extra potency of the 300 magnums who lost a huge mountain mule deer buck up in BC to an errant hit from a 300 RUM at 150 yards....he learned his lesson the hard way.
As to penetration there are 270 bullets that will penetrate almost the full length of a mature buck. I am no fan of splashy, thin jacketed bullets in the cartridge because the performance of those type bullets is not consistent enough to suit me....others may disagree.
I can't think of a shot I would take on a deer with a 300 magnum that I would not take with a 270 and suitable bullet.And I sure don't wait for just broadside shots;but I don't shoot deer up the arse either unless they are wounded and getting away.
In the end I think it has little to do with how you hunt and more to do with how you shoot.
