Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Blood Trails: Any difference between .308/.30-06 and .270 in your experience?

I know different ammo, shot placement and angles can cause little to no blood trails with pretty much all calibers.

Just wondering if you've seen any difference in blood trails on Whitetails using .270 versus .308/.30-06 for those that have used both. Is there any practical difference in real life?

I can’t really tell any difference in the three. Using both 308 and 30-06 extensively on several deer, they were about identical using 150 gr soft points and SSTs. That is to say, plenty of blood where you never had to look too hard. But still had to pay attention.

By far the best blood trail I’ve ever seen was when I shot one with my 270 WSM using a 130 grain Speer Hot Core. I have to call this one a bad shot because I didn’t hit what I was aiming at. I’d intended to take a high shoulder shot, but because I’d set the scope using a different load, the bullet hit very low, taking out the bottom of the heart. It looked as if someone had a 5 gal bucket full of blood sloshing it out real good every foot step. However, this was a fluke and everything else I’ve taken with it is about like the .30 cals.

Never a fan of the .270, I've taken several whitetails with the .308 and .30-06. My bullet of choice in both these calibers is the Sierra Game King 165gr. over IMR 4350, good shot placement produces massive internal damage. I've had both DRT and deer that have run a short distance. I have also used 180gr. Hornady RN over IMR 4895 with good results, both loads are very accurate in my rifles.

I’m one of those hunters that likes two holes in a deer. Assuming similar bullet construction and velocity, I’d probably lump the 6.5mm-7mm stuff together and put the .308-.338 stuff in a slightly higher class with regards to leakage on blood trails. When it comes down to it, the .308 and .30-06 have proven to be “slobberknockers” on our deer over the years, especially with relatively soft cup-core bullets.

Note: My anecdotes above are not meant to insinuate that the 6.5-7mm rounds are not sufficient for decent blood trails, just that the larger calibers simply offer a bit more.

Bullet placement is #1, bullet construction is #2- Most all else is far distant.

My general feeling is that two chamberings that are next to each other in the theoretical "Power" ladder are basically identical. Growing up deer camp was full of statements like.. I used to shoot a 30.06 but I have a 7mag and its hits them so much harder, or 270 shoots so much flatter than 30.06. All this from woods deer hunters shoot all there deer at 30-80 yds. its all crap, cartridges are much more the same than different.

If you want quicker kills shoot a little lighter bullet thats a little more expansive, if you want two holes shoot something a little heavier or tougher( or copper) If you want DRT.. High shoulder or neck shoot them. if you want a new rifle and find that a more perfect chambering for your application is your justification go for it.

YES! ....I have noticed a difference on about 5 deer shot with my wifes .270

but I don't think it had anything to do with it being a .270.

Bullet, shot placement, etc

Just happens to be those fiveish haven't bled very much I suppose.

Happens with other options as well and I'm sure eventually I'll see her shoot one with the .270 that sprays everywhere.

-Jake

No

I have no idea how many deer I've shot with those 3 rounds, and let's throw the .280 Rem into the mix. If I had to track, the blood was significant, with the exception of 2 that I made a bad shot on. The 2 bad shots were 15 years apart, and different situations. Both were too far back, both were tracked for over 300 yards. Both blood trails quit after 200 yards, one deer was found, one wasn't. The one that I found, had a large chunk of fat plugging the exit hole, it was a liver hit.

No. 40yd. dead whatever it is.

Coulda just stopped there.

.031” isn’t going to make any difference in the exit wound. My best ever blood trail was a low chest heart shot with a Hornady 165 grain Interlock. I always used heavy for caliber bullets until I went to SST’s and now Ballistic Tips. DRT results and no tracking has been a rather refreshing change.

In general, no. Higher impact velocity might cause insufficient penetration, meaning no exit. Two holes are better than one IMO & IME.

My hunting loads for all three generally run below max, topping out at about 2700-2800, so exits are the rule on broadside hits.

Never been a fan of blood trails, would much rather see the critter laying DRT or DROT aka dead right over there,if you can't make that happen don't shoot. Rio7

Nope, none.

I have to agree with you on that,especially in the South Texas brush.Shot placement is #1,the right bullet for what your shooting is #2.

Bullet expansion and an exit wound are my top 2 criteria in a deer round.

Lots of variables

Have had good , bad with all three
, sometimes they can absorb a lot of damage dead in the vitals and still run 100 or more yds .
No such thing as a drt eveytime , unless you’re hunting from a place you got a solid rest , which isn’t the case for the average hunter .
Kenneth

I would contend that blood trail difference is likely more evident across different bullets/constructions/style than cartridge/calibers so close as the title of the thread.

SMK vs TTSX vs Interlock - regardless of cartridge.

IME I've seen several times the exit hole/damage should have left a serious blood trail but didn't. Why? I can't say. I remember one doe my son shot with good shot placement that didn't have a blood trail for 80' and then a little at first. A few more feet and it looked like the Exxon Valdez had showed up with a load of blood.