Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 270 vs. 30-06

No, not your typical which is better thread. Well, maybe it is.

I am looking at purchasing a new to me Remington 7600 and have found an identical pair, a 270 and a 06. Both comparable condition both the same price. Whichever one I get will be made into a carbine (18.5 to 19 inch barrel). I have been told that the 30-06 performs better out of a shorter barrel and that the 270 "needs" a longer barrel. I don't know if this is true or not and not sure why a 270 would "need" a longer tube. I'm talking ranges up to 100 yards and 95% of the time it will be used on white-tail deer.

Which would you get or is it 6 of one and half dozen of another.

30/06

I'd do the 30-06. Larry Benoit would agree

Ingwe

I'd leave it at 22" and run the '06. I don't think that cutting it down will really do much anyway. I've hunted in the brush for years with one. I really like .30 cal 165gr bullets which is why I'd buy the '06 given the choice.

CLB

The larger bore diameter of the 30-06 over the 270 allows it a greater expansion ratio. In this situation with your desire for a short barrel the obvious choice, in theory, is the 06. In reality up to 100 yds it won't matter much.

Expansion ratio

Down the road you may get a moose permit and the 06 is a little better for them as well.

Back in the 50's all you heard around the northeast was the 30-06. We got free ammo from the DCM, there were plenty of inexpensive 06's back from the war. I could borrow any free Springfield or Garand from the club all I wanted. Everyone shot the 06 in the big bore matches.

It made zero sense to get a 270 then. I never took to the 270. It made no sense.

Bingo, any diff tween the two is really a bunch of ballistic gack...

Or you could, rebore one to 338/06.

Dober

Or .35 Whelan.

I like the 30-06 better because if you don't have the right bullets .270 will fit too but if you have the .270 and try to put in a 30-06 bullet it will usually get stuck in the neck part of the chamber.

That is ok if you have a CFR rifle because the extractor tooth will already be attached to the rim so you can pull it back out. This lets you get a running start to fit it past the tight part of the chamber or if you are still at the store you could also exchange it for the right kind of bullet.

PS. I think this is why most people prefer CFR rifles for dangerous game.

30-06 with a 165 gr accubond very tough to beat.

So is a 270 with a 140 AB, 150 Pt, 160 Pt and so on...

IMO unless you're like Phil S and use the 06 from time to time with a 220 Noz for protection then real world there isn't any diff tween the two!

Dober

I like both, choose the one you like best. With a good load, the game won't know the difference.

WTF?

Does your daddy know you are playing with his rifles?

Some scary chit you are talking about!! if you can't tell the difference between your cartridges, please put the rifles down!!

CLB

Why do you want to cut the barrel at all if performance is a consideration?

Shooting whitetails at 100 yards, you could cut either one all the way down to a legal minimum of 16" and it wouldn't matter one bit killistically.

I really wouldn't worry about loss of performance with either one, and it will shift the balance rearward a bit - but I've always wondered why folks need an 18" rifle for mostly stationary targets when a 26" shotgun is considered "fast handling and good for heavy cover" on fast flying birds.

One thing to think about is that I know the muzzle blast from an 18.5" .30-06 is going to be really nasty - every single time you shoot it. Haven't shot a short .270 but strongly suspect the same would be true.

Thank you all for the replies

I didn't want this turned into a "which is better" thread. My question should really have centered around why a 270 needs a longer barrel to perform better. There seems to be a general preception that the 06 is pretty good in a shorter barrel while the 270 is not. I don't understand why and don't know if it is a wives tale.

At 100 yards or less, the performance of either is of little concern to me.

I think people missed the humor in your post...

I didn't miss it. It was funny as hell but an expression will go a long ways.

Yep, missed it totally...especially with all those smileys we can use so as to not be construed as a....well, never mind.

I had a Model 760 .30/06 with an 18.5" barrel and sold it. I now hunt in Maine and Pennsylvania with a Model 7600 .280 with a 22" barrel and don't see it as a handicap at all. I also use a pre-64 Model 70 .30/06 with a 24" barrel and don't view it as a handicap either.