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

No, a 270 doesn't need a longer barrel=--unlike many of the other 65k psi cartridges. A 22 inch barrel with 150 grainers will net you 2850-2900fps with a 270--and that's just perfect for hair-burning range to reaching waaaay out there (in my semi-humble opinion )

Of course, a 30-06 is great too.

Bottom line: Don't let the 22 inch barrel make your decision--find other reasons.......



Casey

Not long ago, I traded for a 760 in '06 for close cover hunting, particularly elk. I envision using 220 gr. NP's or even (gasp !) Hornady's.
But, for deer, I'd think it might boil down to which one would tickle your fancy. A .270, with a good, round nose, 150 gr. bullet would work well, I'm sure. With a little less recoil, BTW.
I would try it out in the original barrel lenth. Close cover hunting requires fast, accurate rifle handling. Something I've found good balance helps.
Oh, one of the Benoits uses a .270 in a 760. E

It is not an old wives tale but in reality the differences between tehse two rounds of similar capacity aren't all that great.

As Savage99 mentioned, the answer lies in the expansion ratio of the two different chamberings. Expansion ratio = (Case volume + bore volume) / case volume.

See the link in Savage99's post and/or google "expansion ratio rifle" - others can explain it better than I. One link leads to a discussion on Shootersforum.com where Rocky Raab posted a good explanation (and from whom I directly borrowed the equation above ).

The larger the bore cross section the more room for powder expansion there is with every inch of barrel length. Cartridges with large bore areas compared to case voume (like a .358 Winchester for example) do not lose as much velocity per inch of barrel loss as those with a smaller bore area to case volume ratio. At least that's the numbers and theory. Someone could probably throw in a lot of quibbles about different powders and relative quickness, bullet weights, designs and stuff to really get the water muddy.

Again, though, with similar case capacities and only a slight difference in bore sizes the .270 and .30-06 aren't all that far apart.

I'd like to know who has the perception that a .270 needs a longer barrel. Both cartridges hold about the same amount of powder od equal burn rates.. ie. A Std load for a.270 is 60 gr of 4831 and a 130 gr bullet. A god loads for .06 is 60 grs of 4831 witha a 150-165 gr bullets. I sure have never heard that.
I would chose the .06 because the .270 shines in distance shooting but sure tears a lot of meat up at 100yds or less and the .06 shines with a heavier bullet like the 220 gr which tends to tear up less meat at closer ranges. The.06 has a much broader base of bullet weights to chose from.

JDK:I hunt your country when I get a chance(have for years) and I'm gonna run against the grain here.....I'd get the 270,chop the SOB to 20" and have at it..

..this is not because it would be better than the 30/06,but just because the 270 is "lucky" for me and smacks the crap outta Maine bucks at woods distances and I killed my biggest Maine buck with a 270 and after all luck counts more than ballistics when it comes to Maine whitetails

As to vels in 20" 270's I had a Ruger Ultralight about 10 years ago,20" tube,and I fed it 60-RL22 and a 130 Partition; it did 3060 on the chronograph from that barrel.

30-06 for sure. No girly man rifles (270) for me. Heck in Canada, even my wife and daughter shoot '06s. Man up!

JDK: Take the 270 Winchester!
To many reasons to list here and now but for Deer at the ranges you mention the 270 over the years will be more succesful and pleasing to you.
Best of luck with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

30-06 and pumps go together like peanut butter and jelly. Get the 06.

It's been awhile since I read Towsley's book on the Benoits but I believe they cut most of their tubes to 19-in.? And a later books says several of them are now using scopes.

Got a 760 Gamemaster that I've had for several years meaning to "Benoit"...but my middle aged eyes ain't that great anymore. Maybe a Leupold 1-4 would work better?

ColdCase:Some of the Benoit boys are shooting 270 today....

And some of them have gone to scopes now as well..

Dober

Yep - last I read, at least 2 of the Benoit brothers shoot .270s. Some use scopes now and Hornady ammo (vs peep & Rem core-lokt like the old days) according to Bryce Towsley's book on them.

Maybe it is just me, but when I think of pump action rifles I think of short action cartridges like the .308 Win.

Going with whatever you get the best deal on is just fine.

Yepper it's just you...

Never quite seen the reasoning to stick a short action round in a rig that will handle longer rounds. Unless you do it in a 35 Rem and that's just cause it's cool!

Dober

35 in a 760 is way cool! The 06 will be found in 9 out of 10 pumps here, my brother is odd his is a 270.

It doesn't matter. When you can go to Numrich and buy a new barrel for under $120 you can have BOTH!

Bigger holes let the air out of 'em faster.

C'mon ss, the 270 doesn't tear up more meat, heck, it doesn't tear up meat period. You should know that.......

I would choose the 150gr over the 130gr though--even for deer.

And if I was to chop a 270 barrel down to 20 inches or less, I would forget speed and go with a 160gr Partition. It would be a slightly scaled down version of the 06 with a 200 grainer, or a 280 with the 175 grainer.

I'd love to find a M700 early production "carbine" in 270 and give the 160 Pt a whirl on elk.


Casey

That's right Casey a 160 in a .270 is right there with a 175 in a 280 or a 200 in an 06!

Dober

In the last couple of Benoit videos, the boys are using 22 inch barrels as well. Lanny shoots 270 Win, Shane shoots 270 Win, as does Landon.