Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles .270 WSM vs 7mm-08

I have a .270wsm and I love it.

For deer sized game out to 400 yards, I would choose the .270 WSM or old "long" version. Personally, I prefer a full sized rifle for such shooting and to me the benefit of the 7-08 is how wonderful it works in short rifles. Since the difference in recoil doesn't bother me, I'll go with the slightly flatter trajectory and higher impact velocity at long range.

Lou

7-08 all the way in my book. Not seeing the vast superiority of the 270 win over the 7-08 at any reasonable distance including 400 yds. Some folks prefer short actions, happens to include me in that bunch. The gnats a** diff between the 270 and 7-08 ballistically isn't worth consideration.

I don't care about how much powder a cartridge uses, I care about accuracy, flat shooting trajectory, and thump on the other end.

A 270 WSM stomps the 7mm/08, you are not comparing apples to apples at all.

The 270 WSM is close to a 7 Mag in another package.

There is also a huge difference in deer hunting in the West where there is wide open terrain and hunting in an area where the woods are thick as Vietnam jungles. In thick areas, you need to shoot a deer and them be laying right were they were hit.

Keith, good points, and one might say a 50BMG stomps them all combined, yet I look at what gets the job done in good fashion and I believe the 7/08 is as Bludog says w/in a gnats ..z of the WCF as my loads ran 2900-2960 w/139-140gr in 21" bbls where 130s would do right at 3k, more than many 270 factory loads which have proven fine to the 400 yd mark on deer, no doubt both are capable much further with shot placement w/a bullet that expands ok at the distance, which I would say is 500-600 yds, in the hands of an expert marksman, not what I go about, but proven many times over.

Agreed, my sentiment is exactly what you said, the 270WSM is a 7Mag in a short action. Its a strong round no doubt but I contend not necessary under 400 yds on deer. Hunters in flat open spaces can make the case for ballistics for the WSM, and logically so since drop/wind estimation/error is the caveat to shot placement, which is more the issue than the speed/energy retention IMHO.

I think the 7/08 needs to be quantified, is it a 22-24" bbl, or a carbine 18.5" as that will make the difference of about 150 fps and often I have just not seen the accuracy w/pencil thin bbls in Rem M7s to be shooting beyond 300 yds, partly due to inherit accuracy, the rest perhaps due to having a light gun that is harder to steady. I would not hesitate to use a short tubed 7/08 to 400 yds, but if I wanted a gun for all around use, it's gonna have preferably/ideally a 22-23" standard sporter contour as a minimum. I most always hit better, and most often my guns shot better groups with thicker tubes.

Any of the three w/good loads and a good driver will have one needing a sharp knife

thanks for the replies....keep 'em coming......recoil is not an issue being that i'm not fat- just underTALL....i just want to make sure that when the bullet gets out past 400yds it has AUTHORITY......thanks again...

Here is a 140 Ballistic tip at a very reasonable 2900 mv.

2900 2614 58.00 0.000 0.0 NaN 717
100 1.6 -6 2710 2283 54.20 0.107 0.6 2 585
200 0.0 0 2528 1987 50.56 0.222 2.6 5 475
300 -7.1 9 2354 1723 47.08 0.345 6.1 8 384
400 -20.4 20 2188 1488 43.75 0.477 11.1 11 308
500 -41.1 31 2027 1277 40.54 0.620 18.0 14 245


You will notice 500 yds fps is 2027.

I killed a deer w/a fireform load w/7mm TCU at 30 yds in my neck of the woods, using a 140 ballistic tip, did just fine.....formed the 14" TC will get 2200, but when fireforming as was my load, you are getting around 2,000. I am confident it has enough punch at 500 yds if you start at 2900 in a standard length sporter, 22-24" bbl. My deer showed signs of decent expansion, complete broadside penetration, and nice exit leaving a blood trail.

Today if I were using a 7/08 I think my choice would be the 140 Accubond, however a 120 TSX would get my consideration and likely some R&D Many like the 120 BT:

Max Point blank range is 297 yds when zeroed at 253 yds.
Range
yds Path
in ComeUp
clicks Velocity
fps Energy
ft/lbs Momentum
lb ft/s ToF
sec Windage
in Windage
clicks Optimal
Game Wgt
Muzzle -1.5 Infinity 3050 2892 61.00 0.000 0.0 NaN 834
100 1.4 -5 2822 2476 56.44 0.102 0.7 3 661
200 0.0 0 2606 2111 52.12 0.213 2.9 5 520
300 -6.6 8 2400 1791 48.01 0.333 6.7 8 407
400 -19.2 18 2205 1511 44.10 0.463 12.3 12 315
500 -39.0 30 2018 1266 40.36 0.606 20.0 15 242


Flip a coin but I'd go w/a 20 grain heavier 140 myself if using a 7/08 or similar round for deer, and take the greater S.D. just because it's there, 2.1" difference in drop at 500 yds.....well I cannot normally hold that well

Now if you are running a 270, I'd suggest the 140 in WSM either BT/NAB, but if in the long action WCF, the 150 BT looks like an ICBM missile....at 2850

Below is a 140 BT .277 at 3000, I'd say a good load for a 'long'

WCF:

Max Point blank range is 295 yds when zeroed at 251 yds.
Range
yds Path
in ComeUp
clicks Velocity
fps Energy
ft/lbs Momentum
lb ft/s ToF
sec Windage
in Windage
clicks Optimal
Game Wgt
Muzzle -1.5 Infinity 3000 2798 60.00 0.000 0.0 NaN 794
100 1.5 -6 2794 2426 55.87 0.104 0.6 2 641
200 0.0 0 2597 2096 51.93 0.215 2.7 5 515
300 -6.7 8 2409 1803 48.17 0.335 6.2 8 411
400 -19.3 18 2229 1545 44.59 0.465 11.4 11 326
500 -39.0 30 2057 1315 41.14 0.605 18.4 14 256


As you can see....at 500 yds, your impact is 2" flatter than the 7/08, and you p/u about 40 ft. lbs of energy....about that of a .22 CB cap I'd guess.

Flip a coin, you will be fine. More important, start w/an accurate rifle, use good ammo/handloads, practice, learn YOUR rifle and it's trajectory/wind for how you sight it in, and get a range finder if you plan to shoot 'way out yonder.'

400 yards ...I just get closer. If 300 yards to 400 yards is a normal shot then you are one of the guys for whom they marketed all those rounds that end in "M". Where deer are concerned there is no other reason, than reach, for putting up with a magnum. My two cents.

Agreed....All but a handful of my deer kills were at/under 200, and I truly ENJOY deer much under 50 for the excitement factor, gets your heart rate up the closer they are IME. Nothing bad about the WSM, it's a hammer hitting with authority way out there, .....and on the shooters end if you don't mind.

Shot a large for Bama Doe(145 lbs) with a 7-08 and 140 corelcokt . The Deer was stomping her feet and I took her behind the shoulder..she ran all of 30 yards . I shot another similiar size doe with a 270 WSM at 80 yards and DRT so I would go with the 270 WSM . Doesn't seem that the 7mm-08 is good enough for deer

I hope your trolling a bit there. Your basing your conclusion on a pretty thin data set, and variables abound.

Deer are realy easy to kill if you hit them right. REALLY easy. a slow moving 30 caliber roundball (buckshot) gets the job done... at this rate we are REALLY splitting hairs between a 260, 270, 280, and 30 caliber pushing 120-165 grain bullets from 2500-3000fps.

Flatter trajectory out past 300 yards is about the only real point to ponder. You hit them in the lungs/ribs with anything remotely worthy and you have a deer in the cooler.

It makes for good reading/posting/conversation though!

So, shoudl I get a 260 or a 7-08? ;-)

Ya Think ? . actually a lot of guys use a sample of 1 to come to a conclusion. I know of a guy that thinks standard cartridges are useless on Canadian whitetails . Like you I have killed them with buckshot # 4 thru 000 with zip problems. I have also used a 30-30 thru 300 wthby.