Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Don't bring a .270, bring an '06!

...whereas the 270 would be on the light side. Could this be what the PH referenced?

Maybe when comparing store-bought ammo...but with hand loads and modern firearms, can't the old warhorse be stepped up to some pretty impressive numbers?

Slight off-topic question - doesn't the 4300 Joule minimum for Class B game rule out the .30-06?

Looks like a .270 WSM and 7mm Rem Mag might meet the minimum depending on the specific load, but non-magnums in .30-cal and under need not apply.

I just had a long talk with my PH friend Isan Van Zyl.

I asked him which he liked best for plains game,the 270 Win., or a 300 Win. mag?

Isan said"They are the same."

He said he likes three bullets,Barnes TSX,Nosler Partitions,and Swift A Frames.

Isan told me he had taken his personal best eland with a 270,and that it had worked nicely.

Take the rifle you shoot best.

Believe it or not, many PH's are not rifle loonies, just like many North American guides, and like some elk guides they'll blame the cartridge instead of the bullet for any failures.

I just had a long talk with my PH friend Isan Van Zyl.

I asked him which he liked best for plains game,the 270 Win., or a 300 Win. mag?

Isan said"They are the same."

He said he likes three bullets,Barnes TSX,Nosler Partitions,and Swift A Frames.

Isan told me he had taken his personal best eland with a 270,and that it had worked nicely.

Take the rifle you shoot best.

You'll run into quite a bit of anti-.270 bias in Africa, especially South Africa and (to a lesser extent) Namibia, which where probably 90% of safari clients hunt. Actually it's not so much anti-.270, which a lot of South African hunters like for "deer-sized" game, but the notion that the .30-06 is much better as an all-around plains game cartridge.

After spending quite a bit of time talking cartridges, bullets, etc. with a few dozen PH's while over there, this appears to be the same prejudice many American hunters once had against using the .270 for anything larger than deer, or maybe caribou. And the reason is bullets.

If you've never been to South Africa, you wouldn't believe how expensive ammo and components are over there. One of my PH buddies owns a sporting goods store in Kimberley, and I spent several hours there, all together, while on a month-long hunt in 2007. I noticed that the vast majority of component bullets on his shelves were Sierras, with a very small scattering of Nosler Partitions and some South African premiums, notably the Rhino, which my buddy really likes. (In fact he gave me a box to take home and try.) The reason was that very few hunters over there are willing to pay $100-$150 for a box of 50 Partitions.

Probably 95% of South African hunters and PH's grew up using conventional cup-and-core bullets, and many still do. Conseqently they really like heavy bullets at moderate velocities, especially for "thornbush" hunting, because that's what works best at modest ranges. Many will not use the .270 for such hunting, while they will use the 7x57, because they can easily get 170-175 grain bullets for the 7x57. They like at least 180's for the .30-06, but 200's or 220's are also often used.

You'll even see this bias in Keven Robertson's fine book, THE PERFECT SHOT. When discussing cartridges for gemsbok, he says the .270 is marginal, but gushes over somebody else's custom .280 AI as perhaps the perfect gemsbok round for open country. I have used both the .270 and .280 AI quite a bit, and there isn't any noticeable difference on game (sorry, .280 AI fans). But just the fact that the .280 AI isn't a .270 makes it far more acceptable in many people's eyes.

Despite seeing a lot of American clients do good work with premium bullets in various cartridges (whether Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, or whatever), many PH's still firmly believe in the experiences they've had with cup-and-cores. Believe it or not, many PH's are not rifle loonies, just like many North American guides, and like some elk guides they'll blame the cartridge instead of the bullet for any failures.

Personally, I had always thought that the .270 was kind of pedestrian. There's no doubting that it's an effective killer of game, it just never struck me as very interesting. But when it came time for me to pick a rifle for my wife to use in Africa, the .270 suddenly seemed like the perfect choice, especially in a trim little package like a Ruger 1A. With 150 grain A-Frames traveling at a modest 2700 fps, she used it to brain her croc. I shot a couple of bait impala and a baboon with it as well and I had no complaints. I don't think Zebra, Kudu or Waterbuck sized animals would have would have been a problem either. Eland, I'd want something bigger. What I've come to appreciate about this very versatile cartridge is that it does everything that I'd ask of a 30/06, 7mm Rem or even a .300 Win Mag at close to medium range, but with a lot less recoil and muzzle blast.

I've had these words said to my by an African PH I was considering booking with. I didn't. I've read them on the internet countless times. The thing is I've used these two rounds for years and have never been able to tell a difference in killing power between the .270 and the .30-06. I'm not saying there isn't a noticeable difference, I'm just saying I've not been able to notice it.
Question is, is there a real world difference in performance on game by these rather similar rounds? I know lots of people compare the .270 130 to the .30-06 180 but I think the .270 150 evens the playing field. What say you?