Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Why choose .30 cal or .27 cal when choosing your rifles?

"So why the massive popularity of .270 and .308(the whole family) calibers?"

The popularity of the .308 caliber is due to the fact that:
1) the US adopted this caliber in 1894 ((30-40 Krag), in 1903 (30-03), 1906 (30-06) and, 1954 (7.62X51mm NATO). Each have proven excellent for military and hunting use.
2) the US has been involved in numerous international conflicts over the past 120 years with .308 caliber cartridges and that familiarity has rubbed off on others.
3) hunting in the US is widely accepted and popular with a large variety of game animals; the 30 calibers are well suited for this activity.
4) US hunters have widely hunted around the world and frequently take their 30 caliber rifles with them; the caliber has been accepted by many around the world.

The 270 caliber is popular since it is flat shooting and ideal for mountain and light game hunting hunting where shots can be taken at long range. Also, Jack O'Connor popularized this cartridge in his Outdoor Life columns and it was picked up by many.

Sorry Andre, I took the bait but I've thrown the hook.

Alan

From this I assume that you won't be hand loading. I have no idea what calibers are popular in South Africa, but the ones you choose aren't highly popular in the US and ammo can be hard to find in smaller stores. The .270 and .308 calibers are and ammo is readily available anywhere. The prices on popular calibers are lower, too, because their sales volumes are much higher.

For a 1st rifle, don't worry so much about the physics of ballistics. The popular calibers are popular for a reason - they've been found to work. Millions of hunters worldwide have no idea what sectional density or ballistic coefficients are yet they're highly effective hunters. They carry calibers that are popular and with readily available ammo and they take lots of game with them.

You're right if you want a varmint rifle that also works for small to medium "big game." I'll admit, I don't know about the opportunities to shoot really small varmints (prairie dog and ground hog size) in South Africa. The varmint hunting I've read about occurring in Africa has been larger varmints, and I suspect whatever centerfire one had would work fine for the varmint hunting in South Africa.

If this is a first rifle, then one of the major considerations will be the availability of ammo. You NEED TO PRACTICE LOTS!!! So buy a rifle that fits you, fits the game you will be shooting and one in a chambering which has a ready supply of reasonably priced ammo. The best rifle in the "ultimate do everything" chambering is worthless unless you can keep the pig fed.

Sectional densities, ballistic coefficients, and bullet weights are all fun diversions, but if you are not reloading, then AVAILABLE FACTORY AMMO is a key to becoming an effective shooter.

Well said, RC!

Andre, I can appreciate your conundrum, what with the legislative restrictions on firearms in SA. You've done the basic "theoretical" research and I really can't argue with that... a number of years ago I was searching for the "right" caliber for my youngest daughter's first centerfire rifle, and came up with the same conclusion, i.e., that a 6.5mm rifle would be an ideal starter caliber. As it happens, though, she ended up adopting one of my .308's and has never looked back. She's not interested in theoretical advantages, she just puts bullets where they need to go and game on the hoof becomes meat in the freezer.

Nonetheless I think you'd not be hard done by if you followed RC's advice (and that of many others here) and buy a popular caliber in the .30 caliber range. You can find .30-06 ammo almost anywhere in the world (and .308 ammo even more easily) and with it you can take any game you care to, barring the big stuff with really large teeth, and in a pinch, you could probably take those as well.

Now, speaking to your choices from my personal experience actually shooting the calibers you've named... Personally, I think the .338 caliber could be an ideal first and only rifle, if you can shoot it well. Most people buy a .338 Win Mag and discover that its recoil is very nasty, and as a result they can't shoot it worth a damn. I've seen a lot of people miss a lot of game with that caliber. I would never recommend a .338 Mag as a first hunting rifle. A .338-06 might serve, but I suspect ammunition will be hard to find in SA unless you can handload.

I have a .338 Mag and it's a lovely shooter, but I don't enjoy shooting it. I can shoot it reasonably well but I had a lot of experience shooting and hunting with game rifles before I "graduated" to a .338. On the other hand, I have a 6.5x55 Swede that I can shoot for scores of rounds in a single session quite happily (my son's first centerfire rifle was a sporterized 6.5x55mm Swede, and on his first range session at 12 years old he put almost 80 rounds through it, and would have shot more if I'd had any more ammunition for him to put downrange!).

You have dismissed the .375 caliber, which I think is a rookie mistake, if you'll forgive me saying so. If I could only have one rifle of .30 caliber or higher, I'd take a .375. My .375's (H&H and Ruger) are milder recoiling than a .338 Win Mag, and they put animals down with real authority. Given your country's firearms restrictions, I'd look at a .26 or .28 caliber as your light rifle, a .375 as your heavy, and then find a fine 12gauge double shotgun and a 9mm pistol to round out my 4-gun arsenal. But that's just me.

It's exciting to contemplate purchasing your first car/bike/rifle. Have fun with it and let us know what you end up with. Better yet, post pics of your successful hunts on the appropriate forums when the time comes.

Well, what if you are out in the boonies hunting. Then somehow you loose your ammo. All your hunting buddies have 30-06's, 308's and such. You can't borrow their ammo. Also, the professional hunters recommend 30-06 as minimum with 375 HH as large. Covers everything. Leaves good blood trails. Ammo is everywhere, even in remote store shelves.

Andre I think you got it dead right on all counts. I have a 270 and a 260 among others and if I started over with intent of (crossing myself three times and spitting twice before saying it) a single rifle - I would get a 260 and be done. I will say that 150 grain 270 rounds don't seem to be that hard to find these days - and as others probably pointed out- monometal bullets kind of negate some of the need for high SD.

Those Sauer are magnificent, just gorgeous dream rifle. If they are SO pricey and it might be a long while before you could afford another a 6.5 of some type is a great choice -especially if you can reload as there are tons of bullet weights available which means you can cover s broad spectrum of targets. Don't discount the CZ 550 as a possbility. That is what I got my Dad in 6.5x55- he never looks at his 7 mag any more.

A best trio of guns has been discussed plenty. A 22 hornet, 260rem and 338 of some flavor might cover things pretty well here- though not what I might pick and if brought up again there would be twenty pages of posts po'd I didn't include a 223...or a 30-06...or a 308

For your first- get a 6.5 learn it inside and out, and load for it if you can. It won't beat you up and will give you the chance to start on smaller game and work up with confidence and without a flinch. Whatever you ...for GOD's sake - don't ask what scope for it here! lol

What a bunch of red-tape BS... Funny a colostomy's not part of it..

I guess I'd be considering what ammo I can find where you live on a consistent daily basis and making my move from there. Many rounds will do one just fine, so I'd worry less about that than what rounds I can find. Unless you're a reloader but I would imagine that'd not work out real well considering where you live.

So, what rounds can you actually walk in and buy on any given day? I'd spect that some of the rounds on your list would be very tough to find. And some of them are very tough to find here in the States...

Where do you really live?

Dober

check your math, Andre. a 200 gr .308 bullet has a SD of .301 while the 220 gr is around .33. closer to your math is a 180 gr bullet.

they are popular because they have worked in the past and continue to work today. a 150gr partition out of a 270 win has and will continue to take everything north america has to offer. same is true for the 308 and 30-06 shooting a quality 150, 165, or 180 gr bullet. sd and bc meant something in years past, but with today's bullets, neither is worth a second thought if you are shooting at reasonable ranges.

270/308 might be boring, and old, but there is no doubt they work, and work well.

good luck with what ever you select.

Get a quarterbore, they will do everything you need in North America except Big Bears. prairie dogs love the 75 gr vmax's and elk dig the 115 grain tsx out of my 25-06. 27's and 30's are just fads!

When I was 16 (in 1974) I saved up enough to buy my first rifle and was torn between all the different chamberings. One of my high school teachers and football coaches was an avid hunter and I stopped by his house to seek his advice one day after school.

He took me to a storage building behind his house, opened a foot locker full of military surplus 30-06 ammo still on machine gun belts. He pulled off about 15' worth of ammo and gave it to me. I bought a 30-06 rifle the next day.

I understand today better than in 1974 that there is very little difference between any of the common rounds. I've pretty much stuck with 30-06, but have come to appreciate 308 in smaller packages (Kimber) in recent years. I think my reasoning was pretty valid back in 1974.

Very good post.

When i read these type of articles i often think back to the early 70's when i posed this question to a guy by the name of David Wolfe, and another by the name of neal knox. I only had money at the time to buy one rifle, what should it be. The answer was the 30.06. The reason behind it, understanding they were publishing handloader magazine of course, was it had the most variety of bullets from light to heavy, and while not perhaps the BEST round for specific situations, it was capable of doing it all with the right bullets. I went out and bought a remington BDL left hander, and although many other rifles have followed, that's the rifle that has started a couple of grandson's on the road to perdition.

Familiarity.

Gunner

Works just as good up close! Doesn't kick excessively, I can't think of a reason to switch to something else up close. A good 160 bullet and your ready and able.

223AI. thank us later.

Roger,

I would have to amend that for my three-gun list;

1. .223AI - 1:8" Twist

2. .30-06 - 1:10" Twist

3. .375 H&H OR .338WM, depending on recoil sensitivity.

JHMO

Ed