Is there any realistic advantage of one over the other? I have 2 rifles and one has to go. The .270 has a 22" barrel and the 7mm-08 has a 20" barrel both are bolt actions and are similar in build. Does it come down to which ever one I like the most is the only "real" difference?

No. Now, what do you want to do with it?

Seriously, in my mind it comes down to a rifle you like chambered in whichever caliber. I can't think of anything I would shoot with a .270 that I wouldn't be just as happy to shoot with a7mm-08 or vice versa.

Those are two different tools for two different applications. You'll get more speed with the .270, but you'll use more powder and carry around a longer barrel.

Either one is a fine hunting tool. One may have sentimental value, or you may have more ammunition for one, and that would cause you to want to keep it.

Sorry to hear you have to part with one of your rifles.

Hope things get better for you soon.

i'd keep the 270.

I would also keep the 270.

Thanks for the concern but I am OK. I am just trying to thin some of my "stuff" so I can spend the $$$ on actual hunting trips instead of accruing gadgets for hunting.

The rifle will be for one of my daughter�s. I reload so ammunition concerns will not be an issue.

The 7mm-08 shoots much flatter out to 1000 due to the higher BC bullets available.

Depends on how similar the 2 bolt rifles actually are. For instance if the 270 was a Browning Safari and the 7-08 a Remington 700ADL....you get the idea.
dan

7mm-08. Mild recoil, shorter barrel (probably lighter rifle as well), etc.

Even if it weren't for your daughter, I'd still say 7mm-08. It's just a great little round.

Keep the one she likes better. Functionally they are peas in a pod--anything you can do with one, you can do with the other (paper differences notwithstanding.)

I am tickled to death that I misread that one. Glad to hear that you are skinnying down to hunt more.

I agree here with Utah, in terms of a deer hunting cartridge, what one will do, the other will. Then it becomes a matter of which platform you prefer.

20" barrel or 22". long action or short.

And the 270 shoots flatter with hunting bullets within 400-500 yards where you kill big game.So if you wanna punch paper at 1000 with a hunting weight 7/08,have at it. If you wanna hit and kill big game without much concern about dots,clicks, and other such stuff,keep the 270.

My choice would be to keep the 270.

For a daughter, I'd go with the 7-08. Smaller package and you can shoot 120gr bullets with hardly any recoil.

Had several of both over the years, and yes they are both accurate cartridges...still have a 7-08 and no more .270's You may be able to guess where my vote is on this one.

Good luck in your deliberations.

Paul

...if you're not putting the rifle away for your 3 year old daughter...

If she is old enough to use them now, let her pick after using them both in the field.

I like it. I'll sell 30 or 40 rifles and the Browning safe.....take a few hunts.....then buy 40 or 50.......

7-08!!

Back East, 7-08.

Out West, 270.

That's the way I see it...

Flip a coin.

Let your daughter choose the rifle SHE likes the best.

If it was my choice, the 270 hands down. But that is extremely biased as I have never used a 7mm-08. And for the 270, well, I have used one since 1982 and have literally killed tons of critters with one.

I'd be hard pressed to think of a situation where one would succeed and the other would fail.

Fred

I agree with that!

I keep wanting a light weight 7-08 cause thats what us gun nuts are supposed to do, want something else that is..but what would I do with it?? I have a .270Win, a better, faster, solution in a 7.5 pound full up rifle..

Fred, you know this is entirely too logical and such thought process has no place on here; personal prejudices and delusionary rationale are much more important than cold hard facts. The 270 has necromancy,was conjured by sourcerers at Winchester and cannot fail, while the 7/08 was made only to squeeze into tiny rifle actions,and is vulnerable and frail by comparison.Intuitively, we all know this but choose to ignore it,because we are fearful of appearing irrational....

I myself do not suffer from such short-comings.....

I've always been a big 270 fan, but I have a 7-08 that has most of my 270's collecting dust...

Thing is, it's the rifle and not so much the cartridge...Lil Sky 7-08 is about as good as it gets, IMHO. Of course a Bob or a 260 would be just as good, so I'd sell them both and buy a 7-08 or 257 in a Montana...

DJ

the .257 Bob is different enough from the .270 to make sense to me as well. The .257 Bob in the Kimber makes the most sense to what I shoot and where I shoot.

the .257 Bob is different enough from the .270 to make sense to me as well. The .257 Bob in the Kimber makes the most sense to what I shoot and where I shoot. I have had 243's and could never warm up to one for some reason.

I have a .257 Bob it is a 700 Mtn Rifle that has been restocked in a Basner. It is MY favorite rifle and the one I taught my oldest daughter on. Now she has her on rifle, a .270. My 8 year old will start learning soon on an air rifle, then a .22lr, and then I will use down loaded .257 Bob, 75 gr. handloads. Eventionally she will get either the .270 or 7mm-08. I am leaning hard on the .270 for her and have this desire to keep the 7mm-08 for me.

But I use the .257 Bob for everything here in the Carolinas and if I need to step up to something bigger I use my custom .338 Win Mag. I keep buying and trading rifles for my daughters ;)but I always use either the .257 or .338 when I hunt, go figure.

Well, I have owned both (and several rifles in each caliber) and I prefer both.

Having said that, the 22" barrelled rig gets my nod....I find the 22" balances better for me than a 20" does. The Remington model 7 in 7mm-08 vs the Remington Mtn Rifle in 270 WIN are good examples of this and I have owned both.

In the end, the one to keep is the one that feels the best to your daughter since she is the one that will be using it. I'd bet she goes for the 7mm-08 because it has the shorter action and shorter barrel. She won't be handicaped with it either. The only thing you might have to alter is maybe swap the scopes (if that is an issue in this case).

EE

The two cartridges are very similar. However, the types of rifles they are chambered in can easily swing the decision in my view. If you like a more compact rifle, then it's the -08. If you like the ease of access to the receiver and don't mind the larger size of the overall package, then the 270. The 270 Mountain would probably be one of the nicer compromises. I prefer the Model Seven -08 to the Mountain -08 though. (Better loading port.)

That is the route I went with my oldest daughter once I saw she was serious about hunting and shooting. I got here a 700 Mtn LSS in .270. I sold the laminate stock and bought a Ti take off from Bell & Carlson in a LOP that fits her. I got a VX-III 2.5-8 with the heavy duplex and put that scope in some lt. weight Talleys. The whole thing turned out great.

Here are a few pic's:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cf37b3127ccec2f4979b4cc400000010O00BatnDVu5cMQe3nws/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cf37b3127ccec2f4cf634c1000000010O00BatnDVu5cMQe3nws/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cf37b3127ccec2f56437adf500000010O00BatnDVu5cMQe3nws/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7cf37b3127ccec2f4f64d0cba00000010O00BatnDVu5cMQe3nws/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Finding over the counter 270 Win Ammo is slightly easier than finding 7mm-08 when you are out in tim-buck-two.

I am an southpaw so finding a LH 7mm-08 is pretty difficult, I have found it much easier to come by a 270 Win, so that is what I went with.

+1 on Brad's East - West option. Had both but ended up with a 280

Had all three and ended up with 4-5 270's

Its the rifle that could matter for your daughter. Even for a big guy here in our Eastern forests a Kimber 84M in say 7mm-08 is going to be lighter and easier to handle than most any .270's that I have seen.

Here is a nice buck taken in the woods with the Kimber 7mm-08. That light easy to handle rifle is a edge to me. To each his own.

Is that a new camo design or my monitor screwed up?
I have two 7-08's so you know my sugg.but like has been said,one will work as well as the other,east or west imho.

Ron

The 7-08 handloaded with 120g is a 270.

Why burn the powder?

Yep, the 270win rules out West, guess what the Alaskan boys and western blacktail hunters prefer over it?

7-08 - North West and East

270Win - Rockies

This whole thread is mental gymnastics as one person likes to state. Pretty fun though, I could be happy with either!

MtnHtr

Sorry for the fuzzy picture but it was taken by my son with his cell phone camera of the first deer that he got. In the background is his pack and the Kimber is leaning against the tree behind it.

Tell him great job on the deer,
needs more exp. with the cam.,just kidding,well done.

Ron

I would pick the 270. Not a fan of 20" barrels for younger shooters, or overall for that matter. Added noise and perceived kick.

No, it isn't.

3100fps my friend...but you know that.

If it is a heavier bullet thought, I'd prefer the 30.

Tom: I hate numbers games but,like most 7/08 users who proclaim it the 270's equal,you play with the facts.You've got maybe one "trick" bullet for the 7/08 that will do that and theoretically provide the on-game performance. I say "theoretically" because I have not yet swallowed the Barnes X Kool-Aid,but I will play your game So here goes:

Latest Barnes manual lists the following MAX velocities for the 7/08 from a 24" Barrel and 120 TSX.(I don't know who offers a 24" barreled 7/08): 3047,3051,3031,2993,3025,3106,3010,3081,3070,3132.Based on my personal experience with the 7/08,you're unlikely to hit those numbers from a 22" barrel,the typical length.
If you want to talk a 140,one load goes over 2850.

Since you get to use the Barnes "trick bullet", so do I,110-270.The Barnes manual shows,for the 270 Winchester,same 24" barrel: 3452,3494,3501,3460,3430,3524.

I don't know what you call a 392 fps(given the best of each) advantage,but I call it "significant".

Even giving the 7/08 the "trick bullet" and looking at the 270 with a 130, the Barnes manual shows:3150,3152,3156,3133,3172,3211.Again, a solid advantage of the 270 over the trick bullet for the 7/08.And,again with 140 gr for the 7/08, no load hits even 2900.Every load for the 270-140 is over 3000.

At any distance to,say 500 yards the 270 will just shoot flatter,and just goes faster.It does this because the 270 HOLDS MORE POWDER, a little trick that 7/08 fanciers ignore to argue their "toy" is equal; it is not.

My own work with both cartridges bears this out.I have owned and loaded for maybe 7-8 7/08's.Most were hard-pressed to hit 2850 with 140's;none hit 2900.Most of the 25-30(it could easily be more, I am just not sure anymore) 270's I have loaded for over the years very handily hit 3100 or better with a 130 from 22" barrels.I have shot both out to 400 and 500 yards;at 300 the 270 is already leaving the 7/08 behind. The 270 just shoots flatter and is easier to hit with at 300 and beyond.

I know what you're you're going to say;today we have "dotz" so everything is equal. Sorry, but dotz don't count;we have always had dotz or some other reticle assist.I don't know what dotz have to do with speed;dotz do not make cartridges go faster.A 270 requires no dotz to at least 400;I know;been there,done that.At 500,some frame of reference is useful but not required.I have done enough shooting with the 7/08 to know it does not merit serious consideration as an open country cartridge in the class of the 270. Smarter guys than us have come to the same conclusion.

Like many who proclaim their "pet" of lesser capacity goes as fast as a cartridge of larger capacity,many 7/08 advocates stoop to playing with facts, or loading to higher pressures, etc. This game is very old,and some of us are not so easily fooled.The 7/08 has been around in its' own form, or another(7x57)for many years. Neither(both capable cartridges,don't get me wrong) has ever come within photo finish distance of the 270 and never will,because for every "trick" they can pull from their hats for the 7/08 or 7x57,another can be "pulled" out for the 270,and neither case holds as much powder as the 270.There is a very definite reason why the 270 is THE most popular,best selling long-range,open country cartridge to ever be produced,with the possible exception of the 7mm Rem Mag.

You cannot get around the fact that the 270 holds more powder,goes faster with any equivilent bullet at the SAME PRESSURES,and shoots flatter in the bargain.Just facts; just ballistics.

Of course the 270 has a little more case capacity than the 7mm-08 however the 7-08 comes in the Kimber 84M which is a really neat, light rifle to carry.

Within reasonable ranges the ballistics are similar. The 7mm does have a faster twist than the .277" though and some bullets with high B.C.'s are there.

Both cartridges are excellent ones. Get the rifle you want.

Savage: what is the significance of the faster twist in the 7-08? I believe it's 9.25 versus 10" for the 270, correct?

Geez Bobin, I hope I didn't keep you up all nite.

I run 3100ishfps for Nosler BT and up to 3100 for the Barnes TSX. I am told the Sierra makes a 120 that is a good deer bullet but haven't tried it yet--aim to. The other two are really plenty stout. Maybe the 120s are just stouter all the way around. I have run the Hornady 120 for daughter around 3k and they perform well on medium sized deer.

For practical hunting applications the 7-08 120g will do anything the 270 130g will do...knowing your individual bullet's actual trajectory and your own limits. Something materially flatter is running a lot more jug than a 06 cases.

So I save the 10g powder and recoil....

You know what Jack O'Connor said somewhere about the 130g for the 270. We spend a ton of time examining advantages that make no real world difference...like bullet weights within a caliber, for instance--paper thoughts. But I am not a gunwriter. For killing, the 7-08 and 270 are in the same class...for me.

The 7mm will shoot the Berger 7mm 168 gr VLD B.C.=0.643


============================================================
Ok now you select your .270 bullet.

It's funny. I grew up on Jack O'Connor's writing, but I don't remember excess lethality being a part of his praise for the 270 - all I remember was "flat shooting," which was pretty important during those non-laser days. (He might have said something about it, but it's not what stuck with me.) I like the 270 and used it exclusively for 30-some years until I got my Rifle Looney membership card and branched out a bit. It worked fine then and still does now.

I'm moving over to the 7mm-08, however, for a couple of reasons that may not apply to anyone else. (1) Shorter actions tend to move the balance back, which I like. (2) Shorter actions tend to be a bit lighter, which is my preference. (3) Lighter rifles work better for me with lower recoiling cartridges (note: the single most brutal recoiling rifle I've ever owned was a Ruger 77 RL (ultralight) in 270 winchester.) (4) Less powder might mean less muzzle blast, a theoretical advantage for a person who has just bought his first hearing aid. (5) The .284 120g Ballistic Tip is an exceptional bullet for whitetail deer, my most common quarry, while heavier bullets are available for occasional larger game. (6) And finally, some extremely experienced hunters, among them Mule Deer and Aussie Gun Writer, validate my own observations that there really isn't much advantage gained from the more powerful cartridge. FWIW.

Depends on the bullet weight you choose.

150gr 270 cal, and 160gr 7mm are virtually identical in terms of Sd and BC.

So if you campare bullets similar for each cartridge, the 270W is going to move a 150 grainer quite a bit faster than a 7-08 will drive a 160gr.

At a hundred yards on an elk, no diff. But at 400 yards, I'll take the 270W....

Casey

Of course, if I had read your post first Bob, I wouldn't have bothered posting


Casey

To me neither kick all that much and, as Bob indicated, the 270 is the bigger engine. Here I'd rather have the 270. Back East, or on the Left Coast, the 708 makes a lot of sense.

I tend to use my deer/antelope rifles for elk and the 270 has a bit more juice with heavier bullets. Hard not to like that. The point at which a guy is carrying too much gun for elk is the point at which he doesn't shoot the round well or the rifle is too heavy to pack comfortably (or both).

Frankly, I love both cartridges,

The advantages of each are distinctive and unique - after stewing on it for a while and reducing everything to a precise mathematical equation, they are exactly tied in a head to head comparison...grin.

The 270 does have a little more juice, though...physics keeps rearing its ugly head...grin.

DJ

Too true!

Wish Kimber made a LA 84 Montana! I'd gladly trade a couple ounces for the added performance of the 30-06 length rounds... not that I don't like 308 length rounds!

Hey, Brad. I'm still waiting for the LH Kimbers they promised 5-6 years ago. You don't have it that bad.

Can you imagine if Kimber would get a 270 or 25-06 into a package as good as the Big/Little Sky?

Don't know how they can produce stuff so right and so wrong at the same time...grin.

DJ

Tom: It didn't take long... Don't get me wrong, I like and have used the 7/08 back here(New England) and it does a bang-up job.I have just gotten accustomed to the flat trajectory of the 270 and prefer it when hunting out west;and it works just as well as anything else in the east,also.So, I use it.

I do like the Kimber Montana,though,as a lot of my eastern hunting is done on the move,and the very light weight is appealing.In that rifle I prefer the 7/08 over the other chamberings, and recently found a used one that has about 6 rounds through it(I know the previous owner),so am going to buy it and mess with that 120 Barnes myself....

So I AM objective;sort of.....

Casey: We just sort of bumped into each other....

A Ruger .270 was the first deer rifle that I ever bought. Still have it. A newer Ruger 7mm-08 is now my "go to" gun now. Recoil is very managable with great results on our Virginia Whitetails.

If it's for your daughter....I'd keep the 7mm-08....