Would either of these chamberings shine in a 22" barrel? I was originally planning on a 24" 25-06 but am thinking about a 22" barrel now and thought the 270 might perform better with that barrel length. What's your experience?

For the past 38 years I have used the 270 winchester in both factory and custom rifles. The 25-06 will never be what the 270 is. That is all there is to it. You would be much better off with the 270. For more info contact me at my email address.

I've got 270's from 20" to 24". The 20" is really loud, but always kills deer instanly. Factory 130's do 2900fps from the 20". I've never had a 25-06, but a hunting buddy switched from years of hunting with a 270 to a 25-06, he said performance on deer was much less than the .270

nebraska... these two cartridges are some of my favorites, but I have never owned the two in a 22" brl. I prefer 25" and 26" brls. Longer brls never bothered me as I dont feel the cause me to get "chinked up" in heavey brush. I have always felt that saying you cant take a 26" brl in the bush is like telling my hunting budy Kile he cant brush hunt because he is to big... BS.

[ 01-20-2003, 18:15: Message edited by: smallfry ]

A 22" is OK in a .270. I had a 20" .270, and it was a great hunting rifle. In a .25/'06, I would want at least 24", and 26" would be better. I also like the .25/'06!!

Either is a bit handicapped by a 22" barrel, but theoretically, the .270 with its greater expansion ratio is "less" handicapped than the .25-06. In practice, both will offer proportionally similar performance in a 22" barrel as compared to something longer.

As defined by the laws of physics, the .270 will, loaded to reasonable efficiency, be the more powerful of the two. Duh.

Now, what is the purpose of your rifle? That should dictate your choice.

I hunt with a 18 inch 25 06 and let me tell you.
On whitetail derr it is a killer with the 100 ballistic bullet.
Drops deer in there tracks!!!!!!!
The longest shot ever taken was 450 yds but still drop the big buck in its tracks.
This year I dropped a 140 class 8 pt at a lasered 355 yds,dropped in its tracks.
I have shot over 30 deer with this gun and only one ran after the shot and that one was a doe that I shot from five yards away.
She ran about 80 yards and then expired.
Oh by the way I am using a 18 inch barreled competitor pistol.
I works for me with no problems.

The gun will be my primary deer rifle and I want it to balance well so it's a joy to handle. It will be sporting a McMillan Kevlar KS stock and Leupold 3.5-10x40 scope.

If a 22" barrel is the way to go for that gun, I'll go with the 270 but if a 24" barrel would work well, the 25-06 will get the nod. I'll keep weighing my options until it's time to ship the action.

Looking forward to the responses.

[ 01-20-2003, 23:16: Message edited by: Nebraska ]

I don't have a lot of experience with both, but I do have a 22" .270 Win. Between the two of them if your gonna lose speed, add bullet. In other words I think the 270.

Nebraska:

The 25-06 Remington and the 270 Winchester are two of my favorite cartridges. Over the last couple of years I have gravitated towards the 270 Win or the 257 Wby as my minimum for non dangerous game in the 150 pound range. I generally prefer "longer" barrels on my rifles, but I have a 22" 270 Winchester that gets a lot of use. I think you would be better served by a 22" 270 than a 22" 25-06 based on ballistics. I would consider a 24" minimum for a 25-06 and a 26" minimum for a 257 Wby in bolt actions. If I were building a Ruger No.1 I would use a 28" for either 25 caliber.

Buliwyf

I keep trying to dance around the 257 Wby due to the cost but I just can't get it's performance off my mind. It's gonna have to happen whether I like it or not.

I've been racking my brain on a 2 rifle combo and having a hard time. I was originally thinking about a 25-06 Rem and 338 Win Mag combo but now I'm thinking about going 257 Wby, 280 Rem, 338 Win mag. That way I can have gun capable of long range shooting and a nice handling pack gun. I'm also going to make the 338 relatively light as it would only be used in the boonies when I get a chance to go for the big stuff. If I went with those three, I could take the 280 along as a back up for the 257 or 338 too.

I need to take the plunge on something pretty quick. This sittin' on the fence stuff is killin' me!

Nebraska:

I'm on the 338 Win Mag band wagon. It's the next group of cartridges down that always cause me to take pause. My Father was a 25 caliber fan all his hunting life. He started with a 257 Roberts and finished with a 257 Weatherby. The 25-06 was not his thing. Having seen the 257 Wby in action, I'm convinced velocity works on smaller big game. Without consulting my reloading manual, I believe the 257Wby can reach the magic 4000 fps. The 257 Wby requires a 26" barrel and only the best bullets. It's a different cat than the 25-06.

I would pass on the 280 Remington. I love the 7mm caliber and have a preference for the 7mm Remington Magnum and 175 grain bullets. Again, all the big 7's are better with 26" barrels though.

The 270 Winchester is a classic. It's at home in 22" barrel if this is your preference. I shoot my 270 well because of the light recoil. Mine has a Zeiss 3-12x56 on it for low light conditions. I feel this is a good blend of power without getting a scope in the face due to short eye relief. I generally use 150's in my 270 Win.

Don't mean to "ramble", thought some conversation might be useful.

B

I have both 22" and 24" barrled rifles. I can't tell the differece in carry the rifles. Weight is a bigger factor. Ther is a big difference between a 7 1/2lb 22" rifle and a 24" 6 1/4lb rifle(both weights with out scope). This weight differnce you see more.

I would go with the longer barrel, but with a thinner taper

Hcliff

Thanks for the replies so far.

Buliwyf,

I wish more people would ramble. It helps generate ideas and avoid potential pitfalls that you weren't even considering.

I had a Ruger RSI .270 once with the 18" barrel on it. Man talk about an ear splitter. The rifle was replaced with a Winchester classic with 24" barrel on it. I personaly like the 24" it just seems right for the round. Like another poster stated, You might be better off finding a tapper that fits the weight requirement in a longer barrel. Terry

[ 01-21-2003, 21:46: Message edited by: TC1 ]

Anything over 24" seems long in a hunting rifle to me.