You know I just do not see a lot of difference in these rounds for white tail deer hunting. I was thinking of buying a new Weatherby in 270 Win, but looking at the ballistics, and if you reload, there is not a nickles worth of difference in the 3 for light thin skinned game. I imagine that the 260, and 7mm-08 might recoil a bit less, so I am most likely going to go that way. Can anyone tell me why you would buy a 270 winchester for use with shots under 150 yards on pigs or medium white tails? With all respect to the grand old 270 winchester, maybe the ticket is just to get a Kimber or Remington model 7 in one of the short cartridges! Jimmyp

For whitetails, the choice really gets down to a matter of personal preference. All three of the cartridges you named will drop southern deer in their tracks all day long.

I've been a .270 Winchester fan for over 26 years, and I couldn't live without at least one good rifle in this chambering. If you ever hunt out west for pronghorn, mule deer, or even elk, the .270 Win., properly loaded, will provide more power and more versatility than either the 7mm-08 or the .260 Rem., and with very little more recoil. Case capacity still counts! For this reason, I'd choose the .270 Win. or .280 Rem. over either the 7mm-08 or .260 Rem., and for exactly these same reasons I'd always choose the .30-06 over the .308 Win in a bolt action rifle.

AD

"Can anyone tell me why you would buy a 270 winchester for use with shots under 150 yards on pigs or medium white tails? With all respect to the grand old 270 winchester, maybe the ticket is just to get a Kimber or Remington model 7 in one of the short cartridges!"

I can`t answer that. I own all three and I hunted for ~12 years with a 20" Shilen barreled M700 or a M7 both in 708. The last 4-5 years have been with a M700 in 260 and a new Kimber 260 thats been in the safe for the last season. I`ve never had a whitetail (9 with the 708, 4 with the 260)go more than a couple yds with either cartridge and shots from 10 - 15 "feet" to just under 90 yds. All bullets have been Hornady hand loads and all have been pass throughs.

The 270 has been nothing but a range queen with the exception of a trip to N Quebec for `boo. I have to admit it worked great there.

Thou shalt buy a 7x57, and thou shalt live long and be happy ever after, and thy great-grandchildren shall look at thy rifle in awe; et in saecula saeculorum amen.

Carcano

Normally I would agree with Allen except that you did say most of your shots were 150 yards or less. Hard to do better than the Model 7, if I had the money I sure like the mannlicher carbine their Custom Shop has. In 7mm-08 of course.

7-08 is a great round! Very little recoil, accurate, and as a hand loader I don't think the 270 has anything over it. They are all great. I like the short actions though when it comes to carrying a rifle all day. Good luck!

That little Kimber looks pretty. I wonder if it's worth the money. I like the looks of full stock guns but darned if I know how they do down here in Georgia with wet one day dry the next. I am leaning toward the 7-08 as this seems to be a little more versatile. God knows why you would need a 270 to shoot 35 yards (most shots) at a whitetail. I imagine I could kill them with a 223 with 80 grain bullets just as well. I would opt for the 7 x 57 but I have heard that depending on what rifle manufacturer you choose, they On Average are more difficult to get to shoot well. Jimmyp

Jimmyp
I agree with Allen
I would take the 270 or a 280 rem. Both has larger case capacity which is nice if you might hunt more open land.

The 270 can be loaded with 160 grain bullets if you want more of woods cartridge. I'm not sure if you handload? Selection of factory ammo is largest in 270 compared to the others, which might be usefull 270 win is also an American classic I would buy a winchester pre 64 or mauser 98 and never look back

Cheers
/ JOHAN

The 270 is a classic deer rifle. It's a great cartridge. I hunt whitetails and pigs out to 300yds. I don't own one!!! I own a 7-08 and a 6.5x55. nuff said, capt david

I have and use both the .270 and 7mm-08, and I'm currently looking for a good deal on a .260. I a fan of all three. Having said that, I will say that any of the three is all you need for whitetail hunting. I just like to experiment with different calibers. I doubt I'll ever be very long without a .270, though. If you've ever killed a deer with a .270 you know what I mean. The old standby kills like a strike of lightening and doesn't destroy meat like a lot of other calibers. I can't count the number of deer I've shot with a .270, but I can tell you that none, not one, ever took a second shot, and not one made it out of a 25' circle from where they were shot. I know it sounds like BS, but it's true, the .270 works, big time. I have great confidence in it, which makes for better shooting, and I know it works. My stepson, gets aggrevated every time we go deer hunting together because I'm so predictable, he knows when he hears one shot, it's usually me, and I'm done for the day. If he hears more than one shot, it's not me. I'm not bragging, I pick my shots and try to make every one count. When I was young we didn't have the money for a lot of shooting, so you had to make it count. I would imagine that is why the .270 has remained so popular over the years, anyone who's used one, knows they work and work well.

I wouldn't buy a .270 for anything, just isn't in me to own what everyone else does. I like the 7-08 & .260 for handloaders. Saying that, if you don't handload you are better off w/ a .270 . It really comes down to ammo availability & which rifle you want.

I'm not knocking you, cause it's funny, I sometimes find myself using other calibers and spending a lot of time and money just trying to get them to do what the .270 will easily do. Sometimes we go a long way around the barn just to be different.

Hey Jimmy.

My first deer rifle was a 270. At that time, I had no idea there were any other deer calibers other than a 30.06 and a .270. I was clueless.

With what you want to do, you'll be satisfied with ANY of the calibers you mentioned. As for recoil, my 12 year old nephew shot my Ruger 270 for 5 hours at the range at 200 yards one Saturday afternoon. He said that it never bothered him at all, and he's a little guy.

IMO, the 270 is a wee bit more versatile (trajectory)IN CASE YOU EVER GO HUNT ANYWHERE ELSE AT LONGER RANGES. Like Allen mentioned, I am a big fan of the 270 also. It is my favorite caliber. Maybe because I've downed over a couple hundred deer with it over the years and never had to track a deer. This is in addition to all the 'yotes and fox.

I've loaded 7.08 for others but have never owned one. I watched a guy shoot a buck with his 708 at 375 yards with my handloaded 140 Nos B-tip and drop it where it stood. For me, if someone is going to go with the short action, I recommend the .308. And in your case, the .308 with 150 grain bullets for deer. It doesn't kick any more than the 7.08 as far as I can tell until you get those 180+ bullets in it. No doubt the 7.08 and 260 are great cartridges, but I would just go straight to the .308.

Good luck.

I just wrestled with the same choice. I'd used a Model 70 in .270 for years and killed deer out to 325 yrd.s with it. It shoots very well indeed but with the long barrel and BOSS it weighs @9lb.s

I ended up with a Rem. 700 Titanium in 7mm 08 for the same uses you plan for your gun...under 150 yrd.s 90% of the time. 7mm 08 is enough gun to kill any whitetail inside 300 yrd.s and the lighter recoil is appealing in a gun that will weigh @6.5lbs. with scope. I'd have bought a .260 if my survey of factory ammo availability had been more favorable. As it is, all my cleaning rods, jags, brushes etc. will all fit my 7mm Mag, .270 and 7mm 08. See how thrifty I am. The Model 7 is a great gun but I can't shoot off hand worth a poop with a 20" barrel. The 700 Ti is much lighter with a 22" brl.

Jimmy, I'll start my comment with you. For the cartridges listed, you'll be a happy man with any of them, especially with the caveat in your post about 150 yds of less. Shucks, dang near anything will be fine in that range.
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Fred, I hear what you are saying and I've been ornery like you a lot of my life. But if I have to be 100% honest here......the best rifles I've ever had were pretty much in calibers "everyone else had." The 30/06, and 270 performance is simply awesome and hunters have spent a zillion dollars trying to invent a cartridge to top what these old rascals have delivered for 100 years. So far no one has succeeded. We've got rounds that are a little faster or a little flatter or deliver a tad more energy...but it's all really a smoke and mirrors advantage. There are always "catches" out the wazoo. The rifles are more expensive. The cartridges drink powder like there was no tomorrow. Barrel life goes to hell. Versatility goes to hell. More expensive and shorter life for the cases. More recoil. More blast.

Man if there was EVER a more classic application of the old saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I don't know what it would be. When you consider EVERYTHING, there isn't anything that will top the /06 and 270.

Now if that doesn't start a firestorm on this thread nothing will. But I think I'll stand by that remark.

I'm not knocking ANYONE'S favorite cartridge and I'll be quick to conceed there are a FEW rounds available that will pretty well match the 270 or /06 in ALMOST every category. The 280 Rem comes quickest to mind. But I just consider them VARIATIONS on the original theme.

The simple and inexcapable truth is that the bore diameter and case capacity of these old legends (270/06) is IDEAL for what MOST MORTALS HUNT. That's why these cartridges have ruled and I suspect always will unless the manufactures simply squeeze them out with some fad like the new short fat cartridge designs and stop offering the 06 and 270. Then by default they have to fade. But like a good many cartridges we don't see anymore...they sure as hell didn't deserve to be swept off the stage and the shooting world is a lesser place because things like the Swift, the Roberts, the .358 Win and a few others aren't around.

OK, let me hush and slip into my protective CBR uniform cause I know I'm gonna catch it.
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Bottom line, Jimmy, if I were you I would RUN, not walk, to the nearest CZ dealer and buy me a CZ-550 in the stock design of your choice in either the 270 or 30/06 and KNOW that when you get that rifle home that you have purchased for yourself an excellent hunting tool that will last you a lifetime AND will do a superb job on anything you'll likely ever encounter.

Reload for it if you can. Pick the right bullets for the job and your hunting career will be a happy one. I guarantee it. Let us know what you end up with.

Oh, why a CZ? Cause you'll get more for your money...quality and more gun than anywhere else. I've been a Winchester man all my life and love them like a brother...but I doubt I ever buy another since trying CZ. I'm not criticizing Win. Just being practical and trying to get the best for my buck. Happy trails.

Jimmy, I just re-read your post and snapped on your comments about recoil. So I'll modify my commets and recommendation a bit. The .270 and /06 aren't thought of as heavy recoil guns at all.....although I've had light weight 30/06 kick the fillings loose on my teeth when firing HEAVY BULLETS off a benchrest. I've never had either one begin to hurt me in the field shooting and hunting...with any bullet.

But that said, both rifles can be loaded down if you want and still perform great. The 30/06 is one of the two EASIEST cartridges I've ever known to get along with from a reloading standpoint. I don't believe there is a "bad load" for the 30/06. I've loaded it from 1.5 grs of bullseye with kleenex was under a 170 gr cast bullet and all the way up with full house jacketed stuff and had great accuracy from evrything. What I'm saying is both cartridges (06 especially) are like listening to a radio, i.e. you just set the volume where it's comfortable and you hear it best.

And if the point ever arises in your life when you want more from your gun, you won't HAVE to go buy a new one. You can just crank up the "volume" on these.

But if you just really want a mild but EFFECTIVE little rifle, the CZ 550 in 6.5x55 would be a great choice. Ask anyone in the forums here about the 6.5x55 and they all say the same thing. Great hunting rifle with very little recoil. But it will be best if you reload for it.

And for what it's worth, I'll mention the 243. It's a love me or hate me cartridge. It's a low recoil hot-rod with impressive numbers. Most of the people who hate it have had hunting failures. I've had some myself. But it was the BULLET. In fact, the 243 is why I won't shoot Sierra products anymore.

When you're shooting a hot-rod rifle in any caliber, I believe it becomes critical that you choose your bullets carefully. This is ESPECIALLY TRUE with the .243 because it's really a small bullet that many people expect to do BIG things. I would really call it a varmit cartridge personally. But a lot of people hunt big game with it. The good news is, IF you pick your bullets carefully a hit the animals where they oughta be hit....the little 243 will do a pretty dang good job from deer on down.

Anyway, enjoy what you get. 90% of hunting is bullet delivery...not caliber. Get good with whatever and you'll be happy.

What Pecos is trying to say is get a .308 from Tikka.



Or, a Ruger .243

Yeh Bobby, I've been known to do that. My favorite deer/antelope rig is a .280! Sure it's what the .270 should have been, but it's not a .270.

I've just about always had a .270win, fantastic cartridge.

Are they still chambering .280rems from the factory?

Terry

I like all the cartridges you name.
I like the .270 best, you can't go wrong with witch ever you chose, but don't let recoil decide, none of the rounds on your list kick. I think were I in your shoes I would go shopping for a rife I liked in any of the calibers on your list, in other words , you've narrowed the cartidge choices down , now its time to pick the rife to fire it with, I sure like my CZ,550 FS,(7X57 and it comes in 6.5 swede to, but the 7mm08 can be had in the model 70 classic compact or the featherweight, If you hand load I would incude the mauser rounds in your serch, if not mabye include the.308 and the 25,06 all will do what you want, just pick a rifle you really want, My preference is CZ and Winchester but thats just me...tj3006

ole joe: i have had the same experienceswith my 08 and 260 with hornady handloads. kills them dead walking. great 250 and in guns. got 2 270's and they are great too but the up close stuff and short actions are what these litle guys do best.

Surprisingly yes TC1, they do still chamber rifles in .280. Think about it though, the 7x64 Brennek was out before the .270. The American way I guess, make something unique to the rest of the world. If the 7x64 had been brought here & called the 7-06, the .270 would have been a stepchild to the .280 & OConner would have been praising the good ole 7x57 as a NA round & 1000s of hunters wouldn't be praying to the hunting gods w/ their beloved .270s before every hunt.