.270* .280 do you really think one of these is going to do something better than the other? NOT HARDLY!!! Flip a coin and forget about the 25-06.roger

Get the .270! It will do all you want, and it's easy to find factory ammo, resale of a .270 is so easy!

If I had to make a choice along the lines you have outlined it would be the 30-06 because: you can get it in almost any style action; you can buy bullets in most any bullet weight if you look around; you can find some ammo for it in most any country store that sells ammo; and it is more than adequate for anything you will encounter in the lower 48.

In most rifles, it weighs enough that with a scope and sling the recoil is easy enough for most people, men and women. If this were an issue, I'd have a muzzle brake installed until they got use to it, and then take it off for hunting.

If you get lucky and get a chance to take it to Africa, just load or buy 180 grain bullets, and let the good times roll. In fact, the 180 gr is such a good all round loading, it is all I shoot in mine. In sum, but changing bullet weights you can use it for just about anything. Kudude

Of the 3 you listed, I'd go with the 270. If deer is the target 90% of the time as you said, the old 270 just plain works. Easy to find about any make/model of rifle chambered in it, every sporting goods store/dept has ammo for it, mild recoil, cheap ammo, good resale. I know what you mean about not having a full battery of rifles b/c I'm in the same boat. I started with a 270 myself.

I was just re-reading a Jack O Conner book last night ( The Big Game Rifle ), and was in the chapter "Rifles and cartridges for forest game". I doubt there ever was a bigger proponent of the 270 WCF. But here is a direct quote:

" In spite of the fact that I have recommended lever-action rifles, the best rifle I, myself, ever had, I believe, for brush shooting of deer was a bolt-action. It was a very light custom made 7mm Mauser with a 21-inch barrel, and a Lyman 1-A cocking piece rear sight."

Another quote:

" For brush and forest use, then, our bullets, whatever the caliber, should best travel at moderate velocity, have considerable weight, and a round or even a flat nose, if such a bullet be obtainable. Spitzer shape, light weight, and ultra high velocity are all disadvantages"

In this I see the 30's and the 7mm's clearly more flexible. A 175 gr RN bullet has no equivilant in the 270, in the 30 cal its a 220 gr RN. If your looking to get dual use from a rifle woods/plains mountains 7mm and 30's are where its at.

Again there are no flies on the 270, not my favorite caliber but I carried one a lot over the years and they work, easy to get ammo for and almost always were up to the task at hand I wanted it to do. The only times I had issue with it was clearly in magnum territory and none of the above choices would have mattered, only velocity, and high BC's would have helped in high cross winds at long range.

quote:

175 gr RN bullet has no equivilant in the 270, in the 30 cal its a 220 gr RN.

150gr rn is available in the .270

pharaoh2 ----- I have two bean field rifles I shoot. A .257 Wby that shoot a 115 Nosler Partition at 3500 fps and a .270 WSM with a 130 grain North Fork at 3400 fps. Just put it on them and pull the trigger out to 400 yards, after that start figuring. Good shooting.

The Swede WILL DO IT!!!!

The 6.5mm 160 gr RN is not a weapon of mass destruction, but it will do anything the others will do and more gently on the butt end.

It's MAGIC!!!

.280

I kind of get a kick out of these things and the chance to sit back and watch human nature kick in.

Roughly one third of the people who responded did so with a thought about a cal something different than the 3 he asked for...grins

Mark D


(personally I would go with my 7 Mashburn Super...grins)

quote:

150gr rn is available in the .270

150 gr .277 = .279 BC
175 gr .284 = .310 BC
220 gr .308 = .331 BC

The 150 gr .277 isn't a heavy for caliber bullet. The 160 gr. Nosler Partion is closer to the mark with .298 BC but its not a RN.

A quick look at Midway, albiet not really very scientific, lists the following:

30 cal bullets- 305 different bullets
7mm bullets- 121 different bullets
27 cal bullets- 80 different bullets
6.5 cal bullets- 60 " "
25 cal bullets- 52 " "

Which still puts the 30 on top as most flexible, followed by the 7mm.

quote:

Roughly one third of the people who responded did so with a thought about a cal something different than the 3 he asked for...grins

The reason for that is the whole thread was rigged from the beginning.

Most practical caliber = 30 cal

END of statement.

The whole thread was set up to get all of us to argue over how many genies inhabite the head of a pin, pointless discusson really.

I use a 7x64mm to fill this niche myself and have been very satisfied with it. I use 140 gainers for the flat stuff, 150s for general purpose and 175s for heavy close stuff.

The old 270 vs. 280 discussion is amusing since the difference in bullet diameter is .007 inches and most forget about the 160 gr Nosler partition in .277 which is where the pros go for big stuff.

So we really are talking about 160 vs 175 grs as a max weight and .277 vs .284 in caliber. Either the 270 or the 280 is perfect for the intended application. The 270 is more common on the shelf and better for varmints in the 90 to 110 gr bullet weights...that's about it.

I would pick none of the three....Do yourself a favor just get a .300 Win Mag!

This question is very mush like asking ... who do we like best ... Blondes or Brunettes?

Without defining its application it becomes silly and makes a mockery of the variety of calibers that are indeed avialable to us.

The moment we opt for only one caliber as a sort of all purpose caliber, we are in the realm of making some compromises, which I personally do not like. Stretching a caliber up or down invariably boils down to increasing the risk of wounding due to a multitude of factors.

Better answers can be given when we specify the terrain (long or short-range)and type of animal (small, medium or large). Astute hunters generally prefer a battery of rifles geared towards its application.

Chris

You want accessability of factory ammo? Get a 270. Even with the dizzying array of factory loads both old and new I vote for an old favorite. The Savage 99 in 300 Savage. Then someone would have to reload. But what a rifle. Until the Armored Elk came along the old Savage killed lots of elk and moose. For that matter there was an old timer that killed lots of big bear with the little 250. He had more round things than I have though. You might even find a classic old take down 300 in Canada. And by the way, ditto on the liberal and the wildlife. Shoot what you need and put it in the place of honor ... right next to the mashed potatoes. Packy

quote:

Originally posted by tom ga hunter:
I own 4 custom 280's and would avoid them and go with the 270...why..1. Factory 280 ammo is impossible to find.2. My 280's are 1 load only rifles ie 1 shoots 139 hornadys only another 160's only.3.My 280's are basically bad luck rifles-i have killed only 3 deer with the bunch.

I think Tom has answered the original question that was posted. "So whats the most practical caliber...of the 3 listed, 25-06, .270 or .280?" Of the 3 he listed the .270 Win. is the most practical due to the wide availablity and variety of factory ammo available. Certainly, if we are talking about most effective or most versatile or best handloaded, we may come up with a different conclusion (or a bunch of very reasonable different conclusions). But for the question that was posted, I agree with Tom's answer. Not that the other answers aren't correct, just to different questions...

I personally prefer the 6.5x55. Most rifles in this caliber are very accurate, have mild recoil and shoot everything from 85 to 160grs.
It's becoming quite popular in N. America although it's taken 100 years. Second only to the 6.5x55 I prefer the .25-06 for lighter game like deer. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal