I have a Remington 700 in 270 Win. but leaning towards getting a Tikka T3 in a 7mm-08.What do you think? thanks for any suggestions or comments.Also looking for better groups at the range.

7mm08. It is a fabulously accurate and efficient cartridge. Has worked great on Wyoming antelope to Idaho elk, bear, and deer. Both of my daughters use them and every once in a while they let me use one.

If you already have a .270, why then a 7-08, as your pretty close to duplication and nothing to gain, if fact the .270 is the better round on paper, trajectory and anyway you cut it. They both kill about the same. Both are good rounds.

If I had a .270 I would then want a 250 Sav. on one side and a 338 on the other.

If you have a .270 Win you have more gun you than need for whitetail deer. Spend the money on a hunt instead of a new Tikka and bring home a trophy deer.

This is a question with a coin flip answer.

Personally, I have always liked the .270, but that's just because I spent too much time as a youth reading Jack O'Connor.

I owned a .270 years ago, and although it killed plenty of deer, was kinda of boring to me with a kick. Got a 7-08 a couple of years ago and its a great gun. As for the Tikka, I had one years ago in 22-250, which also killed several deer, and it was one of the best shooting guns.

If you reload, alot more choices in 7-08 than .270.....IMO

What Tex21 said. A 270 kills close and far. If you just want a new gun get something like a 35whelen,338-06 or 358 winchester. Also a varmit rig is cool. Just my 2 cents.

I'm not a .270 fan, but hard to argue that you already have a great deer round. Now I would go get an elk rifle, 338-06 or 35whelen that you can hunt deer with.

Thanks for all the input. I left the most important factor out which is that I'm left- handed and have always used right handed guns.
I just got a S&B scope and what to put it on a new left-handed gun.So really just need some help with which caliber, get another 270 or get something new with the 7-08 ??Gonna sale the righthanded Rem.270.Thanks for all the great suggestions!!!

IMHO, you should get another .270 Win! It has the edge over the 7mm08 in terms of flexibility and available factory ammo.
- mike

tomayto tomahto in performance

the 7-08 is the short action though...

This is just a variation of the 270/280 debate. I would not sell one to buy the other but if I was starting out from scratch, I'd go with the 7-08.

This is essentially the same question as "which is a better deer cartridge, the .308 or the .30/'06. When in truth, there ain't a dime's worth of difference between them for DEER SHOOTING.

There is precious little difference here either; certainly none any deer could detect.

Both are accurate, deadly, and use the sme bullet weights at very much the same velocities. The only practical difference is that the 7mm-08 can be built using a shorter, lighter action, so the total package can be built to weigh less.

If you are left-handed, get a nice single-shot like the Ruger No.1. Or, if you can afford one, get a Dakota #10!

man your spliting hairs here!!! get one of each their both Stellar,enough said fred,jjmp

270 on the ammo availablity alone. I have had both I still have the 270 in a bolt. If I wanted a lever I would chose the 7mm-08 because of the short action but over all 270.

We are small town Idaho and My cousin had to go out of town to find some7MM-08 last fall. So if you out hunting in the boonies and need 7MM-08 ammo good luck.

i suggest a new 270 in a lefty configuration. all the gun you will need for your life and that of your son or daughter.

How about a Ruger #1, 7mmX57mm, 22" barrel ;great hunting accuracy.Good for lefties and you only need one shoot anyway. Right? As good as the .270 in most cases and better than the 7mm-08 in every case. No short action arguements accepted on this one. roger

270.

I've never fully understood the marginal gain that supposedly comes from using a short action... most people I've observed don't cycle the action quickly enough (or in the correct manner) to notice any difference.

Short cycle stroke might increase cyclic rate in a machine gun, but in a hunting rifle? I doubt it makes any difference.

The beloved Win M70 is a long action, and I haven't heard any criticism of it based on length.

quote:

Originally posted by rugeruser:
270.

I've never fully understood the marginal gain that supposedly comes from using a short action... most people I've observed don't cycle the action quickly enough (or in the correct manner) to notice any difference.

Short cycle stroke might increase cyclic rate in a machine gun, but in a hunting rifle? I doubt it makes any difference.

The beloved Win M70 is a long action, and I haven't heard any criticism of it based on length.

You haven't been reading the right posts, my friend. I simply detest any action made for the H&H cartridges then have the magazine blocked for the 30-06 length cartridges. Most
of all, I don't get just shorteneing the 30-06 action 1/2 inch for the 308 length cartridges when a legitimate sized action could have just as easily been made?

Hawkeye has a 270 in a Remington 700. I'd dump the Remmy and get an older Ruger tang safety model and rebarrel it with a featherweight or lightweight contour in 7mm-08. Fit this in a Borden Rimrock stock and never look back!

I don't own, and don't like, the Winchester 70 because of this nonsense! I'm not a real fan of the Ruger 77, but at least it is the proper length! I just spent more than what a model 70 costs to turn a Ruger short action (tang safety) into one with a 3 postion safety with a real trigger and all steel bottom metal. In other words, I put my money where my mouth is!

Women lie. Size does matter!

I would say the .270. If you're hunting in wide open spaces in the south west (where shots could get far), then the .270.

But it really doesn't matter. Coin flip.

If you have a 270 and just have to change then try the 7mm08. The recoil is a little nicer. I prefer 7mm bullets personally. Sizing and loading is a breeze and case life is fantastic also. I prefer the 7mm08 and love mine and my son has the 270 now so I am very happy.
It is kind of like what ever feels good in your hand. Not much ballistic difference.

Forget the 7-08. Forget the number of choices in both calibers. Today there are so many dang choices in either, you'd spend 6 months at the range trying half of what is available in just one of them.

I spoke with the owner of Northfork bullets yesterday afternoon, asking why he no longer offers 270 bullets. It was due to a few circumstances but mainly cost of copper prep. (he also stated that if some things didn't change, he'd be dropping some other current offerings as well).

Regardless, let me tell you exactly what he said to me on the phone, and this is right when we finished discussing the 270:

"Let's face it, the 270 is the best sheep, deer, and antelope cartridge in the world..."

If you are selling off your 270, then I would understand wanting to try something new. I own 3 270s, have never owned a 7-08, and don't have the need for one or desire. If I wanted a short action with mild recoil and "lots of choices" I'm going with a 308.

Thanks for all thr great input.I sold the 700 today and will be buying a left-handed stainless Tikka in the 270.Wanted a Remington but they don't have to many choices at all in stainless leftys besides $1250-2000 dollar ones so I'm going with tikka 270.Thanks again for all the help and happy shooting.

A wise choice!
That didn't come easy,I aint a 270 fan.
The T3 is a standard length action, why strangle it by having a short action cartridge and a blocked magazine?

Oldun I watch your posts with interest. I am in the market for a 7mm08 or 270 for South island deer and was leaning towards 270. Why do you prefer 7-08?
cheers

I have used both cartridges pretty extensively and found it difficult to tell any difference between the 2 in the field,

The 270 shoots about half an inch flatter over 300 yards or so than the 7-08, depending on bullets used, but the 7-08 will handle heavier bullets than the 270W.

My choice, without doubt, would be the 7mm-08, simply because it will do everything that the 270 will do, but more effeciently and with less fuss. I also think that the 7mm-08 will handle the high BC 160 and 162 grain bullets very well and give you a slight edge over the 270 win, if you ever hunt something bigger than deer.

I also think that Tikka T3's are the best value for money avaliable today, atleast they are down here. They come with a Sako trigger, which is perhaps the best factory trigger avaliable.
Every one i've seen has shot below MOA straight from the box.

I cant think of a better combination than a Tikka T3 and the 7mm-08 cartridge for Deer sized game.

In the future, if you decide you need more performance from your 7mm-08, then you could do what I did to my Tikka, run a 284 Winchester reamer through it, then you will have a cartridge that will well and truely leave the 270 win for dead.

Neither one will ever have any advantage over the other. That said, there is nothing wrong with owning two good deer rifles.

Terry

quote:

Originally posted by Tumbo:
I also think that the 7mm-08 will handle the high BC 160 and 162 grain bullets very well and give you a slight edge over the 270 win, if you ever hunt something bigger than deer.

Naaa, you said yourself you couldn't see any difference in the field. A 'slight edge' is just that.....numbers may look good on paper, but the 2 are essentially equal. 10 more grains of bullet aren't that big of a deal do you think?

quote:

I cant think of a better combination than a Tikka T3 and the 7mm-08 cartridge for Deer sized game.

I CAN! A 270!

quote:

run a 284 Winchester reamer through it, then you will have a cartridge that will well and truely leave the 270 win for dead.

now that is just plain funny!

It is surprising but it seems to me that those touting the 7-08 actually believe that the Rhetoric is real and true. roger

Personally I like Dr Pepper, but either coke or pepsi are good soda's too.

quote:

Originally posted by Tumbo:

My choice, without doubt, would be the 7mm-08, simply because it will do everything that the 270 will do, but more effeciently and with less fuss.

I think it depends on the rifle.

Yes, the 7mm/08 uses less powder to accomplish nearly the same muzzle energy as the 270 so, all else being the same, the 7mm/08 will kick less, and the cases are shorter, meaning they are less bulky to carry. So if the 7mm/08 is built on a longish action with a longish magazine, then OK. But the 7mm/08 I've been working with recently is a Browning/Miroku with a magazine that restricts overall length to 2.80 inches, meaning that longer/heavier bullets have to be seated quite deeply. It's a handy, light rifle, with the 60 degree bolt and a short 20 inch barrel, so there are some things admirable about it. But 270s are built on long actions, meaning that you can usually seat the bullets farther out with them, so you can pack more powder in and reach a bit higher velocity safely with bullets of the same weight.

I don't know about the Tikka, what length its magazine is.

Also, if you don't handload or if you for some reason get separated from your ammo, you are more likely to find 270 ammo in out-of-the-way places than you are to find 7mm/08.

WEll, that's different! If you are getting rid of the 270, by all means get a 7-08, even better a 280 or7x64 ( I just don't like the 270).

quote:

run a 284 Winchester reamer through it, then you will have a cartridge that will well and truely leave the 270 win for dead.


now that is just plain funny!

With my 284 win, I can launch a 162 hornady SST (BC of .550)at a little over 3000fps

Lets see your 270 win come close to that ???

quote:

don't know about the Tikka, what length its magazine is.

My mag measures a little over 3 inches, which means that I can seat the long 7mm bullets so that the bullet base is level with the base of the neck.

162 at 3000+ out of a .284 is either a 28-30" barrel or else running 5 or 10k PSI out of spec.

If you overload a 270 the same way, you can push 150 grain SSTs (advertised BC of .525) to the same 3000 plus.

.025 points of BC, 12 grains, and the same SD. That's not just close, it's the same damn thing.

quote:

162 at 3000+ out of a .284 is either a 28-30" barrel or else running 5 or 10k PSI out of spec.

How do you figure that ?

No pressure signs what so ever and from a 24 inch barrel.

http://www.accuratereloading.com/284win.html

Velocity is a pressure sign. When you're hitting published speeds for a 7mm mag with a case 15 grains smaller - or 10 grains counting seating your bullets out - something doesn't add up.

I've been shooting a 7-08 since it was still a wildcat so there's no rhetoric involved. I know what the round will do. It will do anything that a .270 OR a 7x57 will do! I know that from real field experiences with all three. Is anyone of the three a clear cut winner? No and most of the reasons offered in favor of any one of them are really nit-picking solutions to non-existing problems. Thus my original post: I wouldn't sell any one of them to buy the other. But, starting out from scratch, I'd go with a 7-08. Mainly because I LIKE the 7-08. If you like the .270, go for it. You don't have to justify it. And if you're still blundering around in some sort of relected aura from Karamojo Bell, go for the 7x57. Perhaps some day a jumbo will break out of the zoo.

Tumbo: The standard capacity of the 270 case is 68 grains of water, the 284 is 66grains...a 3% edge to the 270. The difference in bullet diameter is 7 thousandths of an inch. The 2 cartridges are way too close to each other for one either of them to "leave the other for dead".

The 270, 280 and 284 are ballistic peas in a pod. You are likely to find as much variation between 270 "A" and 270 "B" as you are between the two cartridges. It's fine to defend your favorite cartridge, but let's be a little bit realistic.

Bartch nailed my rifle
My #1A 7X57shots 140 grain balistic tips into half an inch (3 shots at 100) and is consistanly around moa with lots of loads.
I have,nt had it long but I like it more and more. As for the origional question, I, can't see any reason to choose one cartridge over the other , I would simply pick the rifle I liked best.
But I realy sugjest you look at a #1 . Completly ambidextrious , and classy as hell...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by Tumbo:

With my 284 win, I can launch a 162 hornady SST (BC of .550)at a little over 3000fps

Lets see your 270 win come close to that ???

Why bother? I'd load up a 150 TSX or Aframe or Partition and use a minimal powder charge and my 270 would do anything your 708 will do with that 162 at 3000fps. i.e., kill the critter.

My point is, ya can't get "deader."

12 more grains of bullet traveling, say 100-200 fps faster is supposed to be somehow be leaving a 270 for dead? Yes, I find that very funny.