Am in the market for a flat shooting, long range deer rifle. Have been looking hard at the 270 Winchester with the classic 130 grain Winchester Power Point load, but a lot of folks swear by the 25-06 and 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. I will be hunting from ridgelines with shots across clear cuts out to as far as I can reliably hit a pie plate with either rifle. In other words the limiting factor will be me.

Ballistics charts suggest that anything the 25-06 can do with a 117 grain or 120 grain bullet the 270 can do with a 130 grainer, not to mention the 270's ability to handle 140 grain and 150 grain bullets. But that 25-06 sure does seem to smoke with 100 grainers...

What are the "subtle" differences that make you prefer one cartridge over another? What makes you LOVE one cartridge over the other? Or is it just a toss-up. I realize either one will flatten a deer like there is no tomorrow.

I do reload.

Thanks, Dogger

A lot depends on what your battery is now and your interest in varmint hunting.

I would buy the .270 from what I have now or more precisely a 7mm WSM for that application.

Just get what you want as they both will work. The larger calibers carry much more energy and the barrels last longer. More recoil is the only negative with richocets a factor for some varmint hunting.

From my battery I would use the #1S in .300 Win Mag with a 150 gr Sierra BT for that hunt. So you can see there is a lot of overlap in cartridges.

If you run the numbers you will find that my .300 mag will shoot as flat as a .25/06.

Between your two choices, I'd take the 270. Just more versatile, as well as classic.

Either is an excellent choice for deer. I have used both with good results.....but I am a dyed-in-the-wool .270 fan. I guess that's what happens when one grows up reading Jack O'Connor's writings! Either one of them will do more than most are capable of getting from them so make your choice and get after those pie plates!
Good Hunting,

I feel that the extra 10-30 gr in bullet weight tip the scales in favor of the 270 unlessw thge deer are small does and bucks. The 270 is more versatile on the large game end while the 25 bore has some more merit as a coyote load. I would go with the 270 but that is only due to my personal success with the unit over some very different conditions, ie up close on deer drives and on long deliberate shots. Get a rifle you like and that shoots, and the caliber will work no matter what.

BR

I like the .25-06. Flat-shooting and less recoil. The 100 grain bullets are the best. I have a 1970 Sako Finnbear deluxe that belonged to my stepdad. It was my first Sako rifle and got me hooked on the funny rifles from Finland. It will flat out-shoot my brother-in-law's Rem. 700 .270. If distance is going to be a factor, I'd recommend the .25-06. My old man killed a couple of elk with the thing, though I would want something a bit heavier. -SG

I love my 25.06, but given the choices you mention, and no additional information, I'd buy the .270.

I had a chance to hunt trophy elk with my 25.06 and instead used my .308. (If I owned a .270 I would have used it on elk.)

I shot a .308 Win. mostly in my early years, bought a 25.06 Rem. about twenty years ago, then just bought a 300 WSM last year. I plan to retire the .308. The other two rifles will span the range of hunting I enjoy.

Dogger: I purchased acouple 25-06 when they first came out on the market and I shortly sold or almost gave both rifles away and have not had any interest in another 25-06. I've have taken alot of deer and antelope with a 270. My wife will be hunting deer/elk with her 270 this year and we hunt some pretty open country. We get shots up to about 500 yds and use the 150 gr bullet and the rifle is sighted in for 300 yd dead on. I tried the 140 gr and it was ok but really had good luck with Speers Grand Slam 150 gr. Our season are combined so I try and find a good load that will work on both animals. For antelope I use a 130 gr bullet. Well good luck

I used a 270 and a 25-06 for whitetails and antelope for a few years. I liked them both. I prefer the 25-06 hands down. I can't really say exactly why. It seemed all I needed was an address to connect my shots on game.
I agree the 270 is more versitile but that don't mean much to me. I have alot of guns that I don't really need. The 25-06 is pretty darn versitile as well IMO.
Light recoil
Flat shooting
Fast
Accurate
Deadly on medium sized game.
I guess that is why I like the 25-06 so much.

Daryl

My answer to your question would be like Don martins. I like my .300 Win. Mag. as a long range deer rifle. However I had to have a muzzle brake installed to contend with recoil. Out of the two you suggest I would go with the 25-06 as I always wanted one. For some reason I never wanted a .270. I do like the .270 Weatherby mag. though.

I have both also,25-06 120 grain bullet verse the 270 130 grain bullet, there is not much difference.
Recoil is less with the 25-06, depends if you want to maybe shoot lighter bullets or heavier bullets.
Thats why I have both, best of both worlds.
In your situation I would go for the 25-06,just my 2 cents worth.

Previous posters have pretty much summed things up here, but you could always split the difference and go with a 6.5-06, which, in my opinion, is slightly better than its 2 closest siblings. But for deer, you will never be able to tell the difference between these in the field; they'll all put venison in the freezer at ranges farther than most of us should be shooting anyway.

Whichever of the 2 you decide upon, it will serve you well.

For strictly a Deer rifle I feel the bullet selection of the 270 is more suitable especially for large muleys and perhaps even something a little tougher, if you wanted to mix it up with some varminting the 25-06 gets the nod. Don is right, depends on your battery.

I'm a big fan of the .25-06 ballistics. I've owned and used the .240 Weatherby for years. Now I shoot a .25-284.
Beware of the Nosler Ballistic Tip. Gun Tests magazine had them loose their cores shooting through a slab of bacon at 250 yds. from a .308. The Nosler Partition is a whole different animal. I've used alot of them. They turn the .243/.25-06 class guns into giant killers.
The trajectory difference between the .270/130 load @ 3000-3100 fps., and the .25-06's 100 @ 3200-3300 fps. is a whole 20-25 yds. longer point blank range.
The real difference is in the rifles. Most .25-06's come with heavier 24 inch barrels. This is what my friends really like about this round. A steady holding rifle with mild recoil. They both kill well on deer class stuff. No real difference there. E

It doesn't really matter both are fine rounds. If I had to pick it would be the 270. You can load some good varmint loads with the 100 - 110 grain bullets and get better barrel life in the 270. My favorite deer load in the 270 uses the 150 grain Hornady spire point and it has never failed and it works on elk too.

You could go for a compromise and get a 6.5x55 which will not be disgraced by the 25-06 with the 100s and will handle bullets 10gr heavier than the 270, ie have your cake and eat it.

"I do reload" you say. In that case, you can make either cartridge do well.

In factory loads, the .25-06, for reasons completely opaque to me, is loaded to less of its potential than the .270. This is the complete reverse of what you would expect, since the .270 is by far the older of the two and factories generally "download" cartridges as they age, on the theory that more older, weaker guns are floating around out there for them. Also, I'm unaware of a .25-06 chambered in anything other than a bolt action or SS, while the .270 is found in autos, pumps, and even levers. Go figure.

At any rate, the .270 is more versatile if you are thinking deer and larger, while the .25-06 might be said to be more versatile if you are thinking deer and smaller. You pay your money and you take your choice.

More important than caliber, in my opinion, would be your choice of rifle. Either caliber is best served by a 24" barrel. Many manufacturers build the same rifle in .25-06 with a 24 incher while they stick a 22" inch tube on the .270. Again, go figure?

Go for the .270

I prefer the 25-06. I've killed lots of whitetails and plainsgame in Africa. All with one shot and 100gr BT.

Split the difference and go with a 6.5-06.

.270 always and forever

I load my 25/06 with 100 grain Barnes X and don't hesitate taking on the biggest white tail or mulie with it. An outfitter in Wyoming referred to that load as "heat seeking missles" when he saw what it did to distant deer. But I load 3 rifles and 2 "hand cannons" in 7mm alone (as well as a neighbor's Encore in 270) so versatility isn't an issue. It it were, the 270 would get the nod. Then use it for deer loaded with the hotest premium-bullet 120 to 130 load it likes best.

If it is ONLY a deer rifle you are looking for, you're going to get as many
pro's as con's about either caliber. Possibility of going elk hunting? Then
possibly the .270 is the best choice, even though many an elk have fallen
to the 25-06. Possibility of going p-dog shooting? 75gr HP's or 75gr Vmax's
are a blast out of the 25-06, but a few dozen 100gr blasts out of either
rifle are gonna make your shoulder blue the next day.

Somehow I get the impression that you will not be handloading - but either caliber has a fine selection of factory loads. I've done most of my hunting with a 25-284 which is basically a 25-06. From antelope to caribou the cartridge was outstanding. Deer and antelope died on the average much quicker with the 100 gr than the 155-120 gr - but the blood damaged meat on the impact side of a 100 gr at 3400 fps was shocking at times. From shoulder to hind quarter turned everything to jelly - especially under 150 yds.

I also own a 270 which I just purchased and have restored (custom 98 mauser made in 1948). Saw many animals shot with a 270 in Montana and for all practical puposes couldn't tell a difference - except the 270 does give you that additional bullet weight option if needed (but its not if deer is the biggest thing you will ever shoot) - I'm working on handloading a 160 gr Noslers now. By the way the 270 130 gr factory load has been downloaded from earlier years - use to be loaded to 3160 fps now I think most factory loads are 3070 fps or so - The neat things about guns is you can always trade or buy another. A cartridge sort of has a special look and performance numbers about it that sometimes just strikes a "i got to have it response" In this case both the 270 and 25-06 are based on the same 06 case - sort of like choosing between a Tahoe and a Yukon - lets us know what you choose.

If most of your game is small deer on down, go with the 25-06. If your after big deer and up, go with the 270. JMHO - Dan

Thanks for the many inputs. Alas, I am none the wiser. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. Two years ago I hunted the mountain with my 30-30 Marlin lever action with Williams Fool-Proof peep -- it was perfect as I found the deer at 30 yards in heavy cover. Last year my only shots were at 300 yards across a flat clear-cut; I was carrying a Ruger M77 in 7x57 Mauser stoked with factory Hornady Light Magnum 139 grain SSTs -- did not take the shot as it was too risky -- deer presentation was not good. I realize the 7x57 Mauser is more than adequate for deer out to the limits of my ability with a 139 grain bullet stepping out at 2800 fps.

This year I envision walking the tops of ridgelines and peering down the sides of the slopes into the clear cuts, hunting areas where most hunters are too lazy to go -- I have little to no time to scout -- so will be relying on luck and good binos. Reality tells me the 7x57 will be adequate for this, but I was thinking of hunting with a rifle with a more laser-like trajectory to reduce the variables of a miss. My 7x57 weighs 8.25 pounds scoped. I was thinking a lighter rifle in the 7-7.5 pound range would be a trifle more enjoyable humping ridgelines. But laser-like trajectory and low recoil matter more to me than weight.

I would have thought that you have the perfect all round rifle.

1894! Funny you should mention that,as I bought the 7x57 Mauser for that reason -- it is the perfect compromise. And with regard to your first post -- I still have my 6.5x55 reloading dies... I am hoping to find a used modern bolt action chambered in 6.5x55 at a reasonable price!! I sold my M38 Swede because I couldn't bring myself to customize it, but didn't want to hunt without modern optics. I am going to wind up right back where I started, with a 3 rifle battery consisting of 30-30, 6.5x55, and 7x57!!

Dogger

I guess for me it boils down to the old line of

"It aint the arrow, its the indian"

I personally dont believe that there is a truly noticable difference affecting the terminal damage on a deer between the two bullets. I would spend much more time on deciding which brand of rifle and the type of action than the choice of caliber between a .270 and a 25-06.

Buy what you can best shoot and put the bullet where you want it to go.

Jim B.

Since you reload, go with the an Improved chambering of the 25-06. I load for both the .270 and the 25-06 Improved and have been having a lot of fun with the 25-06 Improved. You want flat with plenty of puch? How does 3,590 fps with 100 grain Parititions sound? Or how about 3,345 fps with a 115 grain parition - these are my sweet spots in the 25-06 Improved. These loads are on the "hot" side, as my primer pockets have been loosening up after 4 to 5 firings, but I don't shoot enough rounds to worry about replacing brass.

Either cartridge makes a great deer rifle but you will have a lot more fun with the .25! Go with an "Improved" cartridge and you will have a lot more fun too.

Look into the .25 Howell. The ballistics will scare you.

I recommend the .25-06. I have one in a Remington M700 Sendero that is just fantastic. It shoots sub MOA and pushes a handloaded 100 gr. Ballistic Tip fast enough to stop any deer, antelope or similar sized game in it's tracks. It is also excellent for varmints as well. I have made shots on very small targets out to 300 yards with laser like effectiveness. And to boot the recoil is very modest.

Gentlemen, I am a dyed in the wool .270 and
.25-06 fan. (I own both) However I have to say that I find the .270 does less damage to meat. This may be due to the lower velocity ?
I homeload and shoot 140 gn Nosler balistic tips with the .270 in a Mauser 66 and 100 gn speer spitzers in the 25 which is a remmy 700 bdl both rifles shoot half inch groups with consistancy.
Regards from England, A M.

Sigh, and the answer is I need neither. My 7x57, loaded with a 140 grain NP at 2750 fps, is +1 at 50 yards, +2.3 at 100 yards, +2.2 at 150 yards, +.8 at 200 yards, and -2.3 at 250 yards. OK, it is -7.0 at 300 yards but even that drop is manageable with a high hold. And I would be more worried about wind drift and the critter moving as I squeeze the trigger than errors in elevation. And my Ruger is fairly manageable at 8 lbs or so.

The only thing that would give me any real weight savings, and easy on the shoulder too, would be a Remington Model 7 in .260 Remington or something similar.

See, just like that, and I talked myself out of one rifle/caliber purchase and into another.

Time to start a new thread...