# 300 vs 270 vs others



## tmaggie50 (Aug 6, 2014)

I am in the market for a new rifle. I had been hunting with an old 6mm we have had for years and years. Never had any issues with killing whitetails with it. Loved the gun, but my truck was broken into and it was stolen before I left town the other weekend.

The guns I have hunted with are 6mm and rarely a 30-06. I hunt whitetail and generally my longest shot will be about 250 yards or closer. 

Im interested in the 270, but my dad keeps pushing me towards the 300 mag as he says it shoots further with less drop in the bullet and more power. Can you guys provide your opinion? I hunt on foot if that makes any difference.


----------



## Fordzilla06 (Oct 14, 2010)

.270 is plenty of rifle for a whitetail. If you'd like to shoot long distances, buy the .300


----------



## T-Roy (Oct 4, 2004)

270 everyday and twice on Sunday. Just my vote.


----------



## MoonShadow (Jun 3, 2007)

I have a BNIB 30-06, Remington 700BDL,wood for $700 if you are interested.


----------



## bluefin (Aug 16, 2005)

The 300 mag is more versatile but tend to be heavier.
Walking and making 250 yd shots? I'd go w/ the lightest weight rifle that shoots straight as I could find.
No offense but I'd stay away from wood. Synthetic is much lighter and easier w/ the elements. That said I love my wood rifles.


----------



## jetbuilt (May 4, 2010)

If you can't take down white tail deer in the continental US with a .270, you need more help than a .300 can offer in my humble opinion.


----------



## pg542 (Oct 9, 2006)

T-Roy said:


> 270 everyday and twice on Sunday. Just my vote.


 Same here.....but a short action rifle might be just a little bit lighter since you mentioned you hunt on foot. Don't look past a 7mm-08, .260 Rem or .308win. All 3 are excellent WT rounds and are available in smaller or compact rifles.......... My go to rifle is a .270 but a 7mm-08 is on the short list.


----------



## tmaggie50 (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. 

As for the 30-06, I was leaning towards the .270 before I made this post and I think thats still the direction I'm headed in. 

Do y'all have maker recommendations? Remington, etc? What can be the difference between Remington and Savage and some others?


----------



## DCAVA (Aug 5, 2013)

.270.....


----------



## jetbuilt (May 4, 2010)

tmaggie50 said:


> Do y'all have maker recommendations? Remington, etc? What can be the difference between Remington and Savage and some others?


It's all personal preference in my opinion, most big name rifles perform well right out of the box. I've seen guys shoot extremely well with savage axis rifles, and I've seen guys shoot like **** with $2500 rigs. Buy what you like, buy what fits your budget, and familiarize yourself with the rifle and the ballistic profile of your load.


----------



## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

I agree with jet, lots of "reasons" to buy one rifle over the other but killing a deer at 250 yds shouldn't be one of them because almost any rifle that you buy can accomplish that. That being said, I would recommend staying away from the lower end "packages" like the Rem 770 with scope and a couple others. Just the lowest end of the quality scale IMO. 

I have a stainless Howa 1500 in .270 with a laminated stock that I recently acquired. I didn't have any high expectations for it so I stuck a very cheap Tasco scope on it thinking it would be a good truck gun, sighted it in and that thing shoots sub MOA easily, maybe sub 1/2 MOA with some handload 130 grain bullets that I had (I just happen to have about 3 boxes so I am set with that rifle for a LONG time). The best "cheap" rifle that anyone could expect to find. It will be my back up rifle from now on.

So bottomline is that you don't have to shoot a $2000 rig to kill a deer at 250 yds.

BTW, unless you just love to be punished, don't get the 300 mag. Look at the ballistics charts and compare the two, not enough difference to even talk about at 250 yds, even out to 500 yds. If you do get the 300, be sure to get it ported and buy a good set of ear muffs. 

Just my .02.


----------



## ST.SIMONS (Jan 27, 2010)

tmaggie50 said:


> Thanks for the replies.
> 
> As for the 30-06, I was leaning towards the .270 before I made this post and I think thats still the direction I'm headed in.
> 
> Do y'all have maker recommendations? Remington, etc? What can be the difference between Remington and Savage and some others?


You can seriously not go wrong with a Remington 700.


----------



## bobbyoshay (Nov 29, 2008)

Browning A-bolt thumbhole .270 with Boss. Thumbhole is HUGE when it comes to stability for walking IMO.

Have taken many animals and a tack driver. I liked that rifle so much i decided to purchase the same in .300 win mag. It is a safe queen for the most part unless i know i have a long shot.


----------



## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

pg542 said:


> Same here.....but a short action rifle might be just a little bit lighter since you mentioned you hunt on foot. Don't look past a 7mm-08, .260 Rem or .308win. All 3 are excellent WT rounds and are available in smaller or compact rifles.......... My go to rifle is a .270 but a 7mm-08 is on the short list.


PG'S got it right. Lot to be said for short action. Lighter, less chance of a short shuck, and 3 great calibers right there. 7-08 and 308 aren't sexy THEY JUST WORK.


----------



## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

Look at the ballistics for the 25-06. One of the flattest shooting rounds out there and devastating on Whitetails.


----------



## ST.SIMONS (Jan 27, 2010)

THE JAMMER said:


> PG'S got it right. Lot to be said for short action. Lighter, less chance of a short shuck, and 3 great calibers right there. 7-08 and 308 aren't sexy THEY JUST WORK.


Me three on the short action. 7-08 is a sweet shooting round. Try the Barnes triple shock. Also the 7-08 will have less recoil just a thought.


----------



## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

ST.SIMONS said:


> Me three on the short action. 7-08 is a sweet shooting round. Try the Barnes triple shock. Also the 7-08 will have less recoil just a thought.


The exact bullet I shoot in my Model 7 7-08. Excellent bullet.


----------



## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Well being me I gotta be different. In my 7mm-08 I shoot a 120 gr Barnes for lil more velocity and practically no recoil. Works well on WT. Also shoot pretty good.Someone shot a flier.


----------



## ST.SIMONS (Jan 27, 2010)

http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/centerfire/model-700/model-700-sps.aspx

This gun can be found just about anywhere for $550 to $600. Pair it with a $150 Nikon Pro staff 3x9x40 and it will do everything you want it to do.Comes in every popular caliber and its a proven and field tested setup. All this for well under $1000. My two cents says the 7mm08. But you cant go wrong with either.


----------



## ST.SIMONS (Jan 27, 2010)

THE JAMMER said:


> The exact bullet I shoot in my Model 7 7-08. Excellent bullet.


I love the model 7. Always wanted one and now its just a matter of time.


----------



## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Mine is a "youth model" 700 in 7mm-08. Just put the extension on the stock (comes with gun) Floated the barrel and glassed the action and added a 4X12 Leupold. Oh yeah adjused the remington trigger. All I will ever need. Do have a Model 7 223 which I hunted with for about 5 years.


----------



## B-Money (May 2, 2005)

300 is loud. It will beat the **** out of you and your scope. Bullets are expensive.

If you enjoy shooting a few rounds at the bench, you will soon learn to hate it.

The plus is that you can load up some hot 165 gr ballistic tips and vaporize coyotes at 600 yards.


----------



## t-tung (Nov 13, 2005)

Look at the Tikka T3 Lite. Cycle the bolt and then cycle the bolt on all the other rifles. It's silky smooth. 270's are great but the 7-08 is a heck of a round with less recoil. And you can shoot heavier bullets through it if you need to.


----------



## artys_only (Mar 29, 2005)

*270 ?*

That will do anything you need to do in Texas, most of the light weight 270 I have shot kick like a mule with factory ammo , I think as far as recoil I would go with a 7mm-08 (a necked down 308 ) . If you hand load you have a lot more choices . Every caliber has it's place the big 30 cal's do also when you are shooting out past 700+ yards but that is if you ever plan on shooting that far , and practice is a must for shoot out at that distance . My dad was a little guy and always said walk softly and carry a big stick ! I guess that's why I have a 300 ultra mag , people ask why I say because I can


----------



## Jungle_Jim (Nov 16, 2007)

I agree with the short action guys here. For deer under 300 yards a rem 700 or similar with 7mm-08 or .260 or .308 is pure poison in a lighter shorter rifle.


----------



## Farpiece (Apr 27, 2013)

*Best caliber*

I've been shooting a 7mm mag, I inherited from my son. In Texas I use Remington Reduced Recoil. I've got a .260 that I bought last year, thats a tack driver, but its a range gun as it ways 11lbs. Last year I tried a 243 with very, very good results. As mentioned look for a low recoil and readily available and reasonable priced ammo.


----------



## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

You won't go wrong with the venerable .270 Winchester. There's a good reason that it's been around and has been so popular for almost 90 years...it just works and you can buy ammo for it just about anywhere that sells ammo.

Hard to beat it with a 130 grain bullet for white tail.

Here's a little read for you.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/magical_270.htm

TH


----------



## Bottomsup (Jul 12, 2006)

There is a Savage Axis 7mm-08 with 3x9x40 Vortex scope for 350.00 in the classified section.


----------



## ST.SIMONS (Jan 27, 2010)

Bottomsup said:


> There is a Savage Axis 7mm-08 with 3x9x40 Vortex scope for 350.00 in the classified section.


Good find!! I have one in .243 and the dern thing blew me away. Freakin gun is a tack driver. The cons are it feels like a lego toy theres plastic everywhere.


----------



## thejimmster (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm a big fan of the 6.5mm. Look into this cartridge as an option.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/6-5mm_rifle_cartridges.htm

Most common are the 6.5x55 (Swede) and 6.5 Creedmor.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

for TX game in particular

270 then 25-06 or 7mm-08 

in that order because of the availability of off the shelf ammo

270 was a popular elk round back in the day, don't underestimate it.

it will drop a deer cleanly farther than most can shoot.


----------



## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

Properly loaded 270 is good for anything on this continent, although I would prefer not to have a dispute with ole griz or his bigger cousin. But a whack with a 270 in the right place beats a hit in not such a good place with a 300 or moreso. on anything. On picking the make and model, find the one that feels right--Ruger, Remington, Winchester, Savage-----. All are good, some may need some tweaking. That's why its fun! All that being said, I would be hard put to find a significantly better Texas deer cartridge than the 6mm you mentioned. 25-06 is also sudden death.


----------



## Superman70 (Aug 13, 2014)

270 308 30 06 280 7 mag. 300 its worse than baskin robbins. Pick anything from .24 to .308 and go with it.


----------

