.270 vs .308 vs 30-06?
by admin on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 | 7 Comments
Hey all,
I am trying to buy my first hunting rifle. I am 15, about 5’10″ 170lbs. I have shot alot of guns such as AR-15s and AK-47s. My price range is about $500. I will be hunting in Alabama, Georga, Florida, and South Texas. I will many be hunting deer and and some boar. Thank you for your help.
I would go with the .308 for a few reasons
1. cheap practice ammo, companies sell cheap clones of the 147 gr m80 ball
2. wide bullet selection
3. mild recoil relative to large rifles
by far 270. ive never tracked one deer I shot with my Sako 270. It has the greatest trajectory of all 3 listed 2. believe me you cant go wrong with one.
3 of the most popular deer rifle out there. Which is the best for this purpose can be argued forever without coming to a conclusion. It’s really a matter of personal preference here if it’s just for deer and hogs.
Overall the ’06 is the most versatile, which should be a consideration if you plan on hunting anything bigger in the future such as elk, although the other two will work for them they’re pushing the lower limit.
The .308 has the advantage of being short action, shaving a little weight off of the rifle. This will be helpful if you plan on carrying it around a lot.
The .270 will shoot a touch flatter than the other two, which can be helpful on some of the longer shots.
Overall it’s a matter of personal preference. 3 great deer cartridges, with a huge selection of rifles in all three, and finding ammo should never be much of an issue for any of them. You really can’t go wrong on any of them.
On your budget what I would do is look at used rifles, and see what’s available in your price range that you like, keep an eye out for any of these calibers and you probably won’t be looking long to find the one you want
Any of the three cartridges will do well for deer,boar,even bear and elk. 30-06 is going to give you the most flexibility for loads,and is going to outperform the 308 and put more mass on target than the 270. I bought my first 30-06 when i was 14,and not your size,and my 12 year has shot my current 30-06 with full hunting load (165 grain) but that was a little overwhelming for all 5′ and 100 pounds of him-he had the biggest smile after he touched it off though,and it was “Dad,that was SOooo cool !”.So, you shouldn’t have to worry about the approx 20 lbs of recoil if you have good shooting form.
As for rifles,Weatherby is a good reliable brand that is selling their Synthetic Vanguards for $399,it is a real gem-it’s the same as the Howa 1500 too,very accurate,maybe the best value for the money.
The Savage 110 (I think) series is also a good rifle,very accurate,and if you can find them at the local WalMart for $380 or elsewhere for near that cost. Many people like the Accu-Trigger on the Savage,and between it and the Vanguard it would come down to personal preference.
Personally, I like the Tikka T3 because it has about the smoothest bolt cycling available,detachable magazine, and is built by Sako Finland, a world class rifle maker, with a quality barrel on it
You might find Remington 700s near $500,Cabela’s was selling some for $460 in early Dec. or some places might be setting out clearance rifles from last years soon.
I own Brownings,and have used CZs a few times,so that is what I compare to,and for $500 or less,the ones mentioned are pretty good-the T/C Venture is also around $500,but I prefer the Tikka, a bit more refined.
All three are excellent choices, have fairly similar ballistics, and have approximately the same ammo availibility/price.
Go with the best deal you can get on the gun. You can’t go wrong with any of the three.
.308: easily available and powerful.
.270 flat shooting and deadly on all mediun game. it actually uses the 30-06 case and is necked down to .270.
30-06: fires a .308 cal bullet at higher velocities. this can be used on some large game. this round has some ass behind it.
if you want to shoot farther without accounting for drop then go with .270. if u want cheap ammo get the .308. if u want to shoot far (~250yd with 180gn going 2700fps) without accounting for drop and kick ass while doin it,get the 30-06.
fyi i like a 30-06 but all of those should do you well. a boar wont know the difference between the 3 and neither with a deer.
* The 30-06 is your Best Choice.* You have a Greater variety of bullet weights to choose from with the 30-06.* It is the Most Used, and Popular Big Game Rifle all around the World since 1906.* Use the 180 or 220 grain bullets.*