.270 vs .308 | Outside Life

At first-glance, it doesn’t make a ton of sense evaluating the .270 vs .308. They’re, in spite of everything, completely different calibers with completely different father or mother instances. Nevertheless they’re each traditional big-game cartridges, many fashionable rifles nonetheless come chambered in every, and each are identified for his or her manageable recoil. Plus, hunters and shooters love evaluating cartridges whether or not it is smart or not, so, right here we go. 

This cartridge debate of the .270 Winchester vs .308 Winchester is to not decide a victor. That’d be like selecting which grandpa is your favourite. Quite, we’ll give attention to the details and deal with the cartridges’ strengths and weaknesses. Put very merely, the .270 shoots lighter bullets, delivers flatter trajectories, and brings extra vitality down vary. The .308 is able to capturing a greater variety of bullet weights (together with bullets heavier than the .270 affords).

.270 Winchester Specs

• Bullet Diameter: .277 inches
• Case Size: 2.540 inches 
• General Size: 3.340 inches
• Mum or dad Case:  .30/06 Springfield

.308 Winchester Specs

• Bullet Diameter: .308 inches
• Case Size: 2.015 inches 
• General Size: 2.8 inches
• Mum or dad Case: .300 Savage

Relying in your looking model and capturing pursuits, considered one of these cartridges would possibly make extra sense than the opposite. Nevertheless, relaxation assured, each of those cartridges within the palms of a talented shooter are able to taking down nearly the entire big-game in North America and past.

Historical past

.270 Winchester 

Following the success of the .30/06 Springfield within the early 1900’s, riflemen continued tinkering with the .30/06 case, necking it up or down, and quite a lot of wildcat cartridges emerged. Winchester engineers started tinkering too, necking down the .30/06 case to accommodate a .277 caliber projectile, and the .270 Winchester cartridge was born. Winchester formally launched the .270 Win. in 1925 with an marketed muzzle velocity simply north of three,100 fps capturing a 130-grain bullet.

The .270 Winchester was not instantly a beloved cartridge like a number of the different cartridges developed in the course of the early 1900s but it surely slowly and absolutely gained favor within the eyes of sportsmen and ladies over the course of the following a number of a long time. A lot of its success is owed to the legendary hunter and late Outside Life Capturing Editor, Jack O’Connor. He used the .270 Win. as his cartridge of selection on looking excursions all around the globe, sharing his tales with OL readers. 

After years of looking with and advocating for the .270, O’Connor wrote this in a 1954 OL column (observe, this was printed properly after the .308 was launched) : “On the time it was launched in 1925, the .270 was the flattest-shooting normal big-game cartridge on the planet. With the 130-gr. bullet, which has killed very lifeless all types of enormous and ponderous animals, it nonetheless is. With the 100-gr. bullet within the manufacturing facility loading, which is designed for varmints·, the .270 has a trajectory nearly as flat as that of the .220 Swift. Due to this flat trajectory, excessive velocity, good accuracy, and delicate recoil, the .270 is the best normal cartridge to make well-placed hits on sport with, at lengthy and unsure ranges, that I’ve ever used.” 

Quick ahead about 100 years since its inception and the .270 Win. continues to hold on its legacy as a revered big-game looking cartridge.

.308 Winchester

The 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge was developed within the Fifties and adopted into army service shortly after. It made a splash, producing almost related ballistics to the .30/06 Springfield, however in a short-action configuration. In 1952, Winchester launched the .308 Winchester cartridge, which is the dual brother of the 7.62×51 NATO with two minor variations. The .308 Win. ammunition is loaded to the next stress than the 7.62×51 NATO ammo and the wall thickness of .308 Win. brass is barely thinner to accommodate the rise in stress. Rifles chambered in .308 Win can safely shoot 7.62×51 ammunition. Nevertheless, rifles chambered in 7.62×51 shouldn’t be fired .308 Win. ammunition. The .308’s father or mother case is the .300 Savage (not the .30/06 as some of us consider). 

With loads of efficiency packed right into a short-action format, the .308 Win. was shortly adopted by hunters and shooters throughout the nation as a particularly versatile, correct, and succesful cartridge. The advantage of it being a short-action providing, reasonably than the usual/lengthy motion {that a} .270 requires, is that .308 rifles might be lighter and handier.

Since its launch, the .308 Win. has change into some of the standard cartridges in the marketplace with almost each firearms producer nonetheless producing flagship rifles chambered in .308.

Ballistics

Evaluating the ballistics between the .270 Win. and .308 Win. is a bit difficult given the distinction in bullet diameters (.277 vs .308). Nevertheless, this cartridge comparability serves as a superb instance of bullet pace vs. bullet weight. 

150-Grain Nosler Partition

For the primary comparability, I pulled ballistics from two equally weighted projectiles. Remember that a 150-grain projectile is pushing the highest finish of bullet weight for the .270 Win., whereas a 150-grain bullet is the center of the pack for .308 Win. 

.270 Winchester

• Muzzle Velocity: 2,830 fps
• Power @300 yds: 1,709 ft-lb 
• Drop @300 yds: 12.8 inches

.308 Winchester

• Muzzle Velocity: 2,840 fps
• Power @300 yds: 1,565 ft-lb
• Drop @300 yds: 13.4 inches

As you possibly can see the masses are almost similar popping out of the muzzle. Nevertheless as distance will increase the .270 begins to tug away with its sleeker bullet retaining extra velocity. 

Heavier Bullets vs Lighter bullets

Now let’s take a look at one other instance with a drastic variation in bullet weight. Hornady’s ELD-X bullet, loaded of their Precision Hunter line is obtainable in 178 grains in .308 and 145 grains in .270.

.270 Win., 145 grains

• Muzzle Velocity: 2,970 fps
• Power @300 yds: 1,955 ft-lb
• Drop @300 yds: 6.5 inches

.308 Win, 178 grains

• Muzzle Velocity: 2,600 fps
• Power @300 yds: 1,792 ft-lb
• Drop @300 yds:  8.8 inches

It’d shock some .308 followers to see that the lighter .270 bullet carries extra vitality down vary due to its greater velocity than the heavier .308 bullet (even out to 500 yards). 

Fact be informed, ballistically, the 2 cartridges are fairly evenly matched. Would you reasonably have the choice to shoot quite a lot of bigger bullets (select the .308) or do you like a quicker, flatter trajectory with a slight enhance in down-range vitality at typical looking distances (select the .270). 

READ NEXT: .270 Winchester vs 6.5 Creedmoor

Recoil

Each of those cartridges had been designed to scale back felt recoil in comparison with the .30/06 Springfield. There are lots of variables that go into figuring out the felt recoil of a cartridge together with the bullet weight, powder cost, weight of your rifle, and the usage of a suppressor or muzzle brake. Nevertheless, all issues being equal, the kick of the 2 cartridges is comparable with common felt recoil hovering round 20 foot-pounds in a 7-pound rifle. For comparability, the common felt recoil from a 6.5 Creedmoor is round 12 foot-pounds, whereas the recoil from a .300 Win. Magazine. is up about 27 to 29 foot-pounds. 

Neither the .270 Win. or the .308 Win. will knock you off your toes, however there are lighter-recoiling big-game cartridges on the market.

Accuracy

Each the .270 Win. and .308 Win., within the palms of a succesful shooter, can and can produce noteworthy accuracy outcomes. It typically takes some experimenting and trial and error with completely different masses, however given the correct load and rifle mixture, it isn’t unusual for each of those cartridges to supply sub-MOA teams. Due to fashionable manufacturing processes, manufacturing facility rifles and ammunition for these two cartridges are being constructed to extraordinarily tight tolerances leading to spectacular, out-of-the field accuracy for hunters.

Terminal Efficiency

With related ballistic efficiency, no animal will be capable to inform the distinction between the influence from a .270 Win. vs. .308 Win. 

Some would possibly scoff on the .270 Win., brushing it apart as a great deer and pronghorn rifle, however not able to taking greater sport like elk or moose. They’re solely half fallacious. Sure, it’s a improbable cartridge for mid-sized sport. Nevertheless, given correct bullet choice and shot placement, the .270 Win. is greater than able to taking down the most important ungulates with authority, together with the enormous yukon moose of the North. Simply ask Mr. O’Connor, or OL’s Tyler Freel who not too long ago included it in his roundup of the greatest moose cartridges. 

A number of years in the past, the .270 Win. was my cartridge of selection on a safari in Southern Africa. Capturing 130-grain Nosler E-Tip bullets, I efficiently hunted southern-greater kudu, zebra, and black wildebeest. All three animals shortly succumbed to the bullet and cartridge mixture with the kudu (an elk-sized animal) dropping in his tracks.

The .308 Win. has confirmed itself over many a long time within the subject as a really competent and lethal cartridge on every thing from dainty pronghorn on as much as huge rut-crazed bull elk and moose. Irrespective of your cartridge of selection, your bullet choice is of the utmost significance, particularly when looking elk-sized sport and larger. Typically talking, heavier bonded bullets are a sensible selection for the larger sport. 

READ NEXT: 6.5 Creedmoor vs .308 Winchester

Ammunition Availability and Choice

Even by way of the ammunition scarcity over the previous a number of years, shooters may usually discover each .308 Win. and .270 Win. ammunition. The identical couldn’t be mentioned for a lot of different cartridges. Fortunately, ammo has change into far more considerable on retailer cabinets this 12 months with quite a lot of worthwhile choices to select from for each these (and different) cartridges. 

The commonest bullet weights for the .270 Win. are 130- and 150-grain projectiles and almost each main ammo producer produces a number of choices. The price of a field of shells varies primarily based on model and bullet kind, costing wherever between $25 and $65. Weapons.com at the moment has 15 completely different ammunition choices in inventory for the .270 Win. in a variety of bullet configurations.

Equally, the .308 Win has a plethora of ammunition choices at the moment out there. One benefit that the .308 Win. does have over the .270 Win. is a wider vary of bullet weight choices. Bullets weights for looking functions differ from Nosler’s 110-grain Varmageddon load all the best way as much as Winchester’s 185-grain Tremendous-X Powerpoint. It’s price noting that there’s manufacturing facility ammunition loaded for the .308 Win. that goes all the best way as much as 260-grains, however the majority of them are meant for goal use. 

The price of .308 Win. ammunition varies between $25 and $70 per field. Nevertheless, the common value appears to hover round $35 to  $40. The .270 Win. ammunition is often available, however the choices for out there ammo for the .308 Win. greater than triple the .270 Win. Weapons.com at the moment exhibits about 100 completely different ammunition SKUs in inventory for the .308 Win.

READ NEXT: Finest .308 Searching Ammo

Ultimate Ideas on .270 vs .308 

I’ll most likely offend each of those traditional cartridges’ loyal fan bases by saying this, however, the battle between the .270 Win. and .308 Win. in my eyes is a wash. Sure, the .270 Win. does shoot quicker and flatter, and in some instances, does generate barely better downrange vitality than the .308 Win. In Mr. O’Connor’s day, earlier than laser rangefinders and uncovered adjustable riflescope turrets, a flat-shooting rifle was an actual profit. Right this moment, rangefinding a goal and dialing for elevation is a really attainable talent for big-game hunters. 

Sure, the .308 Win. is able to capturing a wider vary of bullet weights and positively has many extra ammunition choices available than the .270 Win. However for many big-game hunters, 145-grain to 180-grain bullets is all we’ll ever want. So select whichever cartridge suits your model and style. Or, even higher, purchase just a few completely different rifles chambered in every. 
A number of flashy new cartridges have flooded the market lately that, prefer it or not, are ballistically superior to each of those choices. With that mentioned, instructing an previous canine new tips is an arduous activity and gun homeowners are not any completely different. The close to cult following of those two traditional cartridges refuses to allow them to slip by the wayside. Each the .270 Win. and .308 Win. will proceed to be among the many hottest cartridges in North America for a few years to return.