The short answers are: 1) The .308 is more versatile; 2) It’s more efficient; 3) It’s better at close range for heavy game; 4) It comes in a greater variety of rifles; 5) It’s more accurate; 6) It’s handier; 7) They’re abundant and easy to come by; 8) A variety of factory ammo is readily available, plus handloading components; 9) They’re not fussy in developing an accurate load; and finally 10)It’s a .30-caliber, and a .30-caliber, plus a .458-caliber, I see as the best possible duo for anything, anywhere that’s legal game.
I’ve never owned a rifle in .308 Winchester, but I’ve recommended it to others. And, I made handloads for a friend’s .308 Winchester. And, I’d still recommend it over certain other popular numbers to particular friends and family members, or correspondants looking for a general purpose hunting rifle using factory or handloaded ammo.
In sub-medium, non-magnum cartridges, whatever anyone claims is best or better than a .308 Win for general purpose hunting, I’d like to hear about it – but it’s not going to be a .270 Winchester, though I’ve owned one as an investment piece, handloaded it and took it deer hunting.
BECAUSE:
Right off the bat: It’s more versatile than the .270 Winchester. “the” .270 Winchester is generic rather than “a” particular .270 Win. Implied is that “a particular .270” might be more versatile than “a particular .308 Win” in that a particular .308 might have a heavy long barrel intended primarily for long-range varmint shooting and/or competitive target shooting. Such a rig would be severely restricted if so intended. The same, in a certain sense, goes for a special built .270 intended for sniping game at longer distances than usual. It would surely outclass a .308 Win with a 22″ barrel.
Rather, in the most common usage of each in 22″ bolt-actions, produced for the average hunting guy or gal, perhaps in Remingtons, Winchesters, Savages or Rugers with competitive pricing.
Handloading manuals are not necessarily equitable in process and purpose of handloading data since one may have a 20″ barrel (common for the .308) and the other a 24″ (more likely for the .270), so we’ll need to have access to at least a couple of recent manuals for both cartridges. It’s a bit of a balancing act, but doable.
< A Savage Hog Hunter in .308 Win with a 20″ barrel.
In checking Nosler’s #9, the 270 Win is given a 24″ Shilen test barrel, and Nosler lists five 150gr bullets all giving the same MV from the same powder charges (which is highly unlikely, but we’ll go with that anyway). The highest MV (not most accurate) = 2918 fps from 61.5 grs of MAGPRO. The .308 Winchester also was tested in a 24″ Lilja test barrel and gave the highest velocity using 46 grs of TAC at 2996 fps from all six 150/155gr bullets. Again, not the most accurate powder in their setup.
In summary of that contest, the worst we could say is that the .308 is at least equal to the .270 in shooting 150grs and much more efficient in the use of its powder – hence less recoil in a same weight rig.
The advantage of the .270 in 150gr-weight is the better BCs of the longer bullets.
Since there is a 160gr Nosler Partition in .277″ for the .270 Win, what does Nosler record as best MV from the 24″ Shilen? >2828 fps using 56 grs of RL-22.
In .308-cal, there are both 165s and 168s. The best results from the 24″ Lilja =2904 fps from 52.5 grs of Big Game. And since in .308 the 168gr is a ABLR with a .525 BC, it will leave the 160gr/.270 in its dust!
So far then, it’s fairly obvious that the .308 Win can not only keep pace with the .270 Win but surpass it in long-range shooting – other matters equal? NOT QUITE though, as the .270 Win runs at a higher PSI (64,000 psi) to attain what some consider superior ballistics to the more ‘humble” .308 Win (62,000 psi)!
And, of course, that’s not the whole scoop! In addition, the .308 has a significantly larger repetoire of bullet weights and types to draw upon when and if needed: Nosler alone lists 30 for the .308 Win and another couple are available if a handloader wants to use them; especially the 200gr Partition. On the small game and varmint side of business, Nosler has a 110gr and a 125gr. In addition, Barnes boasts a 130gr TSX. Hornady has four 110gr, a 125gr, two 130gr, 8 -150/155gr, 7- 165/168gr, 7-178/180gr, a 190 BTSP (that I’ve used in black bear hunting with success), a 195 BTHP, and besides a match 208gr there’s a 208gr A-MAX. Also a 220 RN for critters in close that may want to bite you!
The .308 Winchester (24″ HS Prec. test barrel))
Bullet: 168 ABLR/.525 BC/.253 SD
MV = 2904 fps/3146 ft-lbs/Recoil = 23 ft-lbs (8 lb ready rifle)
400 yds = 2265 fps/1913 ft-lbs/-19″/35.6 TE average (good enough for a Shiras bull moose, but a 180gr AB might be better.)
500 yds = 2119 fps/1674 ft-lbs/-39″/32.2 TE average (good for a mature bull elk)
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The .270 Winchester (24″ Lilja test barrel)
Bullet: 160gr Partition/.434 BC/.298 SD
MV = 2828 fps/2841 ft-lbs/Recoil = 21 ft-lbs (8 lb ready rifle)
400 yds = 2078 fps/1534 ft-lbs/-22″/30.5 TE average (good for a mature bull elk)
500 yds = 1911 fps/1297 ft-lbs/-44″/27 TE average (good for an average elk) < No elk here, but there are moose, and that’s 400 yds to the farthest point according to Google Earth. And that’s a long ways to be shooting at any game!
So, after all is said and done, there’s no way a .270 of any variety can match .308-caliber in sheer quantity of bullet weights and variety, and is far from being better at long range on big game.
In sheer bullet weights available and useful in .308 Win, it surpasses the .270 Win in versatility!
The only other caliber that competes with .308-caliber in numbers and variety of bullets is in .284/7mm, but it too lags behind the American favorite caliber of .308″, which is also found in the greatest number of cartridges – including the famed .30-30 Winchester all the way to the humongous (and rediculous).30 – .378 Weatherby! I guess there are those who still shoot such monstrosities, which, by now should be “redundant monstrosities”! I fail to see any purpose for them other than boosting some egos so they can say. . . what? “Yeah, I own one of those too!”
Give me a .270 over that, though I know a .308 Win is “better”!
Well! It looks like we’ve covered most of those 10 reasons why the .308 Win is better than the .270 Win. But still, what about accuracy and handyness? Ask youself, “When was the last time I saw a dedicated target rifle in .270 Win? And the .308 Winchester? Who makes heavy-barreled .308 Winchesters? Do they also make them regularly in .270s? Then you know the answer as to which is normally more accurate. That’s not to say that in a hunting rig a .270 can’t be made accurate enough. . . of course it can! But there is a difference that favors the .308 Win (see below).
No one with experience in a good .308 Win, in their right mind has EVER complained about it’s accuracy! That’s often the thing that overshadows its other stellar qualities: handyness, cheap, low recoil, etc. Many are sold with 18 – 20″ barrels that don’t seem to lose the amount of bullet velocity that cartridges that burn a lot more powder do – including the .270!
I tested a friends custom .270 Win at the range shooting Federal Premium 150gr Nosler Partitions. It had a 24″ barrel and MVs varied between 2700 and 2800 fps with so-so accuracy. I got it sighted-in for him so he could shoot a bear with it. Another friend wanted me to develope handloads for his BLR in .308 Win – it had a 20″ barrel. I developed a good moderate load of 165s at around 2500 fps. It turns out that the momentum of the 165gr had the same momentum of the 150gr factory load from the 24″ custom .270. That, from a 20″ barrel burning less powder than the 24″ burning more from a full Federal factory load!
Take your pick!
Knowing what I know, from the sources I know it, I’d choose the .308 Winchester every time over the .270 Winchester – all else equal, including cost and quality.
A scope for the .308? Depending on what is hunted and where, I’d go with a good quality variable 2 – 7 by?, or my favorite 3 – 9 x 40s because I’ve done a lot of black bear hunting till last light in dark woods. I leave them on 3x untill I need more details, and 40mm provides ample light till closing time. And it wouldn’t overburden a light .308 for most purposes. Count on about a pound extra to rifle weight for scope and mounts. Cartridges extra, of course. A 6.5 lb rifle bare will come out at about 8 lbs ready for action. No need for a .308 Win to be heavier or lighter for action. Felt recoil would generally be slightly less than a .270 of equal weight and equivalent ergonomics.
I’m not really bashing the .270, but generally speaking I believe 30-caliber big game cartridges are superior to anything less intended for the same class of game. That’s based on physics, intense study and application. That’s why a .308 Win is superior in ballistics to a 7-08 and .243 based on the same cartridge case. It is more efficient in the use of powder. Same with a .35 Whelen over a .338-06, or a .458 Win over a .416 Taylor, etc.
Till the next. . . Why are .35-Caliber Rifles so Special?
Shalom
BOB MITCHELL
It’s Easter weekend, that’s not about bunnies and Easter eggs! Because we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus, the following text from the Bible, found in the Book of Romans, ch 10, of The New Testament, is very appropriate for reading and meditation:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32) – Romans 10: 9 – 13. (The Apostle Paul) – NIV