Thread: 270 in a 20in barrel or 308 in 18in barrel

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Although I agree with it I was a little surprised with the strength of opinion favouring the .308. It is a more flexible cartridge than the .270 which is hampered by its 1 in 10' twist which may not shoot the high BC .270 projectiles currently appearing in the market. This especially at longer range. My association with the .308 started in the 1970's and it is an exceptionally easy round to load for.
Regards Grandpamac.

Hi Mac,
The 1:10 twist 270 Tikka's shoot the 145' Hornady's very well, there are some great posts on load development on forum. The .277 145 ELDX has a BC of .536, a 308 168 ELD is around .523 so not really much between the two in that department for commonly used projectiles.

I think the .270 suffers from a little bit of the "Poo70" reputation and as well as that it tended to come out in factory ammo with pills that are either designed for longer range work or they are lighter for smaller bodied game at closer ranges. It's more likely in this scenario to get a pill that doesn't perform to expectations with less than ideal shot placement. Reloading fixes that issue, although recently prior to the current shortages you could get a lot more interesting ammo without having to reload.

From experience the .308 is easier to get factory ammo for that will flatten things from muzzle to right out as far as you are competent, although again shortages are now a little limiting. You can get a lot more choice in the way of target-quality fodder off the shelf in .308 as well which is nice. FGGM usually groups well under 1/2" at 100 unless something is weird with the rifle.

The other factor is turning up at a hut, it doesn't seem that you get a second glance with a .308. My mate that had a .270 recently got rid of it a) because something else turned up that was more shiny and got more wing flapping out of him, and b) he didn't feel like he had to justify it every time he farted. Setting the record straight the .270 had zero failures to drop what it was aimed it during the time and more than paid for itself in terms of meat. The .308 did the same. He's recently gotten a Steyr SBS in (gasp) .270 and it came with a spiffy ali tube on the front for not much cash and it's a step up on class all around over what he replaced the first .270 with.

Originally Posted by No.3

I think the .270 suffers from a little bit of the "Poo70" reputation and as well as that it tended to come out in factory ammo with pills that are either designed for longer range work or they are lighter for smaller bodied game at closer ranges. It's more likely in this scenario to get a pill that doesn't perform to expectations with less than ideal shot placement. Reloading fixes that issue, although recently prior to the current shortages you could get a lot more interesting ammo without having to reload.

From experience the .308 is easier to get factory ammo for that will flatten things from muzzle to right out as far as you are competent, although again shortages are now a little limiting. You can get a lot more choice in the way of target-quality fodder off the shelf in .308 as well which is nice. FGGM usually groups well under 1/2" at 100 unless something is weird with the rifle.

The other factor is turning up at a hut, it doesn't seem that you get a second glance with a .308. My mate that had a .270 recently got rid of it a) because something else turned up that was more shiny and got more wing flapping out of him, and b) he didn't feel like he had to justify it every time he farted. Setting the record straight the .270 had zero failures to drop what it was aimed it during the time and more than paid for itself in terms of meat. The .308 did the same. He's recently gotten a Steyr SBS in (gasp) .270 and it came with a spiffy ali tube on the front for not much cash and it's a step up on class all around over what he replaced the first .270 with.

You are right about that with factory ammo and the 308, they somehow just seem to get it right more than other calibres it seems? Especially with the Bergara being a Rem clone there will be Federal, Hornady & Geco that will shoot lights out straight out of the box. Make you and wonder why you bother reloading apart from saving a few bucks. I'd still use the super-performance 150SST's & 165's over handloads for hunting.

Thanks team. Been leaning on the 308, May just have to get my dad's 270 rebarreled to scratch that itch.
Will do some looking and find one. Really liked the Bergara Extreme hunter but the weight is getting up there.

Originally Posted by 300wsm for life

Thanks team. Been leaning on the 308, May just have to get my dad's 270 rebarreled to scratch that itch.
Will do some looking and find one. Really liked the Bergara Extreme hunter but the weight is getting up there.

Do that. And make it a nice 24" one to do the cartridge justice.

or......or .....or ...... do what I very very nearly did...only didnt as Amanda did not have one in stock...go the mighty .30/06 and have best of both worlds.

Plus we all know real deer calibres start with a 3 !
....honestly either will do...have used both and as long as both are suppressed i honestly couldnt tell the difference in performance....

either will work.....I had same decision a while back,nearly went with the .308 but saw reason...I have enough .270 projectiles to see me out.....

I have both. If you only want out to 500 then get a .308 and cut it down to 16".
If you want any longer then flip a coin. 18" Tikka is the same whether it is short or long action and both calibers are pretty effective. .270 will shoot a bit flatter though.

another vote for .308 18" unsuppressed if the bullet doesnt kill em the boom will

Have killed my fair share of stuff with both. Faster more decisive kills with .270. My opinion not based on shit I read on the internet.

Only case for .308, is shorter action and barrel to save weight and factory ammo not as weak as .270 factory ammo. ( SST Superformance ammo excepted )

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

Have killed my fair share of stuff with both. Faster more decisive kills with .270. My opinion not based on shit I read on the internet.

Only case for .308, is shorter action and barrel to save weight and factory ammo not as weak as .270 factory ammo. ( SST Superformance ammo excepted )

Interesting point, one of the most popular rifles the Tikka comes in one basic action length with different magazine and bolt stop lengths. It's good for discussion but barrel profile and stock design are one of the biggest factors in rifle weight. A lightweight floppy stock is cheap, or a stiffer heavier stock is cheap then you step right up in price bracket to a lightweight stiff custom bedded carbon...

In terms of barrel length, my own preference is a longer barrel than what some run unless I am using a can as in heavy bush cover where it is quite dark the muzzle flash is still blinding. The can does tame that right down though, and its something else in favour of the .308.

18inch suppressed 270.

308, 18 inch barrel, suppressed.

500 is a long way with either one. Is there something wrong with your legs ?