270 Win vs. 280 Rem vs. 30-06

[JD338]

For general big game hunting, which round is the best bet?
The 280 Rem is a solid pick. The 140 gr bullets for deer/antelope and 160-175 gr bullets for elk and moose. The 280 Rem is flat shooting with mild recoil. Reloading offers a wide selection of bullets from 100-180 grs. Pretty tough to beat.
What do you think is best?

JD338

 

[DrMike]

I certainly wouldn't be undergunned for most hunting with any of these cartridges. I confess that I prefer the 280. However, it is not because it is better than the 30-06 or the 270. I prefer it because one of my earliest rifles was a 280 and it worked so well on the game I hunted. Had I started with either of the other rifles, I can't imagine that things would have been much different. I believe Guy has demonstrated that the '06 works pretty well on most of the game here in NA, and dozens have defied every prejudice I might muster to demonstrate that the 270 will work about as well. I still have my preference, but I wouldn't turn down either of the other cartridges if I was just starting.

 

[SJB358]

I have all 3 and couldn’t pick one to be best.

As much as I hate to admit it, the 30-06 with a 1-10 twist handles about all Bullets out there with from little’Uns to the big Bullets real well.

270’s hit the shooter a little less, the 280 is a tweener in my book and unless it’s twisted right it struggles with the heavier, slick Bullets.

A plain old 30-06 does a lot of stuff real well. Same for the 270 Win. Hardly ever seen a 270 Winchester that doesn’t shoot well.

 

[Elkman]

JD all of those attributes are also available in the 06 with even heavier bullets and a little better overall performance on the top end. Out of the three ( and I owned them all). I prefer the 280 AI, it's just the next step up.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

By the numbers, however slim the margin, the 280 is the best all rounder.

In the field, just not much realistic difference except at the extreme ends of 270 and 30-06.

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[SJB358]

JD all of those attributes are also available in the 06 with even heavier bullets and a little better overall performance on the top end. Out of the three ( and I owned them all). I prefer the 280 AI, it's just the next step up.

280 is for Old Goats :mrgreen:

Mike said so :lol:

 

[Guy Miner]

Meh - they're all great cartridges and have proven themselves for decades. Choose the one that makes you smile.

 

[Guy Miner]

The one that makes me smile is the 30-06: antelope, mule deer, black bear, elk, wolf and grizzly. Be it the 165 Nosler at 2940 fps... A formidable round. The 180 at 2800 fps. Or the 200 Nosler Partition at 2600 fps... All with good accuracy.

The good old 30-06 has proven itself to me and I hold it in high regard.

Guy

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Meh - they're all great cartridges and have proven themselves for decades. Choose the one that makes you smile.

Absolutely right. There truly isn’t enough difference between them to get too excited about.

As for me, a 37 year old country boy, the .30-06 is the original and truly undisputed all-around rifle cartridge.

I’ve killed a pile of deer and elk with many different bullet styles and weights, though some years ago I settled on the 165 grain bullet weight as my go-to. The 180 grain bullets are an excellent choice in that regard too, especially from a worldwide standard. Ammo and components are everywhere, at least when there isn’t a shortage.

I have used many different cartridges over the years, but my absolute favorite, and the one I grab when I’m serious about putting meat in the freezer is my Model 70 Classic, in .30-06 flinging 165 grain Nosler Accubonds.

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[HodgemanAK]

I've shot stuff with a .270 and a 30-06...and I've bracketed the 280 with the 7-08 and a 7RM.

If there's any difference at all in the field, I think you'd be hard pressed to find it. The differences are much larger on paper than in reality.

 

[jspickar]

Whatever you can find reloading components for.

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[HAWKEYESATX]

Ok, I'm going to add my 2 cents worth.

The .270 Win is a remarkable cartridge, no doubt. If it weren't for one man, and his exploits with it back when it was a puppy, I don't think it would have gotten the attention it did without Jack O'connor. Did he take a lot of game animals with it, sure he did. Now, it's on the right side of marginal to hunt elk, and maybe moose. But I wouldn't get caught choosing it to go big bruin hunting.
The .280 comes a lot closer in my book to being like the old .30-06 round, when handloaded to higher pressure. For me, would I want to carry a .280 going big bruin hunting, maybe, if I had another hunter backing me up with a minimum cal .375 rifle to help out if things go south, quickly. I really like the BC and SD of the 7mm bullets, and wouldn't hesitate to use a .280 hunting if I weren't in areas where big bears roam. The .280 comes more into it's own when handloaded to the same pressures as the .270 adheres to.
Now, the .30-06. This is the Classic cartridge, neh parent, that spawned the .270, and .280! When it started as a new cartridge, it shot 150 gr bullets at just under 2800 fps. To todays standards, that's still kinda slow, but when you have doughboys coming back to the States from WW1, and they had vast experience with the cartridge, and they started using it in the game fields here, they started bowling over every game animal that was on this Continent. The cartridge didn't become an instant success because it was a slouch, no sir. Then, by some off chance, powder tech got better, and bullet tech wasn't too far behind for the grand ol gal. Things for the '06 kept getting better, and pretty soon, you could push a 150 gr bullet to 3100 fps, and the other bullet weights, 165 gr to 2900 +, 180 gr 2800 +, and a good cartridge becomes greater. It shoots flatter, and hits harder than it ever did, and doing so with just 22 inches of barrel. Now, with a 24 inch barrel, forget about it!
My dad brags that you can hunt everything with an '06, and you know what, you CAN! Just look at Guy's and filmjunkie's pics!
It isn't flashy, and it doesn't roar like a crack of thunder from Thor.
It's lost some appeal to the newer "all can do" cartridges out there, but every cartridge out there, the yardstick rule is, and always has been the .30-06.
I'm going with the old saying,"If you can't beat them, join them!"
.30-06 can handle wide variety of bullet weights, and do it with grace, and a calm confidence of being on this Continent, King of the Cartridges.


Hawk

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[Bruce Mc]

Since Hawkeye invoked the memory of JOC, I'll add that he wrote a lot of stuff about the 30-06 and I believe the last custom rifle he ordered up was a .280. I would say he didn't really have a one rifle affliction with the 270. For me, the choice between the three would be the rifle itself.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Stirring the pot of friendly debate a bit (y'all should know I love the old war horse 30-06 too)...

What can a 200 grain 30 caliber bullet do that a 175 grain 7mm bullet cannot also do?

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[Guy Miner]

Stirring the pot of friendly debate a bit (y'all should know I love the old war horse 30-06 too)...

What can a 200 grain 30 caliber bullet do that a 175 grain 7mm bullet cannot also do?

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The 7mm, 175 Nosler Partition has my admiration for sure!

As does the 30 cal, 200 gr Nosler Partition.

Dang I hope I draw a moose tag this year! Great excuse to hunt with the 30-06 & heavy bullets again.

Shhh.... Don't tell me that the 200's aren't needed! I just want to use them again.

Guy

 

[hunter24605]

Any would be welcome to go out with me. But I must admit, I have a soft spot for the 280

 

[Nimrod84]

I'm a 280 guy my self.

What sold me was that as an 18 year old looking to buy "my rifle", I figured that I could shoot a 175 grain NP at about the same velocity as a 180 grain NP out of a 30-06. The sectional density was much higher on the 175 grain with a better BC as well. Same with the 150 grain and 160 grain - equal or better velocity and better penetration than the comparable weights in the 30-06.

That made it an easy call for me - penetration is my first concern, expansion / energy dump is my second. I took a good size Elk a few years ago with a 280 Rem using a 160gr AB - bull took three steps and fell over after a quartering away shot at about 100 yards. The 160gr AB took out the liver and heart and it was found under the skin.

The Elk I took with a 30-06 about 14 years ago used a 180 NP on a roughly 100 yard broadside shot - it broke both shoulders and was found under the skin.

I do own two 30-06 and two 280 Rems and a 280 AI now.

I sold my two 270's; I wasn't using them much and ultimately I didn't see value once the 6.5 Creedmoor came into vague. I will say that the 270 Win is not common with long range shooters or shooting competitors. I don't know that this is true, but the best answer I've seen on the why, is that the .277 bullet diameter is a bit touchy on throats and twist rates. It seems to be much easier to get a 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm or 30 cal barrel setup up correctly for high BC bullets than a .257 or .277. Just take a look at what long range shooters are using to see what actually works for long range - or ask Rommel what he sees on the firing line.

To answer Ridgerunner's question - "What can a 200 grain 30 caliber bullet do that a 175 grain 7mm bullet cannot also do?" Only benefit I see is the larger diameter for a faster energy dump - SD is a about the same (memory says 175 grain might be a hair better) and it has a much slower velocity in 30-06 vs the 280.

 

[6mm Remington]

I have a soft spot for the 280 Remington also! I owned one for a long time and it sure took game when I pointed it right and pulled the trigger. That being said I also love the 30-06 just as much! Now that I have a 280AI I really like it too. As you all know shot my grizzly bear with it a year and a half ago in Alaska. One shot with a 140 gr. Nosler AccuBond. My bear squared out right at about 7 1/2 feet.

It's a draw! I have to have the 280AI and the 30-06!

 

[Songdog]

If the .280 had been invented first..... the other two wouldn’t even exist...

 

[Blkram]

I've owned, shot and harvested game with all 3 over the past 37 years... and they will all do the job when we do ours...and my personal choice is the 280!