If you are going to shoot animals up to the size of a Caribou then the .270 Win is just about a perfect round. Fairly light recoiling, accurate and you can find ammo just about anywhere that sells ammo.

If you are considering elk then the .270WSM would be a slightly better choice.

That being said, you would be capable of taking an elk or moose with a .270Win, but would have to be a bit more selective about your shots and use heavier (140gr or 150gr bullets)

I own a .270 Win A-Bolt and my buddy a .270 WSM X-Bolt. I would be confident with either rifle for anything up to and including elk and moose.



As for the particular calibers, the .270 WSM is nice as it will shoot out of a short action gun as opposed to the .270 Win which requires a long action although in all practicality, an X-Bolt in .270WSM and Win only differ in weight by 1 ounce (not enough to worry about).

Ballistics for the WSM are a bit better than the Win.

Tough choice.
I think if I were buying a new gun right now AND reloaded, then the WSM would get the nod
IF I did not reload, then I would probably go with the Win.