I would like to know what a .30-06 can do on deer that a .270 Win and a .280 Rem can' t. I' d also like to know how on Earth the .30-06 will keep up with either of them beyond 250 yards.

The 30-06 is a better White-tail round because you can use the heavier 180 grain bullets in close range situations to reduce meat damage and get better penetration necessary for odd agles sometimes encountered in thick brush hunting situations. Since we are talking white-tails this is commonly where you will find them. With reloads or Hornady light mags the 30-06 shoots every bit as fast and flat as the 270 or 280 using more mass and bullet diameter. A better question is what will the 270 or 280 do that the 30-06 can' t

First of all there is no use squabbling over 270, 280, or 30-06 since they are all great cartridges. However, when you are talking penetration the 280 will have an advantage over the 30-06 due to sectional density at least on paper. They are so close in actual field performance that it is a moot point.

Never seen a Whitetailed round....

The .30/' 06 can do NOTHING the .270 won' t do as well for anything up to elk, PROVIDED YOU LOAD IT WITH THE RIGHT BULLETS!!!

270, 280, 30-06? There is so little differance between the three that no deer will ever know what its been shoot with. Which is better really depends more on what' s between the shooters ears rather than physics. There is no reason to use a 180gr bullet in the 30-06 for close range work on whitetail. A 150gr or 165gr standard soft point bullet launched from the ' 06 will deliver complete pass thru on any deer at close range. Even if he' s wearing a bullet proof jacket. The same results can be achieved from both the 270 and 280 and a least a dozen other rounds. The 270/280 will give a slight edge in range but a hunter has to have the skill to use it. If you like a 30-06 that' s fine, but don' t sell other rounds short.

Duffy,

This wasn' t a question of the best round for me, but just an open-ended question to get some opinions. I find that around the rest of the country (as opposed to the northern 2/3 of MI), many have very specific reason they use their favorite deer round. Up hear, it' s go and buy the biggest gun you can handle (30-06 to .300 Win Mag), and go hunt, without any though to what may the best for the given situation. It' s all about opinoins, and I like hearing them. That .264 sounds like a great one though.

I also enjoy my dad' s 25-06. Fun to shoot, flat trajectory, and can have a wide range of users. In fact, if you ask my 7 year old nephew his favorite, it would be the 25-06, as he harvest his first deer with it this year in an AL hunt during January(when he was 6!).

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan

With all the great deer cartridges it' s impossible to say which is the best.I' ve had allot of success using my .270 Win.One shot kills is the norm.
Ruger Redhawk

Getting serious here now. My 250-3000 Remmington 700 and my 6.5x55 Muaser is about as good as it gets for me for all deer hunting. Always one shot kills, No recoil not much meat damage. No earth shaking muzzle blast. Yes I do dare to venture into the forest without a Magnum. Without fear even.

I use 130gr in my 270 Winchester, my buddies used everything from 243, 25-06, 280, 30-06, 7mm Remington magnum on Alberta White tail and Mule deer.