bronko22000

As much as I love the .270 (and I have taken a lot of game with it bot east and west of the Mississippi) I have to say that the 30-06 would be better suited for most NA game then the .270. And I would have to agree with your friend that the old '06 can do anything the 270 can do and then some. This isn't to say the .270 is a slouch but if I were going after elk, moose or grizzly I'd much prefer the 06 over the 270. The 270 would work fine if you were very selective about your shots. Well that's my 2 cents.

flags

Many of the new short action rounds are actually more powerful than the 270 and the 06. You didn't use the phrase "more efficient" you used the words "too powerful". Now I see why I was in Mensa and you weren't. As I stated before the 270 has been seen as as close to perfect of a deer round as any other ever invented.

Nomercy448

Read the rest of my post - exactly describing how they are too powerful.

Never once do I mention powder efficiency. I specifically compare the recoil and powder consumption to achieve the same task. Power / task, power goes up, ratio goes up, because the task is not changing. Once the power / task ratio is “enough,” everything above is then, by definition, too powerful. That simple.

flags

I have read your post and you give no rational reason why the 270 and the 06 are "too powerful" all you state is your personal opinion. There are thousands of dead deer that will disagree with you. And just what constitutes "too powerful?" I have shot a trainload of deer with a 7mm Mag and also have used a 375 H&H and a 9.3x62. Dead is dead. Overkill is impossible.

Nomercy448

Said it before... your opinion is pre-emptively understood, and we’ll disagree until he11 freezes over with your statement, “overkill is impossible.” I don’t drive my Peterbilt to pull my 2 horse trailer, and I don’t frame houses with a sledge hammer. You are welcome to your opinion, and we’re welcome to ours.

flags

Still waiting to hear your brilliant analysis of what makes a 270 "too powerful" for deer? What about a 7x57 Mauser? Or the 280 rem? Or the 8x68JS? Or the 6.5 Rem Mag? Are they too powerful? What about one of my all time favorites the 6.5x55 Swedish? How about the 25-06? Is it too powerful? Want to discuss the 257 Wby which is a smaller caliber than the 270 Win but packs a lot more punch? Since the 308 Win is a ballistic twin to the 06 until you go over 150 gr bullet weight I guess it is too powerful as well and since it is then that must mean the 7mm-08, 260 Rem and 243 are all too powerful since they are based on the same case. Perhaps I should have asked your approval before I began shooting deer when I was a lad?

Who are you to decide what is "too powerful" for deer? I have shot 92 deer in my hunting career including whitetails, mulies and blacktails. I've used everything from a 5.56 to a 450/400 Nitro Express double rifle. It may come as a surprise to know that often the bigger "too powerful" calibers do less damage that the small " proper sized (according to you) calibers do. If the deer ends up on the game pole, what difference does it make?

I have a very good friend of mine named Walter Enslin that operates Kwan Safaris in South Africa. He is licensed in 6 and maybe 7 African countries as a PH. He once told me that a rifle that will kill an elephant will also kill an impala but the reverse isn't always true. The only rifle he carried in more open country was a 450 Rigby and in heavy cover he carried a 500 Nitro express double rifle. Considering the amount of game he killed I'll take his word and my personal experience over your "expertise."

Ridge Runner

how many deer have been killed with a 22RF up to the 22-250? fact is you do not need a 270 or a 30-06 to kill a deer, deer do not die hard, have killed at least one with a 17 HM2 (disclaimer: it was shot on a damage permit in my yard, eating my garden), I personally have killed over 100 with a 223.
RR

bronko22000

Guys let's not get into an ego contest here. We are getting of the track of the original post which was which is better as an all around NA big game cartridge the .270 or the 30-06.
Sure there are less potent round that will kill a deer and much more potent one too but that has no bearing on the original post!
Dead is dead whether shot with a .22 LR or 500 NE.

salukipv1

Mule deer and smaller, .270win. w/ 130gr every time,

the 30.06 might win the only 1 gun for everything argument,

if you want a do all, get a 280 AI.

honestly keep the 270win and get a 300/338/375 mag for the bigger stuff.

flags

Agreed but that isn't the point. The OP is asking about 2 specific calibers and one member is stating both are too powerful for deer. That flies in the face of logic since both have been considered great deer rounds for decades.

My grandfather once killed a mule deer doe with a thrown hatchet but that doesn't mean everything except a hatchet is too big for deer.