James B

The Hornady Manuals will give you a nice write up and history of all the caliber and in most cases who developed them plus all the ballistics tables and tons of info on bullets and powder and also reloading and equipment to do same.

clint802

go to chuckhawks.com. This site gives great comparisons between different rounds and reviews on each individual round.

younggun308

It's true that the .30 cal doesn't have more power than a .270 from it's bullet diameter alone, but it still has more mass, which is more ideal when trying to break through bone, and it leaves a bigger exit hole.

A 30-30 doesn't have as much power as the .270, but it has more bullet mass, which is ideal for a "brush gun", since it will be more forgiving, since it won't blow up when it hits a twig or something.

James B

Bullet Mass is not everything either. Sectional density comes into play. A 180 grain 30 caliber bullet may well break bones and penetrate well but a 110 grain 30 caliber bullet will not. Comparing bullets by caliber alone does not tell the story.

There is no caliber or bullet that shoots through brush and twigs without major deflection. That one is a myth.

DANTHEHUNTER

There is no bullet going slow or fast that is going to go through brush any better then the next.It is a big myth as James B said.The .30 cal bullet is .023 larger then the .270 (.277) They will both work well on whitetail and aminals of that size.I would say if you are going to buy one get the rifle you like best and learn to shoot it as good as possible.Then the calibur difference wont be a problem.If you areonly hunting with it and shooting out to 300yds,any of the popular rifle brands will work.Ruger,remington,browning,savage ect...... Good luck !

ipscshooter

Actually, since .30 cal bullets are .308, they are .031 larger than the .270 (.277).

DANTHEHUNTER

Okay that is correct.

skeeter 7MM

Listen to the man he is speaking truths!

Austin/WI

I think the brush gun label camesfrom the size of the gun - shorter barrel makes it easier manuever in brush. Just like many tactical/home defenseguns are fairly short- easy to manuever in a tight spot (just a generalization). I think people just added the "shoot through brush" to it out of ignorance.

Either way, just like everyone has said, anything at oraround that 30 caliber range can be a great choice for hunting. Match a rifle you like with the right ammo and you'll be fine. I personally think weapon choice is more crucial than a specific caliber choice, jmo.

James B

I agree. aside from frontal area, and given similar velocity and bullet construction, one can expect about the same performance from bullets in all caliber which are about the same Sectional density. That would be, 100 grain for the 243, 117 grain for the 25 calibers, 129 grains for the 6.5 calibers,130 grain for the 270 and 165 grain for the 30 caliber. All of these bullets are very close to the same Sectional density That is in the 240-260 range. These bullets areHornady but the same would hold true for the other brands as well. Frontal area and velocity can vary the terminal performance of these bullets but given the velocity offactory loads in these calibers any of them are ample deer rifles given decent shot placement.

Yes there are BRUSH guns but as stated above, this is because they were light and fast handling in heavy cover.