Thread: Having that 'best deer hunting cal' argument with a mate. 6.5x55 vs .270win vs 308

I've actually only ever reloaded so I'd never seriously looked at the shelf ammo before.

Just in theory, I placed the max killing distance at the point which all rounds would still be doing 1900ft/s to ensure the likelihood of the projectile expanding. That seems to be the common belief or am I wrong?

That gave me this in standard shelf ammo,
140gn 6.5x55 - 2650fts mv to 480m leaving 1125ftlbs. $60
140gn .270win - 2950fts mv to 510m leaving 1047ftlbs. $75
165gn 308win - 2700fts mv to 390m leaving 1329ftlbs. $50

So if those are my shelf choices, I'm seeing the swede as a better target choice no matter what. Less recoil
The 308 for the obvious hunting round. Cheap, monster power for most actual hunting distances.

Can somebody tell me why the .270win is worthwhile as a new guy hunting rifle?

(p.s I couldn't find a 140gn 308 cartridge for sale in NZ but if anyone knows one sing out)

I've got three different brands of 308 ammo - all 150 gr - mostly SP & HP.
CAC, Sellier & Bellot, Highland AX.
Not sure if factory 140 gr is available in NZ.
Anybody else help out here?

.270 is good enough to do the job...always has been always will be. flat shooting out to 300 which is where it got its reputation back before range finders were common piece of kit.
all three will do the job well.
poke a suppressor on .270 and they really come good.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

.270 is good enough to do the job...always has been always will be. flat shooting out to 300 which is where it got its reputation back before range finders were common piece of kit.
all three will do the job well.
poke a suppressor on .270 and they really come good.

Indeed, but poke a suppressor on all three and they are all good.

wally there is 140 grn available...i believe the barnaul is 140grns.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

wally there is 140 grn available...i believe the barnaul is 140grns.

Yup. they do 140 and 168. Hornady does a 140 and a 123gr 30 cal projectile too as does Lapua.....Made fore the mini 30 et al but fun none the less. Actually Hrnady does 100gr right through to 225gr 30cl pills....

All three will work well. But the best point to consider is "First you have to hit it". 270 and 308 are easier to get ammo and varieties of ammo for, but 6.5x55 is easier to shoot well with a less violent recoil than the 270. Normally I would suggest 308 as the greatest selection of ammo choice, and probably one of the best to practise with. And practise helps. But if you are handloading, there is nothing the 6.5x55 wont do that the other can. So if I had to pick one, it will always be the 6.5x55, then the 308, then the 270.

Before the haters get started, ALL three are good calibres. All three will do what the OP wants to do. But, in my opinion, I suggest the 6.5x55 due to it being a softer recoiling calibre and easier to shoot accurately.

Why not ask the deer which one they prefer, after all the "customer" is always right.

Tsk tsk, Aussies, no surprises there mate! I have shot deer with a 30-06 (.308), .270 and .243. There simply is no best deer hunting calibre. Dead is dead and if you hit them in a right place it doesn't matter diddly what the calibre was. Apologies for outing you as an Aussie DiB.

The age old...

The 270 and 708 are my least favourite caliber choices, recoil for performance is my personal reason for not owning the 270.

The reloaded 6.5x55 and reloaded 308 are simply good calibers. One can load the 308 from 130 to 180. I use both and also love the 165 & 168. But I load.

Off the shelf 6.5x55 offers a lot less as precautions have prevented them to be loaded near where optimal performance is close.
Plenty of people load so you can ask someone to load for you??
I would not recommend the 270 to anyone.


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Originally Posted by Danny

The age old...

The 270 and 708 are my least favourite caliber choices,

Why don't you like the 708? I've always thought it had most of the advantages of the 6.5x55 but with more factory pill selection.

Originally Posted by Danny

The age old...

The 270 and 708 are my least favourite caliber choices, recoil for performance is my personal reason for not owning the 270.

The reloaded 6.5x55 and reloaded 308 are simply good calibers. One can load the 308 from 130 to 180. I use both and also love the 165 & 168. But I load.

Off the shelf 6.5x55 offers a lot less as precautions have prevented them to be loaded near where optimal performance is close.
Plenty of people load so you can ask someone to load for you??
I would not recommend the 270 to anyone.


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you can load 308 up to 240 (if the slugs are still available) they hit bloody hard but drop faster than a brides knickers

my 270 is soft as to shoot i use barns 110gr ttsx recoil is very little or nothing with a suppressor on. best flat shooting cal i have owned the other thing you need to take into account is the rifle my savage weather warrior with accustock is a pleasure to shoot where as my mates old 270 makes me flinch when pull the trigger it has no suppressor
the other thing is if you get a suppressor make sure it has a mussel break in it i use one suppressor on my 308,270,300wsm and my 8x68 and it makes all of them comfortable to to shoot because it has a double brake in it
as far as off the shelf ammo goes 308 is always available and in a large variety for close up or long range shooting at a reasonable price

I've hunted hard for 50 years and tried them all. I have never met a centre fire calibre that would not kill a deer.

I have also never met a calibre that day to day, and under almost every circumstance, is more effective than a 308.
When I look back, that is the calibre that was the no fuss every day star for knocking animals over. Never let me down.

That's the awful truth: there are youtube vids now of guys using airguns to kill deer and I've also seen dudes using a shotgun sabot shot to kill at 300y. Tis possible. So it lends to the theory that most cal of rifle are more than capable.

The exercise of looking at shelf ammo did illustrate a huge disparity for the swede. Why haven't they realised the majority of 6.5x55 users are using modern actions?? I mean the 12g ducks shooters aren't throttled back just because there are ancient fragile shotguns still around (that might blow up with modern powder)