308 or 6.5cm or 270win
Posted by Desperate_Low_7336@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 11 comments
Looking to get a hunting rifle, I’ve been borrowing my friends for the past couple of years. Looking for an all rounder for deer and elk. I like the 270 but, I’m not an apocalypse type person, but if shit hits the fan I would like a cartridge that is readily available so that’s why I’m leaning 308. But I also shoot long distances on occasion. My hunt this year I shot 500 yds with 6.5 cm. What are your guys thoughts?
vertigonex@reddit
I've hunted with a .270 my entire life.
I use Hornady Superformance SST 130gr rounds which shoot extremely fast (~3,200 FPS muzzle velocity) and flat.
Others here make valid points RE: .308 and.30-06 in terms of wider availability and increased options for those rounds. But IMHO you can't go wrong with .270.
kmanrsss@reddit
I’d lean towards the .308. Great all around round and easily available everywhere. Need a box of ammo on a hunting trip, the local backwoods general store probably has a box. .270 would be my next choice
MisledSpade98@reddit
I hunt white tail deer with 308 and think it's a perfect rifle for any shot 150 yards or more. If your looking to shoot elk at further distances you would be good for going 270. 308 is a great all around cartridge and definitely cheaper.
Khaden_Allast@reddit
.270 Winchester is a great cartridge. Personally I like it, though I have to admit I'm biased towards it, but it's sadly lacking support from the market and damn near forgotten. Sure you can find "plenty" (not really) online, but only online. In brick-and-mortar stores, it's far less common.
6.5CM is.... a cartridge. It's honestly not the worst thing to come about, if I'm being honest it's better than I want to give it credit for. The problem is the market, and internet promotions. The 6.5CM came out, the internet made a big deal of it (arguably for all the wrong reasons as far as you're concerned), and some manufacturers made a boatload of money. But now they're on to the next thing, 6mm CM or .277 Fury or 7mm PRC or so on. 6.5CM is still popular now, but years from now it likely won't be.
Where we are right now, .308 Winchester is still extremely popular and (in its 7.62 NATO form) is the only cartridge that can be said to be supported by a significant number of military forces the world over; many of which are very slow to adapt to changes. While it cannot be said to be an equal of the other two in all regards, if you're true with your aim and realistic with your distances - and appropriate with your ammo selection - it can be said to be "good enough" for the game you mention. There are arguably better cartridges, but they don't have the decades of support that the .308 Winchester has. Currently the only cartridge that has even the slightest chance of replacing it in that regard is the 6.8 SIG/.277 Fury, and look at ammo prices/availability on that compared to .308 Winchester.
zippytwd@reddit
308 you can find ammo for it
TipItOnBack@reddit
Honestly wouldn’t bother with a 270, just get 30-06. But between a 308 and a 6.5 creed I’d bet you’re going to hunt the same distances and they’ll both be fine for really anything you’d want to do. Tbh all three are going to do basically the same thing and in hunting scenarios it’s gonna be fine for all of them.
Get whatever is the best rifle for the best price that you can get plentiful amount of ammo for in your area.
BeenisHat@reddit
For deer and elk, if you're looking at .270 Win, I'd just go to .30-06. It's the same case size and length, and your selection of bullets and loadings is much better. .270 is fine for both species though and will handle any game in North America with the possible exception of the largest bears.
.308 is more common and if you ever decide to get an AR10 or something similar, you have commonality. 6.5CM gives you longer range than almost anything else you listed. More expensive, less loads available for now but it's not like there's a shortage of options. .308 is just such a good all-rounder. It's even a good replacement for the .30-06 unless you're going to handload the .30-06 to get the most out of it. If you're buying commercial ammo, I can't really think of a lot of advantages except heavier bullets for more dangerous game.
If you're really set on a 270 size cartridge, you might consider the new .227 Sig Fury. The goofy high pressure military stuff aside, it's basically a .270 Winchester in a short action size cartridge and the case is basically an improved .308. The standard pressure loads come in standard brass cases too so its easy to reload if you get into it.
Smokey_tha_bear9000@reddit
Get the one you which can get the best rifle for the best price. They will all three kill deer reliably, they are all similarly priced ammo wise. The 270 is a long action and uses more gun powder than the others if you reload.
I’ve been hunting with a .270 for many years and a 6.5 for a couple years and I love both. You can’t go wrong with any of them and if you ask 100 people you’ll probably get 33.3 people telling you 1 of them is the best.
sirbassist83@reddit
308 if you want a cartridge that balances everything well. 6.5 CM if you want to shoot further than 1000 yards regularly at the expense of ammo cost. 270 is a great cartridge but you really need to be handloading to get the most out of it, and in practical terms it doesnt really do anything the 308 cant.
it sounds like you mainly want a hunting rifle, and for elk id rather have a 270 or 308 than a 6.5 CM.
ive shot 1100 yards with a 20" 308. ive gotten 1st round hits at 1000 with 308.
i dont think youd go wrong with any of these, theyre all fine rounds.
Brilliant_Wealth_433@reddit
I absolutely love my 6.5CM. Soft recoil and flat shooting, ammo has become readily available and pretty reasonable. However .308 is also a great round with more military surplus that 6.5. However if your primary application is hunting you will be happy with the options available in the 6.5. .270 is a bit harder to find and more expensive than either of the others. It is a more than capable round However for big game.
masterbanana12@reddit
Can't go wrong with the classic .308