7mm-08 VS 270 vs 25.06

[Jasper604]

Hello,
I was wondering which caliber you guys think is better for medium/heavy Game, 7mm-08 vs 270 vs 25.06. I would be shooing out of a browning x-bolt. Using factory ammo only. I am a youth hunter so recoil is something to consider.

Share your thoughts!!

[835]

they are all the same effectivly..... do the same job a different way.....
308 necked to 7mm ,,, 30-06 necked to 270,, 30-06 case necked to 25.......
25-06 probably the flattest of them all..... 7m08 great for low recoil ... 270win has always worked for me.....

if i was you i would spend my time on what rifle i like the best and take it in what ever of these three cartridges you like.....

.270win has worked for me for 20 years on Island blacktails, moose and elk....

[325]

I would choose the 7-08, although the 25-06 would be tempting too.

[Jasper604]

they are all the same effectivly..... do the same job a different way.....
308 necked to 7mm ,,, 30-06 necked to 270,, 30-06 case necked to 25.......
25-06 probably the flattest of them all..... 7m08 great for low recoil ... 270win has always worked for me.....

if i was you i would spend my time on what rifle i like the best and take it in what ever of these three cartridges you like.....

.270win has worked for me for 20 years on Island blacktails, moose and elk....

Thanks 835! Would you consider a 25.06 an accatable elk caliber out to 200 yards?

[835]

hell ya.......

[BCBRAD]

The 7mm-08 burns approx 30% less powder than the other two, powder burned has the largest single effect on recoil. If you hand load you can use 120-175gr bullets, although 140's and 150's will work well on anything at normal hunting distances. It is also the ballistic twin of the 7x57 which was used to kill many elephants.

[Jasper604]

What is the recoil 270 wsm comparable to? I have heard the shoot very strait and have a very high velocity. Are they better then the classic 270?

[Dannybuoy]

I would factor the selection of ammo for the calibers ... I would consider the 25-06 a bit light for elk/moose as bullets top out at 120gr (factory) .

[RackStar]

Higher velocity at close range will cause more meat damage. Unless it was a dedicated long range 400+ yards rifle I'd get the good ol 270. If you want the wsm I'd go with the 300. I too am thinking about one of these calibers to compliment my 30-06, have yet to decide if I want to go down or up in power. I Either want a 7-08 or a 300 win mag. Buying a new caliber gives me a headache. So many factors and choices. Why is there so many choices? Lol

[Steeleco]

My son shot a big buck a few years back at 265yds using his T3 in 7-08 and 139 Interbonds. If the bullets is a quality one and put in the right spot, it matters not if it's a dink buck or a bull elk. It's still going to die!!

[Jasper604]

Isnt the recoil on 300 wsm huge? Ive shot a mule with 7mm-08 at 60 yards using a 120 grain federal he dropped in his tracks.

[BRvalley]

magnums will not help a youth shooter, who is concerned about recoil, shoot accurately...unless you want minute of barn door accuracy

my vote goes to the 7-08

[835]

huge is all in your perspective..... you do not need a 300 and more over if you are asking this question you definatly shouldnt go right to a 300... i dont mean that bad, its just if you aint shot one yet the recoil could set ya back...
all rifles are not created equal either..... T3 lite in 300 would possible ruin the wrong guy..... Rem 700 LSS in 300 with a decent recoil pad might be just fine......

keep your eyes on what you are looking at....... your on a good track..... when you been there done that....... Get a 338!

[Brew]

Out of the three listed I would go with the 270 if your not a reloader and your after elk.

[Rupert Retired]

I have had the same discussion with myself in the past. My solution was, although for many years I tried to be a "one-gun man", I finally decided that with the range of big game sizes in BC, two guns (or more!) was the order of the day. Way more fun too. With that in mind, for deer sized game, which includes sheep, goat, etc, I chose the 25-06. I hand-load, and the lure of fast, super-accurate loads was just too much. I was immensely impressed when I finally bought my .25-06 (in Browning A-bolt) and saw the performance on deer, which I had been previously hunting with a 7mm Magnum. I hunted a lot on Queen Charlotte Islands in those days, and a deer hit with my new .25-06 didn't go anywhere. Whereas, with my 7mm Magnum, I had had problems with them running a long ways. I know there are other factors such as bullet placement, weight, etc. but as I said, I had been trying to have one gun do it all, but now don't think that way anymore. So my recommendation would be the .25-06, it is incredibly effective on deer and the like. I researched the 7mm-08 and finally decided no, due to limited powder capacity and the ballistics published in all the literature. The .270 was tempting, but again, I already had a rifle for larger game (the 7mm Mag) so was able to happily adopt the superior ballistic performance of the .25-06. Hope this helps!!

[RackStar]

I didn't mean to come across like I was recommending a 300 wsm. I ment between a 270 and 300 wsm I would get a 300. I do not recommend a magnum rifle. My first bolt action was a 300wsm cause the guy at wholesale talked me out of my original choice a 30-06. Stupidest thing I've done, I'm 6'3 220 and that thing beat the hell out of me. I developed a bad flinch had no shooting skills to start with and ruined me I had poor accuracy and got scoped. I traded it in for a 30-06 and have never looked back. I Can shoot out to 400 yards and my rifle is like my third arm. Like said 10000 times a good shot from a 243 beats a bad shot from a 3000 super duper mag.
There are many on here that would vouche that a magnum is not needed, some might feel more comfy with one in grizz town though. get a 7-08 or 308 and don't look back. Good luck

[Macnbro]

Buddy of mine has an xbolt in 7mm-08 and loves it. Lighter recoil than my .270win. but not a lot lighter. You'll get lots of opinions here...but ammo availability should be considered particularly if you are not doing your own loads. All of the three will get the job done. I like my .270, you can get ammo everywhere...even crappy tire, and to be honest recoil is not an issue, particularly if you have a limbsaver. Mine is a Tikka T3 and the limbsaver was a must have. The .270 will kill what you want to kill. It'll do a good job of it too. At least nobody is trying to talk you into a cannon...yet!

[TreeStandMan]

The .270 is a fine caliber, and has killed many a mulie and many moose. This said, I'm not a one gun man: the .300 Win Mag comes out when I head up north to griz territory.

There's no gun that does it all, and I don't have experience with the other calibers you list, but from my experience the .270 is an excellent starting place.

[boonerbucks]

I have a 270 wsm and love it great gun, recoil is not an issue its actually a really nice gun to shoot. How ever the original 270 kills things just as dead at a cheaper cost to shoot, if you are not scared of stock piling good factory rounds when you find the ones that you like go with the wsm if not go for the original if you do decide to go that route. Another thing to consider is if you buy a gun just soley on felt recoil you may grow a bunch by next season and wish you went with something larger.

[SSG-man]

270 all the way
price, avail of ammo, recoil, everything.

[Jasper604]

Thanks guys for all the feed back!! I am leaning towards the 7mm-08 or 270. Hard choice but shot place ment is key with any caliber

[Citori54]

I have owned .270's and loved the caliber. I currently hunt with a 7mm Rem Mag for moose and elk and have a 7-08 for deer. I love to shoot the 7-8, not so much anymore the Rem Mag as I am old and shoulders gimped. The 7-08 will do anything you need within reasonable ranges. The 140 Accubond is damn near perfect for deer at +- 2800 fps and I have heard of guys taking moose with one shot kills. I think Guntech on this site took a moose with a 7-08 139 grain Hornady bullet at 300 yards. Nothing wrong with the .270 or 25-06 but I would go 7-08.

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

So this whole Cecil the lion thing got me thinking about hunting again. Hunted most of the years I was in Alberta and most of the years I was in Oregon. Where they have a general season on Roosevelt elk - bummer here. First started hunting in Oregon with a Marlin 336ER in 356 Win. I loved that gun but it was stolen. Sticking with the only kind of gun I have ever hunted big game with - a lever gun I went to a Miroku BLR Model 81L in 30-06. The gun I still use. I've been in BC 10 years but haven't hunted here but will I think this year. Looks like I need to challenge a CORE even though I showed 7 past licenses and have taken hunters safety over 2 times but no certificates I could find as they were privately offered back then. I of course have a PAL. Anyway all that aside I been thinking - why carry around a 10.5 lb rifle (all in) shooting 165 gr Hornady Light Mag (now superformance) ammo. The weight does help with the upspeed 06 ammo recoil. Shooting more than 10 in a 60 min session and I can start to flinch. I am looking for a lightweight smaller than 06 lever gun and I am thinking 7-08 as well. Trouble is finding one. Local store tells me there are only 21 new BLR lightweight/takedown 7-08s in North America and there are no nonremlin Marlin 308s around. A local store does have a takedown BLR in 270 WSM Hmmm... but those bullets are so fast - how much meat spoilage and deer wounding to later die instead of anchoring em if bullets don't perform at 50 yds?

If you are young as the OP apparently is - if you go 270 you might want some rifle weight and/or small bullets to help with recoil especially if you use superformance style ammo or go 7-08. I don't know enough about the 25-06 to have an opinion except to say as I understand it - it may not be a great choice for elk. Finding a rifle that works for you is a journey - don't hurry too much and enjoy the hunt!

First post by the way and that is why I added detail about me - no intention to hijack.

-Ed-

[Jasper604]

Thanks guys for all the feed back!! I am leaning towards the 7mm-08 or 270. Hard choice but shot place ment is key with any caliber

[Everett]

Hey Kid the 7mm-08 is what you wan't the .270 is a hard kicking caliber very little difference between it and the .30/06. To be honest I find the kick off a .270 to quite stiff and thats from someone who has at least 5 magnum rifles in the safe. The 7mm/08 also can shoot a better spectrum of bullet weights. Two other calibers you might want to look at is 6.5x55 and 260 Remington both are low recoil and able to take medium to large game with premium bullets.

[curt]

25 06 is quite small for large game .......deer sure... elk and moose you would be hard pressed to find anyone claiming to be a expert in the field suggest that caliber for large game of the 3 you suggested I would say 270 or 7mm08 would be a far better choice and of the 2 I would say select the one with the mot variety in bullet weights so you can be a bit more versatile regarding to what you are hunting.

[Cordillera]

Recoil between 7 08 and 270 is big. I found this article the most helpful when I was selecting a calibre for my sons.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

I chose 7 08 because it has recoil in the 12 foot pound range which is below the "magic"'fifteen pounds where most of us mortals feel it. I buy the Hornady superformance ammo and it shoots a 139 grain bullet that holds 2000 pounds of energy at 200 yards. Ie it can take a moose over 200 yards no worries.

If you are young and light boned, I'd worry about recoil and buy the 7 08. It is lovely to shoot. In ten years when you want more guns go for a bigger calibre like a 300 or something but in the meantime you have a calibre that does not induce flinch, shoots very flat, and can easily handle moose out to 200 plus yards.

[Ought Six Ai]

i would recommend 7mm-08

[BRvalley]

As mentioned, the 260 rem is a fine calibre and suits what the OP wants, within reasonable shooting distances, but ammo is hard to find if you're not a reloader, at least for me....and last I looked when I bought mine, not available in the xbolt

But browning does offer a 6.5 creedmoor in the xbolt, I can find ammo at my local stores, seems to be increasingly more popular...another calibre to consider

[280 77]

Get the 7-08 and enjoy a light recoil cal that can take anything in N.America with the exception of perhaps Grizzly and Bison . It is an inherently accurate caliber and the ammo is becoming more common as more people discover what a pleasure it is to shoot . I notice that Can. Tire is now carrying ammo for it . If you get into handloading there are more options with the 7-08 than there are for the 270 or 25-06. When you are starting out , less recoil is better .

[nelsonob1]

all are great calibers that will meet all your needs in 95% of game hunts in bc. I like the 7mm08 best but the differences are small and personal.

[revarchery]

My next rifle will be a 7mm-08. Great lightweight short action rifle for everything. Great first rifle, ammo isn't hard to find. it will be great for my kids further down the line also.

[savagecanuck]

After owning a 25wssm forever and buying the 2 kinds of ammo when ever I could find it,I decided my next rifle would have to be one with lots of available ammo.I bought a Carbon fluted X bolt in 270 win SS. 130 great Hornaday Sst for deer, 150 for moose. Ammo available everywhere and cheap. Go on cabelas site only 2 choices for 7mm -08 about 20 for 270.

[Jasper604]

Thanks for all the feed back guys! Its been very helpful and I think I will go with 7mm-08 because I have taken game with it and it feels confortable.

[835]

Jasper,
The only thing you want to do before anchoring yourself in the 7m08 ( it is an awesome choice ) is go down to the Gun Store and price out a bunch of different ammo to the .270 Win.....
It really depends on how much shooting you intend on doing.... but to me that is the only "Pit fall" to the 7m08

[Boner]

I don't often look for ammo, but I heard this spring that 7-08 was hard to find. 270 can be found even in some gas stations it's so common.

[Remington721]

7mm-08 loaded with 140 accubonds would be choice of your three

[Fisher-Dude]

Here's the recoil table to give you an idea of the relative whacks from various cartridges.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Of the 3 you listed, I'd go 7/08 all day long.

[Jasper604]

Here's the recoil table to give you an idea of the relative whacks from various cartridges.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Of the 3 you listed, I'd go 7/08 all day long.

Thanks! I compared the 270 and 7mm-08 they can both deliver 2000 foot pounds of energy at 200 yards using quality ammo

[Van Island]

I bought my son (aged 13) a 7mm-08 last year after doing a lot of research, it's a great calibre that you will be able to use for your entire lifetime. I shoot a 300 wby mag (one calibre guy) and will be very likely buying another 7mm-08 for myself since I want to do more deer hunting with my son in the future. As most have pointed out, with 140g accubond or partition, this is plenty of gun to tackle larger game such as elk.

[Good Old Outdoors]

I've had a remington 700 in 25.06 since I was 16. I bought it as an upgrade from my trusty old 30-30 savage bolt action. I love my 25.06, it's snappy and flat shooting. Its a little picky on ammo but I found mine like remington core lokt 120 grains. Its dropped many deer in its tracks, and with any luck a big billy goat next weekend. Mine is dialed in at 200 yards and can confidently shoot out to 500 on steel, 350 or so on an hooved critter. I will never sell that rifle, but I did buy a lighter stock for packing that rifle up and down mountains.
I plan to buy a 7-08 for my wife once she drops a few critters with my old 30-30 though.
Hope this helps

[07blackwater]

I shot dozens of moose over the years with my 270. Great caliber.

It was getting a little long in the tooth so I got a 7mm rem mag and I love it.

Lately I've been thinking of getting a lighter to pack deer/moose rifle so I've been looking for a 7-08. Nice recoil with them. If I happen to find a 270 that fits me good first I'll get that.

I always have my eyes open for a 6.5x55 though. It's what I really want and if you reload in a modern rifle that caliber really shines.