AussieHunter
.224 member
Reged: 29/08/07
Posts: 47
Loc: Outback, NSW, Australia
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Hi Guys Just a quick question
Which caliber would you recommend for use on pigs up to about 260lbs. I could be shooting them up to 300 yards. I know there is not much difference between them, but i just want to know which would be the No.1 caliber out of those two for pigs. I will be using Winchester Power Points in which ever caliber i get, so
130 or 150 grains for .270?
150 or 180 grains for .308?
Any help would be great!
Edited by AussieHunter (30/08/07 01:44 PM)
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WyoJoe
.300 member
Reged: 18/02/04
Posts: 234
Loc: Cheyenne, WY USA
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.270 Win because it is one of my favorite rounds.
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There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular -- but one must ask, "Is it right?"
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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ozhunter
.400 member
Reged: 18/08/04
Posts: 1692
Loc: Sydney, Australia
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A 308 with 150grn bullets is one of my favorite Pig combos.
A 308 in a short action Kimber is a great option IMO.
Edited by ozhunter (30/08/07 07:59 PM)
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Tatume
.400 member
Reged: 09/06/07
Posts: 1091
Loc: Gloucester, Va USA
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Most of my wild hogs have been killed with a 30-06 using 180 gr Nosler Partitions. I'm sure either of your choices will work well. I'm planning a hog hunt for the spring, and will use a 308 Savage M99 (1960 vintage w/ rotary magazine). For that hunt I will load 165 gr Nosler Partitions.
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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BOTH ARE GREAT CALIBERS--HOWEVER BASED ON WHAT YOU ARE SHOOTING, I WOULD CHOOSED THE LARGER BORE .308--THE 180'S OUT OF THAT 308 SHOULD DO QUITE A JOB..
RIPP
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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Tatume
.400 member
Reged: 09/06/07
Posts: 1091
Loc: Gloucester, Va USA
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It's true that the 180 gr bullets in the 308 work well. Some older guns have pretty short magazines though (like the M99). The 165 gr Partition works almost as well as the 180 gr bullet (I've never been able to see a difference), and is a little shorter.
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szihn
.400 member
Reged: 24/06/07
Posts: 2121
Loc: United States
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I also would go with the 270.
I have shot that shell now for over 40 years. I am a gunsmith, and a have been a guide for 35 years.
As a gunsmith I have made more rifles than I can count, and I have hunted many animals and everything I have ever shot with my 270 with good 150 grain bullets has died fast, and I have only once had to fire more than one round to kill, (and that one time was just a poor 1st shot)
I have shot through every elk I have ever killed with a 270 and left an exit hole. Elk go from about 350 pounds to 800 pounds.
I killed a 385 pound black bear with a 160 grain Nosler bullet about 20 years ago, and I hit both front shoulder bones. Went right through and kept going.
I like the 270 because it WORKS, and because it's very flat shooting.
Just my 2 cents worth.
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enfieldspares
.224 member
Reged: 12/07/07
Posts: 36
Loc: Great Britain
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I think that this is an interesting question. I certainly have pondered this although, wanting to shoot in France, I have not the choice that you have....308, 30-06 and 303 being illegal there as they are "military" calibres. So I have a "light" 243 and a "medium" 270. If I had the choice my "light" rifle would be a 308 and my "medium" a 30-06.
I suppose that one answer is choose the calibre that gives you the best availability and cost of ammunition...unless you are a forty round a year man...and that gives you the greater flexibility on other game. Roos and water buffalo in Australia for example.
The ballistics are approximately:
270 w/130 = 3140fps
270 w/150 = 2800fps 308 w/150 = 2860fps 30-06 w/150 = 2970fps
308 w/180 = 2610fps 30-06 w/180 = 2700fps 303 w/180 =2540fps
By comparison I have tabled these and added 30-06 and 303 and and so there is a difference but is is marginal in regards to velocity. What the tables don't reflect is recoil - a function of the base area of the cartridge, or cartridge length - which affects reloading time and "like for like" rifle weight, or cost and availability.
So, for example, a 308 BRNO ZKK 600 will weigh less, and be "handier" than a 270 BRNO ZKK 601. And have an inch or two less "bolt travel" than its longer actioned brother.
Nor do they give elevation differences.
Personally I think that the 270 although a fine cartridge would have to be used in the 150 grain weight bullet only. It is very much an American cartridge, designed to be able to deal with all game that would have been encountered in the USA including light game. That would give you more recoil as the bullet diameter is smaller and would be at the maximum for the cartridge. However there is an argument that as the 150 grain 270 is "over long" it will give better actual killing power and penetration for its weight compared with a bullet of the same weight but of greater diameter.
The advantages of the 308 are that it can be used in a shorter action rifle...so bolt travel and reloading time is quicker...and the bolt will be lighter! The weight saved can be offset against towards a stiffer barrel or etc., etc.
Also, with the 308, surplus military ammunition at 144 grains will enable you, if you can obtain it in Australia, to practise without regard for cost. The 270 is a fine cartridge with a 130 grain bullet, but in truth in heavier weights, the 308 is probably cheaper.
If you already have a 270, shoot it, it'll be fine! If your thinking of buying maybe the 308 is a better bet? Personally? I would go for a 30-06 in either 150 or 180 loaded to 308 specification...so less pressure and guaranteed extraction!
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osix
.224 member
Reged: 13/07/07
Posts: 20
Loc: Australia
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I've used both the 270 and the 308 on pigs, they both do the job.
Currently using a 308 with 150 grain coreloks, works just fine.
If I ever get to the NT might go up a notch to 165 grainers.
Just buy a gun that fits.
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Plains99
.300 member
Reged: 10/11/04
Posts: 225
Loc: Dodge City, Kansas, USA
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I voted for the .308 but I can't think that for hogs under 300 pounds that it makes any difference. We normally hunt hogs from towers in South Texas and as long as a rifle can reach out to 200 yards with authority that's good enough. There are any number of calibers that can do that. When it comes right down to it, I'll pack a .243 over either the .308 or the .270. I've also taken a number of hogs with the .25-06 and even the lowly .30-30.
Edited by Plains99 (21/09/07 11:32 PM)
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DarylS
.700 member
Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 27589
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
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When a large cases magnum isn't needed (rarely if ever actually needed), it is never a mistake to go to the larger bore size.
; The .308 is one of the most accurate, easy to load for ctgs. in the lineup. I would consider using a 180gr. PPoint, or a 150gr. to 165gr.Barnes TShock.
: I used the .308 for years in full bore competition and have nothing but admiration for it and it's ballistics.
: With VVN powders today, it will duplicate most of the 1980 .30/06 factory data - there are no flies on that round.
; I've never owned a .270 - never will, unless it's the .270 Redding or some other small cased .270 wildcat for a deer round.
: To penetrate the heavy bone or grissle plates on pigs, I believe you want the accuracy, low recoil and penetrative power of the "X" in .308 bullet diameters. Yes, they have them for the .270 as well, but more run of the mill bullets and bullet weights will work in .308 than in the 270. It's also a much more accurate ctg. to start with.
; Yes, I know someone has a .270 that shoots well. More people have .308's that blow it out of the water, though. If not the case, match rifles would be made in .270's.
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Daryl
"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V
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AussieHunter
.224 member
Reged: 29/08/07
Posts: 47
Loc: Outback, NSW, Australia
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Thanks for all the help guys, the .308 is looking good. Any other opinions before i finish up on this thread?
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Rockdoc
.400 member
Reged: 07/12/06
Posts: 1213
Loc: NSW, Australia
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My son has a Realtree Camo Steyr Scout in .308, it's a wonderful rifle and he loves it, even with 19" barrel. 2 x 5 shot mags and inbuilt bipod. I have a new (early release, about 1994?) Model 70 CRF in .270 matte blue which i love too. However, i am longing after a Kimber Montana in .308 for the lightness and stainless factors. Maybe it's time to convert the 270 into a nice custom rifle? Or open it up to something big! 
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foxfire
.375 member
Reged: 25/11/04
Posts: 511
Loc: Long Island N.Y.,
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A few years ago my son shot his first pig with a Marlin lever action 35cal. Remington. It knocked the pig off it's feet. It soon got up and took off for parts unknown, never to be seen again. It was a good hit on the shoulder, a little high but a good hit none the less.
My son was really distraught over this. I bought him a Remington 700 BDL in .308. He's a little recoil sensitive so he shoots the Federal 170 grain low recoil loads. He has shot four pigs with it and none got away. I'm sure he's a better shot now then before and he follows up with an instantaneous second shot, but none have gotten away since.
He definately loves the gun and caliber.
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No good deed goes unpunished
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