Rifle Caliber Recommendation - 270/308/30-06

[Jack Ryan]

Keep the 7mm and buy more ammo.

 

[BayouBuck985]

Find the rifle and platform you want, pick whichever caliber you can get the best deal on, match it to the appropriate bullet for the job and rock on. Not a nickel’s worth of difference in the three for what you’re looking for.

Update: I just picked up a used but in mint condition Browning X Bolt 2 Hunter in .308! That was my best deal of late that I couldn’t pass up. It even came with a Leupold VX Freedom 3-9X40 scope. I have a Swarovski to replace it, but I will put the Leupold on my .35 Whelen. Now, I’ll just get some premium 165-gr bullets, likely Nosler Partition or Accubond.

 

[Jnasa]

Update: I just picked up a used but in mint condition Browning X Bolt 2 Hunter in .308! That was my best deal of late that I couldn’t pass up. It even came with a Leupold VX Freedom 3-9X40 scope. I have a Swarovski to replace it, but I will put the Leupold on my .35 Whelen. Now, I’ll just get a premium 165-gr bullets, likely Nosler Partition or Accubond.

Congrats on your find. That should work well for you.

 

[MS 9x56]

Update: I just picked up a used but in mint condition Browning X Bolt 2 Hunter in .308! That was my best deal of late that I couldn’t pass up. It even came with a Leupold VX Freedom 3-9X40 scope. I have a Swarovski to replace it, but I will put the Leupold on my .35 Whelen. Now, I’ll just get some premium 165-gr bullets, likely Nosler Partition or Accubond.

My savage 99 would shoot 2 to 2 1/2” groups with both 150 and 180 grain spitzer bullets. One day while perusing my LGS I found a NOS box of Speer round nose 165 grain bullets. I loaded them up and was astounded when that old rifle shot its first honest to goodness 1 MOA group. No the quest is on to find more as they seem not to be made anymore.

 

[Wyoming270]

All of them hunt fine. Personally i prefer long action cartridges. 270 shoots flatter than 30 06 and has less recoil so its my choice. I dont need a 30 06 since i have 300 win mag if i want to shoot heavy 30 cal bullets. I also set the 300 win mag up with a slightly higher powered scope and the 270 with a slightly lower powered scope.

 

[GlockZ]

Any of the 3 are great choices and very capable. Personally I would get an X-bolt in .270 and get the model with the 7.5 twist rate, then you can confidently hand load 155-175 grain bullets and have lethal elk cartridge.

 

[MTGamecock]

Update: I just picked up a used but in mint condition Browning X Bolt 2 Hunter in .308! That was my best deal of late that I couldn’t pass up. It even came with a Leupold VX Freedom 3-9X40 scope. I have a Swarovski to replace it, but I will put the Leupold on my .35 Whelen. Now, I’ll just get some premium 165-gr bullets, likely Nosler Partition or Accubond.

Sounds like you found what you were looking for. Repeating what others have said, any of those three calibers will work just fine if it's a rifle you shoot well. I have a .308 rifle that I shoot very well and I now use it almost exclusively for deer, antelope, and elk. I like the 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets for elk and have found them to perform exactly as they were designed.

 

[Cammy]

I have used many tipped tsx bullets and have had no issues with them.

Tipped bullets shoot fine, it is the damage to the surrounding meat at the entrance that I do not like. Switched to .270 from 30-06 and started shooting 130 grain bullets instead of 180 grain for the same reason.

 

[Jonas]

Given your hunting conditions, I’d probably lean .308 Winchester. For the type of hunting you described mostly whitetails and hogs inside 200 yards the .308 gives you plenty of power, excellent bullet availability, manageable recoil, and a huge selection of rifles and ammunition. It’s also a very efficient cartridge that performs extremely well in shorter barrels
The .270 Winchester is a great deer cartridge and shoots flatter, but at the ranges you’re talking about the difference is basically irrelevant. The .308 also gives you more flexibility with heavier bullets for hogs and larger game
Since you already have a .35 Whelen, I wouldn’t choose a .30-06 just for the occasional elk hunt. The Whelen already covers that “bigger game” role very well. If elk becomes a regular pursuit, the .30-06 would make sense, but as an everyday rifle the .308 seems like the better fit
Out of the rifles you listed, I’d personally look hard at the Bergara B-14 or the Browning X-Bolt. The B-14s are excellent shooters for the money, while the X-Bolt gives you a lighter, more refined hunting rifle. A Remington 700 CDL would be a great classic choice too if you get a good one
.308 Winchester it fills the gap between your .35 Whelen and your previous magnums perfectly and is probably the rifle you’ll enjoy carrying and hunting with the most