Even though I own a 30.06 and don't own a.270, I'll take the .270 for those small whitetail deer. The 30.06 seems to me to be a ver veristile all around weapon, but the .270 is a better tailored to whitetail.

.30-06 Springfield, born 1906 .270 Winchester, born 1925. My vote goes to the old veteran, Each gun gets the job done very well when put in the right hands.

.30-06 44%
.270 Win 55%
Total Votes: 27 at 2:04 PM!!!

I will take the 270 only because the 25-06 is no longer in the hunt. It is of course the best Whitetail round to be had (IMO).

Ditto some of the earlier comments about the 30-06 being more versatile. That's what I own and use - for that very reason. If the use is limited to whitetails, I give the nod to the 270 due to the flatter trajectory. You can't go wrong with either one though.

I don't or won't hunt with either one but I voted for the 30-06 because the recoil of the 270 leaves me puzzled why the 270 kicks even more than my 300WSM. There has to be some scientific formula why the 270 kicks like it does.

50/50 at 2:20 pm!!!

So how is the .270 better with less meat damage with a faster bullet? Less recoil? With similar weight bullets, felt recoil is very similar. I bet if I loaded up 130's in each to the same velocity, none of you could tell the difference in a blind test.

Been looking for a new rifle. My arsenal of handguns is as full as I need it to be as I just added at 10mm to the collection.
Because I'm never going to be hunting anything larger than whitetails, I think I'm going to buy a rifle in the cartridge that is deemed the winner.

I have used a .30-06 for forty years, never saw a need for any other cartridge for MS whitetails, of course it is a long shot if there are no powder burns on the hide.

Less meat damage on whitetails with a .270? Every one of the deer my son has shot with his .270 had massive tissue damage and a very large drain hole. High velocity and lighter bullets do that...

I've shot a boat load of deer with my old 30/06 using various bullets and have never considered it to be overly rough on meat, even when using Nosler Ballistic Tips. I ain't buying the meat damage thing...

My money is on the old Government Mule!

250 grain bullets for whitetails?

In the West, flatter is better. 270-win wins for me.

I love my 30 06 but if we are talking strictly whitetails and nothing else the .270 would be the better choice

my very first gun i ever got even before a .22 was a .30/06 and i've shot more animals with it then heck and is a classic deer rifle

This turned out to be exactly what many predicted, a best all around cartridge contest. I'm an '06 lover, but wouldn't pick it as the best deer round, even though I shoot them with it anyway. A smaller case and smaller bullet will be plenty for whitetails, even up north in places where they're commonly 300+ on the hoof. On the other hand, a deer can't be too dead. I don't go for the recoil arguments, no cartridge in this bracket is a heavy kicker, and the vast majority could be handled by anyone with some experience and a sensibly weighted rifle. I guess the question is, are there any smaller rounds in bullet size/weight and/or case capacity that are truly better than the '06 at taking deer?

.270 period. There were a few other rounds that I like a little more but they're history.

Nought 06 just in case critters with big claws & teeth are in the area!

Thanks buckhunter. I have a feeling if they took my idea next year the 06 would not win. Many places only allow bows/shotguns/muzzle loaders. This means in many would choose a 12 ga slug or arrow over a .30-06.

knew it would come to this. i like both for deer even though i mostly hunt mule deer. i'm going with the 06.

I vote for the 30-06 because its been around forever, puts down deer, cheap, easy to find, and is as accurate as the .270 or almost any other round is. and i cant even notice the difference in recoil between the two rounds.

uplander12, funny thing you should bring up a 250 grain. There is a 250 jacketed loading for the 30-06 and what I know shooting a 250 in a 300 Win Mag sucks, in a 30-06? GO FIGURE!
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270 vs 30-06?
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If you roll your own and study the 30-06, it has more tricks than a microwave oven!
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110 grain 3471fps
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130 grain 3243fps
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150 grain 3068fps
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165 grain 2938fps
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180 grain 2798fps
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200 grain 2586fps
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220 grain 2476fps
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250 grain 2281fps

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All velocity's off
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http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

Wow all the 06 shooters of the world must drive around with backwards rainbows on the bumpers of their trucks. Why you might ask? They love the arching trajectory of the most overrated cartridge of all time. 270 all the way.

Shane asked:

"I guess the question is, are there any smaller rounds in bullet size/weight and/or case capacity that are truly better than the '06 at taking deer?"

Succinct Answer: No!

If you are a whitetail hunter or an elk hunter wannabe, you are in good company with a .270 Win. I have been truly impressed with a hunting buddy's .270 WSM A-Bolt for big deer and huge bulls. I was also surprised it did so well in the Elite Eight knocking off the .25-06 Rem. Will I run out and buy one? No, just because I don't want another toy to mess with right now. I have tuned up my 7mm toy and that is about all I have time to fool with right now. I said I was not going to the in between calibers since I have a battery of .25, .30, and .35 caliber rifles, but there I went with the 7mm Weatherby. Fun to handload and shoot knowing how much heartbreak it dishes out on the other end! If I want to plink, out comes the Dirty Thirty, the .257 Roberts, or the .223!

*effectively

The best deer cartridge is the .270 it will get my vote.I've dropped alot of deer with it, seen it down big Quebec bull moose as well as 1 shot kills on bull Elk in Manitoba.If you need a 30 calibre to hunt you're just showing off.

Pacific Hunter and Themasterdan:

If it ain't broke don't fix it. All these new rounds are just a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. The 06 and .30-.30 have been killing deer for a hundred years. The old farm equipment analogy doesn't work though. New farm equipment is more effective than the old. However the 06 is still probably the most effective cartridge on deer.

Also, velocity doesn't kill. If I want to kill something I will pick slow and heavy (hard hitting) over fast and penetrating any day. By the way all rounds are going to arc and even so, who says it is such a bad thing?

There is a reason the 06 is ahead.

Also isn't it true the .270 is a necked down (and slightly longer) 06? So this really is the 06 vs. the 06.

i have seen and heard about both of these doing just fine on both deer and elk. they are durned near equal IMO. being practical here: if you drill a bullet from either into lungs heart or liver its gonna die. period. but then again u could kill a deer with a .22 mag, its all about hitting the mark. all this talk about which is better is silly. its more up to the hunter than the round in this competition between the 06 and .270

I like them both but for me it is more than the caliber its the memories of the gun. Thats why i choose the .270, my uncle gave me the rifle and it is deadly.

Man, this is like a Camaro v. Mustang debate! We all love our favorite, and mine is a .270. Will I eventually buy a 30 cal rifle? Probably, but my .270 will always be my go to rifle.

I don't what all the debate is about, these are the 2 best all around calibers in my eyes. This is what this competition is all about ! Everybody's talking about the recoil of the 270, I've shot one for years and it does not kick no more than a 243. My gun is a older one with some weight. I think the weight takes alot of the recoil off your shoulder and puts more on the squeeze of the trigger for shot placement !!! The 30-06 has more kick (thus u flinch). So I'll stick to my favorite, the 270 without a doubt !!!!

What was unautherized with my last comment ????

I'm w/ you too jfgann66, I've owned both, but my Grandpa gave me his pre-64 mod. 70 Winchester .270, and so it's what I use. Sold the .06's, and I don't regret it. That old .270 is hell on earth when it comes to whitetails. There's a reason these 2 calibers are in the championship. Yeah, there's a lot of nostalgia involved, but you can't argue w/ history or performance. They're both excellent whitetail cartridges, and will remain extremely popular for many many moons.

No! 57% to 42%? O Thou Blessed .270 Winchester, revive thyself!

Secondly, 57-42? Since when does that make 100? I realize it may seem like I'm quibbling over a minor detail, but that one percent might be all it takes to spark a .270 comeback...

I have been trying to bite my tongue on this one, but since my favorite White Tail round, the 7m 08 fell by the wayside, I feel obligated to comment.

I was raised in the temple of Jack O'Connor and tried to raise the 270 to his desired degree of perfection. It was not to happen. Used it on every animal he did, but discovered the 06 did it better.

They are both great cartridges either of which I will be happy to see win.

I am very old, so don't throw too many stones

Looks like the game isn't that close after all! I own and operate two deer rifles, both are 30-06. I've always thought I would sell one of them and buy something smaller or larger, but with all the different bullet weights available for the 30-06 it just doesn't make sense to get rid of a gun that will do everything for one that can only do one.

dukkilllr,

Maybe there is a hanging chad? Where's ACORN?

I think the debate will go on forever as to which is better, but I think the bell has rung for the '06 being the most popular, hence the more votes it has received.

Most popular does not always equal better or best!

WAM says, Maybe there is a hanging chad? Where's ACORN?

NOW THAT"S FUNNY!

Most popular does not always equal better or best?

Kinda like Slick Willy's what the definition of "is" "is"!

Whats really funny is to watch a hunter who used a 30-30 all his life to switch to a 270 like a Friend in New Mexico shooting at 350 yards at Mule deer on the opposite side of a canyon. Yelling at the top of my voice "GEORGE AIM DEAD ON" He finally figured it out! Old habits do die hard!!

"Most popular does not always equal better or best!"

In this case, however, it does. Or rather, the best one is the most popular. After a century of use for the 06 and almost as much for the .270 you can't claim that the voters don't have enough info. The 06 really is the best. The best white tail cartridge. The best mule cartridge. The best moose cartridge. The best elk cartridge. The best bear cartridge. The best sheep cartridge. Yes, it has a wide range of general uses and yet it turns out to be the best even against limited, narrow, specialized cartridges that were invented primarily to convince sportsmen that they didn't have the right gun for the job (and therefore ought to buy another new one).

They don't call me "bullseye" for nothing. Started whitetail hunting with Rem mod 742 in the 30-06 version. My new deer rifle, Rem 700, is also 30-06 cal.....they have never let me down!

Fifteen rounds is enough. Unless you agree with Woody Hayes (I believe?) who said, "we did not lose, we just ran out of time."

Consider the plug pulled. I hear the fat lady now....

Would've been a lot closer Dave if you would've let the .270 guys vote more than once!

When is formal announcement? Perhaps an SI article...

30-06 all the way because it ws a big part of our military i know the m1919 machine gun and the m1903 the m1 garand was used in ww2 korean war vietnam war the military honor guard still use it and it is a great deer round

I personally believe that when hunting in real conditions for whitetail, the average shot it between 25 and 85 yards. For this, a .30-30 performs pretty much the same as a 30-06 or a 270. For hunting purposes, people just want to hear that the gun they use is the best one out there. So this pole pretty much was a good tally of what guns people use today. No surprise that the 06 wins. But I am hoping that the average person is not pushing the limits of either a 270 or 06 because that would mean that there are people out there taking shots 3,4,5, and 600 yards. These are the distances that you are going to see any difference, if there is one.