Here are the arguments in a nutshell.
Both are excellent calibers for everything up to and including elk.
If you hunt mostly open country the .270 has an edge due to the flat trajectory.
If you hunt thick stuff the .308 has heavier bullets available in many factory loadings. This will not shoot through brush but does seem to put animals down a little faster and minimize the tracking (if you shoot straight).
I do not notice the difference in recoil but some people have said that the .270 has a sharper recoil. Both are manageable in my experience but you have to make that determination for yourself.
Best advice, see if you can find examples of both and shoot them. Buy the one you like best and go hunting.
Enjoy your new rifle no matter which way you go!
ps Check out David Petzal's article in the last issue of F&S for a comparison of excellent lower cost rifles.

What Chuckles said...ditto

When looking at rifles, consider barrel length and balance for your frame. I would try to go with a 24" barrel if my choice was a .270 Win and a 22" or 24" for the .308; just my opinion.

One consideration to add to the above: Once you select your bolt action rifle (.270 vs .308), .308 ammo can also be used in some semi-auto platforms (AR types with .308 uppers, FN tactical and other target types) if you ever wish to add to your collection.

If you hunt across bean fields or on the open prairie, there is NO comparison. The .270 is fast and flat, the .308 is not. The .308 is nice for brush hunting but in the open it is sick at ranges longer than 300 yards. Yes they use it for 1000 yard competition but it barely has enough energy to penetrate paper at that range. Its maximum effective range for deer is more like 400 yards. The .270 can deck them with precision out to 600 yards. I wouldn't even try that with a .308.

Don't be swayed by the "better choice of bullets" argument for the .308. There are so many great .270 bullets that you will have a tough time deciding which one to use. Yes there are also great bullets for the .308 but so what? There are great bullets for both of them. The .270 kills deer in the brush just as well as the .308 too, you just need to use heavy bullets like the .308 does.

The recoil of the .270 is sharper in my opinion but that is because it is going a LOT faster. You can certainly shoot smaller 100g bullets if you like to make recoil all but dissappear. Those 100g hunting (non-varmint) bullets from a .270 deck a deer so fast, you better really know where it was when you shot because it won't even wiggle its ears after you pull the trigger.

If you insist on a short action rifle then get the .270 WSM. It is even faster than the .270 Win but has even more deadly performance. It also has even sharper recoil but again (even MORE speed), you don't always have to shoot 150g Thunder Chuckers all the time if you don't like the recoil. The 100g bullets are smooth out of that chambering too. The .308 is a great cartridge, no doubt but if you are only going to have one, it would have to be the .270.

Elija… Sorry but I respectfully disagree that military use of the .308 as a short to medium range sniper cartridge has a bearing on my comment. We are talking about deer hunting here.

Please don’t misunderstand… the .308 is a great cartridge and one of our most accurate. It is deadly on deer at ranges out to nearly 500 yards. However no one should ever consider deer hunting with it at ranges like 1000 yards. I made that 1000 yard comment because many novices think that if there is a military target competition at that range, it must be OK for deer hunting at that range. Sorry but neither of these cartridges have enough power for ethical deer hunting shots at this range.

The effective hunting range and ease of aim for these two vary partially because of the bullet sizes that are commonly sold for these two. Most .308 deer hunting is done with 150-180g bullets while most .270 deer hunting is done with 120-140g bullets.

The .270 is called a “fast and flat shooting” rifle when compared to the .308 because with the smaller “typically shot” bullets, the .270 gets higher velocities. Although bullets of the same weight exit the muzzle at similar velocity in both rifles, the much better ballistic coefficients of the comparable .270s do let them keep flying faster all the way to the target. They also help them penetrate deer better too. It is pretty common in deer hunting that a 165g .308 bullet is used going around 2700 fps while a 130g .270 bullet is used going around 3100 fps.

This 400 foot per second variance makes a noticeable difference in open field deer hunting by reducing leads, holdovers and windage at longer ranges. I personally feel that the .270 will be a better deer rifle for Zorq at this point since he already has a good 30-30 for close range heavy timber/brush hunting. Personally, I am starting to like the .270 WSM even better because of even higher velocity, lower recoil, reduced powder needs and improved accuracy because of the case design.

Your choice, which ever you decide on, will be a good one. you can't go wrong with either caliber. The big decision will be the gun itself. Ruger, and Savage make bolt action rifles in your price range that have gotten good reviews. I'm sure there are others that would compare favorably.

i hae a 308 and love it. ive never had a deer runn ove 40 yards with it

barely enough power? that explains why the military uses it for sniper rifles

the military sniper uses .308's to practice....and .338 in combat

Both are great cartridges and DEP recommends a 270 a lot. However, his states that he prefers the 150 grn loading for the 270 at 2800 fps. Is that not basically a 308?

For most hunters shooting at ranges under 300 yards, is there really a difference?

yds not yes...too quick on the spell check