Author Topic: T3 Lite 7mm-08 or .270 (Read 2956 times)

lgall · « **on:** January 16, 2007, 03:35:25 PM »

I will be moving to the Denver, Co area in the next year. I wanted to know what would be a better choice for caliber 7mm-08 or .270. I will be using it for deer, antelope, and maybe elk. The only gun that I will be sending down is a .22 rimfire. This will be my only centerfire for the time being. I am looking at a lite kicking, lite weight, and accurate shooting gun. I will be shooting up to 400 yards, only for antelope/deer. Please let me know what you think. Also I don't currently reload, but I have a friend that would be able to for me if needed. Also what kind of accuracy are you geting from a setup like this.

tennbuck · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2007, 12:18:50 AM »

*@ 400 yards the .270 has +200 fps,+ 200 ft-lbs and hits 6 inches higher than the 7mm-08.
*the 7mm-08 would kick less.
*both can be found in a lite model. more so in the 7mm-08 considering it's a short action.

i have a .270 Weatherby, i've seen every whitetail i've shot fall. not @ 400 yards though.

you may want to consider the 300 win mag, 300 wsm, 338 wm or a 7mm mag. Tikka makes all 3.(this is based on what you said)

bigjeepman · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2007, 01:17:01 AM »

I cannot help you picking this caliber as I have never taken a 400 yd shot at any animal because my area is just too hilly and wooded. I understand your question but I am not so sure a light weight, low recoil, and a 400 yard shooter can describe a rifle on the market. I am not saying you cannot drop a deer, antelope, or an elk at 400 yds with a 7mm-08 or a .270. Since I have never been elk hunting and have no experience in that regard, I can only say you would be under-gunned in my opinion. In my most humble opinion, I think the choices tennbuck gave you would be a better fit for that situation.

One thing I do have experience in is a light weight .300wsm. I have one in a Winchester and it is not light recoil. The rifle/scope weighs around 7 lbs and at the range is a brute to my shoulder. For you or someone else, the recoil might not be too bad but it is to me. For comparison's sake, look at the recoil chart at the links posted below.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm (recoil)

tennbuck · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2007, 06:26:42 AM »

Quote from: bigjeepman on January 17, 2007, 01:17:01 AM

One thing I do have experience in is a light weight .300wsm. I have one in a Winchester and it is not light recoil.

LOL! i hear ya. i was dumb enough to crawl behind my buddies 325 WSM in a Kimber Montana

. uhhhhh, ya. and i'm 6'3" 225.

tennbuck · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2007, 06:48:49 AM »

lgall,

if i was in your situation i would get a 300 WSM or you could choose from these 3. i like the 300 wsm because it is flat and hits hard! good luck in Colorado, and let us know what ya do!

look how purdy!
Sako 75 Finnlight 6 1/2 lbs

it's gonna be hard to get a lite, "low recoil" rifle that will allow you to make a terminal shot at 400 yards.

but to answer your question, i would go .270!

Zachary · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2007, 08:01:06 AM »

Both the 7mm-08 and the .270 Winchester are fine for all, including elk BUT they are definately on the light side for elk. A better choice would be a .30-06. The .300WSM mentioned is a choice that can also certainly handle all animals listed, including elk, but comes at the price of higher recoil than the .30-06.

If you hunt more Elk than whitetails, then get the .300WSM. If you hunt more whitetails than elk, get the .30-06. If you hunt only whitetails, or maybe elk once or twice, AND you shoot at distances under 200 yards, AND you use 150 grain premium bullets, then you can use a .270 (although I still prefer the .30-06 just in case.)

Zachary

tennbuck · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2007, 08:51:52 AM »

i agree on the 30-06. i have a Remington 7400 30-06 i use when i "walk" heavy brush/woods. the 30-06 is the classic big game rifle.

lgall · « **Reply #7 on:** January 17, 2007, 09:32:43 AM »

I don't think that I was very clear on the ranges that I was thinking about. I was looking at a maximum range of 400 yards primarily for antelope, but that would be the absolute maximum that I would shoot. More or less the ranges would be 100-300 yds for deer and under 200yds for elk. I currently live in Alaska and the shots are almost always under 200yds except for maybe Caribou. I have shot a 30-06 for years and like it, but I have never gotten very good accuracy out of them. I have owned Winchester, Ruger, and Browning in 30-06 and all have shot aroung the 2 moa. I also like to shoot at the range alot and wanted something that I could use for extented range sessions without causing to much pain in recoil. I can shoot around 40 rounds of 30-06 through my rifles in a range session, but that was only after adding a limbsaver recoil pad. I was also thinking about the 270wsm due to the increase in velocity and the longer barrel. I would consider the it, but am concerned about the recoil in a 7 1/2lb rifle/scope combo.

bigjeepman · « **Reply #8 on:** January 17, 2007, 10:00:57 AM »

lgall...

With those new yardage numbers, I can't imagine you going wrong with the 7mm-08. I think it would be a perfect lower recoiling rifle with the ballistics to back it up. I know guys who go out west with .243's and 25-06's for antelope. A 7mm-08 can do this and still be a 200-250 yd elk rifle .... I am planning an antelope trip this year and I will be taking my new 7mm-08 Tikka with me ... even though I haven't bought it yet ... I am still working on a trade at the gunshop.

Good shooting to you and have fun with your choice ...

tennbuck...

I "used" to be 5'11" and 185 lbs ... until I started reloading for that .300 wsm ... dios mio ...

YankeeBill · « **Reply #9 on:** January 17, 2007, 10:36:06 AM »

If I were in your situation and was only going to be hunting with one caliber, and under those terrain conditions, as fond as I am of the 7/08, personally I would give a lot of consideration to the .270 WSM.

It is capable of reaching out to 400 yds. if need be and without the punnishing recoil of the 300 WSM. Of course you will give up some in the energy=ft.lbs and trajectory departments but I would take that trade off.

I have a 270 WSM Win. Super Shadow and have only used it at the range so far but the recoil is quite managable for me, and I have a torn Rotator Cuff in my shooting shoulder at the moment.

My gun weighs 6 oz. more than the T3 Lite does (w/out optics), so I'm not sure if this would make much of a difference in felt recoil or not.

I bought the rifle used from a hunting buddy that used it as a food plot / field hunting gun and he has killed whitetails out to 400 yds. with it.

YB

A.J. · « **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2007, 09:27:41 AM »

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd put my 2 cents in anyway. I'll be picking up my first T3 in a few days, and it's in the caliber I think you should consider. It has a little more recoil than your 7mm/08, but it is reknown for it's accuracy (it is the standard amongst precision rifle shooters). With a light bullet it is reasonably flat shooting enough to use out to 400 yards, but with a range-compensating scope and a laser range-finder it's capable of reaching out much further than that...And it is a very capable Elk rifle out to 200 yards. I'm talking about the plain-jane .308 winchester. As an extra little bonus, if you like to shoot a lot, and since you don't reload, you can get bulk military ammo dirt cheap. Just my 2 cents.

Old English · « **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2007, 11:38:02 AM »

I would have to agree with AJ, the 308 seems like the most logical choice. The 308 is more accurate than the 06, recoil is very manageable, it will do all that you require. To top it off, if you don't reload it's going to be the cheapest rifle to shoot. The WSM ammo isn't going to be cheap.
If I were buying one today, I'd get the Varmint version. The varmint version has the heavy barrel and better stock. I bought the 308 light, wished I'd got the varmint, same as my 223.

Tikkabuck · « **Reply #12 on:** March 28, 2007, 09:12:06 AM »

Every elk I've ever taken was with a .308. My choice for Colo. in hind sight would be a 7 mag or a .300 wsm or wm.

Out of your 2 choice's I'd go for the 7mm-08. My reasons for this is if you reload or not you have a better choice of elk bullets. I hunted with a man and his wife who both hunted elk every year in Colo. and they both used 7x57's. One a Remington and the other an Interarms,never did it take either of them more than one shot. Ok so the 7mm-08 compared to the 7x57, from Noslers #3 - 7mm08 160 gr with imr 4895 = 2570 fps , 7x57 160 gr with imr 2450 fps . .270 160 gr with imr 4895 2530 fps.
These are max loads in the book. Also the 7mm-08 recoil wise is sweet.

brasschaser · « **Reply #13 on:** April 27, 2007, 02:50:13 PM »

Out of your 2 choices I'd go w/ the 7mm-08. Ballistics are nearly the same and the 7mm has better bullet selection. I don't care for .270 caliber bullets. In a long action, I'd always pick a .30-06 over a .270 for penetration and versatility. That said I'd also look at the .260 Remington or 6.5 Swede. I'd stay clear of the magnums.

lilabner · « **Reply #14 on:** May 02, 2007, 06:41:17 AM »

If you are going to hunt elk, I'd suggest a 30-06, 7mm Rem Magnum or 300 Winchester Magnum. Go lower than the '06 and your effective range on elk is unduly limited. The two magnums will kick hard in such a light rifle, but if you use a Led Sled for target shooting you won't develop a flinch. If you are like most hunters, you won't feel the recoil when shooting at game. The T3 Lite is a great mountain rifle for climbing at high altitudes.

superdown · « **Reply #15 on:** May 03, 2007, 12:02:34 PM »

for under 200yds and the game / conditions i would recommend the 308 win because of these reasons #1 ammo availability #2 recoil is very manageable #3 none of the game mentioned is going notice how much more dead they are with a more powerfull cartridge #4 its a short action = less weight #5 advantage over magnums is one more round capacity #6 cheaper ammo. could post more reasons but those are just off the top of my head at the moment. by the way i have personally taken game with the 270-358-325-308-44mag-4570-300wm and a few others and at 200 yds or under they all seemed equaly dead after being shot so good luck with your choice and happy hunting,superdown p.s. for antelope/deer 400yds the 308 will work fine especially when you consider the 243win and 6mm/244.rem are commonly used succesfully at that range.

BNoz01 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 05, 2007, 04:53:12 PM »

Using a 270 on elk is one of those never ending controversies. Lots of folks have done it, and just as many try to discourage the practice. However, almost all involved agree that you have to use premium bullets when you use "marginal" elk calibers.

I love it when folks come to CO and see an elk for the first time. It's really quite eye-opening when you
are used to whitetails.

The reality is that if you pop the lungs on an elk, he's dead (within 100 yards). Don't pop the lungs and you're gonna be following him for quite a while. What you pop those lungs with is really immaterial.

As for me: I moved to Colorado in 93 and promptly wounded an elk with a 270 (and cheap bullets). I immediately went out and bought a 338 Win Mag. I know it's over kill for elk, but I also had that 338 in my hands when I was approached by a Brown bear in AK. Once again, I felt under gunned.

I say come on out with either the 7-08 or 270, provided you use primo ammo. Then get up close with an elk and decide for yourself if you feel comfortable with those calibers. Nothing wrong with then upgrading to a magnum caliber rifle.

B. Noz.
Colorado Springs, CO

Papaman · « **Reply #17 on:** May 31, 2007, 11:40:37 PM »

I agree with brasschaser, I would opt for the .260, it is a short action with the same ballistics and bullet as the long action 6.5x55 which is an excellent cartridge, but , thats just me. Bob

californiahunter93 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 23, 2007, 10:34:38 AM »

You could buy a tikka in one caliber or buy a TC encore and get both the barrels and see what one you like more. Just a suggestion.

WyoStillhunter · « **Reply #19 on:** August 08, 2007, 03:27:53 AM »

An older thread, but I can't resist throwing in my $.02.

First, with the T3 action length is moot because they all have the same length action. The magazines are blocked and the bolt stop is different for the shorter calibers but the basic hardware is all the same dimensions.

Second, of the two calibers in the original post I suggest 7mm/08 but it's really a toss-up.

Third, elk will fall nicely to all of the calibers suggested IF shot placement is correct. I have taken elk with 280, '06, 35 Whelen, and .444 Marlin. None went over 75 or 80 yards after being hit and all were dead when I got to them.

Fourth, for long sessions at the range a seven pound rifle is going to get a little tiresome quicker than a heavier one. I FINALLY learned to wear a PAST shoulder pad at the range for all calibers above .22 LR. It allows me to concentrate on my shooting for a longer period of time. As we all know, recoil is imperceptible when actually shooting at a game animal in season.

Finally, I recommend you keep your '06 and use it in Colorado. Get a good gunsmith to tweek it and sub-2" groups should be the norm. Besides, no one needs a MOA rifle to kill big game.