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270 or 6.5cm hunting

fadetoblack188

Private
Minuteman
Dec 9, 2020
61
4
Ny
Guys I am looking to get another hunting rifle. A tikka t3 super lite. I am torn between the 6.5cm and 270. This rifle will be used for , antelope, sheep, deer, mule deer most likely.

calibers I own already - 300 win mag, 3006. So looking for that round alittle lighter then these.

what are your thoughts ?

thanks
 
I have .270 and 6.5 PRC. PRC has the same muzzle energy as the .270 (2700 Ft/lbs) but is a lot more pleasant to shoot in my opinion. Very little recoil and much easier to spot your hits.
 
Have both, love my 270 and will not say a bad thing about it since buying in high school. Have 6.5 creedmoor hunting rig I built a few years ago and it’s done the job flawlessly on everything I’ve shot. More pleasant to shoot was the proper statement from Jim 996. The list of animals you have are fall over dead with a clean shot from a 6.5. Bull elk at 300yds last season fell over dead with a 127 Barnes in the ten ring didn’t even take a step.
 
Guys I am looking to get another hunting rifle. A tikka t3 super lite. I am torn between the 6.5cm and 270. This rifle will be used for , antelope, sheep, deer, mule deer most likely.

calibers I own already - 300 win mag, 3006. So looking for that round alittle lighter then these.

what are your thoughts ?

thanks

What would Jack O'Connor do?

He would tell you to be a man and buy a Winchester Model 70 in 270 Winchester.
 
I wish it came with a brake .

would you guys say the tikka is best bang for buck under 1000 dollars ?
 
I have a sako 270 WSM I used to take my bighorn in one of Montana's unlimited units. A friend used my rifle to take his stone and dall sheep as well as another friend who took his ram in Wyoming. I shoot 150 grain Berger with retumbo powder. Seems to be a great combo and has been a great sheep rifle!
 
They are both good cartridges, I could of had a lightweight mountain rifle from any list of of parts built.

But a custom Winchester Model 70 in .270win and a 40” Dall ram on the North side of the Brooks Range at the top of Alaska is the type of story legends are told of.....
C457ABB5-F355-4CA7-803D-EEE86744853F.jpeg
 
One thing to remember is that .270 is very rarely used as a target rifle so they get relatively little use and aren't very popular so the second hand market is full of cheap rifles. Mine is a 15 year old Tikka T3 that I got for pennies and it will still shoot 1/2 inch with handloads. Get both.
 
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I bought a Wby in 6.5 CM. It weighs 5.75 lbs unscoped. No brake. Shoots like a dream.
No need for a brake.
T3x lite weighs 6 lbs. You can buy a version with a brake. Called Roughtech. Also can find a Wby Vanguard Wilderness weighing 6.75. Nice rifle. The Vanguard First Lite has a brake std.
 
The pleasant/unpleasant statements are simply a reflection of power. Nothing wrong with either.
The milder the cartridge, the less killing power it will have.
 
The pleasant/unpleasant statements are simply a reflection of power. Nothing wrong with either.
The milder the cartridge, the less killing power it will have.
Not a very accurate statement
 
I have a 270 Tikka Ultralite and the kick with a 270 on such a light gun is snappy indeed but I split and fell a 3" wide dead tree down the middle from 250 yards (on purpose) off a wobbly rock and it's been at least .6 MOA or less with respectable ammo and 1 MOA with cheap stuff. A 270 will take care of anything. A 6.5 adds limitation at the higher weight animals, but you can shot place even better with less recoil, I'm sure.
 
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I picked up the Tikka T3x Lite Stainless in .308. Slapped on a Weaver Grand Slam 3-10x40 and it is super accurate and easy to shoot. No problem with any recoil. Weighs 7# 1oz all up.
 
It’s not very inaccurate either.
I know this goes without saying cause all of us here know how it goes. The reason I left it kinda open ended is cause yes it is a correct statement in the pure root of things but I’ve put lots of small bullets with almost non existent recoiling calibers on game and there was plenty of killing power. So I’ll rephrase and say not entirely accurate or inaccurate statement lol. :cool:
 
For a sole hunting round, 270 makes more sense to me. Larger bullet diameter and higher velocity. But it also fills a similar niche as your 30-06
 
I’m a 6.5 guy, but for your hunting, go with the 270. But don’t get the lightest rifle you can find. Weatherby Vanguards are nice, not to light, not to heavy. Reliable and they shoot decent groups.

Why a 270. In the middle of no-where, where we typically are when hunting, you can always find a box of 270, Just In Case you need it.

There obviously are reasons the .270’s haven’t stayed in production for almost a hundred years. They wok o they are everywhere
 
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I've always wanted a Tikka 6.5x55! Like the only 6.5mm I haven't owned or shot.

It's an excellent round, up to and including moose. A bit weak on big bears though.
As for target shooting, loading them to modern pressures, it goes way beyond 1 k.

I’m a 6.5 guy, but for your hunting, go with the 270. But don’t get the lightest rifle you can find. Weatherby Vanguards are nice, not to light, not to heavy. Reliable and they shoot decent groups.

Why a 270. In the middle of no-where, where we typically are when hunting, you can always find a box of 270, Just In Case you need it.

There obviously are reasons the .270’s haven’t stayed in production for almost a hundred years. They wok o they are everywhere

I would too if I were in OP's position. But I'm not. 😉
 
The antelope, muleys and elk I've shot with 6.5s appeared, under close inspection and thorough tasting, to be almost exactly as dead as the antelope, muleys, and elk I've shot with .270s.

I'd go with the 6.5 Creed-Bro for that medium game list if I was you. None of those are hard to kill and you already have a .30-06 and .300 Winny if you want to burn more powder, might as well pick up something noticeably smaller and more fun to shoot.
 
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The only reason I am shying from the 270
Is because I already have the 3006.

I can always get a 270next year :)
 
Or you can load up or buy some light loads for the 30-06 and use it like you would the 270. Build a bad ass 6.5 in the meantime!
 
Oh make sure you get a 6.5 PRC. It's the male version of the Creedmoor.
 
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6.5 Sweedmoor. It’s like the best of all worlds. All you need to do is buy a 6.5x55 rifle and have a gun plumber ream it.
 
I had an ol .270 and wanted to jump on the 6.5 train so I rebarreled it and made a 6.5-06. Got to resize and trim all my old once fired 270 brass into 6.5-06. For hunting I would probably go with a 6.5PRC if you can find one in the gun you're looking at or a .270 if you're on a stricter budget. Dies/Brass/loaded ammo are all going to be easier to find cheaper than the 6.5PRC. If youre going to make frequent trips to the range and shoot a bunch then maybe go 6.5CM.
 
I have the Tikka T3Lite in 270 and it is punchy in terms of recoil, but not difficult to control. It is my favorite stalking gun due to very low weight, but it is a thumper.
On caliber: you can go anywhere in the (hunting) world and find 270 Win, the same is not true of 6.5 anything, if that is a factor.

On Tikka in general, it is the best budget gun on the market in my opinion. I have said before and now will again: buy a M700 for $500, put $700 into truing, you end with a $500 action. Tikka's action is stronger, has better features, and is inexpensive. I have built several customs on Tikka actions because it does what I want, and one has never needed truing (I had the first few checked to be sure.)

And lastly, there is wisdom in the comment that, if you need to sell it, a 270 will be a harder sell, especially around here.
 
I have an old Remington titanium action 270 and the recoil is not fun. I do not enjoy shooting it at the range. 6.5 are soft and efficient. You already have two great big game calibers so the 6.5 would diversify your portfolio a bit.
 
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Agreed with everything I'm reading. .270 is a lot of fun but you have to shoot perfectly with it or the recoil boots you all over. My PRC comes out of the safe a lot more often, the recoil is so slight it feels like cheating.